Hello All

Let me start by saying that, if by chance, this type of club already exists, I have no desire to duplicate it. If on the other hand, it does not, than we might just end up with one of the smallest clubs here on Pinside or maybe it will be larger than I anticipate

Anyway all are welcome who have any type of bowler or skee ball machine. I would like to have a place where those of us who have one of these gems can go for information specific to these great games. It can be sometimes difficult to find info about this genre of coin op games. Many who are into pins have either no interest or no room for a larger machine. Hence it would be nice to have a goto place where tech/misc info can be freely and easily exchanged.

A perfect example was when I was trying to put my Alley Cats into Free Play mode since there is no mention in the manual about this very handy setting. I was lucky enough to ask this question to a fellow Pinsider who works for an operator in town and she was able to advise how to do it. Be nice to have this kind of info flowing so we can all benefit

Anyway, I think I have laid out the gist.

Let's see where it goes. Your thoughts are welcome. Let's keep it positive and helpful

George

Hi Jeff

Well then, welcome. Glad to have you!!

I cannot believe that you fit that in your Suburu. Wow. I was prepared to go and get the Alley Cats that I now have but upon reflection, may not have been able to fit it in the Sienna I have. The seller offered to deliver and unpaid a few bucks extra for that.

Love the bowling pin sign that you have by the machine. Can you advise where you got that. Would like to have one by my game.

Glad you joined. Hopefully more will join us and we'll all be better off for it!

George

Welcome All! Great to see the level of interest! Alex, never knew there was a "Skee Alley" Neatto!! Great pictures!!

George...

Was very close to picking up a Skee Ball this past summer from a guy close to me. Reasonable price and the machine looked great. Ahhh, then there was the issue of getting it into my basement. Oh well.

And here is the sole entrance to my basement (on left, powder room on right) which already has seven pins in it!! These things do multiply!!
was lucky enough to be able to take the door off on the powder room on the right to slide the shuffle bowler in there and then down the stairs on the left. one inch of clearance but that was all I needed.

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Thanks for posting Alex. Neat. Maybe as others join us here there maybe another who decuides to scoop it up. Again, had no idea these variety even existed.

G

Pinbackpacker. Thank you and you are most welcome!!
I hope you find your game that you are seeking.

Love em dhutton. The skee ball is what I had a great chance to pick up locally. Looked just like yours. Too big unfortunately without adding an external entrance to my basement or of course axing my dining room which although I rarely use it am not ready to go gets yet

Thanks for the post

Thought I would offer a picture of my shuffle bowler. Hit it from a fella just south of Pittsburgh. Says he has more sonif anyone out there has a desire, and are geographically close let me know.

Anyway got this about six weeks ago and wanted to make it look factory again. Luckily most of the artwork on the back/sides was in good shape and only had to be touched up. Took a part of the game to my local Ace store and they color matched the two colors I needed. Very close indeed. Highly recommend.

Then I got some frisket and proceeded to hide all the artwork so I could respray the large black areas. Did that and then went back in and touched up the color areas that needed it

The alley had the strip on it completely painted over. So I sanded the sides down to where I could see where the original stripe was and then repainted accordingly. Decent results.

Alley has a few dents in it from living in a bar but nothing so bad it affects game play. Cleaned the alley and then out here coats of wax on it. Really deepened the color and made the richness of the faux wood come out.

Then, had the coin door sandblasted and then I painted it after cleaning. Had a local sign painter do the Williams logo on the coin door.

Replaced all the gi with led. The lights in the alley are also led. Kept the strike/spare indicators below each players score incandecesent. Replaced all the t molding and repainted the front legs as their artwork had also been completely painted over. Was able to sand them down to the point where I could still see the original artwork, traced it and then used the frisket again to give henlegs their proper artwork

I will be sending the CPU board out to Clive at The Coinop Cauldron this coming week to have the sound repaired. Currently I have no sound although I have been told the sound is lame in these bowlers I still want the machine to operate as per spec

So there you have my story. What is yours?

G

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Forgot to add that I inshallednall new pins as the ones that came with it were skanky. Repainted the top where the pins flip up and also added new foam as a bumper. Also cleaned out the top side of the tray and removed all the linkages and cleaned all by hand then reassembled. Also dusted the Backbox using compressed air and a paintbrush. Hate dirty games!! Put all new caps in the power supply, new pot for sound level control in the coin box and that is it thus far. Needless to say I really enjoy the process

Welcome vaevictis. Nice gameroom shot. Really love the skee ball. My dad and I used to play that at the shore years ago. Probably why I wanted one now. These things do multiply like rabbits

Hey Mopar glad you're here. Did inunderstand correctly in that the Skee ball companybis now defunct? Wow. Hope that is not the case

Please advise

Great looking collection. Thanks for joining the group.

G

Quick question fellas. As far as the material that you place on the shuffle alley etc to assist in the pucks gliding, is there a time when you essentially remove the old material and place new? Just wondering. Also it says on the can that I have to spray a coat of water based silicone on the playfield, let it dry and then use the dust stuff. Is that what the consensus is here. I have just used the dust without the silicone. Seems ok to me???

Thanks guys,

G

Thanks d for chiming in. Funny indeed about your trip to Hershey. Reminds me of this year when we visited the silverball in nj. My daughter just hubdbiutvin demo man and was able to get high score a couple of times and her name up on the board there. Needless to say she had some practice at home prior to the visit. Nice story d

Sad to learn that the skee ball company is now gone. Damn!! Well I guess if you have one great for you!! I am going to talk to Steve at PBR this week and see if I can get some more info from him. Sounds like this might be up his alley as far as reproducing parts that are wear items for these iconic games. I know that the jersey shore has many skee ball games in the boardwalk Arcades. Seems like there would be enough of a demand for parts that would make it profitable for a secondary company to make them avail much like Steve did for Gottlieb parts. Absolutely did not see this coming!!

Thanks forbthebupdatebon the skee ball situation d. Hope they will continue. It is just a real shame if that dies out. Nice pics nephasth. Love the collage that makes up the skee ball picture. Nice!!!

No whack a mole nman. Have not heard of any others with that game but it certainly is one that gets the aggressions out for sure!!!

Well I took Mopar's advise and used some Pledge on my shuffle alley. Absolutely beautifully shiny. Thank you Mopar. I thought the three coats of was that I applied with my mechanical buffer would have been hard to beat but the Pledge wins big time. Thank you. A shiny alley is critical to me. Looks mean a lot.

I looked into BayTek a bit. As previosuly reported by dhutton, they indeed have been sold to Bay Tek in Pulaski, WI I looked briefly at their site and although there is a parts listing I don't see anything for the older games like the model H. Going to call Steve at PBR tomorrow and ask a few questions for my own edification. If the red color rubber matting and other expendables are no longer available and do not expect to be available in the near future, that puts a real damper on these games from a standpoint of being able to get an older unit and rehab it as I have done on my Alley Cats.

Keep you posted with what I learn from Steve.

Love your machines mopar. It is very enjoyable to see all the different varieties of shuffles out there. Do love this hobby but unfortunately I am the type that I like fussing with the games to make them look and play like new or as good as I am capable. Then once rhatbhas occurred I seek a new candidate. Only problem is my basement is only so large. Would absolutely love a skee ball but there is no way I can get it into my basement. The Alley Cats fit with one inch to spare and that was completely taken apart

Did talk to Steve about Skee Ball. He is not overly familiar with the machines though he did say that a good resource might be Dan arc the Silverball in Asbury Park NJ as he has a few machines and undoubtedly goes through parts. A phone call you Bay Tel may also yield some info. Maybe there is "that guy " that has a slew of parts in his basement. I'm afraid though with what Steve told me that it could get quite difficult in the near future for parts. Don't want to go into the whole conversation but suffice to say he has no interest in getting involved.

This is, in my opinion, such an iconic piece of Americana. Just sad to see this game fall into obscurity

G

Hey Mopar

Very nice. I second d's comments. Glad that the skee ball information has turned out to be more positive than originally thought. Could not imagine in today's world throwing stuff like that out. They had to know that there was value to it. Glad that turned out to be the case. So seems like Bay Tek will still be th goto place for parts. Good to learn.

Never had any notion that there were so many different types of shuffle alleys. This really is a niche in a niche hobby.

Pugsley. Welcome. Thanks for joining us. Be sure and post some pictures of your machines and any story that might be enjoyed. Thanks again for chiming in

Hey NJ. I have a suggestion. On my machine the side rails and legs were painted over. What I found though is as I was sanding the old paint off the old artwork was there under the paint. I got some tracing paper at the craft store and traced the image as this way I could reproduce it. Turned out pretty good. Had some bleed around the edges but was able to touch that up so that it is not detectable. Just a suggestion for you
That worked out well for me

Love the group and the stories.

G

Hey NJ

You may have already seen this but I found it on the web. It at a minimum gives an idea what the machine should look like

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The colors appear to match closely the Backglass so as long as you have that you could take the Backglass to an ace hardware store and have them mix some paint for you so that you could at least start to get it closer to the way it should look. This was big for me. I had to have the machine look good and bringing it back as well as I could was very paramount to me. I would get a pint of gloss paint in the appropriate colors. I brought in the bottom of my game backside and had then scan the yellow and blue and it worked out very well. I then used frisket to mask the areas I did not want to paint black. Re-sprayed the black and went in with magnifying goggles on and touched up the artwork. Really can Roy pretty good. I know you don't have any artwork but if you sand a small area lightly you might find the artwork is hiding as I did under some of the paint

By the way, don't know what the condition is of the stainless piece where the game cards are held at thebplayer position but if that is not in great shape, and they are usually rusted/dinged, Steve at the pinball resource has new versions that he has made. Makes the game look awesome. I might also suggest getting a manual for the game from Steve if you don't already have one. Great reference to have as you bring her back to her former glory

Just received the nos pin motor that I found for my Alley Cats today. Really glad that I have this as he motor that is in my machine cannot be rebuilt according to steve at PBR. Hence if that one component does I'm done. That's why I wanted another a pin reset motor. Most of the other parts could be sourced but motors can be hard to find. Highly suggest doing the same for insurance purposes. Makes me feel a whole lot better knowing that all the work I put into this thing will not go down the drain in the event the pin reset motor takes a fart on me

Hey NJ,

OK, good luck. I wish that you find the artwork. As I said I was lucky that my machine appeared to be just painted over and so the original was still there. It did not appear to have been sanded. I wish the same for you. Having the artwork look as nice as possible was a major desire of mine. My toys have to look nice. Good luck.

G

Your gameroom looks like the gameroom at my local bowling alley. Very modern. Looks nice!! Did you buy the skee ball new or from another? Mind letting us know what the cost was. Just want to reconcile in my head what the new is costing versus the older versions like the model H that I wanted. Like the carpet too. Nice touch

Well I am a happy boy today. Hot the CPU board back from Clive at The Coinop Cauldron and I now have working sound.

Game was supposed to be working 100% when I got it and I trusted which takenit from me, don't do. The CPU board had a fair amount of alkaline damage on it and to my naked eye the board looked good. I was smart enough to look at the CPU board when I got the machine and it appeared ok. Wrong answer. It was not. Corrosion had been there for a while and the actual pins on two of the ic's had corroded to the point that they were no longer connected. Hmmm. My fault I did not check it out more thoroughly upon purchase. I have made this error before and swore I wouldn't again but I'm a trusting guy. Or should I say a foolish guy??

Anyway I trusted the seller who is an op south of Pittsburgh that the game was working completely. Well it's fixed and now it notbonly works like it should, it looks pretty damn good. Probably not a concours restoration but I would hesitate to have it in my living room.

Also as I think I said before was able to find a nos motor for the pin reset. Found out that there were two that this alley used. Actually the picture that is in the manual is not what isnin the game but a different motor. Found the one that is mentioned in the manual and scooped it up as if the motor dies that can be very problematic. Most of the other stuff can be addressed. Clive also went ahead and replaced all the capacitors on the CPU board as he commented that they were all dried out. Great!! Now with the CPU board gone over and the power supply board gone over bane should be in good shape for a while.

Can you just imagine if the on board battery holder was never placed on CPU boards how much headache that would have saved so many of us? Anyway, have an off board holder now so that should not be an issue going forward.

What's going on with the others out there? For those of you with a skee ball, can you advise what the shortest section of the game is. Like on a model that has the gen foot alley, what is the longest part of the game? Trying to see if I could still get onenin my basement. Gonna be tight if I do. Also what the width is if the head portion of the game. I am doubtful but I figure cannot hurt to ask. The only way I was able to get the Alley Cats down was to completely take it apart. Legs, coinbox and of course Backbox. Anything that could come apart did and I was able to sneak it down. Something tell me a skee ball is going to be much more unlikely

Anyway, just thiught I would chime in with the good news that my CPU board is back and now 100%. By the way, I cannot give enough good comments To clive. He runs his board repair business like a business. Excellent communication, offers express device for an additional modest fee and returns a working product. Thank you Clive

G

Quite the investment no doubt but neat. Makes me feel even that much sadder that I'm not able to get onenin my basement as th one I was able to find locally, a model H, I could have had for $800 and it was in nice shape. Game room looks very nice. Sounds like you put a lot of work into it. Good for you!

Hello Jorge

We discussed this earlier in the thread. There was some concern that they may not be supporting the more vintage games but this concern seems to have been addressed. What has your experience with Bay Tek been? Ive heard some things!!

Thank you

G

This usbhe kind of information that is really helpful to have. Thank you!! I continue to wish I had room!!

Jorge5240 advised that his new skee ball from Bay Tek was over $5k just FYI

G

What model game is this? Looks like a very short machine?? Reason I say is maybe I could fit this in my basement?? Looks like there is a screen above Is this for scoring? Other uses?? Never seen a skee ball this short!

Love the look of that glass!! Just takes me back!!

Agent

The link does not seem to work??
G

Welcome ej

Glad to know I'm not the only one out there with a bowler shoe horned into their basement. Did you have to take your completely apart? Mine had to come totally apart. 6 pieces I recall. Had the coin box not been able to be removed it would not have happened.

G

I seem to recall playing something like this at chuckle cheese when my children were younger. Cute. Antagonistic enough to keep getting the customer tomoop quarters in. Smart!!

Anyone with a skee ball have to do this and can provider some direction please?

Thank you

G

Thanks Vegas. Appreciate the link

Nice job 5280. Would love to make a find like you did!! Enjoyed the process of seeing it cleaned up. Heck th balls alone are worth what you paid for the machine. Nice, very nice!

Absolutely and welcome. Your ball bowler is gorgeous! I only wish I had the real estate for one. Welcome!

You've got it going on no doubt!!

Make that double for me! Beautiful looking bowler andnpriced right!!

Directions to put Alley Cats on free play

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Damn. Already sold. Amazing price for what appears to have been a nice condition game. Guess it wasn’t meant to be. Now returning to my restoration of my Watling Horoscope scale.

Keeping my eye out for an original skee ball. Preferably with the mechanical scoring though not 100% mandatory. So if I am in the right track here I think I am seeking a model s. What is the going price for a complete probably not completely working game? Just a range is all I am hoping for here. I understand theee are lots of variables. Ty

Thank you very much!!

For those of you interested in learning about the history of skee ball, there is a great book I just started called Seeking Redemption. This is the holy grail in the game of skee ball. Highly recommend!!

The thing that you need to keep in mind is the older e/m shuffle bowlers have a shit can of switches and related in them that if the game is not played regularly to keep those contacts clean, and there is a lot of them, the game will start to have issues. No different than say an e/m pin but with a ton more contacts!! Pictures would help for sure give a more accurate value ! Does it work? Is it complete? Overall condition. Really need more info to give you what you are seeking.

I do not ply my games very often, like working on them more than playing, and it my case a more modern shuffle alley was what fit my bill! Thing is a tank and rarely has any issues and I do not play it that often at all!! Food for thought!

G

Love your Ball Bowler!! I just wish I had someplace to put it!! Or, if it came aprt in smnall enough pieces to go in my basement which is tight going up and down. Game looks great!!

You guys out there that are into the history of Skee Ball, there is a great book called Seeking Redemption. Authors Thaddeus Cooper and Kevin Kreitman. An absolute fascinating story about the history of this game. I am not a reader by any means and love this book.

Well officially a member of the club again with the acquisition of what I have been told is a Phili Toboggan Co Model 45?? Was actually able to get it home in my Toyota Sienna. Had to have the hatch open about half way but no real issues! Looking forward to bringing this guy back to life cosmetically. It’s all complete so that is the best part. Ball surface is also in very decent shape given age soni think I will just clean that. It’s pushing 70 years old. It doesn’t have to look new but it will look sharp when I am done for sure. It will have to live in the garage but it is heated so should be an issue. Anyone have any leads on the actual wooden balls for this game?

Well found out this eve with the gracious help of Mopar that the game was made in 1958. There is a model number in the back of the machine and this corresponds to the year it was made. Thank you @mopar!! Will be taking a couple parts tomorrow for color matching paint and then will start disassembly for items to be media blasted. This game does not have the 100 tubes in the upper right hand corners. It’s kind of nice as the game makes you work for it. Kind of like the old EM’s. You don’t get a million points for hitting a pop bumper!

Just wanted to add a source for the cork runway.

Bangorcork.com

Will be calling Phili Tobaggon Coasters today and see what they can supply as well and will report back

Update:

I just got off the telephone with Philadelphia, toboggan coasters, and they are completely out of the loop as far as any connection at this point with ski ball. Skee ball was sold to another individual and then was sold again to Bay tech as many of you may know. So update: Philadelphia toboggan coasters has nothing to do with Skee-Ball at this time.

Well Bay Tek, while very kind, is a dead end. The vintage of machine I have which is a mid fifties, they have nothing for. Maybe the later games they can be more helpful with. Person I spoke to was Jesse and again, very kind and tried to do what he could. My game is just too old. I thought this may end up being the case. Plan B!!

Spent the past couple days lining up parts that I will need to restore the Skee Ball. Was able to get an original sales flyer from Steve Young. THANK YOU STEVE. Also was able to secure the custom mixed rattle can paint for the tan and brown areas on the game. Have some hose for the little spike that keeps the ball from getting hung up on the playfield as well as some rivets for the side rails (removing them as the side rails will be repainted so that stainless has to come off and then be reattached) coming tomorrow from McMaster Carr. An associate of Steve Youngs was able to get me another Jones plug for the box inside the back box that connects to the switch at left player position. Believe this resets the winner light but not sure yet. Was able to find the black U Channel molding for the "winner" light on Amazon so that should be arriving soon.

Have a new sticker being made for the left siderail that says "skee ball 25 Cents a game" that is being made locally by a graphics shop to match the original. Also having new graphics made for the top of the back box where the rolodex is that says Skee Ball and the two yellow dots that go above that logo Currently working on getting some paint off the actual balls as at some point they were painted by the last operator so I was told.

Going to make a run probably on monday to take a number of parts to media blasting and also to stainless polishing. Game will look nice when all done but it will also look very original!

And allow me to say that it is very nice to hear from someone like yourself. I know a lot of this is probably boring stuff but maybe it will help another one day. Thank you again kindly sir

Some updates; I was able to determine that Bay Tek cannot assist in the supply of new alley material. Unfortunately the alley on the game is exactly 19” wide and the material that Bay Tek had while damn near perfect in cooor is 18 11/16”. Not gonna doit ad Hw said!

Paint is coming off the balls. Had to soak them one at a time overnight and then run with course steel wool. It comes off but it is a process. They were original with the game so you know how that goes!!

Was able to secure an ORIGINAL advertising flyer for the game I have today from Steve Young. Love ya Steve!! Thank you!

Laid up for a couple days but I’ll be back in force next week.

While I have been fortunate in securing some less than unique parts for this game, it is important to note for anyone possible getting one of these. PARTS ARE SCARCE!!! This is one reason i ponied up fir this one. I paid 1350 for it and it is very damn complete. Some minor missing stuff and stuff that has failed but not unique skee ball stuff.

This is what it’s about for me. Bringing this old vintage stuff back to life carefully, and as technically correct as possible.

Expecting some stuff from Mc Master Carr tomorrow. Was able to talk to the engineer at my local fab shop and he allowed me to borrow a “pin locator” which will be perfect to use on the heads of the new rivets while I hit from behind. Who would have known, “a pin locator “!!

The story goes on…

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Well got the balls that came with the alley cleaned up today. Had to soak them in paint remover. For the most part they are clean now of the paint and they look good. It’s a process!

Was able to find on eBay the correct lamp for the winner light that goes atop the score housing. The type of lamp is a Sylvania Luminare tube. Kind of like a fluorescent but different. No longer made but found NOS which is great. I believe these are called cold cathode style lamps. Got two so I should be good till I’m not

Where would we be with the internet??

I had to get new graphics Mae for this fifties skee ball that I am restoring. Wanted to put this out there in the event anyone else was looking for these graphics.

I had them made locally and now that the file exists, all you would need to do is order a copy

Itec Graphics
440-951-5021

These are damn near perfect in color, size etc.

If you need them now theee is a source!

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Hello All
I would like to repaint the numerals on the rings of the game. Mine are faded. Does anyone out there possibly have the same font as what I have and have repainted? If so can you tell me where you got the stencils please? The numeral 2 seems to be unique

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Thank you Sir. Grateful. No I did not see it. Can you give me some direction to locate it when able?

Thought that name looked familiar. If you look a bit higher in my posts you’ll see where I mentioned this companies name. The person I bought the machine from told me about them and I immediately posted it in the hopes of spreading the word. Thank you

A little update…

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This gives an idea of what I was working with. Just started spraying the exterior components this eve.

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You know I go down to work on this and am continued to be amazed how someone thought this all up. No computers, no internet to do “research”. Just an idea and to boot, no electricity (the game will work and still be able to eat money without the need for power)!!

I feel very fortunate to have been able to grab one of these old dinosaurs and bring it back to life. Now if I can somehow get the netting squared away! Back to electricity and my “research” aka surfing the net!!

A HUGE thank you to Steve Young. Steve was able to put me in touch with another who was able to secure a whole slew of spares including a hard to find jones plug that is part of the “winner” light and related. Thank you Steve. Just told my wife that I need to drive to Poughkeepsie and meet this guy before one of us is too old or dead! Of course this would be on Steve’s terms lol!

Thank you for watching!! My first experience was in Ocean City NJ on the boardwalk with my Dad.

Keep it tuned here. Lots more to come!! Thank you

I used Awesome cleaner full strength to clean the cork by the rings. Really don’t want to replace it as there will be a large color difference that screams at you. It’s not in bad shape for a game this age so I just decided to clean it. Think it will be fine

Other pic shows the freshly painted “winner” housing that goes atop the Rolodex housing. Getting there. Just hate that this will have to live in the garage. Heated but would rather have inside. I’ll keep it covered in blankets when not in use. Want it to stay looking sharp!

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The cork came out pretty good actually. Was concerned about soaking it too much and or ruining the surface. All good. Got the stains out well.
I am now in search of a local artist who can take the numerals on the rings and darken them as they are pretty faded. Can’t see going this far and putting faded rings back on!

Also glued the corners that had frayed. The glue worked well and now, while you can see a seam, there is no loose cork!

Youre very kind although I have quite a long way to go. Try to get something done every day. Today it was just polishing the stainless strip that goes at the back of the alley that holds the cork in place. A miniscule piece but I would rather go slow and do what I can than hurry through it.

I am trying, so far unsuccessfully, to find or have made a new net for the game. Even was lucky enough to talk to the lead tech at The Silverball in NJ and he had no leads, rather just keeps mending as needed. This is such a high profile piece on the game that I feel if this looks worn the whole game will no matter what I do. Was able to find some spares through a couple other folks and am expecting those. Nothing I need now but one never knows!

Parts for this particualr vintage of machine are definitely hard to come by. There really is no one that has reproduced any of the old stuff. Reference soe of my former posts, parts are hard to come by. The machine I have is pretty complete so I really don't need anything but again good to have. One of the parts that was sourced and am expecting is an original coin holder tray that goes on the front of the game. Just a neat little original accessory that for sure are not readily available.

Got the "winner" light put back together today as well. Forgot about that!! Was able to locate a couple NOS Sylvania Luminare bulbs!! Did not want that to be converted to LED if I did not have to. Two of those 12" bulbs was $180.00!! No one ever said that this was a cheap endeavor!!

Well found a solution for my faded numerals on the rubber rings. I contacted a local sign painter and have arranged to have him re-do the numerals. This will give a fresh look. I cleaned the rings with Awesome and they came pretty clean. Bought some Bleche White to see if I can improve on that a little before I have the numerals worked on tomorrow. Coming along. Will post some pics after I get them back from the sign painter for all to see

FANTASTIC NEWS!!! I was able to find a local person to me who does sewing and lots of custom work who is willing to make a new net for my machine. She said that she would charge, approximately, $150 I expect that to go up but still, she is willing to do it and for what I consider to be an extremely reasonable price. Hell if she doubled it I would be fine. At least I'll have a new net which will really set the restoration off.

If there is anyone out there that needs a new net, please let me know as she can make more as well. I don't know what a final price would be till she completes mine but hell, she is willing to do it, understands what is involved and I only have to supply her with the netting and roping. Can't ask for more than that especially considering that these nets are no longer available new to my knowledge.

Took my rings to the sign painter today to have the numerals re-done in the same font as original. Looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

Its a process for sure but coming along nicely!

Indeed sounds very functional. I am, however, trying to keep this game as true as possible to the original. It’s my OCD coming out again

Wanted to post the custom rattle can paint that I had mixed at a local automotive/aircraft paint store.

These two colors are brown and a yellow/beige which are the original colors in my mid fifties mechanical skee ball game. The pint is single stage which means the clear is built-in to the base. The paint is very easy to use and yields excellent results. I do not have nor do I wish to invest the money in a more commercial setup. As long you take your time and don’t lay it on to thick you’re golden.

Hope this helps…

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Got my re-painted skee ball rings back today from Alan at Old Soul Sign Painters in Cleveland. Did an amazing job. The font style was carefully reproduced and they look amazing!

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Mine were definitely just ink originally. There was no evidence of a “sticker”. Not sure what kind of longevity a sticker would have.

Are you going to have the burgundy placards remade? If so there is a company by me that can do that kind of work. They would need your original and then could make a new one identical to that. Company is called The Cutting Edge in Perry, Ohio. They do excellent work! Not cheap but what is any more worth having?

Now the Skee Ball logo was a sticker on my game. I had those re-made as the color of the ones I had was not quite right. I also had the yellow “dots” that go above the skee ball logo remade to the correct color. It will be sharp when done. Piles of parts right now, some complete some waiting. Also have to re-do the back box and alley.

The tricky numeral was the “2”. I could not find any stencils online that matches the font of that numeral. This was the point that I knew I had to have them redone. Sign Painter did a really good job

Found them on eBay. They were pretty easy to find once I knew what I was looking for. Don’t think they are made any longer as they are not, by definition, a true fluorescent lamp. They are a cold cathode style of lamp. They were $80/each. Bought two to be safe. Again, not cheap but I did not want to skimp out and put in $5 led strip as that would sort of kill the originality of the machine.

Big thing with these lamps is that you need to have the ends. The lamp is designed to fit many applications and as such, does not come with the ends. Mine was lucky enough to have the old lamp with the ends. Just twist off the end, twist into the new tube and you’re good to go.

Guy I bought them from had a stash of NOS so if you have the ends, are still in need and are willing to pay, you’ll have the original lamp that went in the “winner” housing.

Here are some pics. Hope this helps…

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It is my understanding that the “winner” light was added later. There should be a small black box inside the backbox on the right side looking at the back that the light plugged into. Also plugged into this box was a switch that is mounted at player position on the left side opposite where the coin drop/lever for ball release is. Also, there are two switches on the Rolodex that tie into this box as well. My understanding is that this was added so that an operator could tell when the player had gotten an appropriate score and was due a “prize”. Then, the operator would reset the “winner” light with the switch on the left side at player position. Seems sensible to me!

Oh OK. From the pics they appeared in rough shape. Hell if they’re good no need to have them reproduced. Regardless if they were just a sticker which just about any graphics shop can handle or a metal plate that The Cutting Edge can replicate, if what you have is good, you’re set!

The one that I just acquired and is approx same condition save fir the cork which is in a little better shape I paid $1350. Just fyi. Anyone who buys your game if they have a desire to restore it as I am doing there is a plethora of info here that I have posted to get some of the stuff remade etc.

Good luck with the surgery. Back surgery is always a bit dicey from what I have heard!!

This is the twine that is used when remaking the nets for skee ball. I also have the netting coming and will show when I get it who can supply that.

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Well, getting there…Not perfect but not too bad!

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I made contact with another in the affliction. He is checking to see what might be avail. I’ll let you know when he gets back. No promises but he has found me many spares for my old machine

Roger that!!

Here is your source fir WHITE netting. There are a lot of “net” companies out there but many do not offer white. Well here it is!!

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After having the side rails blasted, sanded at 60 then 125 then used some body putty. Will sand again then prime and paint. Getting there

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Well knowing what kind of minivan would certainly help answer the question. I can tell you that I fit a mid-fifties Skee Ball in my 2018 Toyota Sienna. Hatch had to be open partially. I assume you would be taking out the rear seats? With the limited info I have, I would say that it would probably fit. Plan to possibly have the hatch open so you will need to prepare to have some kind of tie down for the hatch. Lots of moving blankets etc. Envisioning that the back of the alley would sit on its side (top of the unit facing the windshield, bottom of the unit facing the rear) This should provide enough for the alley to snug all the way up against the front passenger seat.

Maybe ask the person you are buying this from to take some measurements for you. Be specific in what you're asking for and then go out to your vehicle and see what it looks like??

Starting to reattach the repolished stainless strips for the tops of the side rails. Riveting them back in place with the helm of a pin guide that worked really well I think.

Perfection, no but not bad

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Anyone know where I can obtain the red spongy “donuts” that mount to the ball guides on in the backbox. Probably not calling them what they are but hopefully you can tell by my poor description. I was under the impression they were still avail. Anyone?

Thank you

George

More progress but still a ways to go…. Cleaning up the mechanism under the ramp. Media blasting all the pieces. Don’t think they were originally painted so I am going to leave them as such. Making sure everything is nice and fluid and in no way bound. Took out the ball rail completely and wire brushed and then repainted the brown it was originally. The one mech you can see that I have not cleaned it up yet. Kind of cruddy. Not for long!

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I am about the farthest from a qualified guy here but if you’re referring to the general illumination lighting in the head, those are not supplied by high voltage. The high voltage if I am not mistaken is for the score displays. Your GI lighting is low voltage. Hope this is helpful

Thank you fir your kind words. It does really show off the machine. I have heard others say that there was a strip of shiny self adhesive type material. Thinking that may have been a newer machine. This one is from 1958 so I guess they used the real stuff back then!!

This was actually an aspect of the revival that I was concerned about. I really had not worked with regular rivets before soni was nervous about reattaching them and having that original look.

Went to a local machine shop I deal with in my biz and the engineer suggested using a pin guide. Had one on his desk and said here try this. So I did. Used the pin guide on the head and a regular hammer from behind. Held the pin guide with my vice and it worked very well. Probably a big unorthodox but it worked.

Just pulled the mechanism out if the bottom of the back box to clean it up and prepare for repainting if the back box. It cleaned up nicely. Trying to get all the metal parts to look a little better with just a little shine where I can. Don’t want the outside to look nice and then the inside look crummy!

Again, thank you for your kind words!

A few pics showing some progress!! Still have to clean the cork. The polishing of the stainless really adds some pop to the game I think. Just wrapping up final paint on the back box. Remove the scoring section in the backbox and cleaned all that up. Getting close

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You’re very kind!! Thank you. Going to put some time into it this weekend. I have taken some time off from work which has allowed me to do some coin op stuff. However, work is fast approaching so I need to wrap this up. It’s definitely getting there. Wish I could do a video and upload it but that isn’t allowed I don’t junk. Maybe I’ll put it up on YouTube and link it.

The polishing really did come out well. I did some of that myself and some I had done outside. Looking forward to getting this 1958 model back to some of her original glory.

I was able to find the coin holder that sits below the lever to release the balls. Media blasted that and it cleaned up nicely. Just a little touch that not all games if this vintage still have.

Again thank you

Well then I will do one. Thank you for helping me with the decision!!

One bit of advise I can give is if your into older models like what I have (1958) make sure that the machine is complete. While parts are not impossible to secure, some can be a real bear to find. More modern machines are far easier to get parts for. I was always intrigued by the mechanical skee ball games. Hell they don’t even need power to work! I always liked the Rolodex type score unit. And, importantly, I wanted a project that was doable for me.

There is a great book out there if you’re a reader called Seeking Redemption. It is all about the very stories history of Skee Ball. Highly recommend and I am NOT a reader!

Yes, there are many pictures throughout the book. Many! Don’t use a kindle so not experienced there. Definitely a great “coffee table” book.

The history of this game is very interesting. Hell, with all the minor early ups and prolific downs, it’s amazing this game ever came to be actually.

Keep in mind that while Skee Ball is still made by a company called Bay Tek, depending on the model that you have they may or may not be able to assist with various parts etc. They had nothing for the vintage game that I have!

A good source for replacement cork should you need it and cannot get it from Bay Tek is Bangor Cork. I was lucky in that my cork, while older, is still in pretty decent shape. I am in the process of cleaning the ramp now. The other areas have already been cleaned. I used Awesome Cleaner and it has worked well.

I can appreciate your hesitancy regarding restoration. I too had to consider my experience level.

Also depends on how nice you want the game to look when you’re done. I want this to look as sharp as possible. The joy for me is in making these older machines come back to life. Sure I will play it but the main joy is bringing it back to life.

I have been working on this game for about a month. Maybe a bit more. Have used lots of custom services to make it look original. Having the burgundy sticker that goes on the left side by player position remade. That was a couple hundred. Having a sign painter re paint the numerals on the rings. That was a hundred. Having some of the stainless polished that I did not want to do. That was $400. Getting rattle can ping custom made to repaint the game so the colors were accurate was about $400. I am getting the netting redone by a local custom place to me. That will probably be a few hundred. Having a crummy looking net would sort of kill all I have done!

Hope this is helpful

Either way, you can’t go wrong. This is the definitive history of Skee Ball!!

Ok, I screwed up. The first side panel that I re riveted went well. Actually looks original. Then I screw up. Duh!! In order to line up the stainless strip with the holes in the side cover I rivet each end first. Wrong! What this caused was the metal strip bowing in the center raising up off the surface of the side cover by about 3/16”. Shit! Very obvious by itself not to mention that thee other side looked really good with no bowing.

So grind off the old rivets, pull the stainless strip off the side cover which fricks up the paint job, yeppir. Going well!!! Then finish grinding the rivets out of the stainless. Now I have to sand down the top of the side cover, repaint and then re affix the stainless strips starting at one end and continuing to the other. Shit for brains sometimes! Oh well. It will be right when done! Lol

Hello Sir,

For the stainless that I polished which was the piece at the end of the ramp and the strips that affix to the left and right covers of the alley, I started with 200 grit sandpaper and went to 1500. I then used Mothers Mag Polish to really bring them to life. My results are similar (+/-) to the results that I got by taking the other out for polish. Yes, I can definitely see how that could be construed as an ash tray. My machine does not have a coin return interestingly enough?? Maybe too old (1958)? I was able to find it and thought that it was probably a standard piece to the new machines back in the day but as time marched on, I figured that many of those fell by the wayside for various reasons which was why I really wanted this machine to have it and look "complete". I used my blast cabinet to clean up the coin tray. It just had the typical grime and after the blast cabinet, looks new I think??

I would imagine so??!! Problem is the mech that is in there would have to be removed from the machine with tools. First the net would have to come off to gain access to remove the right side ramp covers. Then after those are off the handle mechanism would have to be removed with four more screws and then the errant coin removed. This is not a five minute job by any stretch. Maybe given the design this was not a major issue. As long as one put a quarter in they were set to go. Hell in todays world you would have asshats trying to put many things in there despite that it takes quarters only. Ahh the good old days!!

I’m getting very close to assembling the ramp and back box and connecting the linkage in the bottom of the back box. I am really hopeful that it works without too much hassle. I know there are adjustments that can be made just hoping I don’t have to go through that.

Just reinstalled the rings assembly in the backbox. Seems like forever ago I had the numerals repainted. It was worth it. Those were pretty faded and just didn’t convey a nice aesthetic.

I am planning to take all the materials needed to recreate a new net out to a sewing tech that is close to me in early January. That will be the crowning touch to making this look fresh. The net that is present is probably the original and that just will not do. The new one will make the game shine.

If you search fir a compression rivet press I think this is what you would want to use to keep things looking original. Of course you could use a pop rivet but it would be obvious what you did and that it was not original. If you’re less anal retentive that I am that would probably be ok. However if you want to keep the original look to the game a rivet press will probably be the way to go.

You could always go with thicker “L” brackets if the originals are failing. I guess what I think if is what is the condition of the ring where it was riveted? You don’t want that looking crummy after re doing it??

Getting ready to reinstall the front support for the alley. I could tell that there was a slope to that and figured it would be helpful to know what that is to get the game set right. The slope on the front support measures at 4.4 degrees

Just fyi

Thank you kindly. I am grateful! Still working to get it finished. Couple days and save for the net which is scheduled to be redone in January, balls should be able to be launched!