Kings & Queens
Gottlieb, 1965"Hoov" actually asked this within the EM seeking parts thread, but as I'm keen to know too, and there were no answers to date, thought I would give this its own thread:
"Has anyone sourced the small nails used for the curved stainless steel side rail ball guides on '60's GTB's?"
Or something similar?
Thanks!
Hi Ray!
Unfortunately almost all of mins are missing, couple of make-shift bent nails have been used at some point.
Anyone found something at Michaels, HD, etc?
If I'm not mistaken, the nails Gottlieb used in this era were not spiraled.
You can find something that will work at most any hardware store and cut it down to length if needed. Finding a shiny plated finish will be the difficult part.
Quoted from MikeO:If I'm not mistaken, the nails Gottlieb used in this era were not spiraled.
You can find something that will work at most any hardware store and cut it down to length if needed. Finding a shiny plated finish will be the difficult part.
Not twist nails at all, correct.
I've found some brads that work ok, but the heads on them aren't big enough. I've looked for them all over and haven't had any luck with it.
Definitely have to cut them down. Anything an inch long will go through the rail and stick out the other side.
This has been covered. Try using escutcheon pins. They work well, come in small sizes, and are available at any craft shop. The heads have a shine consistent to the rails, and appear identical. I install simply by using a pair of channel locks and just squeezing the nail into the existing hole. Use a splint to buffer the teeth on the tool to the outside of the wooden rail or you could end up with a dimple.
Quoted from Boatcat:This has been covered. Try using escutcheon pins. They work well, come in small sizes, and are available at any craft shop. The heads have a shine consistent to the rails, and appear identical. I install simply by using a pair of channel locks and just squeezing the nail into the existing hole. Use a splint to buffer the teeth on the tool to the outside of the wooden rail or you could end up with a dimple.
Cool, because I'm going to be restoring a Drop A Card and I'll need some. Thanks for the tip!!!!
Quoted from hoov:Here's a link to some images of these escutcheon pins:
amazon.com link »
LOL, dang, guess I didn't look very hard after all. Thanks for the link Dave.
Quoted from EMsInKC:Cool, because I'm going to be restoring a Drop A Card and I'll need some. Thanks for the tip!!!!
Escutcheon pins won't help you with DAC. It is a 70's game and the metal ball guides are held on with twist nails. Invariably you will bend the guide some to get it off. Just hammer it back flat and then polish it. If you are careful you can reuse the twist nails. This is the approach I take with most of my 70's Gottlieb games with the metal lane guides. While I'm at it I also sand and clear the wood side rails to really dress them up. It really makes the overall presentation pop.
Here are a couple of pictures of games where I pulled the metal guides and refinished the side rails.
Quoted from 4Max:Thanks for all the advice. In case others are interested, I ended up buying these from Michaels and cutting down to size with pliers - work well (sit flush) and looks good.
IMG_1769.JPG 15 KB
Thumbs up! Good choice! You kept it simple. 
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