Golden Arrow
Gottlieb, 1977Just want to document the tear down and rebuild process on this one. After digging in last night, I realized that this one is much nicer than I originally thought. The dirt in the playfield paint is going to be the biggest challenge.
Here are a few pics of the progress so far.....
Dane,
My advice will be the same on GA as it was for On Beam - Magic Eraser. The only issue I see here is that you won't be able to get the same results on GA as you did on OB because the dirt is more ground in. But it will improve over its current condition.
That said, no more than 30 seconds of ME on any given spot on the playfield will get you all the improvement you are going to get removing dirt. After that just polish it out with Novus 2 and then apply your wax of choice and put it back together and play and enjoy it.
Mike O.
Team-EM
Taped off the cabinet around the PF so cleanup is easy after cleaning and polishing and waxing. At lunch today, I cleaned and lubed and rebuilt the little stepper responsible for shifting the lit arrow around the table. It was the first time I had ever had one of those apart and I had a bit of a struggle with it. That is a touchy little guy but I think I have it singing now! I'll post pics later tonight.
< steals idea of taping off rails and holes to keep them from getting crudded during pf cleaning >
those little relays are "fun" little buggers to reassemble... 
keep the pics coming! you are keeping my inspiration level up...
@john... yea, mr. clean magic erasers are the ones... they work wonders at getting out grunge that is trapped in the little cracks... you just need to be gentle, as they also will work wonders at removing paint, since they are abrasive...
before and after of one i used it on... i scrubbed a little too hard in a few places, it removed some paint, especially around areas where paint was already gone... but it still looks a lot better, even with a little less paint...
@john... yea, mr. clean magic erasers are the ones... they work wonders at getting out grunge that is trapped in the little cracks... you just need to be gentle, as they also will work wonders at removing paint, since they are abrasive...
before and after of one i used it on... i scrubbed a little too hard in a few places, it removed some paint, especially around areas where paint was already gone... but it still looks a lot better, even with a little less paint.
Very Nice............ thank you.
I tried Novus #2 ....... didn't see any change.
" " Gel Gloss............ does remove some dirt, but I was hoping for more !
It's a creamy white paste..... nice to work with though.
* I'll try the 'Magic Eraser' & compare results.....
you got it...
tape it off like pafasa did... i taped "underneath" the holes in the pf, and had to spend a lot of time cleaning them out...
@pafasa... have you ever scanned in and made decals for the "d. gottlieb" signature block on the pf?
I'll start with a rag and simple green concentrate for a very light first wipedown. There is a lot of surface crud that doesn't show in the pics. Then on to the ME and alcohol. When it's as clean as it's gonna get, I'll hit it with the drill and novus 2. Then wax and wax and wax.
Before the wax though, I might try this to level the cupped inserts. I've been watching this thread. Looks like a good idea for those of us who are scared to mess with 2-part automotive clear.
Quoted from ccotenj:@pafasa... have you ever scanned in and made decals for the "d. gottlieb" signature block on the pf?
No. I don't have a good way to scan playfield art. I guess a nice picture would be a good start to create a vector graphic from. Hmmmm... 
Quoted from Pafasa:Yikes! What have I gotten myself into???!!!
parts.... ya gotta have paarrrts.... 
JKnPA said :Very Nice............ thank you.
I tried Novus #2 ....... didn't see any change.
" " Gel Gloss............ does remove some dirt, but I was hoping for more !
It's a creamy white paste..... nice to work with though.
* I'll try the 'Magic Eraser' & compare results.....
I think starting with no us 2 actually works to seal some of the dirt in. It does a great job of cleaning and polishing, but unless you have a rag fine enough to get into all the little cracks in the paint, you are just cleaning and polishing right over a lot if the dirt.
ME and high % alcohol, a lot of patience, working very lightly and constantly checking your work and ME sponge for any sign of paint removal will get much better results. Then wipe down with a microfiber rag and alcohol to get all the ME residue cleaned off before you hit it with novus 2 or you will be rubbing with the leftover abrasives from the ME. Then novus2 for a good clean and polish. Then wax as much as you want.
Quoted from Pafasa:No. I don't have a good way to scan playfield art. I guess a nice picture would be a good start to create a vector graphic from. Hmmmm...
no rush, but it might be worth a shot... it would be a useful graphic to have...
Quoted from ccotenj:no rush, but it might be worth a shot... it would be a useful graphic to have...
Don't worry. I won't be rushing.
Quoted from JONESDS:My GA has the same type of graining in the yellow, must have been the batch of wood they used on that game.
I'm anxious to see how well it cleans up. The rest of the game is in beautiful condition mechanically. The cabinet is the worst part of this machine. Flaky paint here and there and a little crappy repair on the bottom left side of the head.
Quoted from Pin-it:Looking good Pafasa. Additional info >>Dont forget when using a magic erasure to use isopropyl alcohol 90% or higher to limit the amount of water content. For first timers ^^^^ Pafasa already knows it.
Is Denatured alcohol Ok to use too, or must it be Isopropyl ???
Quoted from JKnPA:Is Denatured alcohol Ok to use too, or must it be Isopropyl ???
Not sure but i wouldnt as it may be too aggressive,besides iso is cheap and readily available.
Maybe someone else has input on it?
Quoted from Pin-it:Not sure but i wouldnt as it may be too aggressive,besides iso is cheap and readily available.Maybe someone else has input on it?
My Isoprppyl is 70% as opposed to 90% stated above.
Denatured alcohol is a cleaning agent, but the can at the hardware store says" use on Glass or as a fuel " ? Not sure why it JUST said that, but THE A WEBSITE ( cited below) did say it would remove ink and stains from clothes !
I thought it was used in woodworking as a cleaner.
Anyway, I didn't buy it. I bought another bottle of 'iSO'.
.........................................................................................Uses[edit source | edit]
As a fuel for marine and ultra-light camping (backpacking) stoves.
As a sanding aid, as the alcohol helps to more easily remove excess dust because it does not open the wood grain the way that water does.[4]
As a mealybug exterminator.[5]
As a cleaning aid in removing ink stains from upholstery or clothes.
As a cleaner in daily housekeeping
As a solvent in shellac and shellac-based products.
As an excipient in a number of pharmaceutical products for topical use.[6]
As a less expensive alternative to pure ethanol in preserving biological specimens.
Quoted from Pafasa:The "VS" relay on this machine.....
As long as the circuit boards are aligned properly to start with, I do one side at a time on these. That way you can re-align the board to the opposite side board that is still in place. There is a rotational adjustment that can be made to these.
Also, you aren't done until you apply some Super Lube to the boards after you have polished them.
Mike O.
Team-EM
Quoted from Pafasa:I'll start with a rag and simple green concentrate for a very light first wipedown. There is a lot of surface crud that doesn't show in the pics. Then on to the ME and alcohol. When it's as clean as it's gonna get, I'll hit it with the drill and novus 2. Then wax and wax and wax.
Before the wax though, I might try this to level the cupped inserts. I've been watching this thread. Looks like a good idea for those of us who are scared to mess with 2-part automotive clear.
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fixing-inserts-fogged-peeling-delaminated-with-uv-curing-resin
i think you should try it, because i'm curious to see the results... all of my machines could use to have the inserts fixed...
the auto clear scares me... i'm not real good with toxic materials... 
re: denatured alcohol...
what is commonly sold as "denatured alcohol" is ethanol (vs. iso, which can also be found, albeit rarely, in denatured form)... "denaturing" ethanol is the process of adding in "stuff" (generally methanol, but also a few other things) to basically make it undrinkable... although it existed before prohibition, that is when it really came into use, so that people wouldn't drink the stuff (either straight or as part of a "bathtub concoction")...
so it's really not the fact that it's "denatured" that you want to avoid using it (there's other reasons, instead)... iso is actually "more toxic" than ethanol, as your liver converts it to acetone, which is, umm, not healthy... 
otoh, iso won't dry out your skin nearly as badly as ethanol will...
it's "cheaper" than pure ethanol because pure ethanol is taxed, and denatured ethanol isn't...
there's also stuff called "specially denatured alcohol" (again, usually ethanol based), and that is used in cough syrups, etc...
i probably missed a few things here, it's been a long time since chemistry class...
why can't i remember anything REALLY important? 
Quoted from JONESDS:My GA has the same type of graining in the yellow, must have been the batch of wood they used on that game.
dunno if it's really graining... looks like simply cracks in the lacquer (like "ball swirls" are)... could be wrong though...
imo, the reason it shows up so bad in the yellow is that yellow "shows" dirt much worse than the other colors on the pf... every little speck shows... whereas in the "darker colors", you can get it to a "good enough" state much easier... they are still "dirty" upon real close inspection, but they don't show it when looked at from a "normal viewing distance"...
Quoted from ccotenj:re: denatured alcohol...
what is commonly sold as "denatured alcohol" is ethanol (vs. iso, which can also be found, albeit rarely, in denatured form)... "denaturing" ethanol is the process of adding in "stuff" (generally methanol, but also a few other things) to basically make it undrinkable... although it existed before prohibition, that is when it really came into use, so that people wouldn't drink the stuff (either straight or as part of a "bathtub concoction")...
so it's really not the fact that it's "denatured" that you want to avoid using it (there's other reasons, instead)... iso is actually "more toxic" than ethanol, as your liver converts it to acetone, which is, umm, not healthy... otoh, iso won't dry out your skin nearly as badly as ethanol will...
it's "cheaper" than pure ethanol because pure ethanol is taxed, and denatured ethanol isn't...
there's also stuff called "specially denatured alcohol" (again, usually ethanol based), and that is used in cough syrups, etc...
i probably missed a few things here, it's been a long time since chemistry class...
why can't i remember anything REALLY important?
My Point was........ which is better to use ? Why is Isopropyl mentioned ?
Just trying to get it right, not a criticism.......
What I know is that I have seen plenty of recommendations to use 90+% Iso Alcohol and never have I seen a recommendation to use denatured. I know very little about the chemical reasons why other than is supposedly does not raise wood grain like water does.
I wouldn't use the 70% as you are kind of defeating the purpose of the alcohol which is to keep water away from the wood. 70% alcohol means 30% water to me.
Quoted from MikeO:As long as the circuit boards are aligned properly to start with, I do one side at a time on these. That way you can re-align the board to the opposite side board that is still in place. There is a rotational adjustment that can be made to these.
Also, you aren't done until you apply some Super Lube to the boards after you have polished them.
Mike O.
Team-EM
Thanks, You can kind of see the SuperLube on the contact traces if you look super close.
Quoted from Pafasa:Thanks, You can kind of see the SuperLube on the contact traces if you look super close.
Glad you have that covered.
Well, that is as far as I'm willing to take any spot on the table. There is still a little dirt in the cracks but I feel like going any further will produce negative results. Now just a few more hours to hit the rest of the playfield.
Better get that Golden Arrow done so you have room for this:
ebay.com link: 1967 Gottlieb Sing Along Pinball machine Nice shape and completely shopped 100
Oh, and this one too:
ebay.com link: 1965 GOTTLIEB BUCKAROO pinball machine Super NICE Shopped 100 working perfect
(hey, they're nearby - doesn't happen that often.)
Congrats on the Golden Arrow!
I picked one up a few weeks ago and it's easily one of my all time favourite wedgeheads. Great progression and the moving arrow offers so much challenge. One of the most attractive EMs I've seen too.
Nice to see what I'm in for
Looking forward to seeing this completed!
Thanks drano. I didn't think I would like it as much as I do. Something about that 10k gong really keeps me coming back for more. I'm shopping it so I can really get a feel for it as a possible keeper. Only so much room you know. It may be going up for sale or it may not. We will see. My wife is a photographer and I may end up putting this in her studio. Pretty cool photo prop wouldn't you say?
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Mississauga, ON