Wife said I could have one more...

[wrkey]

... but I discovered a great deal... on two. Now she says I have an addiction, yeah even an obsession. I tried to tell her I don't.. .but she's not buying it. She now has a user id on PachiTalk, so maybe you guys can help me out here.

Here's the story. I became aware of the possibility of a pachinko machine for sale. (Well, OK, I have a saved searched for pachinko's on Craig's list with a radius of 250 miles.) This particular ad didn't have the pachinkos as a main topic, but was in the description of a garage sale and it stated there were 'Pachinko Machines' there. So I told her I wanted to check it out (it was only about 20 minutes away) and she agreed. So I loaded up my son and my middle daughter we headed out. When we arrived I discovered two vintage machines (see photos below) that were priced at $10 each. Yes, $10 ... it was their sticker so it's not like I had to negotiate! Now I had taken just less than $40 with me that I was going to invest in a single machine. But two... for $20 total...

What is a man to do! Well I brought them both home! This is where the obsession/addiction discussion started. So, back me up here guys and gals. No one should have passed up this deal, addicted or obsessed or not... right? Right?

Here's what's really cool. Both machines are Nishijin Type C's and have identical mechanics with different center targets! The 'Monkey' one has an expiration sticker of 54/12 so I'm guessing they are both 1977 models. The 'Seven Dwarfs' one looks to me to be a 'non authorized' Disney SW&7D theme although it's on a cell with a sea horse and shells that I've seen before with other themes.

After a few hours of work (OK.. 8) I've got the 7D one up and running and now just need to clean the cell and face. The center target is pretty cute. As the balls fall "Dopey's" head bobbles to and fro and different pockets below open.

I suspect the Monkey machine will take about the same work but the time required will be a bit shorter as I already know the machine now!

I'm not addicted! I'm not obsessed! Right?

[hanabi]

Oh those are really really nice!!

Tell your wife that I'm crying now as I would dearly love to have the opportunity to purchase such super vintages at unbelievable prices

Congrats on a fantastic bargain!!





Yes it's an addiction, obsession, whatever, but it's also a chance to restore these fine machines to preserve them for future generations

I dread to think how many are getting thrown away right now by people who have no idea what these are

So you carry on the good work

[sailorpatp]

No...you are not obsessed.
You haven't traded in your big bed for a single to make room for the machines yet. Have you?

[Moparformances]

I feel your pain

My wife too say i have a problem but i cant see it?? no problem hear.. is this called denile?? naaaaaaaaw

10 bucks each no way i would have passed that up no way at all.. thats a if i ever saw one

congrats on your find..

i was reading bill's web site (pachinko man?) the other night and there is a referance to a snow white pachinko listed there..

cool looking machine

[dattia]

...and you obviously have not traded in your wife yet. Nah, you're still good!

[wrkey]

Thanks for al lthe support.. keep'm coming! I'm sure we'll convince her all is will with me!

Hey Mopar, thanks for the info. I went to Bills site and found the attached photos. Exact same 'center target' but totally different machine and manufactor! Crazy! I wonder how this happens? Wow.. .we learn something new everyday and find two things that tell us there is more to discover!

Later,

[luckydog]

i would have the 20.00 out as soon as i saw them

thats a really great deal

[mudfud]

I absolutely would not have passed on those machines for $10 each. that was a steal.

and, I don't have a "C" yet, so I'd buy one from you for $20. tell the wife you can double your money. (I can get a fair fedex ship rate if you can box it).

fortunately my wife is being supportive at this point "at least it's not an expensive hobby".

think of it this way, for $20, you get something to tinker with and keep you busy for hours, maybe days. when you can't even get into 2 movies for $20.

also, fixed up and restored, you could probably sell them for $100 or more.

and, you get great gratification and feedback and socializing with all of us.

that's all the rationalizations I can come up with right now, but i'm sure there's more.

[jwegger]

Rusty,
It's not your fault. You are one of the few people on the planet that is able to understand pachiese. Unlike the spoken languages of earth pachiese is a series of thumps, dings and pings made while a pachinko machine is being played. As a series of 11mm balls are launched along a path they contact brass pins and transmit messages to the brain. Most of the time these messages are simple communications from the pachinko machine to it's human hosts along the nature of "Good Morning Rusty, how are you?" and "Rusty, it's so nice of your and your wife to allow me and my friends to stay here" but once in a while the machines receive distress messages from their neglected family members that are in need of rescue.
Now that we got that out of the way let me explain what happend in your case.
The people who were the former owners of your machines found them in the garage, they flipped the handle a couple of times and scratched their heads in puzzlement. The machines then used their combined power to transmit a distress call to one of your machines. As you played your machines they spoke to you in pachiese "Rusty go look on craigs list and check out the yard sale with pachinko machines, they will be cheap and you will like them, bring them home and restore them to their proper place in the collective" You did what you were told, went to look and rescued the lost children. While you were driving to the resuce location your machines transmitted back to the lost machines that you were on the way. At the proper moment just before you showed up the former owners were instructed by the machines to lower the prices from $100.00 each to $10.00 because they knew you had arrived.
So there is what happened and I'm sure most of the people here will support me on this. While we are on the subject the pachinkos made you write the craigs list search program, so that's not your fault either.

[owennewton]

Thanks for al lthe support.. keep'm coming! I'm sure we'll convince her all is will with me!

Hey Mopar, thanks for the info. I went to Bills site and found the attached photos. Exact same 'center target' but totally different machine and manufactor! Crazy! I wonder how this happens? Wow.. .we learn something new everyday and find two things that tell us there is more to discover!

Later,

I have the "three comics" and the "castle" center features and I have seen them in other brands and frames so I wonder if one company made some of the parts and sold them to many of the manufactures. Like goodyear tires on fords, chevys and toyotas

[wrkey]

My thoughts exactly Owen.

[JACKSJE4]

I certainly don't see any addiction here. If your wife had $40 to spend on a new pair of shoes, and when she got to the store she learned that all shoes were on clearance sale for $10 each, would you be upset if she came home with two pair and $20 change? I think not.

What's the difference? New shoes make her happy and new Pachi's make you happy. Case closed.

[Moparformances]

Thanks for al lthe support.. keep'm coming! I'm sure we'll convince her all is will with me!

Hey Mopar, thanks for the info. I went to Bills site and found the attached photos. Exact same 'center target' but totally different machine and manufactor! Crazy! I wonder how this happens? Wow.. .we learn something new everyday and find two things that tell us there is more to discover!

Later,

i think it was compirate that said somthing like all the parts are in a bin.. as the machines were being assembeled they picked out what ever part was in the bin and placed it on that machine. the next machine got a different center or different tulips etc... Based on all the different combinations that is why we dont see to meny identical machines

I have only see it happen once where two machines were almost truly identical

just my two cents
______________________________________________________

Rusty,
It's not your fault. You are one of the few people on the planet that is able to understand pachiese. Unlike the spoken languages of earth pachiese is a series of thumps, dings and pings made while a pachinko machine is being played. As a series of 11mm balls are launched along a path they contact brass pins and transmit messages to the brain. Most of the time these messages are simple communications from the pachinko machine to it's human hosts along the nature of "Good Morning Rusty, how are you?" and "Rusty, it's so nice of your and your wife to allow me and my friends to stay here" but once in a while the machines receive distress messages from their neglected family members that are in need of rescue.
Now that we got that out of the way let me explain what happend in your case.
The people who were the former owners of your machines found them in the garage, they flipped the handle a couple of times and scratched their heads in puzzlement. The machines then used their combined power to transmit a distress call to one of your machines. As you played your machines they spoke to you in pachiese "Rusty go look on craigs list and check out the yard sale with pachinko machines, they will be cheap and you will like them, bring them home and restore them to their proper place in the collective" You did what you were told, went to look and rescued the lost children. While you were driving to the resuce location your machines transmitted back to the lost machines that you were on the way. At the proper moment just before you showed up the former owners were instructed by the machines to lower the prices from $100.00 each to $10.00 because they knew you had arrived.
So there is what happened and I'm sure most of the people here will support me on this. While we are on the subject the pachinkos made you write the craigs list search program, so that's not your fault either.

now thats funny sh**

[JACKSJE4]

I became aware of the possibility of a pachinko machine for sale. (Well, OK, I have a saved searched for pachinko's on Craig's list with a radius of 250 miles.)

Rusty - how did you set up a saved search on craigslist? I manually search daily on "pachinko", "pachenko", "pachinco", and "japanese pinball". It's time consuming so I am interested in any way it can be automated.

Do tell!!

[Moparformances]

please share your wisdom o wise one

[wrkey]

Ok... since I can't buy any more for a while anyway...


I learned this trick from a thread on here to be truthful. I use a website called Craig's Helper. Here's the link:

Craig's Helper - Search Craigslist Quickly and Easily

Now, I turned off any other 'site searchs' other than Craigs List cause that is where all the 'deals' are. Then I set my distance to be 250miles cause most of that distance is still in Texas (Yeah.. it's a big state) from me. Then I put in my "KeyWords" search parameter. This site saves your last search as long as you have cookies enabled.

Here's a good hint. Spend some time reviewing the 'Advanced' section under "KeyWords". Using the right combination you can have the system search for not only the common things (Pachinko) but also for other phrases that my fly under the radar (Chinese Pinball, Japanese Pinball, pachinco, etc.)

The site is really great and returns results in individual windows that you can then browse a particular city's CraigsList in with out screwing up the rest of the result list (use the 'green refresh' in the individual city window).

Well.. there it is.. the secret (if you can call it that) is out. Good luck to all.

Oh... so much for the "Ban Craig's List" thread eh?

[Moparformances]

[/quote]Oh... so much for the "Ban Craig's List" thread eh? [/quote]


in the infamous words of Homer Simpson

Doe

[digital1]

Please tell us.

Great find RK. I wish I could find deals like that.

If it gets you off the hook...I'll take one off your hands for what you paid for it.

Just trying to help you out.

[JACKSJE4]

OK Rusty... I took your fabulous idea of Craigs Helper and added to it.


After I created my search and got the results I was looking for, I clicked on the link: "Get RSS feeds for this search." I saved the RSS search info to a file on my desktop, then imported it into an RSS reader (I use RSS Bandit - its free). I then changed my settings to automatically search for new Pachinko ads every 15 minutes and notify me with a pop-up window when there is a new post to look at.

I no longer need to manually search Craigslist for Pachinko machines. The computer if finally doing it for me!!

Thanks for the help!!

Life is good!

[wrkey]

Way to go Jeff! I'm glad you don't live close to Houston!

But then again my wife is gonna kill me if I find another deal that's too good to pass up!