comet II reconstruction

[mudfud]

OK, just for the challenge, I took on this machine, last of the 3 from petaluma.

problems were

1) crusted in dirt and spiders - into the dishwasher

2) missing center jackpot linkage - the missing part I asked about a couple weeks ago. the original piece is cast out of plastic, has an odd flare to the outer end, and has 2 pivots points. I considered casting in epoxy, but made one out a bamboo chopstick, 2 nails, a spare plastic washer from the comet II take apart, and a large blob of goop (I love this stuff). It was sticking a little bit (dissimilar plastics, I think), so I weighted the jackpot release with 2 pachinko balls (one is still drying, so it's under duct tape).

3) missing the brass linkage arm from the center jackpot to the payout linkage (b/c I snitched it for the comet II L). found a scrap of brass, drilled a couple holes, added a piece of wire to provide the sliding hole effect (don't have access to a milling machine right now, all this was done with hand tools)

4) missing upper ball supply tray - the ikea box from my pachinko picture light was just the right size. cut a whole and added an angled ramp. wired the corner up to make the tilt better.

5) missing clear circle of plastic for seesaw area - used a piece of discarded plastic from a box of stationary. cut the circle and punched two holes for the screws. you can hardly tell it's not stock.

6) missing plastic chute - used 1/4 of a protein drink bottle with the neck hooked under the place the old chute hooked. had to leave a gap so the balls didn't stick, but it works fine and the balls don't fall out.

7) missing the ball track cover (the one that's $25 at vintage pachinko) - used a paint stirrer and another chopstick

8) all the electrical, except the switches, is gone - i'll get to this as part of final finish. tend to do several machines' electrical in one batch.

below are the pix, hopefully in order as above and continued on 2nd post.

now I feel like I could just about build a pachinko machine from scratch. how about one made of all wooden chutes and seesaws, with metal just for fastening and axles? maybe scraps of exotic woods like rosewood and koa?

p.s. I know that I have to clean the pins, Eddie. wish I could hire a detailer to complete the clean and polish part. I'm just a mechanic at heart.