Vintage Machine Restoration and Modification

[takethecastle57]

A clear playfield with a graphic very cool !!

[wrkey]

Hey Shock,

Keep up the good work. Here's something for you, just to let you know your not alone. In my bathroom remodel I was looking for a drain and found a really nice one at home depot. It's a 'push button' style where instead of a rod you pull up or push down, there is a button on the drain that you push to open or close. As I was looking at it in the store I noticed that one edge of the push button part was bent. They way it was made I was surprised that it was bent... but I figured someone must have dropped something on it. So I put it back and grab another one. Keep in mind this drain piece was about $23.

So I take it home and I'm looking at it to determine how to properly install it and removing the lower 'clamp nut' that holds it in the sink. As I have it upside down taking the nut off, the 'drain stopper' part (you know, the one that was bent on the other one) falls off. It seems that its only held in by an "O-ring" to make removal and cleaning easier. So it drops on to the stripped concrete floor with a nice 'ting!'. When I picked it up... guess what!!! It has the EXACT same dent in it now as the one I put back in the store!

Well, I took a red rag to cover the finish and a pair of channel locks and be it back to "ALMOST" the original look. So, what you experience seems to be a common phenomenon!

Ok, now for the good stuff related to Pachinko!

For the shooter removal. Look at the photo below, it's from a dirty machine before cleaning. First, remove all the components around the shooter assembly. Next you will notice there are multiple nuts holding the shooter shaft itself. Yours may have an additional one 'clamping' a lever on it that this one does not have. Take these nuts off of the shaft one at a time and place them in order somewhere. Once you have the back ones off, the shooter handle should pull out the front. Then you can remove the ball bearing backet by taking off the 6 screws holding it in.

Now about those nuts holding the shooter in. The shooter handle is designed so that you can adjust where the hammer is located over the ball track. There are two nuts that fit on each side of the bearing race and the adjustment of those nuts position the hammer over the ball track. Count the 'threads' on the inside of the handle to the nut that is still on and write that down. Now remove that nut and do all your cleaning and such. For assembly, put the inside nut back on and move it so that it has the same number of 'threads' as you counted before. Then fininsh the installation in reverse order. However, before you put the last nut on (which locks them from moving) verify that the hammer is positioned correctly over the ball track. I usually have my positioned just to the 'outside' of the center of the ball by a "frog's hair" width to insure the ball travels up the track next to the playing field. Once you have the adjustment done, tighten the locking nut. Don't forget any other level that you removed that was attached to the shooter.

Oh.. in my photo the previous owner couldn't figure out the lever adjustments and put a bunch of tape and a bread tie on it. You can ignore that part of the photo!


Good luck and I hope this helps!

[ShockSystem]

Hello all,

Indeed, I think that a clear playfield would be a cool machine. I'll have to see how much a sheet of Lexan or Lucite will cost - It may be slightly out of the fun stuff budget, but we'll see. I don't want to work on that idea with this machine, I would pick from one of the other machines that I want to restore. This unit has far too many defects and issues, rust and corrosion, and other imperfections that would bother me cosmetically, especially considering the expense of thick Lexan and the time in rebuilding the playfield - This one is just too ugly to recover for that.

I'm going to stick with the Ghost in a Shell theme and use images adhered the cell heavily coated in polyurethane floor covering or epoxy and drilled to accommodate my LED sequencer reaction effects. For now it's enough to chew on.

I do have eight more machines (and counting), and a couple with nice mechanics are looking more and more tempting for such an endeavor.

- Shock

[ShockSystem]

Thanks wrkey,

I really appreciate your reply! Last week I actually was shot for shot right on target with your descriptive. It's just the last nut has resisted all heavy persuasion. I'm using WD-40, CLR and I'll try again, but this sucker will likely snap off if I use anymore torque to remove it, so my only choice in the short term was to keep treating it with chemicals and continue on like it didn't exist.

The shots below are from the attempted removal.

- Shock

[ShockSystem]

These shots cover the attempt at restoring the water damaged separating plywood base of the playfield. In the images I have turned the machine upside down to complete the work. The base area in the upper left has cleaned up well using Tile-X and left to dry for a couple of days (compared to earlier shots of the base).

I drilled pilot holes in the damaged wood, separated the ply sections and forced in superglue - Epoxy was too thick. I then fired in 1inch face screws, clamping the deteriorated section back together and spreading the glue inside. It cured solid quite quikly and with good strength. I was uncocerned with the last "outer" layer and cut away most of the brittle and cracking sections with little problem - This should save the newer surface from similar problems.

The whole base section is now heavily reinforced by glue and screws and is void of mold and mildew.

[Moparformances]

i would have never considered ca glue??? dont know y but I would have used wood glue...

verrry nice solution two thumbs way up

[ShockSystem]

I picked the cyanoacrylate glue as it was easier to get into the tight spots and seemed to "bleed in" nicely - Normally bad on porous stuff, I remembered using it extensively on model airplane balsa, which has about the same feel as the brittle water damaged ply wood layers.

Here are some shots of the coated frame that I forgot in my earlier post, and the treated and prepped machine face frame.

- Shock

[ShockSystem]

Here are the shots of my rough test coat of royal blue to see if I like the color. It will later have metallic highlights. I also test fit the hardware in place to see the over all progression and contemplate complementary colors.

I'm sure that I will have to coat the faceplate trim in black Rhino-Coat like the launcher faceplate. I will leave the glass face trim chrome / silver as the look after restoration was acceptable (some small pitting but not horrible).

New hardware has been acquired to replace the cheap and cheesy staples and rusted or corroded face screws. Mrs. ShockSystem brought home a great supply of replacement hardware having only looked at a couple of screws and guesstimating the amount of holes she saw before leaving that morning.

- Shock

[ShockSystem]

Here is the face trim seat restoration using a thick viscocity super glue. Note that he face is much cleaner and there is a lack of living, growing coloration.

Test fit time

[ShockSystem]

Ok. Down to business. Pin removal from the "cell".

[mudfud]

wow. how long did that take? the half dozen that I pulled were really in there, with the twisted ends, and took me at least a half hour. did you find a trick to pulling them easily without bending them too much?

[wrkey]

wow. how long did that take? the half dozen that I pulled were really in there, with the twisted ends, and took me at least a half hour. did you find a trick to pulling them easily without bending them too much?

Yes, yes, please, do tell! I'm wondering if it would be cleaner/easier/better to pull the pins in order to clean the face of the cell. If I did that, I could also be more aggressive with the Brasso to make the pins REALLY shiney.

[luckydog]

has this been posed before??

my old mind doesn't remember

Chronicles of a Pachinko Machine Restoration - ClassicPlastic.net

[mudfud]

Yes, yes, please, do tell! I'm wondering if it would be cleaner/easier/better to pull the pins in order to clean the face of the cell. If I did that, I could also be more aggressive with the Brasso to make the pins REALLY shiney.

oh.oh. rusty, then we'll have no excuse at all for eddie why our pins are so tarnished... brasso's my favorite right now. still trying to design a dremel head that won't get ripped up or wind pieces around the nails.

we must come up with a pin polisher, like those shoe shine things that brush the sides of your shoes, in miniature to polish on the sides of the pins... seems like something my dentist should have for teeth, right?

[digital1]

we must come up with a pin polisher, like those shoe shine things that brush the sides of your shoes, in miniature to polish on the sides of the pins... seems like something my dentist should have for teeth, right?

Don't the women folk have an automatic finger"nail" buffer tool? I thought I saw something that goes back and forth at a medium speed with diferent tips for sanding, buffing, polishing. I will have to sneek into my wifes tools

[pachitimsj]

i use salt and lemon juice. just dab on with a q-tip and buff off with a piece of t shurt. they come out all brite and shining.

[ShockSystem]

Hello all!

In answer to Doctor-Doctor Chewy and Wrkey It took about an hour and a half. I was trying very hard to maintain the pin finish (no grip marks), no bending and maintain the holes with out widening / beveling - I was also very tired (I work at night and couldn't sleep that day). This proved irritating at first, then I developed a "rhythm" and "technique". I started as you can see with the less populated areas and worked in to the zones with side by side pins last. Even pressure out with a half twist and... free!

I utilized a large set of pliers with the jaws covered in painters tape to "buffer" the pins from the grip grooves for most of the work. I then used a set of jewelers / electronics angled needle nose pliers taped in the same fashion for the "nested" groups of pins.

I would only do this extensive work for severely tarnished pins (as mine are nearly brown black), or if the cell needs extensive cleaning. Most of all be patient, keep even pressure and avoid the temptation to "wiggle" them out of the hole - twist one half turn only. I found that I could remove a few per minute without damaging the cells surface or wood further (and she is VERY sensitive). Its not all that hard if you remain patient, unafraid and confident in what you are doing. I'm actually surprised more accounts of this type of restoration aren't more common. I luckily had accepted that this machine may be damaged for the process of learning - I have yet to do something totally irreversible or unrecoverable.

I will post pictures shortly - There are some surprises to come.

- Shock

[mudfud]

you know. there is someone selling pachinko nail bending pliers that look like regular ones with a cut to accomodate the nail head. I wonder if those are serrated or not? I used my combination pliers so the nail head could go in the round gap, but I didn't tape my serrations (I did scratch a tiny bit )

[ShockSystem]

The pliers I've seen are small, like the jewelers / electronics type I used - handy for the clustered pins. I did use VERY BIG pliers that the pads took up the space between the face / cell and the pin head - This did give be a lot to grip and I'm sure, saved some pins from being bent. My hands did get a little "crampy" though.

- Shock

[ShockSystem]

Wow. Definitely too late to turn back now! I'm working on the removal of the playfield features, some of them corroded very heavily. I'm hoping that the finish on the flowers will be cosmetically acceptable after polishing. The centerpiece is a little rusty and fogged. Trim must come off for polishing and cell restoration.