Pinball restoration do's and don'ts?

[monkeyboy]

I got my first pin today a Terminator 2 and I plan to restore it a little to help it's resale value and saleability. What things should I do and what should I defiantly not do?

First the cabinet is not perfect there are a couple of chunks out of it showing exposed wood. Is it ok to touch these up? Should I attempt using filler then painting? Or should it be left alone?

The playfield has some Mylar stuck on it. I would like to remove these. Is this risky and should be left alone? Or what's the best method, Goo-Gone or freezer spray?

Any other tips?

[drcrippen324]

well done for taking the plunge

first thing for $3 put a remote battory on the main bord or at least change them leaking battorys kill more pins than yo uwould belive all through not changing them and dont think i will remember just put a remote holder on there for the sake of $3 dont risk $$$$ on a new main bord

Mylar unles you brave as hell should be left alone as it dose stand a chance of taking the paint off the playfield if you try to remove it best method i found is hair dryer and patians then goo gone to remove the sticky mess it leaves but like i said realy at your peril

clean the playfield first with nove and mill wax after to re seal it re rubbering it gose without saying and if there are any chanels under the playfield for balls take um off and clean out they hord dust and crap in them to muck up a freshly cleaned play field

change the balls they are in expensive and pound to a peny they never been changed pitted balls scratch playfields ramps ect and deposit crud on play fields but do clean the coat of oil off your new balls befor inserting

plastics clean up well if removed and poped in a sink of warm water with your favorit washing up liquid ignor the dish washer coments as they get to hot and warp them

if you are confident with your paint skills then yes filer and paint the cab origonal designe check strength on flippers if no good or clunky then rebuild a rebuild kit isnt to expensive finaly enjoy your pin
______________________________________________________
oooh i almost forgot pictures thousends of them if need be while yo uare dismanteling the asemblys and playfield to clean it a DIGI CARD COSTS NOTHING TO DELEAT BUT A FORGOTEN PEACE WHEN REASEMBLING IS MIND BOGGLING oh and if you gonna flame polish the ramps it aint for the faint harted see jurasic park thread but the results are stunning

[millermaster1]

Hey Drcrippen, What is a remote battery, where do you find them, how do they install?


first thing for $3 put a remote battory on the main bord or at least change them leaking battorys kill more pins than yo uwould belive all through not changing them and dont think i will remember just put a remote holder on there for the sake of $3 dont risk $$$$ on a new main bord

[monkeyboy]

Does anyone know a good source for playfield plastics? After doing a google search I've found some sellers but they all seem to be out of stock.

Are playfield plastics as rare as rocking horse poop?

[pinball wizard]

i fully agree with what doc said.but game specific parts such as plastics are rare for games of this vintage.i would check ebay,and if anything you need comes up,snap it up immediately.as for the cabinet paint repair,if it does not show too much,leave it alone.that is what i do with my games.mine are less than perfect,but they all play like they are new.if the damage really bothers you,you could try to repair it,but always remember that a less than perfect repair could end up looking worse than what was originally there.i would leave that up to your judgement and skills as to whether to proceed with a repair.nice find,by the way.i had a T2 slip through my hands a few years back.the local amusement operator i bought my f-14 tomcat from wanted to know if i would trade it even up for his T2.i said no way i love that game,but i would be willing to buy his T2 outright.he then said he could not really sell it because the owner of the pizza parlor he had it in would kill him if he took it away.anyway,shortly after,that pizza parlor went out of business,and T2 was sold on ebay without my knowledge.otherwise,i would gladly have paid him the 1500.00 he said it was worth. and it was sold by a friend of his,who i later sold a mata hari to.if i would have known this in advance,i would have charged his buddy double for his pin.if you don't mind telling us,how much did you pay for yours?

[DugFreez]

The only advice I give is just to reiterate that removing the mylar is probably a bad idea unless you want to do some major touch up work.

I have an 88 Williams Cyclone. The playfield was is pretty good shape. Most of it was covered in mylar from the factory. The edges of the mylar was loose in a couple of places...but nothing to bad. The worst of the playfield were the places that didn't have mylar on it and some of the inserts and mylar around the inserts were starting to raise up (from the light bulb heat I've been told).

I decided to get my playfield stripped, touched up, and clear coated. I found someone to do the job and luckily she was only about 45 mins away. She send me some pics after she stripped off the mylar and I was surprised how much paint and insert decals it took with it. It wasn't large chunks but small strips of paint all over the covered area.

The pic I posted is from an area that was completely maylared and the paint was perfect. The pic is what it looked like after she stripped the mylar off, and she knows what she is doing (writes for pinball magazines and gives lectures on restoration at conventions and Expo). I was pretty scaired when she sent me these pics...but I have seen the playfield since she had touched it up and it look much better than it did before with the mylar on.

So my advise is to laeve the mylar alone unless you are looking to do some MAJOR touch up. If you are looking to just fix it up for a while and then sell it...it really isn't worth the trouble. If it is loose around some edges I have heard it is just best to exacto knife off the loose are and make sure the new edge you have is down good.

Enjoy Arnold.. I've only played the emulated version of T2...but I liked it a lot.

[monkeyboy]

The Terminator 2 was the first machine to use Dimond plate (a clear coat sealant) on the playfield. Apparently the Mylar comes off this with out the paint.

[mr. fixx]

I would DEFINATILY have to agree with all above about Mylar. Leave sleeping dogs and Giants alone. My friend attempted Mylar removal and it cost him a playfield.

Removal of the CPU or MPU battery is a MUST. lf the MPU has a actual battery holder, some of the newer Williams WPC and WPC95 games do have this, just replace the batteries with new ones.

Cleaning the playfield is a must. I find that NOVUS works well for this. After that, application of WAX will make the game play fast, and help protect the playfield from further damage.

Keep an eye on Ebay for plastics. I have seen T-2 plastics there from time to time.

If plastics are warped the best method for this is to get a Heat Gun and place the warped plastic on the playfield glass. Then heat the plastic EVENLY till it flattens out. I have then placed a heavy book on it till it cools thus producing a flat plastic. Some have used the oven method, but this is dangerous.

Also a good visual inspection is a must. Look for broken wires, loose bolts, loose nuts, missing components, burned out bulbs or anything else that doesnt look right.

Now some people have filled in cabinet dents, divots, scratches with wood putty. But to do this, you must be good with paint. Personally unless these things really bother you, I would just leave them alone, or cover them up with some matching paint.

For electronic repairs and restoration I suggest Marvins repair guides:

PINBALL: Pinball Repair Guides. Collector buys pinball, arcade, coin operated sport games, baseball pitch bat, manikin mannequin games

This is the BEST source for pinball repair information and guides.

Just my 2 cents, Fixx

[Chris]

Click on the link below to see what Doc was talking about for the remote battery holder. This seller is in the UK but you will have suppliers doing exactly the same as these over there.

http://www.pinballheaven.co.uk/shop/...16df6d4092946f

[luckydog]

its great that someone has thought of an improvemrnt to the factory board designs

[new in town]

A little closer to home and no shipping charges, Just Gas for the Trip.

Radio Shack only has a AAA holder.

Battery Holder - RadioShack.com

This one is $4.94 delivered 1st Class USPS to my door.

Pololu - 3-AA Battery Holder

[new in town]

4 minuets and it would not let me edit?

I was wrong on the price for the second one.

Pololu - 3-AA Battery Holder

$5.94 not $4.94. Shipped USPS 1st Class.

[hanabi]

Does anyone know a good source for playfield plastics? After doing a google search I've found some sellers but they all seem to be out of stock.

Are playfield plastics as rare as rocking horse poop?

Some do seem to be rare, so it is wise to pick them up if you see them for sale, I bought complete NOS sets for both my SWE1 and RFM, just in case...

Are you looking for a complete NOS set, used plastics, or just certain ones??

I will keep a look out for you on my internet travels, but here's a link to a company called 'Best of Pinball' that has some plastics for T2,

osCommerce

I have used them before for pinball stuff and they are very good on delivery, just need to remember to add 19% tax or something to the prices shown, they are in Germany I believe and I have had very fast deliveries from them,

not sure what it would cost to send to USA though, but plastics are only light so I imagine it wouldn't be too expensive??

If I find any others, I will let you know

[rubberratt]

I got my first pin today a Terminator 2 and I plan to restore it a little to help it's resale value and saleability. What things should I do and what should I defiantly not do?

First the cabinet is not perfect there are a couple of chunks out of it showing exposed wood. Is it ok to touch these up? Should I attempt using filler then painting? Or should it be left alone?

The playfield has some Mylar stuck on it. I would like to remove these. Is this risky and should be left alone? Or what's the best method, Goo-Gone or freezer spray?

Any other tips?

Everything I do.. I do defiantly !!!

Leave the mylar... you'll be sorry if you try to remove it.

Do take the nicad off the MB, if it hasn't been done already.

DO visit Marvelous Marvin's for the Pinball Repair Guides

[monkeyboy]

Thanks for the advice I definitely will do it defiantly! English was never my best subject at school.

There is already a 3 x AA holder fitted to the board and not a nicad so with modern batteries fitted I should be safe and have no leaks.

I will leave the maylar alone not one person has suggested to remove it. I it would be nice to have a shiny playfield but I don't want to risk having no playfield.

Anyway I'm having lots of fun with this machine but today when I hit a special an almighty CRACK noise like lightning came from within the cabinet. It sounded like something had blown but the machine carried on working fine. It did it again when I managed to get on the leader board. Does anyone know what is going on here?

[new in town]

Open up the back box and look in the upper right or left corner. You should see a coil with a plunger that strikes a metal plate attached to the back box.

That's the "crack" you heard.

It might be mounted down inside the main cabinet under the playing field if it's not up in the back board.

[DugFreez]

Thanks for the advice I definitely will do it defiantly! English was never my best subject at school.
Anyway I'm having lots of fun with this machine but today when I hit a special an almighty CRACK noise like lightning came from within the cabinet. It sounded like something had blown but the machine carried on working fine. It did it again when I managed to get on the leader board. Does anyone know what is going on here?

The CRACK is the sound of VICTORY!!! I love it when I get a special and it scares the crap out of everyone when the knocker goes off.

The new Stern machines don't have a physical knocker like the older machines. They just let out a loud speaker squelch...it's not nearly as good as the classic knockers. There was a website selling knocker kits for new Sterns but they don't have them anymore. I saw a website that had instructions on how to wire one up yourself...but I'll wait until my warranty runs out before I do that. The weird thing is the software on the new Sterns support a physical knocker...they just don't include it.

[pinball wizard]

i remember playing the early bally solid states at 7-11 back in the late '70's.those machines had a very loud knocker .when i got 3 replays for beating the high score to date,2 customers who were shopping at the store turned and stared at me with shocked looks on their faces.they must have thought i broke the machine.

[hanabi]

Anyway I'm having lots of fun with this machine but today when I hit a special an almighty CRACK noise like lightning came from within the cabinet. It sounded like something had blown but the machine carried on working fine. It did it again when I managed to get on the leader board. Does anyone know what is going on here?

Oh that's just the 'knocker' sound, you get that when you achieve something special, an extra ball, or a re-match at the end of the game, etc

You think yours sounds loud, you sound hear the ones on the Pinball 2000 models!!

Even though I know when that one is coming, i still jump every time I hear it

The first time I thought I had seriously broken something...

[drcrippen324]

the mylar will polish up and shine like the playfield with a little nove and some elbow grease the 2 i put videos up of rocky and jurasic park both have mylar on and so did my bride of pinbot it is that thick a plastic covering you just polish it up without fear of waring it away