New Guy here with Model A single shot

[Gilly]

Here are a few pics of the cell, I have the metal trim around the lost ball door, and around the tulips cleaned up, The pocket on the right side of the tulip is also cleaned, and a few of the nail heads but not many. What is the chute called above the tulip, is there a name for that? I cleaned that a little too.

[Gilly]

OK, on the first picture, does anyone know what that strap is for? It goes under the bottom of the loop below the losing ball door. It has those weird spring clips, the clips rest against the cell, each end of the strap is held inplace with a nail. For reference the small notch fits right under the lost ball door. I know where it goes, I took it off myself, but wonder why it's there.

The other pics are just a finished view of the back.

Gilly

[Gilly]

Oh and I realized that there are grooves in the front door for a second pane. The inner pane presently is glass, so to be authentic I should use plexi on the front, does that sound correct? I try to be correct if I can, plus plexi would be lighter than glass i believe.
Gilly

[MrGneiss]

In the parlor it would have been 2 pieces of glass...People like using plexi for different reasons like on the inside if they don't like the balls hitting the glass sound or on the outside for safety...or if its just what they have available!!

[Gilly]

Thanks, I'll plan on another pane of glass.

Here are pics of the work I did in the last hour or so, I have all the nails polished, the cell is pretty dirty now of course.

[JACKSJE4]

That machine is looking like new!! Great job!!

[Moparformances]

really looking good

[Gilly]

Told my wife I was in the basement polishing my nails!

[Bat]

Hey Gilly. Any advice for someone attempting to do there first restoration.
I recently acquire 5 vintage pachinkos one of which is a single shot that I would like to restore. It looks like you are doing an excellent job and I would apreciate any ideas you might have.

[Moparformances]

Hey Gilly. Any advice for someone attempting to do there first restoration.
I recently acquire 5 vintage pachinkos one of which is a single shot that I would like to restore. It looks like you are doing an excellent job and I would apreciate any ideas you might have.

take lots of pictures as your taking it apart... so you can help youself put it back together...

and dont use oils or sprays of any kind as a lube.. put every thing together dry...

[Gilly]

That was the first thing I was going to recommend too.
I recommend before starting, see if the machine works at all, if not try to diagnose the problem so you know what you need for parts before even starting it.
I was glad I got the electrics working, but not really sold on the kit I bought, there was only a few things out of it I really needed, everything else I am sure I could have found at radio Shack, to be honest. The guys here at the forum I am also sure could have told me what I needed. But I do recommend "The Pachinko Man" for parts, he sold me a direct match fuse box for mine, very impressed:
Pachinko Machines, Manuals, Balls, and More - Vintage Pachinko, LLC
OK, and in regards to pictures, before even starting on it, get pics in case you get confused. I could figure a few things out myself just by referring to the pictures. I recommend one general picture of the back, one of the upper half only and lower half only (for more detail) and I wish I would have done 1/4 views too (upper left, upper right, lower left, lower right).
The most important advice is to keep things organized. Now, I am NOT the most organized guy there is. To counter this, I found something that helps me a lot. I just use a roll of masking tape to keep things organized as I am taking things apart. For some parts that have holes for fasteners, like plastic housings and metal trays, I will actually put the fastener back in to the same hole that it belongs in and retain it there with a small piece of tape. Other things I feel OK with just taping all the fasteners together in one place.
In the first few pictures I am trying to show a group of nails taped to a piece of metal trim from the frame.
In the 3rd that is a bunchof fasteners that hold a hinge pin to the frame as well as holding a corner brace (using the same holes), I chose to just tape these all together.
The 4th pic is the fasteners that hold the front door frame to the wooden frame, the fasteners are just taped to the glass.
The last pic is a few of my more go-to type of things, all of which you should be able to buy locally; Gel Gloss (even works on the nail heads!), Brasso, and a Dremel tool. You'll also need a cleaning/poishing attachment kit for the Dremel.
Most of my intricate type of work on the mechanism was done on a apple crate which was put on top of a plastic bin. The top of the crate I covered with a double-folded towel to protect the front of the machine, as it was laying face-down on the towel. This put the whole thing at a level that was comfortable to work while sitting on a short stool.
As has been mentioned here make sure you have a supply of good pachinko balls, seems like 500 is about right to have a good amount of play time before running out. Seemed like a lot to me, but my first order was only for 250 and I could tell it was an insufficient amount right away, even without playing. Doesn't cost all that much for them.

Gilly

[Gilly]

PS another thing for when you are cleaning with WATER, like filthy plastic or metal trays, is Bon Ami, will be at grocery stores near the other powdered cleaners like "comet", but get Bon Ami as it is not all that abrasive, very gentle cleaner, but will cut through "Pachinko grime" like nothing.Bon Ami :: Products :: Powder Cleanser
Also I would also add to not take every single part off if you don't feel it will gain much, I am glad I didn't tear every single thing off mine.

[Bat]

Thanks for all the good advice. I probably won't get started until after Christmas. I will start a thread and post photos of my progress.
I think this machine is mostly in order. It seems to need cleaning and maybe a tune up. It has never paid out any balls but I am not really sure when and how it does anyway.

[Gilly]

Bat, you didn't say if yours is a Mishijin single ball model A or not, assuming it is, here is a link to a video you can watch. The one he is demonstrating is a auto load model A, but much of what he is pointing out about getting the machine ready to work does pertain to a single ball, so watch it and then see if yours will play. I assume you have some pachinko balls to work with.
YouTube - thepachinkoman's Channel
Gilly

[Gilly]

Finally caught up on things (Christmas stuff, etc) to work on it again last night. Finished cleaning the cell, man I thought polishing nail heads was tedious work! Cleaned up the trim just above the cell, that long metal molding, and also the L shaped piece in the top corner.
The strap I mentioned in post #122 I couldn't find, I wasted a lot of time looking for it but finally found it.
I think all I have left is the door itself, then see my brother about making a wall mount!
Gilly

[Bouye]

First thing. The spring your talking about may not be your problem with the ball not launching well.there is a large spring on the back that connects to the launcher and a nail on the right side. You might be able to stretch the spring via the adjustment holes. Two you won't need that burnt plastic part if you get the electric kit from Billy. Third is I have this same machine and it has the same hole in the back, it won't effect the play. Hope this was helpful.

[Gilly]

The small spring was the problem, that tiny ball point pen spring was the culprit. The spring on the back I know about, I had it off the machine and reinstalled it in the original hole. The ball shoots very well now. You need a good stiff spring hitting the ball.
Billy provided me with the light kit, although I needed very little of it. He also sold me a new fuse box, which is what was melted.

Gilly

[Gilly]

Managed to bust the one pane of glass it DID have. Oh well, it's single thickness glass so shouldn't cost much for a pair of glass panes.
Cleaned up the frame as best I could, looks "OK":.
Gilly

[JACKSJE4]

I buy replacement glass at ACE hardware. They charge $4.62 for a piece large enough to fit the machine.

[pachinkojeff]

I got glass at Lowe's. They cut it to size for free. Took in 12 panes of plexi as the sizes were different for some of the machines and they cut 12 panes of glass while I waited. They had panes that were the correct width so they only had to make one cut per pane except for the single shots which took two cuts. Better than me try to cut them at home...I've never been able to cut a pane of glass without it breaking. Cost per pane was aronund $3.60. Put the glass closest to the cell and the plexi closest to the ouside of the machine (except for the single shots as they only have one track for glass . Like the sound of the balls hitting the glass instead of plexi.