Custom made pachinko balls?

[mopie992]

Out of curiosity has anybody had custom balls made?

I mean, since I'm going to all this work (fun work) of restoring, building a cabinet for display and play, I thought, why not see if I could get some custom made and engraved balls?

I'm sure it wouldn't be cheap, but ya never know until you ask.

I have researched the net and of course found the 100 links to Alibaba (such a confusing site) and read the history on the Osaka companies and all, but I cannot find a place that you can order from.

Anybody else had this thought?

Your friend,
Mopie

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Appears I've fallen down a Pachinko hole and own 2 more....

[luckydog]

I don't think you would find any company willing to do a small run, even if its 10 or 20 thousand, then shipping would be expensive too.

you can get custom tokens made in the U.S. in small runs. but, its not cheap.

your best bet is to buy a Powerball ticket and hope you win, then cost is not a problem

[mxfaiman]

I'll have to agree with LD. Your minimum quantity is probably around 50 thousand or so.

This is like the one place I know where you can order new balls. http://www.ohirasyoukai.com/setsubi/...mball2014.html But here again highly doubt you'd be able to order a small quantity.

Just translated a small part of their info doc that shows the process. And the metal bins they use to move the balls hold 100,000 balls. So that is probably your minimum.

[PresidentCthulhu]

Just thinking about this quickly from more from a business opportunity of selling custom Pachinko balls.

Given/Assuming almost everything below:

• The minimum is ≈100,000 balls, costing $3000-$5999 wholesale for blanks (Let's say $4000/100000=$0.04) (For reference Akimono is $30/500=$0.06 per ball)
• Pachinko enthusiasts need 5,000 balls to happily play (two machines, hopper, lifter, etc...)
• Finding a local metal working shop with the proper talent/equipment and have them engraved locally in small amounts, costing ≈$0.10 per linear inch.
• Pachinko balls are 11mm in diameter, 11π≈35mm circumference
• The design totals only the circumference 35mm, total engraving 175000mm (6889.76 linear inches)
• 5.5g per ball, so ≈61lb per 5000 (Stealing a number from another thread http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/mode...ls-weight.html to check shipping weight)
• Large Flat Rate USPS costs $17.50 (Using very loose random packing algorithm to check if that box will fit them (20116.8^3) / (696.91^3) * 0.56 ≈ 13468 balls)

From the information above your cost per 5000 custom balls would be ≈$908 without handling/operating costs.

Therefore, you would need to find 19 Pachinko enthusiasts (excluding yourself) buyers/customers who want custom balls and are will spend ≈$955. (Up charging them ≈$47 to pay for your own balls at the very least).

[Tigerboyreii]

Pretty sure you can buy bulk ball bearings cheap. Then you find a die runner that will make an imprint die with your logo that can run it linearly (not hard on a ball) while the balls are really hot (not hard for this kind of die procedure). The problem is order size for the die runner. That die will be pricy, and the run will need to be rather large. Best bet is to find a die print that lots of people would like, e.g. a die that has pachitalk printed in it.

Now, if you only knew someone that was a machinist who had friends in industry and lived in an area where these kinds of things were done. Someone who grew up in a machine town. Someone who could make your dream a potential reality...

[Antenna3]

what country are u in? if Australia or New Zealand there is available a very good source for parlor stamped pachinko balls,