notes on restore of another single shot sophia

[mudfud]

hey there.

had some different issues with this sophia A, which is older than my other one.

1) it had dangling, cut wires above the payout rocker, that presumably used to source a bulb for the stored winner balls. I soldered a bulb holder and extension wires and hung the bulb behind the lower seashell.

2) the leaf switch for the stored winners was really hard to access. I found that two jeweler's files, one to support the leaf and the other to file the brass contact, did the trick. I really did not want to take down the whole seesaw mechanism.

3) the rubber cup that held the center jackpot bulb was cracked, melted and unusable. replaced that with some electrical tape for now. will find some rubber hose somewhere to make a collar for the bulb

4) there was a very sticky, gooey substance in the ball tracks leaving the lower tray. hot , soapy water didn't cut it; goo gone helped some, but mostly scraping with a screwdriver was best

5) the cell looks to have a clear coat that is cracked and almost peeling in some areas. I am tempted to try a very thin, clear varnish to seal the cracks, but I'm afraid it will soak in and make "water stains". my concern is that the cracks will lead to whole areas of the varnish falling off.

6) in spite of having all the switches working, at first I had no electricity flowing. the fuse in the holder, which was still good, had too much corrosion between its contacts and the brass clips. spun it a few times and got some lights.

7) there were a couple holes in the back, not sure why they are there, they seem to be punchable access doors. I had some avocado formica that I covered the holes with.

8) the fine steel wool and never dull really polished up the frame. looks almost new!

[mudfud]

final pix,

and, which sophia single shot should I keep? one is to be a present for my mother in law in february.

[wrkey]

That would be depend upon the how you view the quality of each machine and the relationship with and/or attitude of the Mother-In-Law.

They are both nice looking machines and I'm sure either would be appreciated, but I fall back on my previous comment.

Good luck on that choice, maybe if you give her the one you like the less, you can just hide the other one from her.

Does the wife know you have two machines?

Ok, Ok... I quit.

[mudfud]

yes, the wife knows. in fact, that was the only way I got to buy another single shot that came up in the same week... I was either supposed to clean it up and resell it, or give it to "mom" (who has a game room with a pinball machine, pool table, basketball hoop game, and would probably actually appreciate a vintage machine).

my problem is that I like each of them for different reasons. the seashell one has the 3rd circuit for stored wins that is cool, but has the cracking cell. the birds in the tree is more colorful and has a clean cell... maybe i'll just have to flip a coin.

p.s. as mother-in-law's go, mine is an angel.

[Moparformances]

u are aware that home depot sells the rubber gromits that hold the lights in.. there and exact match and look awesome

just an fyi

[bill812]

Do you know what size is the correct grommet at Home Depot?
I saw some but wasn't sure of the size.
FYI< Lowes doesn't carry this type of item.

[dattia]

Give the one you like the most to your Mother-in-law. You will always be happy to go visit it.

[jwegger]

Give either one to the Mother-in-Law, after a few months when you go over to visit, take the other one with you and swap it out so she can play one that's a little different, you can do this for quite some time before the wife figures out you only buy the machines and take them over to her mothers so you can get a new one yourself. It's liek the museum loaning a painting to another musuem...

[mudfud]

Give either one to the Mother-in-Law, after a few months when you go over to visit, take the other one with you and swap it out so she can play one that's a little different, you can do this for quite some time before the wife figures out you only buy the machines and take them over to her mothers so you can get a new one yourself. It's liek the museum loaning a painting to another musuem...

hey, I like that museum idea. you mean I could buy a bunch more machines and distribute to friends and relatives, then visit them regularly?

on the grommets, the ones that hold the bulbs in the corners are OK, its the center cup looking thing who's rubber died. I blobbed some silicone gasket stuff for now. it's not critical, just so long as the bulb isn't sitting next to the plastic.

btw, I am trying some polyurethane on the cracks. it's leaving an interesting pattern, but hopefully the pieces will stop flaking.

[Moparformances]

its been several months since i bought the grommet's.. yes there were two sizes.. I'm gona take a light socket with me next time i go to get more.. so i get the right ones

good luck to ya

[mudfud]

I used a rubber band around the light bulb base and it worked great in place of a grommet.

the polyurethane worked really well on the cracks. the flaps are sealed down now. I dipped my finger into the stuff and rubbed it into the cracks. the polyurethane did soak in along the cracks, but it looks like part of the variegated background now.

i'm going to keep this one and give "mom" the birds in the tree. I've gotten attached to all the cool wiring and switches, and now the cell looks pretty good.

p.s. the face of the cell actually looks better than in the flash picture. it's almost like the splotchiness was meant to be that way.