Atari Trackball before & after

jtslade69

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One of the nice things about helping my father-in-law (has owned a rental business 35+ years in a industrial/commercial area) is that just about anything you can imagine is within walking distance of his shop... electrical, construction, automotive, etc.


So two doors down is an auto parts polishing business.

Here is a 4.5" Atari trackball from the Missile Command Original:

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Then after about 3 mins on the bench polisher.

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Later some Novus and it should be good to go!
 
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Nice!

:D

Did they used to be bright and clean when they first came into the arcades or were they originally painted that tin color? Or is that just patina?
 
This is great work.. I have a couple of the big Atari Football balls that are rough...... I bet it will be a lot of work to get anywhere close to what you have. Nice job.
 
I think I was lucky that the trackball was in good shape as far as there was very little pitting or divots in the ball.. I don't remember what they looked like in the arcade when I was a kid. I think that over the years when the rollers start to wear out and get that worn in curving it roughs up the ball, that with hand grease an dirt. The trackball parts cleaned up pretty well and the bearings after soaking in thrust for a day and brushing they work like new!
 
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