First Pinball Machine...Have Lots of Noob Questions

jeffsgames

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First Pinball Machine...Have Lots of Noob Questions

I got an Earthshaker last weekend and I am about to order some parts to restore it. Sorry for a ton of questions but I wanted to get your advice because I respect my fellow KLOVers very much and know you guys know your stuff:

  • Who are the best parts vendors out there? I know there are a ton of vendors out there and many on ebay, but I want to go to the ones you guys prefer.
  • I saw two different "rubber counts" on ebay for Earthshaker. One was 45 pcs and the other 47. They both had flipper rings and shooter tips. Does anyone have a pdf of the layout diagram to show me?
  • What do you prefer for cleaning and waxing the playfield? I see some use Novus1, others Novus 2, and some vendors have cleaner/wax combos. That doesn't sound like a good option to me. Anyone have recommendations?
  • On my playfield I have several "lenses" above the lamps that look slightly raised above the playfield surface. Is this normal and is there a way to adjust these flush?

If there is a good FAQ to start with, please point me to it. I can't wait to get started on this and I know I'll learn a lot as I go. I've collected vids for over 15 years and know that side of the hobby. Pins are all new to me!

Thanks!

Jeff
 
For parts, Terry at Pinball Life is the best. He has all the common stuff you will need (rubbers, bulbs, flipper parts, etc).

www.pinballlife.com

Playfield - Waxing/cleaning/insert issues: Do you have one of the common ES playfields or do you have the better "Diamond Plate" version playfield?
 
[*]Who are the best parts vendors out there? I know there are a ton of vendors out there and many on ebay, but I want to go to the ones you guys prefer.

Here are some I can think of off the top of my head and I'm sure others will list more.

http://www.pinballlife.com
http://www.mad-amusements.com
http://www.marcospecialties.com
http://www.pbresource.com

[*]I saw two different "rubber counts" on ebay for Earthshaker. One was 45 pcs and the other 47. They both had flipper rings and shooter tips. Does anyone have a pdf of the layout diagram to show me?

I suggest you go to ipdb, search for Earthshaker!, download the manual in PDF, print it off and have it coil bound or punch holes and put in a 3 ring binder for future reference.

The rubber list is on the very bottom of page 69. I heard these ebay kits are a rip off if you were to order these yourself it works out to be much cheaper too.

[*]What do you prefer for cleaning and waxing the playfield? I see some use Novus1, others Novus 2, and some vendors have cleaner/wax combos. That doesn't sound like a good option to me. Anyone have recommendations?

I have used Novus 2 on the playfield and I heard never to use Novus 1 on it except for plastics only. For wax I see most people using Mother's Carbuna wax in the flat round tin.

On my playfield I have several "lenses" above the lamps that look slightly raised above the playfield surface. Is this normal and is there a way to adjust these flush?

You could heat it up and try to re-seat it or perhaps just remove and replace? I've never had to do this on any of my machines thank god but seen many videos of people removing inserts with a heat gun from underneath.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4fqyHJOqMU

Good luck and welcome to the addiction!
 
I got an Earthshaker last weekend and I am about to order some parts to restore it. Sorry for a ton of questions but I wanted to get your advice because I respect my fellow KLOVers very much and know you guys know your stuff:

  • Who are the best parts vendors out there? I know there are a ton of vendors out there and many on ebay, but I want to go to the ones you guys prefer.
  • I saw two different "rubber counts" on ebay for Earthshaker. One was 45 pcs and the other 47. They both had flipper rings and shooter tips. Does anyone have a pdf of the layout diagram to show me?
  • What do you prefer for cleaning and waxing the playfield? I see some use Novus1, others Novus 2, and some vendors have cleaner/wax combos. That doesn't sound like a good option to me. Anyone have recommendations?
  • On my playfield I have several "lenses" above the lamps that look slightly raised above the playfield surface. Is this normal and is there a way to adjust these flush?

If there is a good FAQ to start with, please point me to it. I can't wait to get started on this and I know I'll learn a lot as I go. I've collected vids for over 15 years and know that side of the hobby. Pins are all new to me!

Thanks!

Jeff

Some quick preliminary answers; search for others in this forum and the rec.games.pinball usenet group. (Also check pinwiki.com, a site under active development!)

1) Good vendors include pinball life, bay area amusements, pinbits, pinball resource, marco specialties. (Note that marco has a good selection, sometimes higher prices, but a price-matching policy for other legit vendors.) Check out various individuals' pinball pages for links to a few other sources of parts, or do a web search on a part number itself.

2) Check ipdb.org for a copy of the Earthshaker manual that will have the rubber parts listing in it. (Of course, sometimes the manual is wrong too!)

3) Novus 1 is a plastic cleaner. Best bet is Novus 2, a very mild abrasive, to clean, followed by a good (non-cleaning) carnauba-based auto wax (Mother's, Meguiars, etc.). I usually wipe the pf with Novus 1 and a clean cloth after using Novus 2 to remove any residue. The waxing may take care of this as well.

4) These plastics in the wooden playfield are called "inserts." Do some searching on repairing playfield inserts for best advice. They can be removed and re-glued in. Never had to do this myself but the info is out there.

Enjoy! HTH...

[EDIT: See above--I type too slowly!!]
 
I think you've gotten good advice so I'll share what I've done to level inserts. Heat them with a hair dryer, switching from top to bottom of the playfield if you can. The aim is to soften the glue holding it in place. If they are low, you can push them up with your fingers or use a dowel. If they are raised, use a block of wood and a rubber mallet and pound them flat. You can also directly tap them down with a rubber mallet if you are careful. Once you get them level, lock them in place with super glue, run a ring around the insert/playfield interface from the underside of the playfield. Take your time and you'll figure out how much heat and pounding is needed to get them flush.
 
I think you've gotten good advice so I'll share what I've done to level inserts. Heat them with a hair dryer, switching from top to bottom of the playfield if you can. The aim is to soften the glue holding it in place. If they are low, you can push them up with your fingers or use a dowel. If they are raised, use a block of wood and a rubber mallet and pound them flat. You can also directly tap them down with a rubber mallet if you are careful. Once you get them level, lock them in place with super glue, run a ring around the insert/playfield interface from the underside of the playfield. Take your time and you'll figure out how much heat and pounding is needed to get them flush.

+1

Suprised that everyone says their inserts are level! Every pin I get at least a couple inserts need a good hit from the old mallet!
 
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