Another cleaning query

[mark adams]

What is the best way to restore oxidised lamp holders, this hyperball has many lamp holders that are quite oxidised and therefore make poor contact with the bulb. Is replacement of the lamp holders the only option or is there some method of cleaning that will restore them?
Thoughts...

 

[ronsplooter]

Depends what level of restoration you want to go too You can get lamp socket cleaning tools from the States but assuming you don't have one of those I'd start with using a dremel and a brass brush attachment to buzz out the insides. That will probably solve a lot dodgy contact issues.

If you have a tumbler and can be bothered to de-solder them all then that's an option but I wouldn't bother with this unless you're going for a full on restore

 

[JT.]

Cleaning is a lot of effort, for a part you cannot see. If any are that bad that the lights don't work, they are only about £1 each from pinball mania.

 

[replicas]

Buy new.
Nuf said.

 

[DRD]

@mark adams

This is a thorny issue. No simple answer.

In an ideal world, remove the playfield and change them. This way gravity is your friend when soldering. When they give trouble, they often keep giving trouble

But at a £ a piece, plus all the work, this gets expensive and very time consuming. And at the end of it, they are just bulb holders. Not everyone wants to remove a playfield either. Also, the soldering and desoldering of the incumbents can be tricky and there is a real risk of solder splats landing where you do not want them

Best solution, never buy a game with corrosion. IF the bulb holders are corroded, every piece of metal in the entire game is tarnished. If you are lucky, just cleaning the bulbs themselves will do it

But in the real world, we all buy corroded games. I adopt a compromise approach.

Round 1 - I ream the central contact with the right size wood drill


Round 2 - clean the barrel with rolled up scotch brite pad. Some folk put it in a drill and razz it round at low speed

If any bulb holder gives me any more grief, i then change it

 

[mark adams]

sounds like a good plan, i'm not against a bit of elbow grease cleaning stuff, if after a clean it's still problematic then i can replace. Good tip @DRD , thank you...
It's a Hyperball so the play field comes out quite easy considering.