Complete Bally Minizag 1968 shop log - The final furlong

[Ashbo]

Placeholder for when I finish Expo and move onto Minizag picked up from John in Leigh-on-sea. He purchased this girl as a non worker from Chelmsford Auctions many years ago. He fixed it up, repainted and enjoyed many years playing it with his family. As the years moved on, she was moved out to the garden shed to retire and that was where we found her.

Really looking forward to getting her back to her former glory.

 

[Ashbo]

I've found some photos on imdb. Should be able to make cabinet/backbox stencils based on them if you provide me with the exact dimensions.
Let me know when you need them

Excellent pickup and welcome to the Zale Zipper Club, this machine is a younger sibling of my Rocket III so I'm quite familiar.

Interesting on these, was to get around the US gambling laws back in the day Bally supplied an Added Ball Kit option which replaces Replays functionality (ie winnings) with Shoot Again (you'll see a Shoot Again lamp on the back glass that never lights on yours). I've helped reproduce these plug in relays for a few games including Mini Zag as Shoot Again can be fun in a home environment. It's rare to see these kits, particularly in Europe where they weren't required, it plugs in and replaces the blank plug circled below and can be built from standard parts.

Another piece of the jigsaw that you may be interested in as you work through the machine

View attachment 151277

Adding these quotes from the ebay thread to keep things together.

 

[astyy]

It wasn't obvious to me for ages that there are metal supports routed in the cab sides to hold up the canopy glass (stable too). Then even better, if you remove the large shipping bolts on the motor board there is a handle to lift it up and forward on hinged legs to rest over the cab front (unplug any door/flipper wires preventing this). Finally, best of all you can power up and start a game in this position to see everything clicking and clacking away!

My unrestored cab below makes me wonder if your cab paint was falling off like this too. The other side was glossed over which I couldn't remove to the art so the whole thing was sanded back to wood. Fortunately Rocket III and Min Zag has simple geometric shapes which were easy to mask off and reproduce.

Before I started tinkering I identified each mech in relation to the schematic which I found really useful downtrack.

Looking forward to this log once you get going, good luck with the restore I'm sure it's going to turn out bang tidy

 

[Ashbo]

True to form, I just can't wait to get stripped off, so that's what I have been doing. Some yucky looking mylar round the pops, broken plastics and a broken post screw are the grimey highlights. @astyy found the metal supports.... genius, don't know why it didn't catch on!!

There are a number of springs totally shot on the Zaggler lane, they'll be fun down the line.

 

[Ashbo]

Some crazy sh!t in this cab. Never seen two tilt balls before, but I am a noob, so what do I know?!!

 

[Ashbo]

I'm sure she'll scrub up ok, just no soap....

 

[Ashbo]

Return of the mould cam.....why always me?!?

 

[astyy]

Ha, I couldn't have resisted either, you've made a cracking start. The Bally Jones plugs of that era are renowned flaky, they loosen (providing intermittent connection), harden and snap. One tip (bodge?)) I picked up to improve them slightly is to wrap a pf ring around the female socket, you can see that on my pic above.

 

[Ashbo]

Ha, I couldn't have resisted either, you've made a cracking start. The Bally Jones plugs of that era are renowned flaky, they loosen (providing intermittent connection), harden and snap. One tip (bodge?)) I picked up to improve them slightly is to wrap a pf ring around the female socket, you can see that on my pic above.

Thanks @astyy . Been reading your posts on pinside, learning a lot I have had a good word with myself and packed her away now. So close to finishing Expo, must resist...

 

[neil1637]

Looking forward to this resto. This is exactly the type of project I will be looking for, once the new year comes by.

Best of luck with this table.

 

[Ashbo]

Looking forward to this resto. This is exactly the type of project I will be looking for, once the new year comes by.

Best of luck with this table.

Thanks @neil1637, it should scrub up well, with a lick of paint and a wire brush

 

[SpiderPin]

It's a lovely looking machine - I think that 60s retro-futurism / atomic age art style is beautiful!

 

[Ashbo]

Not a lot on today, so what the hell, let's start deep cleaning the playfield...started with a hoover and the small nozzle attachment, then slowly removing grime with naptha and a cloth, then naptha and magic eraser, then novus 1 and a cloth.

 

[Ashbo]

Slowly, slowly does it. Struggling to work out if the playfield art is faded or still grubby. I keep pushing by cleaning small areas a bit at a time, making sure not to remove paint. Much less gun ho that I was with Expo, but much slower progress

 

[Ashbo]

Under the grime there is missing paint, see the tiny specs of blue missing in the last photo. Going to need some very small brushes....

 

[ronsplooter]

@Ashbo tbh mate I wouldn't bother using brushes for that. I had similar on my Lucky Strike and used the wipe on/wipe off technique with a cloth Smear the paint into the area and wipe off again leaving it just in the little spec areas. Dry with a hairdryer (assuming your using acrylics) and then repeat as many times as you need/want to get the desired finish. You want to be removing most of the paint you apply so you minimize the rough finish to that area although I'm also assuming you're going to use something (cleacoat, playfield protector, mylar etc) to lock in any touch ups which will even out any differences.

 

[Ashbo]

@Ashbo tbh mate I wouldn't bother using brushes for that. I had similar on my Lucky Strike and used the wipe on/wipe off technique with a cloth Smear the paint into the area and wipe off again leaving it just in the little spec areas. Dry with a hairdryer (assuming your using acrylics) and then repeat as many times as you need/want to get the desired finish. You want to be removing most of the paint you apply so you minimize the rough finish to that area although I'm also assuming you're going to use something (cleacoat, playfield protector, mylar etc) to lock in any touch ups which will even out any differences.

@ronsplooter , that's a cracking idea, that was my issue with Expo where the brush strokes can be seen really easily if you know they are there. Playfield protector is my plan initially, then clearcoat in the summer when the weather is better. Equally, that's when I'll strip the paint off the cab and re-stencil the art.

 

[Ashbo]

It's not raining, let's celebrate by starting in the rust on the rails.... This may take some time...first get the glass out, then dismantle..

 

[Ashbo]

Jeese, this makes me realise how unfit I am. 120 and 180 grit sand paper trashed. Still looks like I have plenty to take off the top before dropping upping the grits to get a nice finish. Looks like it was originally chrome plated, then rusted, then sprayed grey, then rusted ..... Pretty nasty scar that has gone through to steel. Will have to see what I can do to smooth that out.

I am assuming I'm right to do this by hand rather than get an electric sander on the case?

 

[Ashbo]

Ok, freezing, that's it for today....started working smaller areas.

 

[Ashbo]

Raining outside, so cleaning indoors today....

Removed the mylar from a bumper, not too bad, that'll touch up ok. The trim will need sanding back and respraying. Jobs mounting up...this girl is fun!!!

 

[Ashbo]

After my soldering iron packed up, ordered another one and then got some time this morning to remove the thumper bumpers...job done. Pics posted here so I know what to put back when playfield restored. Nothing pretty to see here...(yet)

 

[Ashbo]

Cleaning then starting to work my way through the sand paper grades...

 

[The Great Went]

What is the function of the little levers and springs along the zagger lane? Is it a directio al gate, or is it to hold the ball at a camera height?

 

[Ashbo]

What is the function of the little levers and springs along the zagger lane? Is it a directio al gate, or is it to hold the ball at a camera height?

Honestly, not sure, my first thought was perhaps to keep the ball over the playfield switches. All will become clear in a few months when my workshop is built and I start work again

 

[Ashbo]

The sun is out, the birds are singing, let's break this back box down, sand and leave my ears ringing...

 

[Ashbo]

Roses are red, violets are blue....and so am I now...

 

[Ashbo]

120 grit down to 400 grit over an hour sanding sesh .... Not bad ..

 

[Ashbo]

This rust is gonna kill me....120 grit not touching it.... Need more power

 

[Ashbo]

Wet day, nothing to do? why not strip down this cab...

Totally stripping everything off ready for sanding and priming. The gloss paint stuck everything together so slow and steady.

I even carefully removed the card inserts inside by pulling out the old rusty staples.

Love the little hinges for the playfield glass frames. Knocked these out using a small screwdriver and a hammer. There are at least two different coats of paint on the metal, so it looks like it's had a couple of "refurbs" over the years. Let's hope this is the last