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Things you need that you wish someone had told you...

  • Thread starter Deleted member 2463
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Deleted member 2463

ok folks,
this week I'll hopefully be picking up my first table out of three that I want to get. Third one is GB Premium as the wife likes it. Second one is a surprise that I'll post about when it arrives :)

The only pinball thing i have is pound coins and a DMD Clock. I have a good set of tools but is there anything pinball specific I should have:

1: Trolley of some description.
2: Jack/dolly for move tables around in doors?

anything else specific worth having?

Neil.
 
From the perspective of someone who does minimal maintenance (i.e. doesn't strip down playfields every 6 months "for a nice deep clean" and has no inclination to repair my own PCBs or redecal cabs):

Essential:
Set of nut drivers, preferably magnetic. Imperial sizes for most older machines, not sure on modern Sterns, etc
Headband-mounted torch (god yes, if you don't have one already get one of these if you ever plan to go under the playfield for any reason).
Decent Sack truck for moving pins in and out of the car/ house/ arcade you just burgled.

Nice to have if casual (like me), prob essential kit for serious ppl:
Multimeter
Decent soldering iron
Tumbler (no not the bloody phone app). Prob not necessary if you're only getting newer pins rather than fixing up older ones.
Scissor lifting truck (only if you plan to be moving pins around a LOT - either at home or going to shows)

Also good:
Suckers...er friends, who don't mind "helping you get something upstairs..."
An incredibly understanding (or non-existent) partner.
Andy Netherwood's phone number

I'll leave it to the pros on here to recommend specific crimping tools and de-soldering kits and suchlike if your of a more serious bent than myself.
 
Neil McRae said:
1: Trolley of some description.
2: Jack/dolly for move tables around in doors?

anything else specific worth having?
Click to expand...

Yes on number 1, saved a lot of back pain here lots of times. Number 2 you can generally get away without needing if you have number 1, unless you have a pretty flat surface/take lots of games to shows/know you will be moving games lots and frequently.

Things I've found very useful outside the standard things everyone knows to own like a soldering iron etc.

1. Magnetic stick (http://www.screwfix.com/p/magnetic-pick-up-tool-630mm/18440). VERY useful for retrieving balls and screws from hard and out of reach places.
2. Electronic spirit level. Great for leveling your games and cheap, I don't trust the app you can get as the calibration is usually crap. (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digi-Pas-P...70938&sr=8-1&keywords=electronic+spirit+level)
3. A used shooter tip, okay this one sounds a bit odd but you know games with spotlights on where the bulb is super difficult to pull out? Just put a used shooter tip round the bulb and hey presto, super easy to pull that wedged in bulb out (This and most of my other tips I got from @I TiltAlot)
4. A good set of spare stuff, bulbs, rubbers, flipper bats - aka stuff that could break and if you want to get your game going again quickly good to have a part on standby.

Sure people will suggest other bits but that's what comes to my mind that is 'non standard' kit people won't really think about if you are new but will become standard pretty quickly and is useful.
 
there's a sh1t-ton of stuff dude, you'll never stop buying stuff once you start. if you get deep into the hobby you will probably end up with a hydraulic trolley, sack trolley, multimeter, soldering iron, dremel, playfield prop, straps, wraps, circuit breakers, loads of specialist tools .....
 
Most essential, and cheapest, if you are taking down machines is a piece of 2 by 2 to rest the machine on while you take the back legs off. Saves the problem of trying to balance it on your thigh while unbolting the legs.

Ratchet strap for securing backbox while transporting.

Lint free/microfibre cloths for cleaning table/playfield glass. 1 for initial "dirty" clean of playfield, 1 for "polishing" playfield, and a final 1 for playfield glass.

Mr Sheen. Works for cleaning EVERYTHING, playfield, plastics, rubbers, glass, and doesn't leave a residue.

A range of fuses (check manual for what your machine takes). Do not do as I first did when starting out and buy household fuses.
 
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Archyta5 said:
A used shooter tip, okay this one sounds a bit odd but you know games with spotlights on where the bulb is super difficult to pull out? Just put a used shooter tip round the bulb and hey presto, super easy to pull that wedged in bulb out (This and most of my other tips I got from @I TiltAlot)
Click to expand...

Bally (and maybe other manufacturers) used to place lamps under the metal 'top arch' of their e/m games, with transparent coloured sleeves fitted. One of these sleeves, attached to a short piece of wooden dowel, was a handy device to release lamps sunk into small recesses such as on backbox inserts.
 
The only bit of advice on here I'd disagree with is using Mr Sheen, or any other spray based household cleaner which contains silicone based chemicals. Silicone is practically chemically inert, i.e. will not dissolve in other chemicals, and reacts badly with clearcoat varnish causing bubbles known as fish-eyes. Using these types of sprays would create a nightmare if anyone at any point in the future wanted to re-clear the playfield. Stick with a carnuba based wax (loads of threads about brands on here, just search).
 
JT. said:
The only bit of advice on here I'd disagree with is using Mr Sheen, or any other spray based household cleaner which contains silicone based chemicals. Silicone is practically chemically inert, i.e. will not dissolve in other chemicals, and reacts badly with clearcoat varnish causing bubbles known as fish-eyes. Using these types of sprays would create a nightmare if anyone at any point in the future wanted to re-clear the playfield. Stick with a carnuba based wax (loads of threads about brands on here, just search).
Click to expand...

I suppose it's each to their own. Ive used Mr Sheen exclusively on all of my machines without any issue, as did all the distributors I knew in the 80s and 90s without any Ill effect, and plenty of collectors I know, and respect.
You say Silicone is practically chemically inert, but then say immediately after that it reacts badly with clearcoat. . Surely it can't be both?
 
I'm fine with mr.sheen for cleaning between waxes, can't be spending hours waxing machines every every few weeks.
 
Wayne J said:
I suppose it's each to their own. Ive used Mr Sheen exclusively on all of my machines without any issue, as did all the distributors I knew in the 80s and 90s without any Ill effect, and plenty of collectors I know, and respect.
You say Silicone is practically chemically inert, but then say immediately after that it reacts badly with clearcoat. . Surely it can't be both?
Click to expand...

It 'reacts' as in it responds to the presence of silicone, not a chemical reaction.

Regardless of the semantics of the word react, it definitely does leave a residue, you just cannot see it, and that residue is incredibly difficult to remove and causes issues with the application of clear coat. Just google it.
 
I don't think Mr Sheen has silicone in it. Silicone is certainly present in a lot of household polishes but I don't think it is in Mr Sheen.
 
Lol I'm more of a mr muscle guy anyway :)

The one thing that nobody really warned me but I should have realised is how freaking heavy these things are and how freaking hard it is to put the legs on :)

Neil
 
Neil McRae said:
Lol I'm more of a mr muscle guy anyway :)

The one thing that nobody really warned me but I should have realised is how freaking heavy these things are and how freaking hard it is to put the legs on :)

Neil
Click to expand...
There is a knack to it, usually involving a bit of wood propping up the back end to get the back legs on. I'm no expert though!

Apparently the JJP games are even heavier than TZ and STTNG.
 
Neil McRae said:
Lol I'm more of a mr muscle guy anyway :)

The one thing that nobody really warned me but I should have realised is how freaking heavy these things are and how freaking hard it is to put the legs on :)

Neil
Click to expand...

Quite stupidly, in the early days of pinball collecting, I used to move them into awkward places, like a turtle, with a pinball machine on my back, or put legs on, on my own by just lifting the machine with one hand, and putting the leg on with the other. Now I can't even lift a machine without getting days of pain in my back, or losing the feeling in my legs. So never lift machines on your own, always get another person to help, or mechanical lifting assistance.
 
lukewells said:
Quite stupidly, in the early days of pinball collecting, I used to move them into awkward places, like a turtle, with a pinball machine on my back, or put legs on, on my own by just lifting the machine with one hand, and putting the leg on with the other. Now I can't even lift a machine without getting days of pain in my back, or losing the feeling in my legs. So never lift machines on your own, always get another person to help, or mechanical lifting assistance.
Click to expand...
Or use the patented NLP wooden stick! This enables me to do machines on my own and I'm a scrawny bastard.
 
Ok things I've found I need for future reference:


1: Friends to help fix/lift/beat :)
2: imperial sockets and spanners
3: set of fuses esp for older games

Cheers
Neil
 
Neil McRae said:
Ok things I've found I need for future reference:


1: Friends to help fix/lift/beat :)
2: imperial sockets and spanners
3: set of fuses esp for older games

Cheers
Neil
Click to expand...
Also the stick thing Carl and Wayne mentioned earlier - at it's most complex, basically a T or I shaped construction of timber, slightly higher than the lower edge of a pinball. It allows you to rest the pinball whilst removing the rear legs, then once they are off you can lower the back edge of the pin to the floor, then remove the front legs. It basically enables one-man erection and dismantling of pins.
 
JT. said:
The only bit of advice on here I'd disagree with is using Mr Sheen, or any other spray based household cleaner which contains silicone based chemicals.
Click to expand...

I've been using this polish for shooter lanes, I hadn't noticed it says Non Silicone (and my can says No Water too). I haven't tried it around the playfield it could do the job nicely.

What is a good product for a regular wipe down & polish up? I like Novus #1 but that's more a cleaner when you want a quick dust & a shine.


www.ocado.com_productImages_427_42712011_0_640x640.jpg_b3285f97c52800433e7fa1d3991271c4.jpg
 
astyy said:
I've been using this polish for shooter lanes, I hadn't noticed it says Non Silicone (and my can says No Water too). I haven't tried it around the playfield it could do the job nicely.

What is a good product for a regular wipe down & polish up? I like Novus #1 but that's more a cleaner when you want a quick dust & a shine.


www.ocado.com_productImages_427_42712011_0_640x640.jpg_b3285f97c52800433e7fa1d3991271c4.jpg
Click to expand...

Looks like a really good find @astyy , I'd have no concerns using that on a playfield.
 
Hi @Neil McRae all great advice, of course it will depend on how seriously into this hobby you get with some stuff suggested. But the one thing that I can't see listed that should absolutely be in everybody's kit is Novus 2. It's great stuff that will keep your pf looking all shiney and new.

Be warned this hobby is actually an affliction and before you know it you'll be stripping pf and re-spraying cabs. Oh and I'm sure you'll be trying to convince your partner a pin would look good in the lounge because you've run out of space in your man cave :confused:o_O:thumbs:
 
Oh god... my first pinball arrives in the next couple of weeks, being delivered by Martin... do I seriously need to invest in a trolley asap? Surely I'll be alright moving one pin into its new home...
 
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