Gottlieb Lightning Ball

[Pinball Fixers]

Thought I'd share this old girl with everyone...

This isn't quite a restoration project, more of a make it work and tidy up...

I'll start with the playfield:







It has no rubbers, lots of rust and mould. At least all the plastics are there (and I have the two missing bumper caps).


More to photo's come soon...

[Retropin]

Owned for 30 years - neglected for 20.

i say that the pinball gods decree that the owner no longer deserves this machine and that it should go to a more deserving owner - namely ME!!!!

[Strangeways]

Owned for 30 years - neglected for 20.

i say that the pinball gods decree that the owner no longer deserves this machine and that it should go to a more deserving owner - namely ME!!!!

Mate - you are just as bad as me.... and Tony....

[Pinball Fixers]

It was actually his Wife who contacted me to repair the machine. She thought it would be a great birthday present for her husband.

I finally got it working properly today - found quite a few wires that had become detached from the contact switches (not broken off, the solder came away from the switch!). Also repaired a burnt out coil, and found a burnt out wire in the main relay bank. Then had a shorted globe socket causing one of the fuses to blow when that lamp was lit. I've also done all the usual things needed on an old EM - like cleaning up the contacts.

So now it is on to cleaning up the playfield (using Gavin's idea's to remove the mould - thanks Gavin!).

I will take some pics of the cabinet, backglass and inside the cabinet in the next couple of days. Unfortunately, the cabinet artwork has been painted over with some horrible colours. I did quote to restore the artwork, but they refused it. So it will only be repair and clean - a damn shame!

[Retropin]

Just be careful if you do the make up pad trick. you dont want it so wet that the meths soaks through to under the paint and into the pf. If this happens - whatever you do - dont rub the pf!!The absorbtion trick brings the dirt nearer to the surface. Let the pf completely dry and then clean as normal with a soft rag.

Looking forward to seeing this - will come up a treat!

[Pinball Fixers]

I'll start with the absorption trick, 'cos the mould is on the surface. Hopefully I don't need to do much more than that to remove it.

[Pinball Fixers]

OK, here are some more pics that I promised...


The view from the front:




Both sides of the cabinet:






The full playfield:




Under the playfield:




Inside the cabinet:




Inside the backbox:




And finally the backglass lit up:




It's a real shame that someone re-painted the cabinet in those horrible colours! I really would like to paint it back to the way is it supposed to be...

[Pinball Fixers]

The game is fully playable now! Found a relay that was locking on occasionally, which caused the burnt out coil. As I don't have the schematics for this machine, it took a bit of time tracing the wires through to find it!

Today the cleaning begins...


PS: If someone does have the schematics and/or manual, I would love a copy.

[Strangeways]

Super stuff - Nothing better than the satisfaction of fixing an EM "blindfolded" !

[Pinball Fixers]

Super stuff - Nothing better than the satisfaction of fixing an EM "blindfolded" !

YEP!  ;D


By the way, if anyone is interested, here is the link to the machine on IPDB so you can see what it is supposed to look like...

http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=1442

[Pinball Fixers]

I finally had some time today to start working on the playfield...

So, using Gavin's advice, I cleaned the playfield with Metho on a white cotton rag. This worked very well, and didn't lift any paint - something I was glad about, because the yellow was peeling away a bit already.

Unfortunately, the Metho didn't remove all of the mould. There was some really stubborn mould around the flippers and slingshots. I tried using a make-up pad soaked in Metho to lift the mould, but this didn't work either. Finally, I thought I'd try something new... "Exit Mould"

I was very unsure if this would affect the paint on the playfield, so I tested it in an area that wouldn't be noticed... It did not lift or damage the paint in any way! So, I gave it a shot on the stubborn mould... It worked a treat! ;D

The Exit Mould removed the stubborn mould in one gentle wipe!

I didn't spray the Exit Mould directly onto the playfield, I opened the spray bottle, and applied it directly to the rag.


Here are the before and after shots of the playfield:



Not bad hey!

I also used "Carnauba Wax" to wax and polish the playfield. You can see from the pic on the right how nice it has come up.


Next, I will be washing all the plastics and replacing the rubbers, globes and balls...

[Creech]

Nice work mate. Came up a treat. Are you going to tackle that bit of wear above the flippers or leave it as is? Or is that just some left over staining from the mould?

[Pinball Fixers]

Nice work mate. Came up a treat. Are you going to tackle that bit of wear above the flippers or leave it as is? Or is that just some left over staining from the mould?

It is wear, and no I won't be tackling it... This is a machine I'm doing for a customer, and they took the minimum quote I offered. I've already done more then what we agreed to, but I felt I had to.

[Strangeways]

That looks particularly nice, Owen - especially the white areas in front of the bumpers. Did you use Meguiars Carnauba paste wax ?

[markc]

nice work  mate

and its not one of mine either .......

only kidding

those parts due in this week for ya too

mark