Cleaning globe holders

[pinball god]

Is it possible or worthwhile trying to clean corroded or semi corroded globe holders. I have a lot hanging off a spare loom that look in ok shape but won't know until connected to power. Holders range from about $1.40 or so and if a pinball has say 100+ globes this can get up there in which that cash could be spent on flipper kits etc.

On older ss machines you solder the earth braid to them so I don't want to stuff around unsoldering heaps of holders when I should have bought new from the start. So what do resto guys do for games the are selling as opposed to doing up for clients?

[Ballywannabe]

If they look ok, put a new globe in them and test on a 6v lantern battery.  Pays to give them a good clean with one of these lamp socket cleaning sticks while you have easy access. If they show any signs of 'loosness' I would not bother using them.

 As you say, new sockets add up when they are over a dollar each.

cheers
Ian

[Strangeways]

For my restorations, if I see that the lamp is loose, I replace the socket. If the lamp is not loose, but it is flickering or dim, I clean the sockets with a "lamp socket cleaning stick". But you will find they are not all that helpful with the Ballys of this era as the sockets were cheap and sometimes nasty !

Replacing lamp sockets is not cheap, but you only need to do it once and then never worry about it again.

From a Business point of view, it is a better idea to replace the failing sockets rather than wait for the next service call ! Takes 5 minutes.

[Retropin]

Quick hit with a Dremel down the inside will clean it up and a slight squeeze with a pair of pliers ensures the casing gets good contact. If the base has gone then there's no real solution other than replacing

[pinball god]

Excellent news. I have basically two sets of holders that I think I probably cold get close to one good set.

Btw with these older ballys I noticed changing insert globes is not necessarily easy or am I not doing things the easy way? I have found most of the screws are soldered to the braiding, so really the only way I see getting to the globes is bending the holder nearly at right angles. Is this what others find? Or do you have to remove the solder and unscrew?

[johnwartjr]

I use the Carbon Steel brushes from pinrestore for cleaning sockets

http://pinrestore.com/Brushes.html

If one is dodgy, I replace it. I scrapped a few games over the years, and have boxes of harnesses to harvest spares off of!