Author Topic: plastics and theze metal posts  (Read 415 times)

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Offline pinball god

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plastics and theze metal posts
« on: July 08, 2013, 04:02:17 PM »
want to start work on my space invaders and still to this day have no clue on how to do this task. I have new plastics but no idea on how to install these metal posts let alone remove them. I broke this plastic on the photo to see how they work. its some kind of pressed rivet arrangement.

do I need to buy these posts? I remember someone replacing these plastics sometime ago???
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Offline pinball god

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Re: plastics and theze metal posts
« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2013, 05:09:55 PM »
Sorry guys but would like your thoughts on this idea. Was thinking of heating the old plastics in the oven and then while warm trying the yank out the metal post. Then just heating the metal posts to quite hot and press fitting them on the new plastic?

Does this sound like a feasible way of getting the job done?
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Offline Crashramp

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Re: plastics and theze metal posts
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2013, 05:16:19 PM »
I have the same posts under the clear plastics on my FG as well. I couldnt find any new ones so I gently wriggled them side to side until they came out of the original plastic then i buffed them up and resued them on the new plastics. I used a set of needle nose plyers to squeeze in the top of the post (the bit which looks to have been pressed over by a rivet press) which goes through the clear plastic. They will still hold on tight and once the screw goes through there not going anywhere anyway.

Offline Pauly540

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Re: plastics and theze metal posts
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2013, 08:11:37 PM »
I followed this, for my new plastics on 'Space Shuttle'

utoplay=1&rel=0

If it won't open youtube vid00007.mp4

Removal is in reverse. Pair of long nose pliers pulling post downwards (tension), put hot soldering iron into top of post hole for a couple of seconds and post will pull out with the pliers tension.

Offline Crashramp

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Re: plastics and theze metal posts
« Reply #4 on: July 08, 2013, 08:38:14 PM »
I followed this, for my new plastics on 'Space Shuttle'

utoplay=1&rel=0

If it won't open youtube vid00007.mp4

Removal is in reverse. Pair of long nose pliers pulling post downwards (tension), put hot soldering iron into top of post hole for a couple of seconds and post will pull out with the pliers tension.

That's a great idea!   

Offline pinball god

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Re: plastics and theze metal posts
« Reply #5 on: July 08, 2013, 11:16:53 PM »
Thank you very much Paul will try this method on a test piece first
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Offline pinball god

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Re: plastics and theze metal posts
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2013, 01:18:45 AM »
Tried this technique tonight and it works a treat. The only difference I did was heat the post and quickly press fit the plastic over the top. First one I did as per video and the top was a touch scorched. The next two I did my way but slowly pressed the plastic on. This caused a kind of lava flow on the top side. Not a problem but doesn't look real neat. The rest I pressed on quickly and the lava flow was quite thin especially near the very top surface of the plastic and end of the post. So I was able to break the over flow of causing a neater look.

Taking the posts off I just lightly wedged the post in a vice and heated the hole as per the video and lifted the plastic.

Really appreciate the video find, it really saved me a lot of heart ache and frustration. Btw I don't know if I'll install the smaller metal posts like this for the painted plastic. I might just drill the holes out a little and have a light press fit. I think this will be safer and look more professional.
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Offline chris288

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Re: plastics and theze metal posts
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2013, 12:36:08 PM »
I had exactly the same problem installing a new plastic set onto a Flight 2000, fortunately Classic Playfield Reproductions have issued a guide as to how to do this.

You will find it here. http://www.classicplayfields.com/f2khelp.html

I found this technique worked perfectly well. Yes it does involve drilling to remove the metal "Bells " and will require you to file down or grind the burr off so that it can then mate perfectly flush with the plastic and of course it will not now be rivetted to the new plastic but I found this was not absolutely necessary as once the new plastics set is installed it wont need to be removed again for a long time.

One of the advantages of doing it this way is once the "Bells"are removed they can easily be polished. Mine were very dull and lacklustre so I got a small piece of dowel ( about 10 or 12 mm I think ) and then sanded it slightly so that it was a firm fit on the end of the "bell". Then you put dowel in you cordless drill, put the bell on the end  and hold a polishing rag with a few drops of polish on the end and effectively spin around the bell in the polish rag for about 10 seconds and then do it on a clean rag, Believe me the "bells"will look brand new afterwards. To polish the bells while they are still rivetted onto the plastic is not easy and will take forever and it will weaken there attachment onto the plastic. This took about 30 minutes to do about 30 bells.

In that CPR guide Kevin mentions getting new screws to really make it shine. That is also a good idea, I went to a local fastener place ( West Coast Fasteners ) and got all new stainless steel screws in the correct size and length and it was pretty cheap , it worked out about $10 - $15 for all new screws and nuts, way easier than cleaning the old ones some of which were rounded off.

Hope this helps you.

Offline Pauly540

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Re: plastics and theze metal posts
« Reply #8 on: July 09, 2013, 06:13:32 PM »

Really appreciate the video find, it really saved me a lot of heart ache and frustration. Btw I don't know if I'll install the smaller metal posts like this for the painted plastic. I might just drill the holes out a little and have a light press fit. I think this will be safer and look more professional.

I was almost stumped when I received my new plastics. Constant searches on Google came up with nothing.
Found a post with that link on Pinside.

The drilling technique is new to me. Never found that page on CPR. Cheers Chris.
Mine came up great. Used a dremel to remove the 'lava flow' and the post screw covered the 'original factory' look.