Stripping the Playing Field

Almost 3.5 years later, the playingfield is stripped! Kautzman came over last night and helped me finish stripping the playfield of aftermarket mylar.

We used the copious amounts of Goo Gone method. This involves getting a razor blade to lift up an edge of the mylar and spraying Goo Gone underneath it. After which you then pull ever so slowly while spraying more and more Goo Gone. You try to pull just the plastic sheeting off while leaving as much adhesive, clearcoat and paint on the playfield. It actually worked quite well and we pulled up a minimal amount of paint.

In the end, it took two sessions totaling about 5-6 hours to completely remove the mylar. We both ended with cramped fingers and smelling like gas mixed with citrus oil.

Next step is to remove all the adhesive left on the table which involves even more Goo Gone!

We're back....

It has been a while and the pin ball machine has once again seen some work. This weekend we took most of the playing field parts off. These need to be removed prior to the big task of taking off the Mylar. During this process we have taken many pictures and labeled everything just to be sure we can get it all back together when we are done (the labeling is my main duty). During the removal we discovered that the top flipper needs some "reconstructive surgery" which will be done with supper glue.
To remove some of the parts we needed to flip the top upside down and in the process also discovered that one coil will need to be replaced. Finally, after much anticipation, Zach got to play with the test settings and the apartment was making all sorts of weird noises as I was trying to focus on the Olympics. During this processes we realized that many of the lights are going to have to be replaced and one day we will have the joy of testing all the diodes with the multimeter (not quit sure what this means, but doesn't sound overly exciting).
Even though the pin ball machine hasn't seen a lot of work, Zach has done a lot of research and poking around on the internet and did find a display on e-bay which should arrive shortly. The total cost of the display is $51.56.
We are going to take one more look at the directions of Mylar removal and start that process with our friend...Goo Gone.
Until next time, hopefully not as long as this wait.

Some Graphic Work

We started stripping everything off the playing field and I decided it would be a good time to work on the graphics we will have to recreate. I started with the rollunder spinners. The bottom of the spinner is worn and the top is starting to rust slightly. We will have to completely strip the paint and sand away the rust. This means the little graphics will have to be completely redone. As Amelia pointed out, I will be using Inkscape to create the stencils for the graphics.

The decals on the round targets, as well as the drop down targets have to be tentatively redone. I am constantly looking for original decals all over the internet, but I have so far not found anything. If I do not find them, I will eventually scan them in and restore the color and detail. Then I will have to find out what I should use to stick them on there.


All for now!

The weekend ahead

Hey all, Amelia here...

So as Zach pulls things out of the machine I thought I would drop a little line about what I see. We are currently working on getting all the parts out of the machine and are being VERY careful with making sure we know where everything goes for when we put it all back together. I was hoping to clean my apartment this weekend, but it seems that we will be cleaning the pinball machine in stead.

Another thing we are going to work on (starting as I type) is to scan and re-do the graphics on parts of the playing field. Specifically the spinners and the targets that are worn. We will scan the image and then use inkscape (similar to Adobe Illustrator) to design exact replicas of the current image.

So as soon as we get EVERYTHING off the playing field we will take some goo gone and some elbow grease to the Mylar and get it off...hopefully.

Rainy Days

After careful research and consideration, I have decided that we will remove the protective mylar coating on the playfield. The mylar is basically a clear plastic coating that helps prevent wear. Our mylar is bubbling pretty badly and needs to be replaced. The bubbling will cause extra wear and tear, as well as affect ball trajectory and game play if not replaced/removed.

We have also decided that instead of putting mylar back on, we will instead put a clear coat of lacquer on it. This is to increase the playing field's life and reduce maintenance. However, this diminishes the collecter's value of our machine slightly. But not a significant amount and would extend the life of our playfield by at least two decades. The tradeoff is well worth it in my opinion, but I welcome comments/suggestions. You could also drop me a line.

I thought I had found the replacement display for our fourth player but someone outbid me. :( I could just buy a new board, but it would have been $20 cheaper if I would have won the auction. Regardless, I am constantly seeking out new resources and the glorious internets and have learned an immense amount.

Back to the playfield, I hope to strip it completely this weekend to remove the mylar. I hope to take more pictures while we are doing it. Also, I will get to inspect the target assemblies to decide how many need to be fixed or replaced. A preliminary check shows only one to be replaced. The side rollunder spinners are showing wear on the paint. I am debating whether to retouch the paint, completely repaint by hand, or to paint the spinner black and use a decal to place the graphics. Thoughts?

After further inspection...

After working on the playing field last night for about an hour, all of the plastic posts are cleaned as well as the bumper covers ands rollover guides. We also developed a system to mark and organize all the screws. We are going to have some extremely tedious paperwork on our hands, but hopefully it will pay off when everything is installed correctly.

I finished the night off by testing the fourth player display driver. Great news! The driver works perfectly; the LED display glass is defective! This means the replacement part is much cheaper! I may have found a replacement for it for $42. We will see if it is compatible before we order it.
I do have some bad news though. After careful inspection, the playing field overlay is starting to come up. It is bubbling in the middle of the field and lifting near parts. This means I get to do some research and possibly a huge over haul!

In other news, I ran across a program that could potentially provide graphics for the target decals. It is called VPinMame. It is a pinball machine hardware emulator. When you pair it with the appropriate pinball machine table, Sorcerer, you have our family pinball machine on your computer. The great news is that I can potentially use the graphics from this to help restore the pinball machine.

That is all for now. Cheers!

The project begins!

Today marks the first day of actual progress on the restoration of our William's 1985 Sorcerer Pinball. After a quick examination, I found the following things to fix:

• 4th Player Display is not functioning
• Rubber rings need to be replaced
• Playfield needs an intense cleaning, possibly new clear coat.
• 'E' target assembly needs to be replaced
  
• Target assembly needs new graphics
  
• 1 bumper cover is cracked
• Lamps, Lamps, Lamps, and more Lamps!
• Rollover 'A' switch needs to be examined/replaced.
• Coils need cleaning/replacing.
• Screw holes from 'easy mode' need to be filled/sanded
• New pinballs are needed
• Legs need to be polished
• Everything needs to be waxed
• Possibly a new paint job
  

This is just a quick list I came up with, I am certain more things will need to be fixed.
Let the fun begin!