Our first caller with a question that pertains to cleaning of an EM with visible mold.
Take it outside! Then clean/sand.
Here's what I do for any new game, strip it down, clean it and wax it.
Tools used vary based on the dirt-level of any game that comes in. Games with more dirt will require more abrasive tools to clean.
Cleaning should happen at a minimum of when you start seeing dirt, or when you change your rubbers/balls.
You've got your ball arch, posts, and plastics removed - now it's time to remove your pops/bumpers, flippers, slings and other mechanisms!
Discussion on how to disassemble the top of your playfield, including how to polish your plastics and posts.
Cleaning the bottom board in an EM machine is important, for any machine that has components mounted on a board beneath the playfield.
This would include most any flipper game made in the 60s+.
Molly is my wife, and I finally talk with her about her thoughts on pinball in general, her favorite machines, and bingos.
Molly holds the high score for Twinky, one of the toughest, fastest, most difficult machines that I own.
Molly enjoys the social aspects of the hobby, but mostly does not play, so I was curious to record her perspective on the games.
Jay Stafford is one of the key members of the IPDB, who helps to accrue images and documentation on pinball machines to post for reference.
The IPDB site provides an invaluable service to the collector community - I know, speaking for myself, that I would be absolutely lost without the availability of the images and information on the site.
Jay provided his answers via e-mail.
The Internet Pinball Database is available at http://ipdb.org.
A sidenote: don't forget to register your serial numbers at http://ipsnd.net
Danny runs the bingo history website located at http://danny.cdyn.com
Danny has been collecting and archiving stories and history on all the bingo machines - Bally, United, and the solid states from overseas.
The stories that have been archived at Danny's site are fascinating - he has lots of info on bingos and the law and various player stories and info on playing these great games.
Note that there's a couple of bad words, if you care about such things.
My thoughts on clear coating playfields - I'm not a huge proponent, which I know is an unpopular stance.
Hear me out, though: ball travel is all important in any flipper game. Knowing how the ball will react is also critical. When the game is being played with a clear coated playfield, the ball reacts as if it is skating on a layer of ice above the wood. Spin and travel are not as they normally would be for that title. Ball travel is also critical for the bingo: one of your measures of control is knowing how the ball will react when striking a post or spring.
There are exceptions to my thought - if you do playfield touch-ups, you will want to clear coat over top of the touch-ups to help preserve the new artwork. The original artwork has a shellac or other lacquer finish that has preserved the artwork for 50-60 even 70 years - why mess with success?
I ensure that my games are waxed regularly, and this preserves their paint.
Ryan Claytor made his way to the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, and wanted to try his first bingo.
He contacted me for a brief tutorial on the game.
In this case, it was one of the many Miss America games produced by Bally.
Miss America games are characterized by Magic Lines and high scoring potential.
I plan to put this writeup on my site as well.