DAY 2
Well I was a bit optimistic about the mechanics of the game tackled yesterday. Yes, I was able to reset the machine and achieve game play through the relays in the guts. Things were going a bit too well though. Pinballs are not as bad as Juke Boxes but they definitely embody at least some of Murphy's Law! After a few minutes of cycling the score reels, it became apparent that this game had Lazy Reels. This is my term for score reels that advance lazily and don't have the snap that they should. I assume this was caused by years of dust and general grime that the game was subjected to in a warehouse. Not to mention, some former brain surgeons idea that every problem on a Pin can be solved with WD40 and grease. Instead of proceeding to the next phase, I had to take a step back and start over. This game has two types of score reels. The 10, 1000 and 10,000 reels have a bakelight wiper disk and blade while the 100's does not. Here is where two wrongs do not make a right. Put the lubricant away. It might solve the problem quickly but it won't solve it properly. Your reels will screw up again within weeks or months if not done right. I started with the player one 10's digit. After a couple of pulses, it stopped working completely. Here's another wrench in the plan. I went back through the ball count stepper. The switch stacks behind the stepper serve as the player up unit as well. Switches were fine. The culprit was a switch on the ten's digit score relay that had a dead spot. I reburnished and adjusted and the reel worked fine. Back to the score reels. Remove them from the housing and dismantle. Since the 10's unit has a wiper board, remove the c-clip and 2 screws to get into the reel housing.
Once you have access inside, remove the wiper, reel, spring and actuator.
Usually, you will find a build-up of grease and sludge on the contact points of the slider and frame. I use a q-tip lightly coated with a degreaser/cleaner to clean up the mess. Once this is done, activate the reel while it is apart. This will push cleaner into the areas you can touch and bring out even more grease and sludge.
After repeating this process several times, it will be thoroughly cleaned. Check spring tension once again. Also, clean the wiper board with fine steel wool and the wiper contacts as well. As always, be careful with steel wool residue. After you have cleaned a component, always blow the area clean and check for any steel threads that might be shorting out lugs or wires.
Finally, five hours later, we have a King Kool that works as it should. At least it cycles through all the balls and the score is properly kept and goes to game over.
Now for a break in the action, I decide to do some cosmetic work. The only mechanics left are the playfield. I tend to hate polishing metal so I always try to not save it for last. This game had light surface rust over all of the outside metal. The side rails were nice and straight but did have surface rust. The legs were much the same. The coin entry plate and plunger housing was in pretty good shape as well. The coin door was not.
Here is where we begin to get subjective. Each client and or restorer will have different feelings on this one. Some want a game that looks brand new eventhough it is 27 years old. I fall in the school of originality. Obviously there will be some exceptions but for the most part, I like to keep it original. Reproduction coin door parts are available; although expensive and of course, there is always the local chrome plater. To me, nothing looks more obvious and fake than a 27 year old Pinball that has been plated. Having said that, an hour or so of polish and elbow grease resulted in an original coin door that looks much better than it did before. It shines and is bright eventhough there was some pitting and rust spots that would not come out. Gottlieb Coin Door have textured metal on the outside frame of the door. It can be impossible to get out. See what you think:
Our King Kool is coming along nicely. I spent some time polishing and cleaning the rest of the metal and it turned out nicer than I thought it would. The only pitting on the game will be on the coin door.
The last stop in our restoration is the playfield. It consists of the top playing surface and the bottom mechanics. I tend to do the bottom of the playfield last. This playfield was in nice original shape. Some of the rubbers had deteriorated and left goo over several areas.
When restoring a playfield, the first step is to remove all parts; including posts and bulbs. I also remove the top arch assembly and the instruction card holder. A word about playfield restoration. I do not use paint on playfields. If the artwork is too far gone than replace the playfield. This can be next to impossible on a vintage game so take this into consideration before buying a game.
Once all components have been removed it is time to clean. Inspect the surface before you get started. Some games can have areas where the clear coat has come off. Be very careful when cleaning these areas. Also look for spots of moisture or other types of damage. Stay away from flaking areas that have surface cracks in the clear coat. If you do have flaking and cracking then apply new clear coat in that area to protect it from any further deterioration.
After the playfield has been inspected it is time to clean. Never use anything that is water based. I start with a fine rubbing compound/polish like NOVUS 2. It does a great job of cleaning and brightening the surface. I generally treat the surface three times. When done, the surface looks as smooth as glass. Finish with a wax.
Now that the surface is done, I replace all of the light bulbs. These games were shipped from the factory with #44 bulbs. I replace them with #47 bulbs. They are almost as bright but create a much lower amount of heat. Finally, all posts are cleaned and installed. On this game, I decided to replace all posts. They were suffering from dry rot. I polish the top arch metal and clean the instruction card holder. Be careful during this step. Too much cleaner and you will loose paint! I polish all playfield plastics with NOVUS 2 . Finally, the game gets a new set of rubbers and it's ready to go!
