We take pride in having the highest standards with regard to the condition of the used pinball machines we sell. There are many definitions for “refurbished” and many times competitors will use the word “restored” to describe their process.
Here is a detailed list of work that is done in our typical refurbishing process.
- Replace bad circuit boards and rebuild bad connectors as necessary
- Replace backbox bulbs and clean backboard
- Clean translite and translite glass
- Replace translite trim as necessary
- Vacuum inside of a cabinet
- Do thorough playtesting and make necessary adjustments
- Clean lamp boards and replace bulbs
- Reflow lamp boards connections
- Replace or reweld broken scoops
- Do full playfield teardown
- Replace star posts as necessary
- Clean plastics, ramps etc. and reassemble
- Install new balls
- Do final playtest
Pinball Playfield Repair And Restoration Process
When repairing / restoring a playfield there are 2 sides that need to be addressed. The top side, or rather, the play area you see as a player and the underside that you don’t see; but contains all the mechanics that keeps the top side functioning correctly.
It’s paramount that both topside, and underside are rebuilt, restored, and cleaned at the same time, or unbalanced operation will result. Also, if you clean the topside, and not the underside, you’re wasting your time. During game play all the carbon dust, and grime still on the underside mechanics, will quickly transfer up to the topside, through vibration, and ball movement. Many pinballs from 1988 on have under-playfield ramps, most are made from clear pteg plastic, just like the upper ramps.