SteadyP
Site Supporter
Cheepo method- Try a bit of foil with tiny drop of water- give the ramps a rub. Usually cleans up ball trails off steel ramps pretty good
Pinball info
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A 'complete' newbies guide - perspective from someone who came in knowing nothing about pinball
- Thread starter s000m
- Start date
Even better with Diet Coke.
zxspectrum16k
Site Supporter
Glad you found it useful!i m new to pinball. thanks for the guide
Just bought my first pin yesterday. Guides like this and those on YT are a great resource.
Been around arcade cabs for ages, but tables are a totally different ball game (see what I did there), so all/any help is welcomed.
Thanks for putting this together and the responses from everyone else.
Been around arcade cabs for ages, but tables are a totally different ball game (see what I did there), so all/any help is welcomed.
Thanks for putting this together and the responses from everyone else.
I only recently started playing myself. June this year I joined the league at Tilt. I had no expectations of myself but each week I wanted to just improve my scores from previous weeks. After watching numerous YouTube videos and practicing when I get to league progressed me quickly to finish 4th in my first ever league. I was gobsmacked with this result.
I also played my first competition when I played PinGolf at Jon's Barn and finished a respectable 17th out of 30. Again very happy. I was gutted that I didn't enter any comps at Pinfest but looking forward to any future events coming up.
I need more confidence in myself to nudge the machine. At present I simply can't do this but in time I will get there.
Mostly though I am starting to make friends and enjoy the social side of the pinball. I think this is the most important thing and the reason I have caught the pinball bug so quickly. (I really want my on machine at home)
The journey continues ........
I also played my first competition when I played PinGolf at Jon's Barn and finished a respectable 17th out of 30. Again very happy. I was gutted that I didn't enter any comps at Pinfest but looking forward to any future events coming up.
I need more confidence in myself to nudge the machine. At present I simply can't do this but in time I will get there.
Mostly though I am starting to make friends and enjoy the social side of the pinball. I think this is the most important thing and the reason I have caught the pinball bug so quickly. (I really want my on machine at home)
The journey continues ........
A few things to add about legs -
*loads of old games have dodgy legs that don’t seem stable. You can get plates that go inside the cabinet so they attach properly, without these the game will always be wobbly. They’re pretty cheap and well worth it.
*On the outside, if you’re concerned about the legs damaging the artwork, you can get felt things that cushion in between.
*A cup holder makes a nice addition.
*Make sure the legs on your machine are the right length, as often people who own several games accidentally give away the wrong ones - manuals should tell you whether you should be using 27, 28, 29, 31” legs etc and it does make a difference.
*I tend to keep the back legs with the foot screwed almost out, the front legs all the way down, for maximum incline and speed. Some may hate that and prefer a more gentle slope. Remember to experiment with what you like best. And use a bubble leveller (or whatever they’re called) - I’ve found it easiest with 2 people, one under the game using their back like a turtle to lift it, the other giving the instruction eg. Back left needs to be higher. I think there is a fancy smartphone app one that talks to you so you can do the job solo.
*All legs seem to be either attached with one or the other of two types of bolt. Easiest is to buy yourself one of the tools with both fittings (one at each end) and preferably a ratchet. Many games, annoyingly, have both types of bolt on the same machine.
*Finally, I attach furniture sliders to the feet, to facilitate moving the game either for convenience or for nudging. Less scratches, way easier to shift. I also have them on the ‘end’ of the machine, so when they’re tombstoned you can slide them around like Tetris without giving yourself a hernia or scratching the floor. These are best for hard wood/vinyl floors, I’m not sure about carpets.
*loads of old games have dodgy legs that don’t seem stable. You can get plates that go inside the cabinet so they attach properly, without these the game will always be wobbly. They’re pretty cheap and well worth it.
*On the outside, if you’re concerned about the legs damaging the artwork, you can get felt things that cushion in between.
*A cup holder makes a nice addition.
*Make sure the legs on your machine are the right length, as often people who own several games accidentally give away the wrong ones - manuals should tell you whether you should be using 27, 28, 29, 31” legs etc and it does make a difference.
*I tend to keep the back legs with the foot screwed almost out, the front legs all the way down, for maximum incline and speed. Some may hate that and prefer a more gentle slope. Remember to experiment with what you like best. And use a bubble leveller (or whatever they’re called) - I’ve found it easiest with 2 people, one under the game using their back like a turtle to lift it, the other giving the instruction eg. Back left needs to be higher. I think there is a fancy smartphone app one that talks to you so you can do the job solo.
*All legs seem to be either attached with one or the other of two types of bolt. Easiest is to buy yourself one of the tools with both fittings (one at each end) and preferably a ratchet. Many games, annoyingly, have both types of bolt on the same machine.
*Finally, I attach furniture sliders to the feet, to facilitate moving the game either for convenience or for nudging. Less scratches, way easier to shift. I also have them on the ‘end’ of the machine, so when they’re tombstoned you can slide them around like Tetris without giving yourself a hernia or scratching the floor. These are best for hard wood/vinyl floors, I’m not sure about carpets.