Wow 
just superb work Ant
just superb work AntPinball info
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In Progress Fishy, Fishy, Fishy! - 3 x Fish Tales Restorations
- Thread starter Ant-H
- Start date
OP
OP
I now have all the armour/bolts back from the platers and powder coaters. Fishy No1 & 2 are going full on chrome and Fishy No 3 is going with a gloss black power coat.
First part to go are the start button rings that I make.
Followed by the side rails, cabinet bolts and back box hinges.
When it came to the fishing reel handles all 3 games had issues with the shooter buttons.
Either the button was replaced or the wiring had been hacked up.
Iāve always thought the shooter button didnāt look right on the handle and bit of an after thought when it was designed due to a the handles being cast with a square opening and then a piece of plastic filling the hole
After reading a few posts online about this, itās seems that they were originally designed for a larger button similar to other pins at the time that had shooter buttons instead of shooter rods, but for some reason, was cancelled before release.
The service manual even has a picture of what it was meant look like. Plus the game code/test menu and harness has the wiring installed for a bulb on all production games but was simply not used.
So I thought Iād give it a go and make my own.
First job was to find a button that was the closest in regards to dimensions to the square opening when the 2 halves of the reel are put together.
The issue I had then was it was to big internally with the larger micro switch.
So I marked out 2 points on both halves that needed removing and carefully machined them out.
This gave me enough clearance so that the 2 halves could be fitted back together.
As the games already came from the factory with the wiring for a light in the main cabinet harness, all I had to do was add 2 extra wires to the reel wiring and solder all 4 wires to the new switch.
Iām not sure if the button was actually released if it would have had something on it, like āshootā or āfireā. So I though Iād add my own using black vinyl.
Once all 3 reels were back together, the last job was to fit some oak to the handles for Fishy No1 and No3.
Then I could get them back on each game and see if they worked.
The last job to do, was to rebuild the 2 coin doors for Fishy No1 & No2 after having them chromed.
When reassembling I had to remove some of the plating on a couple of the parts as even though the plating is quite thin, as they were triple plated, it was enough to stop them slotting back in place.
After that, everything went back together nicely
Obviously, before they were plated any labels were removed, so I made some new ones to replace them.
When it comes to fitting coin doors back on a cabinet with new decals, I like to score around the coin door frame to stop it creasing the decals.
Im planning on leaving all 3 games on their trolleys for ease of movement and will install the legs last.
So basically apart from a few replacements stickers, the cabinets are done, so I can not start on the Playfield swaps/shop
First part to go are the start button rings that I make.
Followed by the side rails, cabinet bolts and back box hinges.
When it came to the fishing reel handles all 3 games had issues with the shooter buttons.
Either the button was replaced or the wiring had been hacked up.
Iāve always thought the shooter button didnāt look right on the handle and bit of an after thought when it was designed due to a the handles being cast with a square opening and then a piece of plastic filling the hole
After reading a few posts online about this, itās seems that they were originally designed for a larger button similar to other pins at the time that had shooter buttons instead of shooter rods, but for some reason, was cancelled before release.
The service manual even has a picture of what it was meant look like. Plus the game code/test menu and harness has the wiring installed for a bulb on all production games but was simply not used.
So I thought Iād give it a go and make my own.
First job was to find a button that was the closest in regards to dimensions to the square opening when the 2 halves of the reel are put together.
The issue I had then was it was to big internally with the larger micro switch.
So I marked out 2 points on both halves that needed removing and carefully machined them out.
This gave me enough clearance so that the 2 halves could be fitted back together.
As the games already came from the factory with the wiring for a light in the main cabinet harness, all I had to do was add 2 extra wires to the reel wiring and solder all 4 wires to the new switch.
Iām not sure if the button was actually released if it would have had something on it, like āshootā or āfireā. So I though Iād add my own using black vinyl.
Once all 3 reels were back together, the last job was to fit some oak to the handles for Fishy No1 and No3.
Then I could get them back on each game and see if they worked
.The last job to do, was to rebuild the 2 coin doors for Fishy No1 & No2 after having them chromed.
When reassembling I had to remove some of the plating on a couple of the parts as even though the plating is quite thin, as they were triple plated, it was enough to stop them slotting back in place.
After that, everything went back together nicely
Obviously, before they were plated any labels were removed, so I made some new ones to replace them.
When it comes to fitting coin doors back on a cabinet with new decals, I like to score around the coin door frame to stop it creasing the decals.
Im planning on leaving all 3 games on their trolleys for ease of movement and will install the legs last.
So basically apart from a few replacements stickers, the cabinets are done, so I can not start on the Playfield swaps/shop
Lovely Ant so lovely mateI now have all the armour/bolts back from the platers and powder coaters. Fishy No1 & 2 are going full on chrome and Fishy No 3 is going with a gloss black power coat.
View attachment 253607
First part to go are the start button rings that I make.
View attachment 253605View attachment 253606
Followed by the side rails, cabinet bolts and back box hinges.
View attachment 253610View attachment 253611View attachment 253612
When it came to the fishing reel handles all 3 games had issues with the shooter buttons.
Either the button was replaced or the wiring had been hacked up.
View attachment 253566
View attachment 253555View attachment 253556View attachment 253557
View attachment 253558View attachment 253613
Iāve always thought the shooter button didnāt look right on the handle and bit of an after thought when it was designed due to a the handles being cast with a square opening and then a piece of plastic filling the hole
After reading a few posts online about this, itās seems that they were originally designed for a larger button similar to other pins at the time that had shooter buttons instead of shooter rods, but for some reason, was cancelled before release.
The service manual even has a picture of what it was meant look like. Plus the game code/test menu and harness has the wiring installed for a bulb on all production games but was simply not used.
View attachment 253559
So I thought Iād give it a go and make my own.
First job was to find a button that was the closest in regards to dimensions to the square opening when the 2 halves of the reel are put together.
The issue I had then was it was to big internally with the larger micro switch.
View attachment 253615
So I marked out 2 points on both halves that needed removing and carefully machined them out.
View attachment 253573View attachment 253574View attachment 253576
This gave me enough clearance so that the 2 halves could be fitted back together.
View attachment 253575
As the games already came from the factory with the wiring for a light in the main cabinet harness, all I had to do was add 2 extra wires to the reel wiring and solder all 4 wires to the new switch.
View attachment 253564
View attachment 253578View attachment 253581
Iām not sure if the button was actually released if it would have had something on it, like āshootā or āfireā. So I though Iād add my own using black vinyl.
View attachment 253561View attachment 253560
View attachment 253616
View attachment 253563
Once all 3 reels were back together, the last job was to fit some oak to the handles for Fishy No1 and No3.
View attachment 253569View attachment 253570View attachment 253571View attachment 253586View attachment 253587
View attachment 253582
Then I could get them back on each game and see if they worked
View attachment 253572
View attachment 253617
The last job to do, was to rebuild the 2 coin doors for Fishy No1 & No2 after having them chromed.
View attachment 253589View attachment 253591View attachment 253590View attachment 253592View attachment 253595
When reassembling I had to remove some of the plating on a couple of the parts as even though the plating is quite thin, as they were triple plated, it was enough to stop them slotting back in place.
View attachment 253596
After that, everything went back together nicely
View attachment 253597View attachment 253598
Obviously, before they were plated any labels were removed, so I made some new ones to replace them.
View attachment 253599View attachment 253600View attachment 253602View attachment 253603
When it comes to fitting coin doors back on a cabinet with new decals, I like to score around the coin door frame to stop it creasing the decals.
View attachment 253619
View attachment 253604
Im planning on leaving all 3 games on their trolleys for ease of movement and will install the legs last.
So basically apart from a few replacements stickers, the cabinets are done, so I can not start on the Playfield swaps/shop
Hello, Ant,
With the launch button, the earliest ones did have the fittings shown in the assembly drawing. The first of the three work bought did, but not for long. As I reckon, reports about its (lack of) durability saw a replacement kit issued, basically a large washer* and another switch, similar to your picture of two handles taken apart. Though the switch wasn't as solid as the ones shown, it was deeper, with a more pronounced white plastic button. As I recall there was no marking on/in the intended lit button, btw.
* the production line used a square black mounting piece instead, to avoid the switch ending up recessed in the caster housing
With the launch button, the earliest ones did have the fittings shown in the assembly drawing. The first of the three work bought did, but not for long. As I reckon, reports about its (lack of) durability saw a replacement kit issued, basically a large washer* and another switch, similar to your picture of two handles taken apart. Though the switch wasn't as solid as the ones shown, it was deeper, with a more pronounced white plastic button. As I recall there was no marking on/in the intended lit button, btw.
* the production line used a square black mounting piece instead, to avoid the switch ending up recessed in the caster housing
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OP
OP
I started on the Fishy No 1 playfield first and have basically done the same to Fishy No 2 but Iāve just not added all the photos as itās basically the same process.
The original playfields on both games were pretty reasonable for a Fish Tales, both showed the usual insert wear and ramp damage.
Stripping down the top sides on both games was the first job to tackle.
Once the tops were completely stripped, I spun them round the the rotisseries and started on the backs.
The coil harness is the first once to come off.
Followed by the GI harness and lastly the switch harness.
With the harnesses removed from both Fishy No 1 and No 2, all that needs to be done is to remove all the mechs and lamp boards.
Space becomes bit of a challenge in the workshop when restoring more than 1 pin at the same time, so I have to get creative for where I store all the parts
I ended up hanging one set of Harnesses on the back of door and the other in the roof rafters.
After a good clean, the playfield for Fishy No1 has found a new home
The next job is the prep the new playfields and make some custom oak wooden side rails for all 3 games
The original playfields on both games were pretty reasonable for a Fish Tales, both showed the usual insert wear and ramp damage.
Stripping down the top sides on both games was the first job to tackle.
Once the tops were completely stripped, I spun them round the the rotisseries and started on the backs.
The coil harness is the first once to come off.
Followed by the GI harness and lastly the switch harness.
With the harnesses removed from both Fishy No 1 and No 2, all that needs to be done is to remove all the mechs and lamp boards.
Space becomes bit of a challenge in the workshop when restoring more than 1 pin at the same time, so I have to get creative for where I store all the parts
I ended up hanging one set of Harnesses on the back of door and the other in the roof rafters.
After a good clean, the playfield for Fishy No1 has found a new home
The next job is the prep the new playfields and make some custom oak wooden side rails for all 3 games
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Out of interest if you put a straight edge across the playfield (old) in front of the boat ish area are any warped?
Mine is and the ball can swerve sdtm from casters club, I levelled mine so itās better. I have a CPR playfield to fit, one day lol.
Seen others that do the swerve thing coming down.
Nearly there
Mine is and the ball can swerve sdtm from casters club, I levelled mine so itās better. I have a CPR playfield to fit, one day lol.
Seen others that do the swerve thing coming down.
Nearly there
OP
OP
When I get home mate Iāll have a check and let you knowOut of interest if you put a straight edge across the playfield (old) in front of the boat ish area are any warped?
Mine is and the ball can swerve sdtm from casters club, I levelled mine so itās better. I have a CPR playfield to fit, one day lol.
Seen others that do the swerve thing coming down.
Nearly there
OP
OP
The new playfields going into Fishy No1 and No2 are Mircos.
Like with the BSD restore Iām working on, Iāll do some preventative mods/measures during the rebuild to help avoid common issues that can come up with these.
The prints and alignments on both PFs are pretty good.
The rear side on all Mirco playfields are alway bare wood so I like to clear coat these with a satin finish to help avoid any marks in the future.
Once dry, the T-Nuts are pressed in next..
Another job that needs to be done as apart of a Mirco playfield prep is to clear all the switch slots.
They always seem to have splinters of wood left in them from being cut in their manufacture.
I use a small file and simply file away to shards of wood from each slot. At this stage I also went round and opened out all the dimples on the top side to avoid potential clear coat issues. Once drilled out I seal them with watered down super glue.
Next stage that I did was to install the pop bumper skirts and bodies.
The pop bumper screws went in first.
Even though the owners of these games want PF protectors fitting, I still installed a Fish Tales Mylar kit before the actual skirts and bodies go on as itās much easier to install. I also installed Cliffy protectors around the scoops.
That way if they ever decide to remove the protectors in the future, the high wear areas will have some protection.
I installed mylar around the pop bumpers, and were the ball drops onto the playfield.
The Mylar went on great as a day after fitting, you canāt really see it
On Fishy No1 I went with dark blue bodies with light blue skirts and on Fish No2 I went matching dark blue.
IMO I like them both as they go nicely with the colours on the playfield.
Whilst I was doing all that, I chucked all the metals posts etc in the tumbler and the PF harnesses in the Ultra sonic for a good clean.
Like with the BSD restore Iām working on, Iāll do some preventative mods/measures during the rebuild to help avoid common issues that can come up with these.
The prints and alignments on both PFs are pretty good.
The rear side on all Mirco playfields are alway bare wood so I like to clear coat these with a satin finish to help avoid any marks in the future.
Once dry, the T-Nuts are pressed in next..
Another job that needs to be done as apart of a Mirco playfield prep is to clear all the switch slots.
They always seem to have splinters of wood left in them from being cut in their manufacture.
I use a small file and simply file away to shards of wood from each slot. At this stage I also went round and opened out all the dimples on the top side to avoid potential clear coat issues. Once drilled out I seal them with watered down super glue.
Next stage that I did was to install the pop bumper skirts and bodies.
The pop bumper screws went in first.
Even though the owners of these games want PF protectors fitting, I still installed a Fish Tales Mylar kit before the actual skirts and bodies go on as itās much easier to install. I also installed Cliffy protectors around the scoops.
That way if they ever decide to remove the protectors in the future, the high wear areas will have some protection.
I installed mylar around the pop bumpers, and were the ball drops onto the playfield.
The Mylar went on great as a day after fitting, you canāt really see it
On Fishy No1 I went with dark blue bodies with light blue skirts and on Fish No2 I went matching dark blue.
IMO I like them both as they go nicely with the colours on the playfield.
Whilst I was doing all that, I chucked all the metals posts etc in the tumbler and the PF harnesses in the Ultra sonic for a good clean.
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Amazing work @Ant-H.
Just read the whole thread
Attention to detail and overcoming obstacles that many of us would just not know how to tackle.
In regards to Manny- he gave it all up, a lot to do with the negative comments that people made like they could make a new cabinet, and that his prices were too high.. (Ā£700 for a new WPC repro cabinet in superior MDF) and that they could do it.
I would say out of jealousy of his talent.
Moving on from that.. @Ant-H is the High End Pins of the UK I would say.
Just read the whole thread
Attention to detail and overcoming obstacles that many of us would just not know how to tackle.
In regards to Manny- he gave it all up, a lot to do with the negative comments that people made like they could make a new cabinet, and that his prices were too high.. (Ā£700 for a new WPC repro cabinet in superior MDF) and that they could do it.
I would say out of jealousy of his talent.
Moving on from that.. @Ant-H is the High End Pins of the UK I would say.
@Ant-H your work is absolutely top notch!
I started a Whirlwind restoration which I put on the back burner an embarrassingly long time ago, and I'm glad I've just discovered your thread for some tips for when I get my **** back into gear.
May I ask, did you spray the cabinets using a compressor and air-gun or rattle cans? I bought a load of Rustoleum cans for my WW in the correct blue colour as well as some primer, but it does get through a lot of cans and the spray pattern on the standard nozzles isn't the best.
I bought a spray paint gun to use with my compressor but not got round to trying it yet, but wondered if you have any recommendations of paint type and supplier that you have found works well, assuming you're using a gun?
I started a Whirlwind restoration which I put on the back burner an embarrassingly long time ago, and I'm glad I've just discovered your thread for some tips for when I get my **** back into gear.
May I ask, did you spray the cabinets using a compressor and air-gun or rattle cans? I bought a load of Rustoleum cans for my WW in the correct blue colour as well as some primer, but it does get through a lot of cans and the spray pattern on the standard nozzles isn't the best.
I bought a spray paint gun to use with my compressor but not got round to trying it yet, but wondered if you have any recommendations of paint type and supplier that you have found works well, assuming you're using a gun?
OP
OP
Thanks mate
I used rattle cans on my T2 and TAF restorations but then switched over to a spray gun and compressor set up, due to the exact reasons you mentioned.
I was going through loads of them and you can get spray lines due to the standard funnel type nozzle most cans come with. Though you can get a fan nozzle adaptor which does give a better finish.
As for paint, I now use 1k car paint with paint thinners in a ratio of 50/50. I use a local place to me but if you search on eBay for 1k car paint, you will finds loads.
Before you go ahead a nd paint your cabinet, Iād recommend practicing a little just so you get the settings on the gun right and the air pressure as to much air will make it way to fine and not enough air will give you an orange peel finish.
OP
OP
I checked one of the old playfields and it definitely does dip in the middle when I put a straight edge just in front of the boat.Out of interest if you put a straight edge across the playfield (old) in front of the boat ish area are any warped?
Mine is and the ball can swerve sdtm from casters club, I levelled mine so itās better. I have a CPR playfield to fit, one day lol.
Seen others that do the swerve thing coming down.
Nearly there
When I moved the straight edge down the playfield it straightened out.
OP
OP
When I striped all 3 playfields the wooden rails were ok but had some damage to the wood and black melamine covering so the owners opted for some new ones.
If Iām going to make some from scratch, I prefer to use Oak over pine due to it being a lot more robust and lest likely to dent or wear over time.
So I cracked put the table saw and started cutting, using the old ones as a template.
Once cut to size, each piece was sanded down to remove any small saw marks.
To mark out mounting holes, I clamp a set to each playfield so that I know the holes will line up perfectly.
Once drilled, I test fit them to make sure everything lined up ok.
For the New Mirco playfields, I then sanded the sides down along with the playfield. I only take off 1-2mm per side but that small amount makes a big difference when installing mirror blades cabinets.
Iāve made a set of oak rails for another Fish Tales on the past, and went with a green finish on them. So this time for the new playfields in Fishy No1 and No2, I again did the green but for the original playfield on Fishy No3 I went with a dark blue.
The green dye took 5 good coats to get the colour I wanted, however the blue took 10 coats to get a nice dark finish.
Once fully dry, they all received 2 coats of clear coat which really brought out the colours.
Iām glad I went with both the green and blue as imo they will both blend in nicely with the playfield and plastic artwork once fully installed.
Plus I got to test out the blue wood dye which ill now probably do on a couple of WH20 restores down the line.
If Iām going to make some from scratch, I prefer to use Oak over pine due to it being a lot more robust and lest likely to dent or wear over time.
So I cracked put the table saw and started cutting, using the old ones as a template.
Once cut to size, each piece was sanded down to remove any small saw marks.
To mark out mounting holes, I clamp a set to each playfield so that I know the holes will line up perfectly.
Once drilled, I test fit them to make sure everything lined up ok.
For the New Mirco playfields, I then sanded the sides down along with the playfield. I only take off 1-2mm per side but that small amount makes a big difference when installing mirror blades cabinets.
Iāve made a set of oak rails for another Fish Tales on the past, and went with a green finish on them. So this time for the new playfields in Fishy No1 and No2, I again did the green but for the original playfield on Fishy No3 I went with a dark blue.
The green dye took 5 good coats to get the colour I wanted, however the blue took 10 coats to get a nice dark finish.
Once fully dry, they all received 2 coats of clear coat which really brought out the colours.
Iām glad I went with both the green and blue as imo they will both blend in nicely with the playfield and plastic artwork once fully installed.
Plus I got to test out the blue wood dye which ill now probably do on a couple of WH20 restores down the line.
Thanks
Thought you might see that, I was thinking when I do my swop maybe brace it to stop it happening. Maybe it wonāt but itās in my head
OP
OP
Another little job I did was to dye a load of clips, cable ties and all the IDC connectors for Fishy No1. Itās take a while any my missus absolutely hates me doing it in the kitchen
The playfield mechs for Fishy No1 and No2 will be having different finishes to them, so they need to be all dismantled and inspected before I can send them out to the platers and powder coaters.
Apart from the usual parts on the pop bumpers being broken and some filthy looking coil sleeves, out of all the mechs on both games, there was only one broken metal bracket that Iāll need to re-order and 2 damaged coils.
Iāll also replace al the flipper coils as the sleeves would not budge on any of them.
Someone in the past had also greased some of the mechs
The shooter mech on Fishy No2 will also need to be replaced as the one on there had been welded together and painted with some hammerite.
Once dismantled, all the parts including the coils went for a bath in the ultra sonic for 40 minutes. I also added another batch of lamp boards.
After 40 minutes, everything was a lot cleaner
The playfield mechs for Fishy No1 and No2 will be having different finishes to them, so they need to be all dismantled and inspected before I can send them out to the platers and powder coaters.
Apart from the usual parts on the pop bumpers being broken and some filthy looking coil sleeves, out of all the mechs on both games, there was only one broken metal bracket that Iāll need to re-order and 2 damaged coils.
Iāll also replace al the flipper coils as the sleeves would not budge on any of them.
Someone in the past had also greased some of the mechs
The shooter mech on Fishy No2 will also need to be replaced as the one on there had been welded together and painted with some hammerite.
Once dismantled, all the parts including the coils went for a bath in the ultra sonic for 40 minutes. I also added another batch of lamp boards.
After 40 minutes, everything was a lot cleaner
Thanks, yes will definitely need some (lots of) practice before tackling the real thing!
Thank you for the tip on the paint, I'll see if I can find a local supplier who can colour match to the WW blue in a 1k paint.
Just seen your post about dyeing plastic, well I never would have thought that was even possible! Quite a lot of my clips etc are pretty yellowed and I was contemplating replacing them, dyeing seems like a good way of restoring/improving the originals instead.
OP
OP
Now that the lamp boards are all cleaned and dry, I re-flowed the solder on every board for all 3 games.
New stand up targets were also fitted on Fishy No1 and No2.
Whilst waiting for the mechs to come back from the platers and powder coaters I did a bit more work on the top sides of the playfields.
Installing new star posts is next but I needed to open out a few more holes and seal them so that the threads would not crack the clear coat when I fit them.
For all 3 games I went with a mixture of yellow, green and blue star posts.
For Fishy No1 I chose green and light blue Titan rubbers and for Fishy No2 and No3, green and dark blue.
When it came to the ball guides, I discussed with owners, what route did they wanted to go, in regards to removing the 30 years of ball trails. Either polished or re-graining.
Mirror polished ball guides look cool but come with a little bit more work with the future upkeep, so a factory re-grain finish was chosen for all 3.
Re-graining is actually a job I really enjoy doing as once they are finished, the ball guides look like new again
Before
After
Before
After
On Fish Tales, there are a couple of odd shaped ball guides that make it really difficult to either re-grain or polish, which usually means they get left.
In this case what I ended up doing was drawing around them on a piece of scrap wood so that I had the original shape.
I then folded them flat so that I could re-grain them.
Once finished, I manipulated/bent both ball guides back to the original shapes using the drawing I made as a guide.
Once all 3 sets of ball guides were done, I refitted them back to each playfield.
The final job on the list to complete before rebuilding the underside, was to fix a Mirco playfield issue.
On an original Fish tales playfield, there is a small metal post by the outlanes on both sides, just in front of the small wire guides.
It goes here:-
However on a Mirco Playfield, this is what you have:-
Nothing!
Iām not sure if this is also the case on CPR Fish Tales playfields, but both the Mircos that I have definitely are missing them.
Obviously drilling a new hole through new clear coat is not something you really want to be doing, but the posts need to be fitted.
So the first challenge was to make sure I positioned the hole in correct position.
To do this, I used a small piece of tracing paper to mark out the exact hole position on the original playfield. I used the holes for the wire guide as a way of getting it correct as they were on the new playfields so I could use them to line the template up.
I then transferred that template to the new playfields and used a bradawl to lightly mark the position.
I then used a sharpe grinding bit to make the hole. If I used a small drill bit, Iām pretty certain it would have chipped the clear coat.
Last thing to do was to fit the posts and to check that the alignment for spot on
New stand up targets were also fitted on Fishy No1 and No2.
Whilst waiting for the mechs to come back from the platers and powder coaters I did a bit more work on the top sides of the playfields.
Installing new star posts is next but I needed to open out a few more holes and seal them so that the threads would not crack the clear coat when I fit them.
For all 3 games I went with a mixture of yellow, green and blue star posts.
For Fishy No1 I chose green and light blue Titan rubbers and for Fishy No2 and No3, green and dark blue.
When it came to the ball guides, I discussed with owners, what route did they wanted to go, in regards to removing the 30 years of ball trails. Either polished or re-graining.
Mirror polished ball guides look cool but come with a little bit more work with the future upkeep, so a factory re-grain finish was chosen for all 3.
Re-graining is actually a job I really enjoy doing as once they are finished, the ball guides look like new again
Before
After
Before
After
On Fish Tales, there are a couple of odd shaped ball guides that make it really difficult to either re-grain or polish, which usually means they get left.
In this case what I ended up doing was drawing around them on a piece of scrap wood so that I had the original shape.
I then folded them flat so that I could re-grain them.
Once finished, I manipulated/bent both ball guides back to the original shapes using the drawing I made as a guide.
Once all 3 sets of ball guides were done, I refitted them back to each playfield.
The final job on the list to complete before rebuilding the underside, was to fix a Mirco playfield issue.
On an original Fish tales playfield, there is a small metal post by the outlanes on both sides, just in front of the small wire guides.
It goes here:-
However on a Mirco Playfield, this is what you have:-
Nothing!
Iām not sure if this is also the case on CPR Fish Tales playfields, but both the Mircos that I have definitely are missing them.
Obviously drilling a new hole through new clear coat is not something you really want to be doing, but the posts need to be fitted.
So the first challenge was to make sure I positioned the hole in correct position.
To do this, I used a small piece of tracing paper to mark out the exact hole position on the original playfield. I used the holes for the wire guide as a way of getting it correct as they were on the new playfields so I could use them to line the template up.
I then transferred that template to the new playfields and used a bradawl to lightly mark the position.
I then used a sharpe grinding bit to make the hole. If I used a small drill bit, Iām pretty certain it would have chipped the clear coat.
Last thing to do was to fit the posts and to check that the alignment for spot on
)
Amazing.. work. Thanks for all the details and photos you put into these restorations sharing all the minor details also.Now that the lamp boards are all cleaned and dry, I re-flowed the solder on every board for all 3 games.
New stand up targets were also fitted on Fishy No1 and No2.
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Whilst waiting for the mechs to come back from the platers and powder coaters I did a bit more work on the top sides of the playfields.
Installing new star posts is next but I needed to open out a few more holes and seal them so that the threads would not crack the clear coat when I fit them.
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For all 3 games I went with a mixture of yellow, green and blue star posts.
For Fishy No1 I chose green and light blue Titan rubbers and for Fishy No2 and No3, green and dark blue.
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When it came to the ball guides, I discussed with owners, what route did they wanted to go, in regards to removing the 30 years of ball trails. Either polished or re-graining.
Mirror polished ball guides look cool but come with a little bit more work with the future upkeep, so a factory re-grain finish was chosen for all 3.
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Re-graining is actually a job I really enjoy doing as once they are finished, the ball guides look like new again
Before
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After
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Before
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After
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On Fish Tales, there are a couple of odd shaped ball guides that make it really difficult to either re-grain or polish, which usually means they get left.
In this case what I ended up doing was drawing around them on a piece of scrap wood so that I had the original shape.View attachment 254968
I then folded them flat so that I could re-grain them.
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Once finished, I manipulated/bent both ball guides back to the original shapes using the drawing I made as a guide.
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Once all 3 sets of ball guides were done, I refitted them back to each playfield.
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The final job on the list to complete before rebuilding the underside, was to fix a Mirco playfield issue.
On an original Fish tales playfield, there is a small metal post by the outlanes on both sides, just in front of the small wire guides.
It goes here:-
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However on a Mirco Playfield, this is what you have:-
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Nothing!
Iām not sure if this is also the case on CPR Fish Tales playfields, but both the Mircos that I have definitely are missing them.
Obviously drilling a new hole through new clear coat is not something you really want to be doing, but the posts need to be fitted.
So the first challenge was to make sure I positioned the hole in correct position.
To do this, I used a small piece of tracing paper to mark out the exact hole position on the original playfield. I used the holes for the wire guide as a way of getting it correct as they were on the new playfields so I could use them to line the template up.
View attachment 254958
I then transferred that template to the new playfields and used a bradawl to lightly mark the position.
View attachment 254959
I then used a sharpe grinding bit to make the hole. If I used a small drill bit, Iām pretty certain it would have chipped the clear coat.
View attachment 254974
View attachment 254960View attachment 254961
Last thing to do was to fit the posts and to check that the alignment for spot on
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What I will say is that for others who look at Ants posts is, to truly appreciate the images and detail, ditch viewing these posts on the tiny mobile screens, use a desktop browser.
