Cleaning Bally EM Score Reels
mark
I have a new project pin and have heard conflicting advice about what
cleaner to use on the white score reels on a Bally EM machine. One
individual strongly advocated using ammonia stating it will not take
the ink off, whereas another said that ammonia would fuse the soot
into the white plastic and take the numbers off and suggested
toothpaste and soap. Does anyone have an opinion on this or a
substitute cleaning method? The reels are in great condition, just
need to get the black powder off.
Thanks!
Randy P.
70's-era Gottlieb EM's, the black printing on the score reel comes off
pretty easily with just a damp cloth (with water). You've gotta be ultra
careful.
Randy
"mark" <mark...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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Paul A. Lanciotti
white that still have paint skids or ground in dirt use Castrol Super Clean
on a Q-tip. Just don't get it on the black numbers because it will remove
color.
I then finish it with a quick wipe of Novus 1.
Paul
"mark" <mark...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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Dennis Smith
clean and very shiny too. I have done this to all my games.
"mark" <mark...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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Tim Meighan
> news:f227ab9a.04051...@posting.google.com...
> > Hello,
> >
> > I have a new project pin and have heard conflicting advice about what
> > cleaner to use on the white score reels on a Bally EM machine. One
> > individual strongly advocated using ammonia stating it will not take
> > the ink off, whereas another said that ammonia would fuse the soot
> > into the white plastic and take the numbers off and suggested
> > toothpaste and soap. Does anyone have an opinion on this or a
> > substitute cleaning method? The reels are in great condition, just
> > need to get the black powder off.
> > Thanks!
Water-based cleaners are perfectly safe on plastic. Unlike wood,
plastic is not reactive to water. Neither are the screen printing
inks used on plastics. I have no idea where this silly rumor got
started.
On the other hand, any cleaner with ammonia (ie, Windex) is the WORST
thing you can use on a plastic score reel with soot on it. It will
literally bond the soot to the plastic, and all you will do is remove
the inks.
I strongly recommend toothpaste with a little water to thin it. It
removes the soot like magic and has absolutely no bad effect on the
inks. You can follow up with a little liquid soap-and-water final
cleaning, wiping the reel gently with a soft cloth.
Have fun - TimMe (CARGPB3)
Randy P.
news:bb34e162.04051...@posting.google.com...
> Water-based cleaners are perfectly safe on plastic. Unlike wood,
> plastic is not reactive to water. Neither are the screen printing
> inks used on plastics. I have no idea where this silly rumor got
> started.
Hmmm. A soft cloth dampened with a little water takes the black ink right
off the score reels of my 70's Gottlieb EM score reels. Maybe not that
silly?
Randy
Don Owen
2 on all 16 reels, with no black ink loss at all. Just take your
time, and don't overrub the black ink numbers. Comes out clean and oh
so shiny.
Stever
As mentioned previously in this thread I have safely cleaned Bally
score reels using a small amount of Novus 2 on a soft clean cloth. Be
careful and do not apply too much pressure (so you don't damage the
mechanism). I have cleaned up the reels on dozens of machines without
any loss of ink on the reels. Novus also works nice on the credit
wheel.
Steve Rice
Pinted
I only used "MillWax" to clean score reels.
Though it's water based, this liquid wax will suspend the dirt and
carbon particles commonly found on score reels. The now dirty
solution can be carefully removed with a clean soft cloth.
Cleaners that are: water, alcohol, or ammonia based tend to saturate
themselves with only half of the "junk" and, I believe, through
triboelectric effect electrostatically "sets" the remaining insoluble
particulate onto the plastic surface of the score reels that you are
trying to clean.
Sometimes this cleaning method has removed a portion of the score reel
lettering. Other times, it has not. I've always successfully used a
"Sharpie" to replace the missing portion of deformed numbers.
Best of luck,
--
PinTed
mark...@hotmail.com (mark) wrote in message news:<f227ab9a.04051...@posting.google.com>...
Tim Meighan
Well, I certainly believe you - I've seen this myself - but only in
cases where the reels were already toast. If the inks are unbonded
from the plastic, or if someone before you has touched up bad numerals
with non-permanent paint or ink, then you are in trouble no matter how
you try to clean the reels.
Also note that I didn't say you should try to CLEAN the reels with
water, just that water-based cleaners are OK, as is rinsing with water
AFTER they are clean. Water alone as a cleaner won't work, and if you
try to make it work by using "elbow grease" to remove the grime, the
grime will just wet-sand the inks right off. But that's not because
of the water, it's because of the agressive rubbing.
You have to clean printed plasics VERY GENTLY, with the least amount
of rubbing possible! That's what the toothpaste (or Novus, or
Millwax, or whatever) is for - to release the grime from the plastic
and put it into suspension without the need for rubbing so you can
rinse it away.
I have cleaned literally thousands of printed plastics this way.
Again, assuming the inks are in good shape to start with, it works
fine.
- Tim (CARGPB3)
Sean Kavanagh
I've always used GoJo creme hand cleaner on the score reels of all EM
games and never had the paint come off, but as Tim says lightly
rubbing is key. The GoJo will take ink off other plastics such as
bumper caps and flipper bats but not the score reels for some reason.
Anybody have any theories on this?
Sean
Tim Meighan
>
> I've always used GoJo creme hand cleaner on the score reels of all EM
> games and never had the paint come off, but as Tim says lightly
> rubbing is key. The GoJo will take ink off other plastics such as
> bumper caps and flipper bats but not the score reels for some reason.
>
> Anybody have any theories on this?
>
> Sean
Sure, I have a theory for you.
Bumper caps, drop targets, stand-up targets, and some flipper bats are
imprinted using a technique called hot-stamping. In contrast, score
reel numerals, bumper bodies, and plastic light shields are
screen-printed.
In general, you can tell a screen-printed image because it will have
ink applied to a smooth surface on the plastic. In contrast, a
hot-stamped image will be contained in a little depression that is
stamped into the surface of the plastic.
Hot-stamping does not generate nearly as good of a bond between the
ink and the plastic as screen-printing does. Cleaning techniques that
are "safe" for screen-printed plastics can easily be way too agressive
for hot-stamped plastics.
Cream hand cleaners usually contain grease cutters and paint solvents.
The solvents will react with the printing inks on the plastics. The
screen-printed inks on the reels are tough enough to resist the
solvents for a few cleanings, but the hot-stamped inks are getting
wiped out right away.
I suspect your score reels are losing ink each time you clean them.
There is a pretty easy way to tell. If the hand cleaner turns dark
when you clean a CLEAN score reel, that's dissolved ink you are seeing
and you definitely want to stop doing that.
- TimMe (CARGPB3)
John Robertson
odd years will no ill effects - plus it is very cheap! Don't use the
RED summer stuff, you want the BLUE mix!
Great for back glass and playfield glass cleaning as well...
John :-#)#
(Please post followups or tech enquires to the newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9
Call (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."
Terry Cumming
the black carbon dust off. Spit is cheap!
Terry Cumming
mark...@hotmail.com (mark) wrote in message news:<f227ab9a.04051...@posting.google.com>...
Tim Meighan
> I just spit on a paper towel and wipe. Doesn't get too wet and it gets
> the black carbon dust off. Spit is cheap!
>
> Terry Cumming
Sure Terry, but I can never work up enough saliva to clean an entire
four-player game! :-) :-) :-)
- TimMe (CARGPB3)
Terry Cumming
on the corner of my mouth where the drool is normally running out of
...
Terry
TimMe...@msn.com (Tim Meighan) wrote in message news:<bb34e162.04052...@posting.google.com>...
Pinted
I can't believe that you don't have a CARGP number.
--
PinTed
tcum...@axxent.ca (Terry Cumming) wrote in message news:<43c79d7e.04052...@posting.google.com>...