Episode 66 - Pinball Maintenance
Wedgehead Pinball Podcast
51 min
Summary
Practical guide to pinball maintenance debunking online myths about cleaning and care.
Alan and Alex from Wedgehead Pinball Podcast discuss fundamental pinball machine maintenance for home collectors. They cover cleaning methods (emphasizing Novus 2 as effective and safe despite online criticism), waxing older machines, rubber maintenance using Pin Guard, and wear-part replacement. The episode debunks common myths about over-maintenance and advocates for practical operator-level care standards.
Highlights
- Novus 2 is safe and effective for cleaning clear-coated playfields (post-late 1980s games) despite internet claims it damages playfields
- Naphtha is less effective than Novus 2 for cleaning playfields and is carcinogenic/banned in certain states
- Modern Stern games accumulate more grime due to higher ball velocity causing more rubber and metal degradation
- Waxing with carnauba car wax is effective for older pre-late 1980s games but not necessary for modern clear-coated games
- Pin Guard rubber cleaner is superior to alcohol or naphtha for cleaning rubbers because it moisturizes rather than dries them out
- Home collectors dramatically overestimate maintenance requirements out of fear and misplaced caution
- Sprayway glass cleaner (blue cans with clouds) is superior to generic brands for streak-free cleaning
- Playfield swirl marks and ball trails embedded in pre-1989 varnish playfields cannot be removed without stripping paint
Support the show: ko-fi.com/wedgeheadpodcast Companion piece episode here from Alan to talk about how to maintain that pinball machine that Alex convinced y'all to buy in the Pinball Buyer's guide episode. There's a lot of bad or wildly unnecessary advice and ridiculous precautions out there on the forums, and it can get confusing fast as others loudly argue amongst themselves about what cleaner is or is not appropriate. Do we replace the balls immediately out of the box? Every 300…
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