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Nylon vs Chrome Acorn Nuts


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Afternoon all!

 

I'm currently trawling fastener suppliers to try and find a more viable (cheaper) source for the variety of parts from system 11 machines. Potentially useless and I should just buy the 'pinball specialty' ones - but I've started down the path and it seems to be amusing me.

 

There are lot of swanky looking acorn nuts in chrome and nickel which, in a catalog, look much nicer than nylon. Has anyone used metal instead of nylon on their machine (system 11 or other)?

 

Are there implications for metal on metal from the ball I am not considering?

 

Do they work technically but look out of place?

 

Thoughts and prayers appreciated.

 

Tim

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Best I ever come up with was mini post rubbers. They are white and now in any colour actually.

 

A couple of reasons.

-they just push on the threads tightly making for super quick removal and replacement during teardowns

-they do release if the playfield plastic is hit so less chance of cracking unlike any fastener that is threaded on

-they actually don't look out of place

-they are widely available and are cheap

-begin rubber, they won't short anything out if they do come off and float around the playfield

-also being rubber they have some give where as a threaded acorn has no give.

 

Even if you don't do the whole playfield in them maybe just those on machines that are likely to suffer from damaged plastics like the 1-3 and the 4-6 targets on FirePower or slingshots on all pinballs.

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As above. I've used the little white barrel shaped ones on a lot of my older games like CF, Medusa, Fathom for the same reasons as Steve has outlined. The exception was Centaur where I've added a fair bit of shiny stuff and so put nice new shiny locknuts on the plastic's etc.
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The push on rubber ones are so handy and quick to install but as I found out on my Playboy that had them installed when I bought it, bear in mind they are rubber and do perish so if you do use them buy heaps of spares as replacements.

On the machine I’m restoring now I went with the Gottlieb chrome acorn nuts as I think they suit it the most.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Nylon vs Chrome Acorn Nuts

 

I’ve used anodised lock nuts on my FPII and quite like them. I did use a couple of the little press on ones on the middle target plastic because it takes hits from the ball and needs to be able to move. They’re available in silicon now so last longer than the rubber ones that perish. IMG_4293.thumb.jpg.802ed427a2b8632b102f5c3c694ce868.jpg

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How many times while playing do you see a white rubber acorn rolling down the playfield on someone’s machine though. Still good and easy

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yes the original Bally barrel type did that a lot. Most Bally SS did come factory with the rubber barrels but they only go on the studs a couple of turns. The mini post rubbers go completely on and the thread sticks through if you push them completely on so it is rare they ever come completely off on there own.

 

The silicon ones sound like the go if they aren't ridiculously priced otherwise I'd just continue using old mini post rubbers myself.

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I've been using polished up ssteel.ones on my restores up until now on late 80s and 90s stuff. I use a smidge off low grip purple loctite and dont tighten very hard. Now I'm into the early 80s stuff not sure. Might try the different options you guys have mentioned above. I think Centaur will be getting the ssteel ones though for sure.

20180415_153050.jpeg.f2333ee84ef31873d4bd3883c537b8c0.jpeg[ATTACH]135516[/ATTACH]20180901_094317.thumb.jpeg.df1e5397d14d2b74309005c4de24be8e.jpeg

20180624_172918.thumb.jpeg.5b4eaa43eb3f3dd4c15fbe9c5f82acfe.jpeg

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I've been using polished up ssteel.ones on my restores up until now on late 80s and 90s stuff. I use a smidge off low grip purple loctite and dont tighten very hard. Now I'm into the early 80s stuff not sure. Might try the different options you guys have mentioned above. I think Centaur will be getting the ssteel ones though for sure.

[ATTACH]135515[/ATTACH][ATTACH]135516[/ATTACH][ATTACH]135517[/ATTACH]

 

They do finish things off nicely. The lock nuts always seem a bit incomplete.

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I’ve used anodised lock nuts on my FPII and quite like them. I did use a couple of the little press on ones on the middle target plastic because it takes hits from the ball and needs to be able to move. They’re available in silicon now so last longer than the rubber ones that perish. [ATTACH]135511[/ATTACH]

Dunc. Is that the same FPII you are bringing for show and tell next weekend?

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Dunc. Is that the same FPII you are bringing for show and tell next weekend?

 

Yes mate. “Side Mirrors by Railways”. I haven’t switched it back on yet after getting Ken to bulletproof the boards. Still gotta do a few hours on it so it’s a bit more snappy. The cab is a typical old routed thing but the deck with a playfield protector, cleaned up with LEDs etc looks good.

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