# Episode 51 - Mouse Leavings

**Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2015-05-01  
**Duration:** 10m 2s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-51-mouse-leavings

---

## Analysis

Nick Baldridge hosts a practical guide on cleaning newly acquired electromechanical (EM) and bingo pinball machines, focusing on safe removal of animal contamination (fur, dead mice, fecal matter). He covers vacuum techniques, playfield removal procedures, and health precautions against hantavirus exposure, then highlights two restoration projects available at the Allentown pinball show: Vic Camp's Nightclub (wood rail bingo with magic squares) and a Bikini magic screen bingo from the 1960s.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Mouse feces carry hantavirus, a very dangerous illness in humans — _Nick Baldridge, public health information_
- [HIGH] Most EM pinball machines use three Jones plugs to connect the playfield, with exceptions like Gottlieb 60s games using two — _Nick Baldridge, technical knowledge of EM era machines_
- [MEDIUM] System 11 games are notably difficult to remove playfields from compared to other eras — _Nick Baldridge, personal experience with System 11 restoration_
- [MEDIUM] Bikini is one of the most sought-after magic screen bingos from the 1960s — _Nick Baldridge, collector knowledge of bingo rarity_
- [HIGH] Nightclub features magic squares with turning corners that spin clockwise when feature is lit — _Nick Baldridge, describing Vic Camp's project at Allentown show_

### Notable Quotes

> "Mouse feces, for example, carry the hantavirus, which is a very dangerous illness in humans. So you want to try to limit your exposure as much as possible."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~2:30
> _Critical safety guidance for EM/bingo restoration hobbyists handling contaminated machines_

> "that's one of the things that I just despise is taking the playfield out of a System 11 game"
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~4:45
> _Personal opinion on System 11 design friction for restorers_

> "the fur will eventually clog stuff or if you're really unlucky catch fire but you'd have to be winning the lottery unlucky"
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~8:20
> _Practical consequences of leaving contamination in machines; uses humor to highlight low but real risk_

> "Bikini is one of the most sought-after magic screen bingos from the 1960s. It has a futurity feature, like its sister game, Leto."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~9:45
> _Identifies rarity and collectibility of specific bingo title; educational about bingo mechanics_

> "Nightclub is a fantastic bingo. It's a wood rail and it uses the magic squares feature with the turning corners so they spin around clockwise when you have the feature lit."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~10:15
> _Technical enthusiasm for rare bingo feature; positioning Nightclub as high-value restoration candidate_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Nick Baldridge | person | Host of For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast; EM/bingo restoration expert and hobbyist |
| Vic Camp | person | EM/bingo collector and restorer; bringing Nightclub project to Allentown show |
| Clark | person | Friend of Nick Baldridge; found a mouse skeleton inside a pinball machine during restoration |
| For Amusement Only | organization | EM and bingo pinball podcast hosted by Nick Baldridge |
| Allentown show | event | East Coast pinball show in Allentown, Pennsylvania; known for active flea market; features EM and bingo machines |
| Nightclub | game | Wood rail bingo with magic squares feature (turning corners, clockwise spin when feature lit), advancing odds; Vic Camp's restoration project at Allentown show |
| Bikini | game | Magic screen bingo from 1960s; highly sought-after; has futurity feature; sister game to Leto; available at Allentown show flea market as light restoration project |
| Leto | game | Sister game to Bikini bingo; also features futurity mechanic |
| Gottlieb | company | Historic pinball manufacturer; their 1960s games used two Jones plugs instead of typical three |
| System 11 | product | Williams pinball generation/platform; known for difficult playfield removal compared to other eras |

### Topics

- **Primary:** EM/bingo cabinet cleaning and restoration, Animal contamination (mice, fur) in vintage pinball machines, Health and safety protocols for EM restoration, Technical procedures for playfield removal
- **Secondary:** Allentown pinball show and flea market, Magic screen and wood rail bingo machines, Rarity and collectibility of specific bingo titles, Restoration project recommendations

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.72) — Nick maintains an encouraging, educational tone throughout. He's enthusiastic about EM/bingo machines and wants community members to restore and preserve them ('bring them home, fix them up and play them to death'). Uses humor to make potentially gross topic (mouse contamination) approachable. Strong passion for the machines and the hobby; frustration with System 11 design is minor and specific.

### Signals

- **[restoration_signal]** Detailed vacuum-based contamination removal process for EM/bingo machines; specific techniques for playfield removal and bottom board access (confidence: high) — Nick provides step-by-step guidance on using shop vacs, handling Jones plugs, lifting bottom boards with caution, and proper disposal of contaminated materials
- **[restoration_signal]** Health hazard guidance for hantavirus exposure from mouse fecal matter; emphasis on PPE (gloves, respirator, long sleeves) and proper disposal procedures (confidence: high) — Nick explicitly warns about hantavirus danger and provides detailed safety protocols for handling contaminated materials
- **[venue_signal]** Allentown show is ongoing; described as fantast East Coast pinball venue with active flea market (confidence: high) — Nick mentions 'The Allentown show is going on today' and calls it 'a fantastic pinball show on the East Coast' with 'a very active and lively flea market'
- **[product_launch]** Two significant EM/bingo restoration projects available at Allentown show flea market: Nightclub (wood rail bingo) and Bikini (magic screen bingo, 1960s) (confidence: high) — Nick highlights both machines as 'fantastic bingos' and light restoration projects worthy of acquisition and restoration
- **[collector_signal]** Bikini identified as one of the most sought-after magic screen bingos from the 1960s; futurity feature increases desirability (confidence: medium) — Nick states Bikini is 'one of the most sought-after magic screen bingos from the 1960s' and notes its futurity feature shared with sister game Leto
- **[design_innovation]** Nightclub features magic squares with turning corners that spin clockwise when feature is lit; Bikini features futurity mechanic for building red letters (confidence: high) — Nick describes Nightclub's 'magic squares feature with the turning corners so they spin around clockwise' and Bikini's futurity feature for higher red letters
- **[community_signal]** Strong community emphasis on preserving and restoring EM/bingo machines; Nick encourages community members to acquire and play these games to 'death' (confidence: high) — Nick's closing plea: 'please somebody pick up these games bring them home, fix them up and play them to death they are fantastic bingos'
- **[historical_signal]** Technical variation across EM eras: Gottlieb 1960s games used two Jones plugs vs. typical three; post-war games had Jones plugs mounted differently (confidence: high) — Nick notes 'Gottlieb, for example, in their 60s games used two Jones plugs instead a 3' and mentions post-war Jones plug orientation differences

---

## Transcript

 what's that sound it's for amusement only the em and bingo pinball podcast welcome back to for amusement only this is Nicholas Baldridge so you just got a brand new em project or bingo and you're bringing it home and you're so excited It's your first one, maybe it's your fifth one, maybe it's your 90th one And the feeling is pretty much the same Get home, crack it open And then remember that there's an entire cat's worth of fur inside Or a bunch of dead mice or whatever the case may be Today's episode is about cleaning your cabinet what you want to do is get out your vacuum cleaner. If you have a shop vac, that's great, but that's not required. There usually isn't a bunch of water in the machine. If there is, hopefully you didn't pay a whole lot. But take a vacuum and you run it through and try to get all the hair out. Or the mice. Now if there are dead mice, and especially if there's unknown fur or fecal matter of any kind, you want to put on gloves, wear a respirator, and long sleeves if you can. Put stuff in a trash bag, seal it up, and carry it straight out to the garbage bin. you don't want to be exposed to whatever the matter is that you're trying to dispose of. Mouse feces, for example, carry the hantavirus, which is a very dangerous illness in humans. So you want to try to limit your exposure as much as possible. just because a game is cheap doesn mean it going to clean up well if there you know a very obvious mouse nest right in the center of the playfield And lots of waste products everywhere So, but assuming you have the normal couple traces of mouse poop from it sitting in somebody's barn for several years, just vacuum them out. just be sure to empty your vacuum cleaner immediately if you have the type with a disposable bag just dispose of the bag put a new one in if you have one with a cup just be sure to clean it after you dispose of the mouse poop again it's just to try to limit your exposure to whatever diseases the mice might have maybe they were perfectly healthy you never know I'd rather not take the chance. When you get all the obvious fur and poop out, then it's time to get the less obvious fur and poop out. For this, I remove the entire playfield from the game. In fact, I usually do that before unless there's a ton of fur attached to the bottom of the playfield. The playfield is attached usually by three Jones plugs, which are hooked up in the back of the game. This is fairly common for each manufacturer and era. There are some exceptions. Directly post-war, most of the Jones plugs went from the playfield up into the head as opposed to down into the game. And Gottlieb, for example, in their 60s games used two Jones plugs instead a 3. But the same basic tenets hold for pretty much all eras of pinball. Unplug the playfield, take it out. If you've worked on a System 11 game, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to lift the playfield out. That's one of the things that I just despise is taking the playfield out of a System 11 game. But, back to the subject, take the playfield out and vacuum out any fur that you might have missed. Then you'll see this bottom board that has relays, switches, and all kinds of stuff, usually the transformer as well. This board is mounted to the bottom of the cabinet by two screws They usually very large flathead screws and you can very easily loosen them Now lifting the board is another matter It usually very, very heavy because the transformer is sitting on it. So what I like to do, because I'm lazy, unless I'm completely restoring a game, I will unscrew the bottom board and lift it. And then I'll vacuum underneath that side, go to the other side, lift that up, then vacuum under there. The only exception I might make to this is if I'm taking the entire board out again, that'd be for like full restoration. Or if I see that there is some kind of horrible problem underneath of there, you know, a bunch of dead mice or, you know, Something of that nature. So you want to, again, use all caution. If you see a bunch of dead mice, you want to only be handling them with gloves. Dispose of the gloves afterward. You basically don't want to touch the dead mice with anything. If it's just a skeleton like my friend Clark found in a game, you're probably okay. But just about anything else, you're not going to want to be handling something after handling the mouse. So, you got the cabinet all vacuumed out, and now it's looking presentable. Not necessarily beautiful. we'll get into cabinet restoration here in another episode but just wanted to get into the basics of cleaning because that's another thing that I've seen an awful lot of is a machine that is packed to the brim with some unknown animal fur or mouse leavings and I'm told, you know, game works great well it does but it's really gross so and the fur will eventually clog stuff or if you're really unlucky catch fire but you'd have to be winning the lottery unlucky so anyway that all for today episode but before I go I wanted to mention that the Allentown show is going on today Allentown is a fantastic pinball show on the East Coast. It's up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they typically have a very active and lively flea market. Well, I wanted to mention it for two reasons. First of all, Vic Camp will be there with his nightclub project, and once again that's a fantastic bingo. It's a wood rail and it uses the magic squares feature with the turning corners so they spin around clockwise when you have the feature lit. It also has advancing odds. Beautiful artwork. It's a good game. Hopefully that goes to a good home. Also, in the flea market, there is a guy that's selling a ballet bikini. Bikini is one of the most sought-after magic screen bingos from the 1960s. It has a futurity feature, like its sister game, Leto. and the Futurity is like a way to build up your red letter game in order to get higher red letters than you normally would. Bikini is being sold in the flea market and is also a project. It sounds like a fairly light project, as does Nightclub. I would highly suggest anybody pick those up as their projects bikinis being sold by a nice guy in the flea market that I've bought a game from previously so please somebody pick up these games bring them home, fix them up and play them to death they are fantastic bingos and let me know about it I would love to hear who picked up the games and that they went to good homes. Well, that's all for tonight. My name again is Nick Baldrige. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com and you can find us online at 4amusementonly.libsyn.com You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, PocketCast, via RSS, on our website, or even on Facebook. Thanks again for listening and I'll talk to you next time.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: d8837c7c-7582-44a8-a862-1d14d970ca67*