Episode 124 - Bingo Lamp Spring Removal

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·12m 21s·analyzed·Jul 13, 2015

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.016

TL;DR

Tutorial on removing, cleaning, and reinstalling bingo lamp springs with emphasis on preventing playfield damage.

Summary

Nicholas Baldridge and John Popadiuk provide a detailed technical guide on safely removing, cleaning, and reinstalling lamp rebound springs from bingo pinball playfields. They emphasize the fragility of these components and share best practices including using punch sets, rubber mallets, tumblers for polishing, and cork bracing techniques to minimize damage to the playfield surface.

Key Claims

Lamp rebound springs on bingo playfields are made of thin metal strips stretched between two steel posts and are not replaceable
high confidence · John Popadiuk, describing the physical construction of lamp springs
Springs should be removed from below using a punch set rather than applying vertical force to avoid shearing the metal
high confidence · John Popadiuk, technical instruction on removal methodology
Using a tumbler with fine media and metal polish is an effective cleaning method for heavily rusted lamp springs
high confidence · John Popadiuk, describing cleaning techniques
Rusted metal loses material permanently, leaving a pitted surface even after rust removal
high confidence · John Popadiuk, explaining limitations of rust restoration
Some operators apply glue to posts as a preventative measure against weakening, which can complicate later maintenance
medium confidence · Nicholas Baldridge, describing an issue encountered on his Ticker Tape machine
Using a wine cork slit over the post helps absorb impact and dampens forces that could damage the playfield surface
high confidence · John Popadiuk, describing impact mitigation technique
Lamp springs can become loose and limp if wound an extra turn during reassembly
high confidence · John Popadiuk, warning about common reassembly mistakes
Nicholas Baldridge currently owns three bingo machines and has completed spring removal and polishing on two of them
high confidence · Nicholas Baldridge, personal collection description

Notable Quotes

“These springs are very fragile. They're made of a tiny strip of metal that is stretched between two steel posts and it is very easy for that thin metal to shear off”
Nicholas Baldridge @ opening remarks — Establishes the core challenge and stakes of the repair task
“I'm really cheap so I buy cheap stuff. I got a punch set. I think it was five dollars and they have coupons all the time so you can get it for less than that.”
John Popadiuk @ tools discussion — Demonstrates practical, cost-effective approach to specialized tools
“You want to use tempered blows in order to get this out. If I have a particularly stubborn one, then I will actually use my old friend the rubber mallet.”
John Popadiuk @ removal technique — Key technical guidance on force application and tool selection
“It's very visible to the player and it's very eye-catching when it's shiny. It's also eye-catching when it's disgustingly filthy but for a different reason.”
John Popadiuk @ cleaning discussion — Articulates the aesthetic and gameplay impact of lamp spring condition
“There's so much risk of damaging your game that some people don't find it worth it.”
John Popadiuk @ risk assessment — Acknowledges legitimate concern about damage and validates alternative approaches
“An operator had previously applied some kind glue or something on every single post in the game. I assume that they had some problems with the posts weakening over time”
Nicholas Baldridge @ Ticker Tape case study — Real-world example of complications from previous repairs affecting current maintenance

Entities

Nicholas BaldridgepersonJohn Popadiukperson4 For Amusement OnlyorganizationTicker Tapegame

Signals

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restoration_signal: Detailed technical protocol for safe removal, cleaning, and reinstallation of fragile bingo lamp springs with emphasis on playfield protection
high · Comprehensive step-by-step instructions covering punch removal, tumbler polishing, cork bracing, and reassembly techniques
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restoration_signal: Lamp springs are non-replaceable components prone to permanent damage during removal or from corrosion
high · Multiple warnings about shearing thin metal strips, rust damage leaving pitted surfaces, and difficulty of restoration
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operational_signal: Operator-applied preventative repairs (gluing posts) can complicate future maintenance and create unknown risks
high · Nicholas Baldridge's experience with Ticker Tape where previous operator applied glue to every post, preventing current restoration work
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restoration_signal: Lamp spring maintenance requires specialized tools (punch sets, tumblers, rubber mallets, cork materials) accessible at low cost
high · John Popadiuk describes acquiring $5 punch set with coupons, using rubber mallets, and wine cork bracing techniques
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community_signal: Active podcast community documenting and teaching specific technical restoration procedures for EM and bingo machines
high · Structured episode dedicated to single component restoration with detailed technical instruction suitable for collectors attempting repairs

Topics

Lamp rebound spring removal and installationprimaryPlayfield protection during maintenanceprimaryCleaning and restoration of corroded componentsprimaryEM and bingo pinball restoration best practicesprimaryImpact of previous repairs on future maintenancesecondaryCost-effective tools and techniquessecondary

Sentiment

neutral(0.5)— Tone is educational and pragmatic. Hosts present technical challenges objectively, acknowledge risks, and validate different approaches without judgment. Discussion is informative rather than promotional or negative.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.037

What's that sound? It's 4 Amusement Only, the EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast. Welcome back to 4 Amusement Only. This is Nicholas Baldridge. Continuing our discussion of how to clean your machine, I want to talk about how to remove the lamp rebound springs from a bingo playfield. These springs are very fragile. They're made of a tiny strip of metal that is stretched between two steel posts and it is very easy for that thin metal to shear off or actually be pulled from the tiny kind of flange that holds it in place. So you don't want to exert vertical force I'm John Papadiuk, Black Water, Kaneda's Pinball Podcast, Twippies Awards, translite and look around the lamp sockets what you'll see are two post holes where the spring attaches and as you can see they're driven all the way through the playfield so what you have to do is knock it out from below what I did I'm really cheap so I buy cheap stuff. I got a punch set. I think it was five dollars and they have coupons all the time so you can get it for less than that. But with this punch set you simply place the punch underneath and you can put it in the The first thing you do is to take a piece of one of the posts, then take your hammer and smack the punch and it will knock the pin out. What I do is alternate back and forth. Again, I'm just pretty cautious with these because they're not replaceable. So I try not to damage them. What I'm concerned about is if you take a I John Papadiuk and I see you next week It actually shear off that fragile thin piece which actually acts as the buffer between the lamp shield and the ball So taking out one of these is also something where you have to be concerned about the effect that it has on the playfield surface. If you are way too happy with the punch, then it's going to exert a whole lot of pressure on the playfield surface and actually either bow it outwards or damage it. You know, chunks will fly out. So you want to be careful. Don't come at this with your whole strength. You want to use tempered blows in order to get this out. If I have a particularly stubborn one, then I will actually use my old friend the rubber mallet. And this allows, again, some of the force to dissipate. I'm using my force to it makes me feel better and I'm using more force to do something like that oh the other thing I should mention is if you take the playfield out at the game it makes this job million times easier I and if you have it resting on some kinda surface or on some horses for the light It will make this a lot easier. Now, you've taken out these springs and there's eight of them. What do you do? Cleaning them is not incredibly easy again due to their fragility. So, one thing you can do is just be very careful and very slowly work your polish in 99% of the lamp springs that I've seen are absolutely filthy and they require a bit more consideration. So this is something that I will use a tumbler for. You have to make sure that you have fine media, very fine, and then spray a couple bits of metal polish in there, liquid kind, and see what happens some of the time the uh... lamp springs are rusted and when a metal becomes rusted it actually eats away part of the material so even if the tumbler is able to remove the rust spots you be left with a pitted surface So the first thing you should do is just be ready for it not to be absolutely perfect. But after it's done the difference that you see is incredible. I mean He's shiny metal piece that's right in front of the playfield lamps uh... it's very visible to the player and it's very eye-catching when it's shiny it's also eye-catching when it's disgustingly filthy but for a different reason I have three bingos at the moment two of them I have punched out the I'm lamp springs and polish them and then the third one is ticker tape my recent acquisition an operator had previously applied some kind glue or something on every single post in the game I assume that they had some problems with the posts weakening overtime in some other games and so they did this is a preventative measure I don't see anywhere where it was really necessary to do this kind of repair especially on every single thing in the game the operator who did this got a little sloppy and they managed to get the glue on the outside and inside of these lamp springs which are otherwise in pretty darn good shape um you know they'd be candidates just for polishing in the game if it weren't for this and so uh... because of the unknown quantity of the glue that they used how strong it is and what the bond is on the surrounding areas of the playfield I haven't punched those out and I don't know that I ever will uh... I'm just a little too frightened of what's going to happen when I do it So yet another piece of advice is examine the area around your lamp springs and make sure that it's not going to have a detrimental effect when you knock that thing out. Another tip is to brace the opposite side of the playfield surface to absorb some of the impact. One thing that you can do is to I'll take a wine cork and then cut out a slit and slide it over the post that you're about to knock out. And this will help absorb some of the impact and recoil that will happen naturally after each blow and will hopefully help dampen the forces on the playfield which might damage it This is another thing that I only do pretty much once and then I just maintain and I do it to try to get a consistent beautiful product out of it. But not everyone agrees with that and that's certainly a valid opinion to have. If you don't want to do that, I completely understand. There's so much risk of damaging your game that some people don't find it worth it. So you got the thing out, you polished it, now you need to reassemble it. This is where your friend the cut cork is going to come into play again. Now you want to cut it down a little more so that the top part of the post is visible to your hammer and you're going to want to tap it in. Again you're going to want to be gentle so this is another spot where I use my friend the rubber mallet and it works very well. You can go very slowly and tap, tap, tap away until you get to the appropriate depth. It's pretty easy to see from the bottom of the playfield if you've reached the appropriate depth as well. It's another nice thing about bingos. If you see metal nearing flush with the bottom of the playfield, then you're pretty much in the right spot. A word of warning when you're doing the reassembly. It's easy to have the springs unwound an extra turn and this will give your spring a very loose feel when the ball hits it. I'm certainly guilty of doing that. It's really easy to do. So pay attention and go slowly and you will have some great results on your game. Well thank you very much for joining me. My name again is Nick Baldrige. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com. You can also reach us on our phone line which is 724-BINGOS1. That's 724-246-4671. You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Cast, via RSS, on Facebook, on Twitter, at bingopodcast. You can follow me on Instagram at nbaldridge. And you can listen to us on our website, which is foremusementonly.libsyn.com. Thank you very much for listening, and I'll talk to you next time.