How To Drill Out A Coin Door Lock

Flip n Out Pinball·video·3m 22s·analyzed·Apr 6, 2026

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.012

TL;DR

Tutorial: drilling out pinball coin door locks when keys are missing

Summary

Zach Sharpe from Flip n Out Pinball demonstrates a practical tutorial on drilling out a stuck coin door lock on a pinball machine (specifically a Batman 66) when the original keys are unavailable. The video covers tool selection, drilling technique, safety precautions like cardboard shielding and WD-40 lubrication, and replacement lock installation.

Key Claims

Replacement locks are readily available from pinball life markers and other retailers
high confidence · Zach Sharpe explains that locks can be purchased from 'pinball life markers' and elsewhere
Starting with a small drill bit and progressing to larger sizes is an effective approach
high confidence · Zach demonstrates the incremental drill bit progression technique in the video
WD-40 lubrication should be used sparingly to avoid spreading excess oil everywhere
high confidence · Zach emphasizes using only 'just a hair' of WD-40 to avoid mess
A Batman 66 machine was acquired on trade without keys from the previous owner
high confidence · Zach states 'homeboy forgot to give me the keys' on the traded Batman 66

Notable Quotes

“The problem is that homeboy forgot to give me the keys. I can't get in here. I can't I can't play it. I can't set it up. I can't It's a It's a paperweight. A be a beautiful paperweight, but uh a paperweight nonetheless.”
Zach Sharpe@ 0:19 — Establishes the practical problem being solved and the urgency of the situation
“I always start with a small drill bit. And then as we're working and we and we punch through, then we will go to a larger drill bit.”
Zach Sharpe@ 0:42 — Core technique recommendation for drilling progression
“I can't stress enough just a just just a hair just to wet the whistle because if you put too much in there, it the oily stuff's going to be everywhere.”
Zach Sharpe@ 1:38 — Safety and cleanliness best practice with WD-40 application
“Remember the keys, people. Just remember the keys. Come on.”
Zach Sharpe@ 3:14 — Humorous closing advice emphasizing prevention of this problem in the future

Entities

Zach SharpepersonFlip n Out PinballcompanyBatman 66game Pinball Lifecompany

Signals

?
operational_signal: Practical demonstration of a common pinball operator/technician task: removing stuck coin door locks when keys are unavailable. Reflects routine maintenance challenges in pinball operation.
high · Zach provides step-by-step tutorial with specific tools (drill bits, WD-40, cardboard shielding) and safety precautions
?
product_concern: Highlights a common operational problem: pinball machines being acquired without original keys, making machines temporarily unusable until locks are drilled out and replaced.
high · Batman 66 received on trade without keys from previous owner, rendering it non-functional until lock removal
?
venue_signal: Flip n Out Pinball operates a trade-in program for used machines, suggesting active secondary market activity and machine circulation in the collector/operator community.
medium · Batman 66 described as 'lightly pre-owned' and acquired 'on trade'

Topics

Coin door lock removal and replacementprimaryPinball machine maintenance and repairprimaryTools and techniques for pinball servicingprimarySafety precautions in machine repairsecondaryPinball machine acquisition and tradesecondary

Sentiment

neutral(0)

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

Hey everybody, Zach from Flipping Out Pinball with another quick tip. We've got this beautiful, lightly pre-owned Batman 66 pinball machine that just came in on trade. The problem is that homeboy forgot to give me the keys. I can't get in here. I can't I can't play it. I can't set it up. I can't It's a It's a paperweight. A be a beautiful paperweight, but uh a paperweight nonetheless. We are going to drill out this lock. [music] So, these locks you can get uh from pinball life markers. You can pretty much get them anywhere. Um so, get one of these. I keep extra handy just in situations like this. And then the next thing you're just going to get a drill. I always start with a small drill bit. And then as we're working and we and we punch through, then we will go to a larger drill bit. And then [music] WD40. This is just me. There's numerous ways to to likely do this, but I jammed some some cardboard in there because as we're drilling through this, there's going to be metal shavings that are going to come off. You do not want to step on the metal shavings and they're kind of a pain to [music] clean up. So, this is just, you know, the cardboard box just kind of jammed in there so that the filaments [music] will will go there. I'll put paper towels around the whole area. So, I will do that. That's not quite enough, but uh but I'll certainly put [music] some down there again to protect um protect shavings getting everywhere or [music] this WD40. So, what you're going to do is you're going to take just a little bit of WD40 and put it in there. But I can't stress enough just a just [music] just a hair just to wet the whistle because if you put too much in there, it the oily stuff's going to be everywhere. So, just just like let's see if here. Ready? See if I can get it like probably just [music] that. That drill bit's going to be get pretty hot as well. So, just kind of keep an eye on that. But what we're going to try to do is we're going to try to and I'll show you. We're going to try to drill right through the middle, as middle as you can get. And you'll [music] punch through it, but it may not be enough uh to tear up the lock mechanism inside that allows you allows you inside. But we'll see. Here, we're going to apply some pressure as we're going. And as you're removing that, you just want to be super careful cuz that thing is [music] flaming hot. Now, we're going to go up a size here. And then you can just take off [music] all this and then put a new lock in there and then you'll you'll be good to go. See, right through there, we hit we hit the spot. Perfect. [music] There you have it. A quick and easy way to drill out a lock on your pinball machine. Check it. Boom. Baby. Remember the keys, people. Just remember the keys. Come on. [music]