Sorcerer arrived!
While I will post a few short blurbs as I go to the blog, Sorcerer deserves it’s own story here. Here’s a dirty Sorcerer fresh off the route:
BEFORE
Summary of Issues:
- backbox: poor condition, needs new lock/key on top
- backglass: good condition, has several small scratches, overall not flaking
- body: fair condition, wood planking, fading, needs several epoxy touchups and re-paint for short term. long term needs a cabinet paint job.
- legs: rusted and may need 4 levelers, or instead, 4 new legs if holes are stripped.
- lockbar: needs new locking mech. Currently does not lock. New beer foam.
- flipper buttons: seem ok
- cabinet: needs vacuuming out
- free parts: none
- repairs: needs 2 targets, pop cap replaced, playfield wear leveled up (eventually)
- playfield: lower has mylar, upper has no mylar and needs paint restore in 3+ areas: (pop, drops, and 1-2-3 lanes)
- plastics: 1-2 broken/cracked, overall good shape, all need hairdryer treatment to flatten them out (someday)
Machine strengths are:
- it turns on and plays
- all switches appear to work (trough switches need adjustment)
- display mostly works
- backglass is in good shape
Strategy:
- Get the machine to a fun/clean playing state ASAP:
- Order all parts from online vendors so that work can commence.
- Tear down entire playfield, leaving only the pop bumpers. (Will get to them once complete, since they take a bit of time for marginal playability/cosmetic gain)
- Clean playfield by hand with rag and rubbing alcohol -> Polish mylar and Wax it.
- Clean all plastics by hand with soapy water and a rag, and clean all screws by hand.
- Install ~100 LEDs.
- Rebuild the playfield.
- Install new rubbers.
- Use new balls.
- Install new flipper bats.
- Level playfield.
- Play and Celebrate! Take a video for the before/after movies, and upload it to youtube.
- Review defects to fix in Phase 2.
- Improve details that emerge after Step 1. is complete:
- Adjust LEDs until they are all seated properly.
- Adjust ball trough switches.
- Replace all three flipper assemblies with WPC (fliptronics)-era mechs.
- Replace two stationary targets.
- Clean and re-sticker all stationary and drop targets.
- Replace legs/leg levelers to get proper pitch and level.
- Adjust three pops.
- Replace pop skirts.
- Adjust settings for free play and replay/special for a “free ball”.
- Replace lock/key for backbox
AFTER
Here’s the updated picture of Sorcerer after most of Step 1 was acccomplished in about 20 hours:
