Smoking and Japanese pachinko halls go together like peas and carrots, unfortunately. You may have noticed that little ash tray on the front of your machine and thought “is this what I think it is?” The answer is, yes, it sure is. The Japanese chain smoked in the very parlors your machine was inside of. So what does this mean for the cleanliness of your unrestored pachinko machine?
How clean is an unrestored pachinko machine?
Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but most unrestored pachinko machines are typically pretty gross. An uncleaned pachinko machine means that the steel ball bearings you and your kids are touching have cigarette smoke tar and nicotine all over them. Chemicals in the smoke tar can be absorbed through the skin, which is harmful to your health. Look at the black tar I scrubbed off the plastic rear mechanics below. This is a regular occurrence when I restore pachinko machines!
As you’re probably well aware, the smoking of cigarettes releases many nasty carcinogens and tar into the air, and the smoke can and will leave staining and residue behind on anything it touches. That’s what happened to pachinko machines during their year or two spent inside of a Japanese pachinko parlor. The tar is in spots you can’t reach unless you clean all of the parts while disassembling the machine in its entirety.
Is there cigarette tar and staining on my machine?
Yes, absolutely. Look at your machine and look for yellowed areas on it. The smoke discolors plastic pieces and the vinyl playfields. It also leaves nasty black residue behind on internal parts you can’t reach (seen above.) Check out the images below of a new playfield next to a nicotine stained playfield. The difference is undeniable.
When I do a playfield replacement, all original stickers are saved from the original playfield, cleaned and then they are affixed to the new playfield. You don’t lose any of the history with the tags, just the nicotine stains.
Remember, this isn’t just an improvement in the way the machine looks and functions, this is an improvement for your health.
