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canoga at [Jan 12 15:41:51]: To Thomas Frank Krug,In Loving memory Father hear this bowlers prayer and give me strikes instead of spares. Lead me on from frame to frame toward many a 300 game. Let my ball speed like a rocket on it's course toward the pocket and if a gutter ball I throw Don't let too many people know. Guide these awkward feet of mine that they may not step o'er the line. And God,who watcheth over all when I have thrown my final ball I pray that thou will take my soul to the heavenly lanes where angels bowl. Gail Gregory
canoga at [Jan 3 20:01:32]: For new pinsetter mechanics I suggest long analyzing sessions watching the movements and the alignments to finally be able to just look at the pinsetter and see abnormalities that are causing the current problem.
canoga at [Jan 2 02:25:58]: Did you know that bowling pins need to be rested and checked? Well the widest part of the pin gets crushed and mushy and with rest it gets hard and flies good again but the neck brakes and we must drop check the pin on concrete.If we hear a ring to the sound of the dropped pin its ok ,a dull thud is thrown out. A pin may sound bad to a bowler as the ball strikes it but a check of the pin as stated above it the judge.Happy New Year!
canoga at [Dec 30 20:25:34]: The mechanics rebuild everything on the pinsetter except for the detector.The detector is a mechanical brain for the machine. Using cams and cam followers that are timed to a circle of 360 degrees the detector must know if a strike was thrown and if an out of range pin is present and if a spare shot is needed. It must also know when to sweep the deck clean of dead wood.
canoga at [Dec 27 20:25:42]: Moving deck cracks at the spotting finger so the pin is always off spot now you got to remove the deck and heli-arc well I've got a fix that has lasted 10 years.Make an expanding nut and bolt tool and expand it to close the crack enough to bring the pin back on spot.
canoga at [Dec 25 19:51:42]: If you ever have a main breaker power outage and dont have the fuse you can use solder strips.For 24 lanes use 9 strips. 8 will melt so you are in a safe range at 9.I know I know, why would any house be without the fuse?&@% happens.Merry Christmas
canoga at [Dec 24 12:47:18]: Ball damage is impossible to totally eliminate because parts fall out of the machine,pins knock the ball off the return tracks, nails show after resurfacing,screws loosen up in gutters ect. Only once have I seen a ball actually break in two large pieces we're talking scratches mainly and most houses will repair the ball free.The mechanics are glad to know right away when damage occurs so only one ball is effected.I've seen whole teams damaged from lane nail exposures.Yeah! for synthetics.
canoga at [Dec 23 20:01:44]: Seasons Greetings app,I'll send you a personal message soon because I dont have experience with the new machines and I'd invite anyone that does to tell us in here.I think the A-2 is an awesome machine and with the new parts they come out with it just keeps getting better.
app at [Dec 22 19:14:30]: canoga, looking into opening new center ( 12 to 16 lanes). have you had much hands on with the new Brunswick or new AMF machines?? got any comments on their performance compared to A-2's?
canoga at [Dec 22 18:40:37]: For the newly hired mechanic there is always alot of orientation involved.Knowing where the most used tools and parts are, and procedures that change from house to house as well as normal duties even the pecking order all must be known because Bowling centers are run very orderly no matter what you may think or see.
canoga at [Dec 21 20:04:35]: Mechanics need superior manual dexterity when it comes to bolt extraction,wiring,part placements,rethreading ect. Knowing the machine isn't enough.
canoga at [Dec 19 17:01:58]: Hi Guest,um,about .4 oz--haha,but seriously I don't know. Physics and bowling are inseperable,.4 oz changes something I'm sure.Some spring tension pressures on the pinsetter can cause problems if not correct to .1 oz, so go figure.
guest at [Dec 19 01:15:54]: I have a question about topweight in a new ball. I have a choice of getting a new ball for my wife with either 2.0 oz or 2.4 oz topweight (ball weight 14 lbs). What is the difference?
guest at [Dec 18 21:34:07]: HELLO ANYBODY HERE
canoga at [Dec 18 12:59:28]: Turret clutch tip,The time delay gear on the turret clutch must spin freely on its own shaft or you will not get the index after the five pin.Use a self locking nut or jam nuts on the shaft. Also check the index lever bell crank for out of round mounting hole or loose nut as well as the roller bearing that rides on the time delay gear lobe and check the time delay gear lobe.
canoga at [Dec 16 13:59:59]: GungHo nut polishers arn't adjusters and they don't make it run.GungHo clean freeks don't clean they tell others to get that done.If a pinsetter can't be dirty then why are they always unclean to the GungHo nut polishers that say clean and then leave the scene.
canoga at [Dec 13 19:22:56]: Steel cables control Deck movement,Scissors and Jams. The deck jam control cable can stretch and cause wobbling pins delivered to the bowlers as well as off spot and not detect deck jams.Too tight and the machine won't turn on.If you cannot adjust the deck cables then change the deck jam control cable and try and adjust again.
canoga at [Dec 11 18:34:10]: The most dangerous fire hazard in a bowling center is in the front power lift under the lane surface.Vacuum there and any spark from the control box wont start a fire.The same goes for under the shaker board.
canoga at [Dec 10 19:52:37]: Christmas wish list:Something to deaden the noise from the pin wheel and louder pin noise when 10 go in the pit and more silly bowling movies and a mechanical strap on arm.
canoga at [Jan 2 02:25:58]: Normally Pinsetters run using 21 pins. That is so the moving deck is full and ready for immediate need of a new rack if a strike is thrown. the 21st pin is because a single pin at times gets stuck in the corners of the shaker board thus reducing the useable pins to 20. There are times when you want to run the machine with less than 21 pins and that is when a pin gate goes bad or full deck blocking finger is out of adjustment...
canoga at [Jan 2 02:25:58]: One night I had a nightmare. Every ball on one set of lanes was coming back with a scratch on it.I checked and checked but no reason showed to me. Finally after a few calls to some friends I went out front and checked the wood lanes heads for exposed nails and sure enough on the 10 board all the bowlers were using, a nail head. Exposed nail heads on the kick boards can cause ball damage too.
canoga at [Jan 2 02:25:58]: We had a wierd sound on a machine and no-one could figure it out for a couple of weeks.I finally,after lots of really close study, found the problem. Under the kick pads we add to the ball wheel for added lift to the balls once in the lift rods,the ball wheel it's-self had cracked in half.A problem that never happens.Changing the ball wheel is realitivly easy if you disconnect the whole elevator assembly and loosen the floor mounting nuts and tilt the elevator to the rear of the machine and pull the ball wheel up and out of the machine.Don't forget to place the new ball wheel with the proper beveled edge placement.
canoga at [Jan 2 02:25:58]: Sometimes you'll get a blackout and nothing seems wrong, so get a non-conductive tool and press in the main relay to jog the machine through one cycle. The machine will continue to run once you let go of the main relay because the deck jam micro-switch reset it's-self during the one cycle jog through.
canoga at [Jan 2 02:25:58]: When I first start to work at a new bowling center ((We don't say "Alley" any more)) I imediatly check the moving deck cam rollers.I want to see all four in place because losing them causes the deck spring to come unwound and it's gross neglect to have that happen.
canoga at [Jan 2 02:25:58]: Lose deck cable guide rollers also are an avoidable break down.Don't forget to use hardened bolts on the roller shafts because the pressure on those areas are high.
canoga at [Jan 2 02:25:58]: The Deck holding hook is aluminum and wears out easily It's easy to see one that is ready to be replaced.
canoga at [Jan 2 02:25:58]: A HOT tip! When replacing the shaker board or just removing it for shaker frame or shaker shaft repairs. Once you have the shaker board free of the shaker frame lift up the front edge of the board and put your legs under the board and pull the board up onto your legs till the board is on top of you.Reach up and grab the florescent light bar and pull your-self out of the pit with the shaker board on you. Then just get out from under the shaker board and slide it out of the machine. That seperates the "A" and "B" from the pinchasers.
canoga at [Jan 2 02:25:58]: Other subjects that need discussion... raising machine to fit lane resurfacing spec's Split elevator to change ball wheel OOR procedures if OOR is out of adjustment Pam Jams Ball yoyo's Broken lift rods scoring cameras lane work front ball lift
canoga as canoga
