Shopping White Water, Part 2 - Ramps
Note: I originally wrote this entry back in 2013, not long after Part 1 which discussed removing the upper playfield. With the recent re-build I did to my White Water, I thought it would be appropriate to ressurrect and finish this post and then move on to describe the rest of the work I did...
It's no secret that White Water has the most ramps in pinball. They are, from left to right:
Waterfall (Insanity Falls) Ramp - a huge ramp running the length of the cabinet. Jackpots are scored by hitting this ramp on the upper playfield during multiball. Usually the ball moves down this ramp with such velocity that it strikes the glass as it catches air. However, if the ball somehow slows down, there is an open space in the ramp about halfway down that can drop the ball onto the playfield. At the bottom it curls around and feeds into the left inlane. My Waterfall ramp is in good condition with no cracks or breaks, just the "ball trail" - standard wear that is created by friction (and worsened by dirt) as the ball moves down the ramp and some scratches. I'm not replacing it for now.
Whirlpool Ramp - this ramp sees a lot of action because Bigfoot blocks a lot of balls with the log diverter he is holding as it comes off the upper flipper. My Whirlpool ramp looks horrendous, with the bottom channel of the Whirlpool blackened and split into pieces. This was replaced with a new one.
Bigfoot Ramp - the only way to get down this ramp is by giving Bigfoot a hotfoot so that he can't block the ball. If that happens, the ball travels down this ramp instead of down the Whirlpool ramp. This ramp was in the worst condition of any ramp in my game. It had a boulder glued to it, it was cracked near the entrance, and two screw holes had broke. The previous owner "fixed" it by drilling new holes in the ramp and attaching them with baling wire. This ramp was also replaced with a new one.
Upper to Lower Ramp - when a ball falls past the upper flipper, this ramp carries it down to the right inlane. Mine was in poor condition thanks to two deep gouges in the ramp surface. Not sure how that could happen, maybe when the previous owner was "fixing the machine". I tried sanding out the gouges with sandpaper and succeeded, but now the ramp was cloudy with fine scratches. I tried Novus 2 and 3 and it was better. It's usable but is a future candidate for replacement.
Subway Ramp - this runs under the playfield from the Whirlpool to the Lost Mine kickout (also referred to as the Whirlpool Eject or Exit). Mine was filthy with dirt, but cleaned up rather nicely.
It's no secret that White Water has the most ramps in pinball. They are, from left to right:
Lower to Upper Ramp - a shot to this ramp moves the ball from the lower playfield to the flipper on the upper playfield. My Lower to Upper ramp is in okay, it does have a small piece broken off but is barely noticeable. I still may replace it in the future.
Whirlpool Ramp - this ramp sees a lot of action because Bigfoot blocks a lot of balls with the log diverter he is holding as it comes off the upper flipper. My Whirlpool ramp looks horrendous, with the bottom channel of the Whirlpool blackened and split into pieces. This was replaced with a new one.
Suicide Canyon Ramp - this is simply a loop ramp that can be reached from the right or left entrances of the ramp, and lies underneath most of the other ramps. Like the Lower to Upper ramp, mine has a small piece broken off and may also be replaced down the road.
Bigfoot Ramp - the only way to get down this ramp is by giving Bigfoot a hotfoot so that he can't block the ball. If that happens, the ball travels down this ramp instead of down the Whirlpool ramp. This ramp was in the worst condition of any ramp in my game. It had a boulder glued to it, it was cracked near the entrance, and two screw holes had broke. The previous owner "fixed" it by drilling new holes in the ramp and attaching them with baling wire. This ramp was also replaced with a new one.
Upper to Lower Ramp - when a ball falls past the upper flipper, this ramp carries it down to the right inlane. Mine was in poor condition thanks to two deep gouges in the ramp surface. Not sure how that could happen, maybe when the previous owner was "fixing the machine". I tried sanding out the gouges with sandpaper and succeeded, but now the ramp was cloudy with fine scratches. I tried Novus 2 and 3 and it was better. It's usable but is a future candidate for replacement.
Subway Ramp - this runs under the playfield from the Whirlpool to the Lost Mine kickout (also referred to as the Whirlpool Eject or Exit). Mine was filthy with dirt, but cleaned up rather nicely.
There are also 2 wire ramps - one that sends the ball from the No Way Out tunnel to the upper playfield, and the long one on the right side that starts at the plunger and delivers the ball to the upper playfield. Since my wire ramps got a quick wipedown and look good, I'm going to focus on how to improve the condition of my acrylic ramps. I'll not focus much on the Whirpool and Bigfoot ramps, since those were replaced with new ones.
For the rest of the ramps, the first order of business was to remove all switches, then wash them. I used hot water and Dawn liquid dish soap (I prefer Dawn because it is the best soap for cutting grease). I followed that with some Novus 2, then a repeat of hot water and Dawn.
I could have stopped there and called the ramps good, living with cloudiness and fine scratches. But I really wanted to try a technique I've heard mentioned on some sites: flame-polishing. However, that will be a subject for a future post...
I could have stopped there and called the ramps good, living with cloudiness and fine scratches. But I really wanted to try a technique I've heard mentioned on some sites: flame-polishing. However, that will be a subject for a future post...
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