I was in my teens during the hayday of foosball. My friends and I grew-up playing foosball in local arcades and at roller skating rinks. At the time, our lives revolved around foosball and bmx bikes (Schwinn Predator). When the video game craze began and the popularity of foosball began to wane, several of the local outlets began to sell off their inventory of tables. I was fortunate enough to have parents willing to purchase a coin-op Deutscher Meister table, which I played on until my early-20's. The table was sold when my parents downsized and they moved to a smaller house. I did not have the room at the time to keep the table for myself (still kicking myself in the backside because I have never seen a DM table in better condition
).
Fast forward 20+ years and I now have a son & daughter who both play soccer year-around, and they love everything soccer related. We went on a family cruise this past summer and one of the activities that was made available was a foosball tournament, which spanned the course of two evenings. It took a little bit to knock the rust off of my skills, but I was able to beat the 15 other players who participated. For the remainder of cruise, my son and I played foosball whenever we had some free time.
My son has taken an interest in a lot of the activities that I loved when I was growing up; fishing, hunting, bmx, slot cars, sports, and racing. As a result, I have had the opportunity to re-visit several of my childhood passions and spend quality-time with my son. We even restore bmx bikes from the 1970's & early-80's. He turned 12 years old today and he had asked for a foosball table for his birthday. I began a search for a good quality table a few weeks ago, ruling out the tables made primarily for home usage. I looked at tables from Tornado and Dynamo, before coming across an ad on Craig's List from a seller with several vintage Deutscher Meisters. I purchased the best DM he had, which shows some aging & weathering, but is in solidly good condition. The table is certainly playable, but I will over time, begin to refurbish it as much as possible. I am a real sucker for nostalgia, so having another DM table does bring me back to a very enjoyable time in my life (Van Halen playing in the background).
So, here are my questions:
1. The table looks to have OEM bearings and players that are all in good shape. The outside & inside bearings are both made of hard plastic. However, at some point in the tables long life, the original bumper springs have been replaced by the more modern rubber bumpers. The current rod set-up is (from the table wall to the player): table wall, rubber bumper, plastic washer, player. Should there be a washer between the table wall and the rubber bumper? If yes, should it be plastic or metal? Is it correct to have a washer between the bumper and the player? If yes, should it be plastic or metal?
2. I have discovered Thompson Sporting Goods, aka foosballstore.com, and they do list a number of parts for Deutsher Meister tables. However, they seem to be out of stock on most and several have the indication of no longer being available. Outside of Craig's List & eBay, are there any other known sources for DM parts?
3. Got DM parts? Drop me a note...
Thanks in advance for your feedback and comments.
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