Topic: Help with loose men

[Jetfire]

So nice to see a forum for foose!

I was gifted a Dynamo coin-op from a friend. He already installed Tornado men before I took possession (old style). Some were cracked, and so begins my predicament.

I ordered a few new style Tornado men for the cracked ones and loved them. Ordered a full set. The rods were a mix of hollow and solid steel, bent, and the mount holes were widened out from abuse.

With new men in hand, I bought the Breybelly steel rods (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QEVCG1K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). They aren't bad, a little deflection when spun....way better than what I had.

I bought roll pins and started the install. Some of my men are quite loose even with the new roll pins. How can I tighten them up? Pull the pins and stretch them apart?

Thanks in advance. I'll buy a Tornado table next, but this one was free. 

[Jetfire]

Bump.....any ideas? I'm annoyed with the cheap rods. Considering returning them.

Are the OEM Tornado solid steel rods worth it?

[Pat]

You can wrap tape around the rod at the location of the man.

[Jetfire]

I'll try that..........any thoughts or experience on the Tornado replacement steel rods?

[cofoosn]

Where are you located?

[Jetfire]

Where are you located?

Seattle Area

[hackjob]

Tables can be quite different if you plan on using different figures and different rods and different pins/fastener and different handles.  I believe tornado/dynamo used to be different manufacturers before a merger so the engineering will have differences.  For your instance, the rod height from playfield may be a bit different from dynamo to tornado as the men are are visually quite different.  The dynamo fastener was a sloppy bolt not a tight sprung pin which you just discovered with those cheap rods.    Believe it or not, a great deal of thought and evolution has gone into tournament tables and relationships between things on the table to make for a more nuanced refined game.  Unfortunately, one must both measure and guess a bit to match different table parts.

Specifically related to your upgrade idea, toe design has evolved over the years related to the contact points and grip texture for improved control and release of a specifically sized and textured ball both front and rear of the figure's toe. 

If I was you... I would mount a sample tornado figure on your dynamo 5/8 rod and measure the number of dimes and nickles stacked that can just slide under the toe at its lowest point... I believe it is about 4dimes or 3dimes and a nickle clearance gap you are looking for.  There is some tolerance due to bearing wear, but it must be quite close to this or the game will be awkward both to practice and when you move to a real table.

The tornado commercial rod sets are really really good but expensive.   I think they are worth it especially the forward 3 rod.  You will have to do the math on a total set but it might be a good option to load tornado rods handles and men on that dynamo table.  Other concerns would be playfield texture and goal width; it needs to be close to a matte formica not too smooth.  If it works you have a great practice table and the new rods can be transferred to a used tornado table that has the older chrome rods when you find one.  The swap will make your dynamo easier to sell to another rookie or hack as well.  Practice tables are important, but it is not essential to have the latest table to work on basic things just something that feels similar. 

Let me know if that dynamo comes close with tornado rods; I'd like to build a sloped corner dynamo tornado hybrid myself.
JW

[Jetfire]

Thanks hackjob! I went ahead and tried mounting the men and testing clearance. Unfortunately, the longer toe on the modern Tornado men are actually able to hit each other.... . That just won't work for me.

I ordered Dynamo men and will get them back on the table. I'm now hunting for a Tornado table, creating this hybrid has become a pain.

Looking at Tornado tables, I see that most are the 3-man goalie. I'm assuming most tables have gone to the 3-man goalie? If I used goalie stop rings in place of the extra goalies, I'd just end up with the occasional dead corner ball right? Or should I buck up and get used to the extra goalies?

[hackjob]

Unless you travel to Europe frequently go with a tornado 3man Goalie. ..decent shelti conversion kits exist but it is pointless to put in edged corner ramps...the edge ruins the game flow.   Sloped seamless corners are the best if you must ..like fireball itsf model or warrior home table but there is not much point in north America....most serious players here aren't familiar so don't like ramped corners at all ...

[Jetfire]

Got ya. Ok, I'll adapt to current times and stick with the new to me 3- man goalie. Thanks again for your time and sharing your info!!

[cofoosn]

If you happen to be or know anyone in the Denver area, I have a set of Dynamo bars. Men too, but, it sounds like you have that covered. Just throwing that out there. I assume it wouldn't be cheap to ship them.

-p

[Jetfire]

If you happen to be or know anyone in the Denver area, I have a set of Dynamo bars. Men too, but, it sounds like you have that covered. Just throwing that out there. I assume it wouldn't be cheap to ship them.

-p

I pulled the trigger on a brown marble Tornado table. Only had to drive 15mins too! I'm selling the Dynamo table to a friend, so I'll pass along the possibility to pick up new bars. Thanks!