How to install pinball glass

Episode#21 Custom Virtual Pinball Cabinet Build
In this video I will be showing you how to measure out and order the correct size tempered glass for your custom virtual pinball cabinet. I will also be showing you how to make a custom play field glass trim holder and how to paint the bezel on your back glass glass as well.
I can't believe how much this glass transform your vpin cabinet into a way more legit looking pinball machine!
If you would like to make my vpin cabinet, here is a link to the free plans!
sdssautomotive...
If you design your own, I'd love to see it! Send pics/video to my DM on Instagram!
Special thanks to Michael Roberts for his amazing guide on how to make a vpin cabinet, check it out here. Thanks for the amazing pictures that really help people understand the assembly process.
mjrnet.org/pins...
Copyright ©2016-2021 Michael J. Roberts.
This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. In brief, this means that you're free to use, share, and adapt this work for any purpose, without seeking further permission from the author, as long as you give appropriate credit and pass along the same permissions in your adapted material.
If you would like to keep up with behind the scenes info, pictures, and videos, follow us at / way_of_the_wrench
If you enjoyed the video, learned some cool tech tips, I would appreciate a like and a subscribe so I can be inspired to create more videos and continue to make better content for you guys! Thanks for watching and if you hit the post notification bell, you will know when our next videos are out!
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Disclaimer: These videos are intended for entertainment and inspiration. Working in a woodshop, metalshop, or autoshop is dangerous without proper safety and experience. Always seek professional advice and training before using any power tools/machinery. If you have any uncertainty before performing any shop procedure, stop and learn a safe method/technique. Do not attempt anything simply because you saw it in one of my videos. Be smart, use common sense, respect your power tools/machines, and be safe.

[@LawrenceMorrisson]

The amount of detail you put into your cabinet build - I cannot imagine the amount of time it takes. Then, add in actually filming it all, narrating it all, and putting all the video pieces together into a single cohesive instructional. It is an epic feat. Just preparing for a cabinet build myself and there really isn't any reason to watch any other videos from anybody else except you. Thank you for taking the time and well done, both on the build and the videos.

[@wayofthewrench]

Thanks Lawrence! Just trying to contribute to the vpin community as this is an amazing hobby. If you like my teaching style and are enjoying the content, I'd really appreciate it if you could share out my channel with your friends and family so I can help more people! Cheers!

[@brodzowski]

Ask for epic video ; receive epic video. :) I think the majority of us plebs would have just bought two of those rear channels and split them at 12 1/2 and lived with a seam in the middle as opposed to finding a shop with a handbrake, but you are very good at using your toys! I've been pouring over your old videos waiting for new ones on this build and just wanted to give you an atta boy on the production -- you can tell you've gotten much better at editing and camera work. Your tutelage is excellent. You're a good teacher. Even when things don't work.

[@wayofthewrench]

Yeah that would have worked too but I would always know that it was there staring me in the face...lol. Thank you for your very kind words, as a teacher, we don't get a lot of praise for what we do so it's nice to hear it. Yeah when I look back at videos I did 2 years ago, they are pretty cringy with all of my old gear, bad audio, bad lighting, bad editing....Its definitely a journey and you're always improving. Thanks again for all your support, it's much appreciated Brandon. Cheers!

[@MojaveModelRailroad]

I want to thank you for all the hard work making these videos and putting them out there for all of us. I came across your channel looking for a step by step for building a VP cabinet. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but truly have become inspired from watching you. Thank you.

[@wayofthewrench]

You're very welcome Tina Marie! Yeah they are a ton of work to make these videos but I'm sure you are aware of that yourself. I checked out your channel, very cool stuff. I actually wanted to do model railroad stuff when I had a house with a big basement....just haven't got there yet. So...are you going to build a vpin cabinet? It's a lot of fun and I'm sure you will have no issues as you have a lot of skills making your model railroad displays. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!

[@MojaveModelRailroad]

@@wayofthewrench Yes, I am going to kind of do like you did. Buy the parts over the next year a little at a time and then build it. I actually have taken an extra desktop computer I had with two video outputs and have started to download some of the tables just to get familiar with the programs and tables I like and don't like. I can't wait! If you ever get around to doing a model railroad I'm sure it will be out of this world based off the work I've seen you do on your channel. My son would have a field day in your garage. He is really big into muscle cars and wants to learn how to restore them.

[@wayofthewrench]

Have you played Cactus Canyon yet? Love that game. I ended up playing for 8 months on my monitors on the floor before I got serious about building a cabinet. Too much fun! Yeah we have a pretty nice shop, complete with muscle cars.

[@MojaveModelRailroad]

@@wayofthewrench I have. Funny as I managed a bowling center way back in the early 90's. I downloaded a bunch of games I played in our arcade. Adams Family was one of my favorites. I will say the Ghostbuster one is pretty fun. And I actually found some one who made a Mod of The Last Starfighter. I love the DeadPool as well as the Pirates of the Caribbean. I original a year ago was going to buy the Pirates full size Pin Ball. Some in Vegas was selling it but they wanted like $7000. Glad I didn't as I can have one physical machine with hundreds of tables. Can't wait. I think I've download maybe about 30 games to play with and go through. It is very addicting.

[@mikeyfoofoo]

@@wayofthewrench There was a sweet tuneup on Cactus Canyon recently by VPW. It looks and plays great.

[@Tiger_Of_Old]

Ha ha I’m building one of these at the moment. I too have made little mistakes along the way but it’s still alive😂. I started before you and you’ve almost caught up😮. Better pull my finger out!

[@wayofthewrench]

That's awesome, these things are crazy cool. Yeah we ALL make mistakes, it's part of life and learning. What's important is how we learn from them and how we can share this knowledge with others (instead of editing out the videos for KZbin). Nah, you.ve got time, I'm only getting an hour or so a day to work on this....I'm never going to be done....lol. Got any pics of your build? DM my Instagram. Cheers!

[@crennyw]

So useful! Thanks for explaining so well. These are just in time videos as I'm measuring for glass and putting monitors in my playfield and backbox this week. And buttons!

[@wayofthewrench]

Perfect, glad it was helpful for ya. Thanks for the watch and enjoy your build!

[@mikeyfoofoo]

Looks awesome. It's so easy to miss key things in the pinscape guide. Not because it's unclear, but because it's so dense with information. ; )

[@Vidal2021]

I agree 100%. I keep discovering additional things on pages I thought I read completely.

[@wayofthewrench]

Yeah dude, there is soooo much info. I do the same thing.

[@wayofthewrench]

Oh for sure....soo much info there. That vpin bible is seriously MJR's life work right there.....he should be proud of that.

[@pisciculturachang]

Its a blowmind video Sr Thank you so much for sharing, I loved it Greetings from Brazil!!!

[@wayofthewrench]

Thanks dude! Glad you loved the video. Lot's more where that came from. Thanks for the watch!

[@MrWesleyruff]

Haha, 29:48. Nice work! You are inspiring so many to give it a go which keeps the parts available and hobby alive. Keep it up!

[@wayofthewrench]

Yeah dude! Keep pinball alive! I'll be honest 4 years ago I didn't even know about virtual pinball but I'm so glad I stumbled onto it. Thanks for the watch!

[@marcush1968]

Wow very very nice work. Can't wait for the next Video. Every Part is very nice. 👍🏻From Germany

[@wayofthewrench]

Thank you very Much Marcus! Yeah i have been trying to make the best videos series I can for everyone so that more people can get into this amazing hobby. Where about in Germany are you from? Cheers from Canada and welcome to the channel!

[@marcush1968]

This is an amazing Series. You must have much more followers. I think you make the best VPin. About Covid I begin to watch building Videos. German Let's Bastel or BourbonMoth from the States. I am an old Gamer an a VPin or an Arcade is a Dream to build for me. Go forward I hope you become much support/views for your channel👍🏻

[@marcush1968]

O... I am from Hannover 😏

[@wayofthewrench]

Thank you very much. Maybe you can make me famous in Gernany and share my channel on your social media? Yeah Im an old school arcade gamer too, thats why I built my arcade cabinet and now the vpin. Glad you're enjoying the series! I think I drove through Hannover on my first trip to Europe. I love Europe and miss travelling there.

[@grafzahl7878]

@@wayofthewrench For me you are already famous in Germany ;-). Best building guide ever (if only you would stick to the metric system ;-) )! As a child of the 80s I have an original arcade cabinet (converted to MAME) standing in the living room and although I won't get green light to put a pinball right next to it I urgently have to build one in near future... Outstanding work, can't wait for the next videos!

[@garybroomfield5416]

Always love watching one of your videos. Table looks awesome. Amazing job ! 👍

[@wayofthewrench]

Thanks Gary, I appreciate the support Bruh! Yeah it's really starting to look like a professional cabinet. Thanks for the watch!

[@sam27753]

Another big step, great work bro!

[@wayofthewrench]

Thanks dude! Yeah the glass and trim really added that "authentic" look. I'm glad I made the custom rear trim, I would have hated the gaps with the smaller stock piece. Thanks for the watch!

[@CatherineSews]

Amazing attention to detail! Great job 👍

[@wayofthewrench]

Thank you very much Catherine!

[@scratastic1]

Absolutely amazing to see you make a complete tutorial (and playlist) of making a virtual pinball cabinet step by step, very helpful and inspirational to make one myself. (I just hope parts will be available in mm as well to make life a bit easier with measurements) Just binged the whole series upon this point and liked and subbed of course. I do have a question about the glass, although it makes it look more like an authentic pinball machine I can't help but think it'll only induce glare as opposed to just watching at the screen directly as you would with any monitor or tv. I was thinking of leaving the glass out, also would save money. Could you make a comparing video of the view with and without in a light vs dark room to make the choice more easier? would me much appreciated.

[@wayofthewrench]

Awesome! Glad you found the series, thanks for the like and sub! 1" = 25.4mm you just convert it, it's not that bad.....lol. The glass gives as much glare as you would have on a real pinball cabinet but it could vary with different monitor and glass angles. I'll try to remember to take some pictures and post them on my instagram. It's hard to show what your eye sees though as the camera add it's own issues. Cheers!

[@DrHughJohnson]

Awesome man, it’s getting close.

[@wayofthewrench]

So close....yet still lots to go. If it's one thing I've learned about these vpin cabs, they never really end. There's always something else cool to add or new programs or new tables. It's in a dangerous sate now because I can play it instead of finishing it!! Thanks for the watch!

[@Vidal2021]

Perfection! No Instagram so I can't post my progress. I noticed a mistake, I made, when I was placing my side rails. I didn't add the 3/8" on top of the rear shelf. The rail hit the bottom of the backbox. My fix was to add 1/2" addiction to the rear shelf. I have a replacement wide body glass. I was concerned that there would not be enough glass in the side guides if I utilized max width for the lockdown bar. My build is not far behind yours. I haven't drilled my flipper and magnasave holes because I want to get my 43 mounted. I want it close to the player as possible. As always.... Excellent instruction and content.

[@wayofthewrench]

Yeah I did the same thing...I forgot about the use of rabbets that made it sit up 3/8" and had to add a piece as well. How much wider did you go from widebody? Yeah the flipper/magnasave button locations seemed really stressful for me because you want them there but the monitor is there too. Watch you don't drill your monitor eh? LOL. Thanks for the watch and the support dude, I appreciate it!

[@Vidal2021]

@@wayofthewrench To My knowledge I'm on the wide body width. My outside width is 24-7/8". All my research said ~25" for widebody. With the nominal thickness of the 3/4" plywood that would have put ~1/8" in each side of the channel. The wide body glass is 23-3/4" wide. My solution was to cut the cab floor 23-3/8" at front and 23-1/4" at the back. That's how I balanced a good fit for the lockdown bar an the glass.

[@wayofthewrench]

Oh thats not leaving much for the glass to hold....good idea to alter the cabinet width at the back.

[@MandoMike]

Great video as always Brother! Look forward to more. I don't have any suggestions this round, it was all perfect.

[@wayofthewrench]

Right on dude! I just wish I had more time to keep pumping them out for ya guys. I have a suggestion...don't make a custom width cabinet so you can buy standard pinball glass at $40 USD instead of what I paid...lol.

[@MandoMike]

@@wayofthewrench I hear that! I just set up my 4 monitors in the other room, yes (4) I added a 720p for a topper to see how that will look and try and figure out how to frame in a 24 inch up top of the backbox. I finally got all my PC parts together, installed windows 10 and baller installer, next is to add tables. Then soon hopefully out to the garage to start on the cab.

[@wayofthewrench]

Cool sounds like your ready to go! I'm not a fan of the topper monitor, maybe it's just me. I'm going to make a TOTAN real topper that will light up the gems in a sword and have it on a pivot so if you don't want to see it while playing other games, you can swing it over the back box. Good luck on your build!

[@bellonwheels726]

I've been waiting for this one! A great video chock full of useful tips like the electrician's tape for the side channels and the use of foam board for back channel placement - brilliant! I did notice that early in the video you said you were using 1/8" glass for the back box and later stated the trim didn't fit the 3/16" back box glass. What thickness did you finally use? Thank you for all your hard work.

[@wayofthewrench]

Happy to help! The back glass is 1/8" and playfield is 3/16" thick. Although when I went to order it, I had to order in mm. Thanks for the support for my channel BellOnWheels!

[@markg9533]

Great video, you mentioned putting foam down by the lock bar in case the glass moves. I used the standard widebody clip at the back and even though it lines up well, it doesn’t seem to do much for keeping the glass from sliding back down if you move the cabinet around. I feel like cabinet movement is inevitable. If you have a shaker or nudge, is the glass supposed to be held in place at all by that back piece that you fabricated? Mine just seems to slide into it, but I would be afraid if I left a lockdown bar off the glass might wiggle its way out :-)

[@wayofthewrench]

Once the glass is in the side plastic rails, it doesn't really move that easy so you don't have to worry about it falling out, especially with the lockdown bar. The back piece is more of a trim piece to hold/support the glass, it is not to grip or stop the glass from moving at all. You will need a lockdown bar or something to prevent the glass from eventually sliding down. Thanks for the watch!

[@danw3735]

I thought you'd want to fix the damaged side rail with your metal working skills, hehe. Mine got bent too, I just tried to bend it back by hand but it still pops out a bit

[@wayofthewrench]

Oh I did or at least as much as I could anyways. I'm just glad it was able to be tucked in under the hinge to hide it. I was seriously choked when I saw that from the shipping. Next time, I'm making those from scratch! Thanks for the watch!

[@TheMrSnipey]

Wow. That glass is expensive. I ordered mine, took 2 hours and cost $80. And I got the edges arrised so I don't cut myself taking it in and out. I did pick it up myself though. Always a nervous trip home. Love your attention to detail.

[@wayofthewrench]

Yeah living in Canada is not cheap, everything is expensive. The glass is waaaay cheaper if you stick to the stock standard size. Thanks for the watch!

[@Chinu306]

Thank you for that Video - do you have the exact measurements for the playfield glas?

[@wayofthewrench]

For my cab design or a widebody or standard? Mine is in the video but the widebody or standard will be on a site like Marcos Specialties. Thanks for the watch!

[@Traivonus]

Great video, I can't wait for the next one!

[@wayofthewrench]

Me neither....lol. I can't wait to play some pinball!

[@douglasdeoliveirasouza1025]

muito bom! aqui no brasil não tem uma serie de videos ensinando a fazer um pimball virtual com qualidade .obrigado

[@wayofthewrench]

Glad you're enjoying the content! Wanna make me famous in Brasil? LOL. Thanks for the watch, cheers from Canada!

[@douglasdeoliveirasouza1025]

@@wayofthewrench Thanks! And congrats on the job!

[@wayofthewrench]

Cheers!

[@patricklawrence8003]

The paint on the backbox glass looks fantastic! I don't think I would have thought of that. I'll begin building my cab in about 2 months so THANK YOU so much for all these great lessons!!! I'm also curious about keeping the side rails a littler further away from the backbox because you're going to have t-molding on that lower, front edge too. Do think you gave yourself enough space?

[@wayofthewrench]

Yeah I knew that it was going to look better but I was pretty amazed at how nice the backbox glass paint looked too. No worries, happy to help ya out. Enjoy the process, it's a lot of fun! I did notice that it was going to hit if I put the side rails right up to the cabinet so I did back them off with my t-molding in mind. Hopefully it was enough. Thanks for the watch and for supporting what I'm doing here on KZbin. Cheers Patrick!

[@maverickwatchreviews]

All of those customer's cars in the background are saying "pay attention to me!"

[@wayofthewrench]

Lol...yeah they get worked on but the cars that are always there are the shop cars that my students learn on. The orange 1967 Parisienne is mine and is definitely feeling neglected these days.....gotta start back on it, maybe I'll make a series for it! Thanks for the watch!

[@softdorothy]

I'm not sure you need to angle the wood where the glass stop affixes to the back of the playfield - I think regular ol' 90 degrees should work. The gap between the top and bottom lips of the channel are more than 3/16" - like they intended the glass to come in at a 10-degree angle or so?

[@wayofthewrench]

When I made this piece I checked this angle and it was necessary and when the glass went in, it fit perfectly. I also used a steel version not the plastic one so that might have made it more required. Thanks for the watch!

[@neilberkeley5469]

Hey I’m not too far behind your build Looking at getting the glass and trim I used your dimensions for the cab I don’t have the bending and welding skills you do Any idea where I can get the playfield rear trim around 25”? Thank you

[@wayofthewrench]

The only part available is a Williams widebody rear glass trim. I had to make mine because I didn't want a gap. You could but two and cut them down to make up the gap but with a seam that would be seen. Hope that helps. Thanks for the watch!

[@neilberkeley5469]

@@wayofthewrench excellent suggestion And two are working out perfectly The gap is acceptable to me Thank you again 👍

[@wayofthewrench]

Awesome!

[@RetroGameSpacko]

So your playfield monitor is not parallel to the glass? I currently planned it to be parallel as I thought that would be naturally the best thing? is it not?

[@wayofthewrench]

It can be either way ut I wanted this to look as authentic as possible so I lowered the monitor and put glass like a real cabinet. Some people do put it flush with the top though. Thanks for the watch!

[@Krondorf.]

Local glazier has suggested laminated glass instead of tempered.. What do you think?

[@wayofthewrench]

I would go with tempered as that's what real pinball cabinets use. Thanks for the watch!

[@antonionakayama2154]

Você é muito bom pra montar um pimbal digital mais pra frente eu quero montar um pra mim

[@wayofthewrench]

Thanks! You should totally build one, they are soooo much fun! Cheers!

[@IlliniDog01]

My only suggestion would be to use Frog Tape or some lesser Painter's Tape instead of the plain tan masking tape for perfect edges and easier removal.

[@wayofthewrench]

I would agree with you on that. However, if you remove masking tape right away, you'll have no issues. If you leave it a couple days....thats a big problem. Cheers!

[@sailingsvzara]

What was the cheapo trim you got from homedepot?

[@wayofthewrench]

plastic u channel at Home Depot. Here is a link www.homedepot.ca/product/ducan-u-channel-dek-master-u-channel-in-beige/1000143702?eid=PS_GO_140203__ALL_PLA-526641&pid=1000143702

[@Leroys_Stuff]

Well you got me to make an arcade now your talking me into a virtual pinball machine well soon

[@wayofthewrench]

LOL...just wait. By the time I'm done with you, you'll have a whole arcade. I'm planning on making a shooter cab and a driving sim for all those games later. Thanks for the watch!

[@shawnroden9361]

i angled my full dmd back a few degrees. i see it better and it doesnt reflect onto the nplayfield

[@wayofthewrench]

Not a bad idea! I need to do a final look at my glass with my leds now....I might need to adjust things like brightness, placement, etc. Thanks for the watch!

[@tattguy690]

@@wayofthewrench I also put my playfield the same angle as my glass and right under just room for the led strips like you used. Makes for a way better view. Thank you for the great videos bro. I’ll be sharing and promoting your videos on my platform :). Hope it gets you tons of views

[@wayofthewrench]

Yeah I can see that cause as you lay the monitor down you start to lose your viewing angle and colors get darker,etc. I laid mine back to make it look more legit. Thanks for sharing the channel tattguy, it is much appreciated as these videos are a ton of work. Cheers!

[@tattguy690]

@@wayofthewrench absolutely! I’ve done all that. This machine is about 6 years into its build ;). I feel your pain. Your rock staring it bro. I watch and share every one :). Hope it serves you well. Cause yours are very good and detailed and not sporadic like others. On point my dude. On point

[@tattguy690]

How and why did KZbin set this to offensive and made me agree not to get mad to continue!

[@armastat]

uh, uh huh, mm-mm ... when that back glass trim piece was too short? just order two and cut it short and weld/glue.etc them together into one piece as long as u need?

[@wayofthewrench]

You can but then you have a seam. I'm pretty picky about the details so I made one from scratch. If you stick to a widebody or standard width, you can just buy the part. I can tell you're hooked now....lol. Enjoy the series!

[@tobsen_coebeatbbq6559]

This is one mistske i do .. have 2 dissembling all parts for fixing the pc 😂

[@wayofthewrench]

Oh yeah? At least fixing the PC isn't an all the time task. Good luck!