What happens in the back of a bowling alley..Open Bowl..

[@dijackson6203]

The sound is beautiful! How does the machine separate the balls from the pins?

[@andynorvell4953]

The ball and pinwheel spin in different directions.. The ball wheel is in front of the pinwheel..there is a lower ball guide that keeps the ball from going into the pinwheel..the ball is pulled up the lift rods by the spinning ball wheel.. I love the sound of these machines.. Thank you for watching.. I have more videos on my channel that show how that happens.. Check out (A/A2 in action) and(A/A2 pin delivery)..

[@dijackson6203]

Thanks I'll take a look!

[@andynorvell4953]

@@dijackson6203 you are welcome..

[@katrinac7446]

Di Jackson j

[@RealistNato]

Danm ur freaky 😂

[@randyporter3491]

I was a pin setter mechanic in my late teens and early 20's, so this is a familiar sound. There's one thing you can count on and that is a failed ball return or deck jam will NEVER happen at the end you are standing !

[@andynorvell4953]

😆 yeah soooo true..

[@robertmiller9207]

There is nothing more soothing than the sound of a perfectly maintained running Brunswick pinsetter. After enough years on them you can diagnose most of the problems simply by listening.

[@yellowlabdavis7170]

Nice and neat tool box! 👍😁

[@andynorvell4953]

Ahh kool thanks.. And thank you for watching Yellow Lab.. Glad you enjoyed the video..

[@theflash5482]

This is crazy for me to see hah. I've been working in a bowling alley for about 5 years now, and I recently got into the mechanic aspect of it, and I now work on our alley's 82-70 machines. This is awesome, are these A2's?

[@2326038]

Who'd a ever thunk it. Here I am sitting watching bowling balls at the back of a bowling alley. Never, ever would I have guess I'd be doing that at anytime. You see, I'm a never was bowler. I just visited because a new friend of mine made this interesting video. Bless his soul.

[@andynorvell4953]

2326038.. I grew up in a bowling alley.. Its kinda ironic now lv been working in bowling alleys for 20yrs.. Thank you for watching..

[@2326038]

@@andynorvell4953 20 years? You don't look much more than a kid yourself Andy. lol Btw==I gather you're an American. Which state do you live in?

[@andynorvell4953]

@@2326038 .. Yes l am American.. I live in Virginia..

[@andynorvell4953]

@@2326038 .. What Country are you in..

[@2326038]

@@andynorvell4953 I'm in Canada Andy. Beautiful British Columbia. City of Vancouver.

[@BriBo24x7]

I used to work at a bowling center in Austin, TX called Showplace Lanes in the late 80’s, which had 52 lanes. The mechanics workshop was past lane 52, and the younger apprentice mechanic (me) always got lanes 1-26 and would either sit behind the lanes during league or have to sprint down when a call came through. The front desk would call out a ball return on lane 1, and you’d haul ass down there, walk back, and when you got back to the shop, they’d call ball return on lane 2. Best job I ever had!!

[@andynorvell4953]

Yeah nothing like a ball on 1..and a blackout on 40..

[@robertmiller9207]

LOL, Westlake Bowl had 52. 2 sides with 26 on each side. 2 shops that were at least close to the middle of the layout. Me, not so lucky.....I grew up at Serra Bowl. 44 lanes in row with 44 beautiful gray Model A Brunswick pinsetters. The shop was actually on the outside wall of the bldg so you had the outside shop door to the parking lot then the inside shop door to get to the machines then 44 in a row. Shop was probably 80 x 15 ran same direction as lanes.

[@Sharkie626]

Cool video! A2 machines with A style lift rods and ball returns? That's pretty unique!

[@andynorvell4953]

Thank you and thank you for watching Sharkie626..

[@TheKurtsPlaceChannel]

Very nicely put together video and very entertaining as well. Thanks for posting this.

[@andynorvell4953]

You are welcome Kurt.. And thank you for watching..

[@andynorvell4953]

If you like machines l have a few more videos like this one..

[@inter_1097]

Very cool. Also very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing

[@andynorvell4953]

Thanks..yes they can be very dangerous..Thank you for watching..

[@njrotcdt417]

Thanks that was cool to watch

[@andynorvell4953]

You are welcome.. Thank you for watching..

[@OrigenalDarkMew]

I would hate to get my hand caught in there... Is there like an emergency shut off switch?

[@andynorvell4953]

Yes there is a shut off switch.. Yes these machines are finger grabbers.. Thank you for watching..

[@TheMoistDonuts]

In a neighboring city close to mine in TX a worker unfortunately got his shirt collar caught/tangled in a faulty pinsetter which ended up strangling him as the machine twisted the collar tighter and tighter.. This was roughly 5 years ago. Rather unfortunate accident

[@andynorvell4953]

Yes a few people have died in pinsetters.. They are powerful machines.. Thanks for watching Joel..

[@PinoyBowlerGS92]

As long as you know what you're doing, know how these pinsetters work and where you can and can't place your hands on, you'll be fine

[@PinoyBowlerGS92]

​@@TheMoistDonuts what pinsetter he died on, AMF, A2 or GS ?

[@theamflitebowler]

So the a2s is deck pin jam while the last lane is gs98 is table pin jam

[@andynorvell4953]

Mr AMF 82-90XL... Yes correct.. With the GS-98..they adopted a lot of AMF terminology.. Also with the A2 they call the spotting tongs scissors..on the GS they are called spotting tongs.. The GS also uses a transport band like the AMF instead of a shaker board..the GS also has a side ball return like AMF..while the A2 uses a spinning ball wheel and a lift rod system.. The GS resembles the AMF in a lot of ways.. But me being an A2 guy l still use a lot of A2 terms when talking bout the GS series.. We have 26 A2 pinsetters and the last 6 lanes are the GS-98 pinspotters.. Thanks for watching Mr AMF 82-90XL.. You are my favorite fan..

[@theamflitebowler]

Andy Norvell why thank you are my most favorite bowler

[@andynorvell4953]

Mr AMF 82-90XL.. Thank you.. Mr. AMF 82-90XL..

[@truthfullytricia934]

I've literally wondered how this works my entire life! 🤯

[@andynorvell4953]

Thats kool.. Thank you for watching.. I have a few more videos like this..showing different parts of the machine..

[@slendermanRblx]

I wonder how that alley ended up with a mix of A2's and GS series pinsetters?

[@andynorvell4953]

We had 6 lanes of duckpin at one time..

[@atomstarfireproductions8695]

@@andynorvell4953 were they freefall duckpin machines or stringed machines?

[@andynorvell4953]

@@atomstarfireproductions8695 ..they were free fall..Thank you for watching Atom..

[@atomstarfireproductions8695]

@@andynorvell4953 cool, have you ever worked on them before? Those are now quite rare, the last one was manufactured in 1975 as the company went out of business, parts are also hard to find.

[@andynorvell4953]

@@atomstarfireproductions8695 ..Yes parts are hard to find..no lv never worked on them..

[@JKnight51480]

Hey Andy, did you have any more 1-80 issues with lane 23 that night ? A friend of Mine who use to work on A-2's for 45 years said alot of the time when pins pile into the 5 chute that it could be due to a bad pin gate .

[@andynorvell4953]

Nope no more 180 stops on that machine..

[@JKnight51480]

that is good !

[@Cosmuh]

That’s a neat preference system. We have a paddle with a spring at my ally. Does that thin sheet of metal really help?

[@Cosmuh]

Referring to the A2s

[@andynorvell4953]

Are you referring to the lower pin guide on the pinwheels.. Thank you for watching Cosmo..

[@Cosmuh]

@@andynorvell4953 I’m referring to the ball return preference so they don’t smack into each other.

[@andynorvell4953]

@@Cosmuh .. Ok l got you.. Yes they work well..but you have to move it back for lite balls..

[@andynorvell4953]

The paddle also acts as a ball break..it slows the ball before entering the Ytrack.. If the ball is moving to fast it may bounce around in Ytrack and cause nicks on ball surface..

[@cutegirluwu5671]

What place is it at

[@andynorvell4953]

A Virginia bowling alley..

[@andynorvell4953]

And thank you for taking time to watching my video Cutegirluwu..l always thank people who watch and comment..sorry its belated..

[@alipilio6638]

i love this

[@andynorvell4953]

Sweet 😀❤😀 Thanks. Glad u like it. Hope ya didn't mind the heart. I have a few other videos and music I like posted. What do you do at ur day care.

[@alipilio6638]

play with the kids naps trips swiming

[@andynorvell4953]

Kool. Do you like it. Tending to children can be a tough job.

[@shueevon]

Where's the cover for the electrical box??

[@andynorvell4953]

They have been off for years.. Not sure lv ever worked in a bowling alley that used them..

[@shueevon]

@@andynorvell4953 Every place I worked had covers. Seeing the wiring hanging down like that just struck me as odd. Speaking of odd, I have never seen AMF and Brunswick machines in the same center either.

[@andynorvell4953]

The last 6 are Bruns GS-98 machines..

[@shueevon]

@@andynorvell4953 My mistake. I never actually saw an AMF machine from the back, and I never heard of a Brunswick GS-98. I've been away from the game for a while.

[@frederickmattson1968]

Brunswick machines

[@andynorvell4953]

Yes..the first 26 are A/A2. The last 6 are GS-98s..

[@andynorvell4953]

Thank you for watching..

[@Wookie8662]

No ball preference rods.

[@andynorvell4953]

Nope.. We removed them.. They dont work too well with 6lb balls.. I like preference rods.. The Straight A had a better design than the A2..

[@cjhwngtkt6337]

That is a Brunswick machine. My first job was being a pinchasser. Best time in my life as a teenager.

[@andynorvell4953]

Yeah l bet.. I love the back of a bowling alley.. Tho it has its days..

[@jeremyjennings1875]

A pinch asser?!?!? 🙈😂🙈😂🙈😬

[@CarwashReviewsFlorida]

I liked watching you handle the calls!! I can't wait to do that when I turn 18.

[@andynorvell4953]

Hello Carwash.. I loved it when l started.. Sometimes calls can come hot and fast..and machines can drive you crazy.. Thank you for watching..

[@earthy1175]

Never seen a house with A2s and GS-xs that’s kinda cool coming from a amf 82-70 mechanic

[@andynorvell4953]

Thank you for watching Earthy..

[@andynorvell4953]

AMF 82-70 is a very good machine..

[@janisgore8393]

Worked for Bowl America in the 70.s..We had old Brunswick Jet back machines that were made in Germany by Otis elevator..they were converted to A-2.s !! They had serial numbers below 500..them muthas ran like a fine watch after millions of cycles!!

[@andynorvell4953]

Yup they are well built machines.. Cant say the same for the GS series machines.. Thank you for watching Janis..

[@pony053]

I see a few GSX machines down on one end....I know Brunswick guys hate AMF and vice versa, but these sound like a bucket of bolts. maybe it's just the microphone they used. Thanks for the "backroom peek."

[@andynorvell4953]

The GS machines you see are GS-98s.. And the A/A2s are have metal pinwheels..so they glang and bang more especially the ones with no sound dampeners on the pinwheels.. You are welcome..thanks for watching..

[@robertmiller9207]

@@andynorvell4953 yea sometimes those dampener cords would stretch and fall off. They were a pain to glue them back on so we would cut rectangular pieces of old shaker carpet and glue on the pin wheel pockets. Worked great.

[@ThinkCleverAndSmart]

You got the perfect setup with both A2s and GS-Xs! :D

[@andynorvell4953]

ThinkCleverAndSmart. Actually they are GS-98s. We have a 32 lane house and the last 6 are GS machines.

[@ThinkCleverAndSmart]

Oh, 98s! Those are quite rare as far as I know! I haven't ever seen any in real life, the closest I have ever come to see a gs machine older than the GS-X would be a GS-10. :)

[@ThinkCleverAndSmart]

Andy Norvell couldn't see it actually...

[@andynorvell4953]

It was jst a quick veiw I didnt notice it my self until I watched it. You can see it when I turned 23 back on they time out sometimes after a deck jam.

[@ThinkCleverAndSmart]

Andy Norvell Oh, I saw it now, however, it's hard to see what it is.

[@bmhedgehog2]

never seen a mixed house like that. Mostly A/A-2s and a few GSs

[@andynorvell4953]

This is first mixed house lv worked in.. I like the A/A2s better..

[@andynorvell4953]

Thank you for watching..

[@legalizeweed3830]

I grew up at my local bowling alley. I was in the back learning the machines by the time I was 10 years old. The mechanic taught me pretty much everything.

[@andynorvell4953]

Thank you for watching..

[@robertmiller9207]

Same here.....

[@Demonmixer]

That's quite interesting. Those machines look like something from Victorian times.

[@andynorvell4953]

Demonmixer. Guess they do. These machines were made available in 1952. It always reminded me of the big dryers in a laundromat. Thanks for watching . 😀.

[@yeremiapatuan4877]

Those machines and tools!

[@andynorvell4953]

Yeremia Patuan.. Yes.. Its basically a wall of machines bout a 100 meters long.. And that is my tool cabinet I like having my own tools I kno where everything is at.. The first 26 machines are the (50s) model A/A2 and the last 6 are (GS-98s).. I like the old ones and the way they sound.. Thanks for watching Yeremia glad you like my videos..

[@yeremiapatuan4877]

Andy Norvell : Yeah, I too prefer 1950's versions than late 1990's ones. Those are sounding differently, though they're quite noisy.

[@andynorvell4953]

Yeremia Patuan.. Yes they are also noisy its a different kinda noise tho.. I kinda like the clang of the steel of the old ones.. Most of the noise on the newer machines comes from the pins themselves or the transport band..

[@prestoncheapbtheadphoneste3010]

That’s fir, employees only , sir! 😕😐

[@andynorvell4953]

Im an employee.. Im.a mechanic.. Thank you for watching..

[@sco3putt]

How many pins per lane?

[@andynorvell4953]

20 pins in the A/A2 and 22 pins in the GS-98s.. Thank you for watching..

[@donbuttaccio4464]

UGH - you walked by that pin in the floor twice - pick it up and toss it back in the machine! How do you not do that?