Pinball Update: DIY Joker Face Sticker

When I began the Royal Flush pinball project I was pretty intimidated by what was on the inside of the machine, so the first "fix" I did was cosmetic. It's a simple repair, but I think the process is pretty versatile, and I bet I use this trick again.

Many of the light inserts on my Royal Flush's playfield have a joker face on them.

But this one doesn't have one.

I went online to see if someone sells replacement inserts, but I didn't have any luck. I googled "DIY clear stickers", and found instructions for making custom stickers. The best part was I had all the materials at home. The steps are pretty simple, and I'll put the link to them at the bottom of this post.

 I found this picture on the Royal Flush page in the Internet Pinball Machine Database.

I printed it at 30 percent of its original size on a laser printer, and I covered the face with clear packing tape. I then roughly cut out the joker face. Next, I put the face in a dish full of water and let it soak for a few minutes. When the paper is thoroughly wet, you can use your finger to rub the paper off of the tape. The toner will stick to the tape, and when the tape dries the bottom surface will be sticky again.

After the tape dried, I neatly cut out the face and applied it to the insert.

During the past six weeks I've rolled the pinball over this sticker hundreds of times, and it doesn't show any sign of peeling. Until I find a suitable replacement, this will work fine.

I think it will be really fun for Charlotte and I to design some custom stickers for her school supplies!

Thanks to AndelDOA who posted the instructions to this idea here: link.