How to Replace Pinball Rubbers: Slings, Flippers and Posts

Why new rubbers are one of the easiest fixes on a pinball machine

Rubber rings are the soft parts of a pinball playfield. They sit around posts, wrap the slingshot kickers, tip the flippers and cushion the ball at rebound points. Every shot touches some of them, and PU-Parts counts them among a pinball machine's most important wear parts. Home Pinball Repair notes that aging rings lose their bounce and the game gets slower, and it calls new rings one of the easiest ways to make a game play like new again.

This guide is built from published sources: Stern's own manual language, Home Pinball Repair's rubber-ring page and PU-Parts' rubber-ring guide, all checked October 2026. It covers how to spot worn rubber, how to find the right sizes, how to choose between materials and colors, and a safe order of work. The full list of care supplies lives in a separate post, what a playfield maintenance kit needs, so this piece sticks to the rubber job itself.

Signs your rubbers need replacing

Look and feel for these:

• Cracks or brittle areas. PU-Parts' rubber-ring guide says rings should be replaced "when they show cracks, brittle areas, hardening." A ring that has gone stiff and glassy will not return energy to the ball.
• Hardened, flattened or deformed rings. PU-Parts also lists deformation and loss of elasticity as warning signs. A ring with a permanent dent where the slingshot arm strikes it is finished.
• Dirt and grime. White rings pick up playfield dirt quickly, and Home Pinball Repair notes they can also break.
• Black marks on the playfield. Streaks and smudges around posts often come from the rubber itself. Home Pinball Repair is blunt about black rings in particular: "We do not recommend black rubber rings because they shed the black color and the playfield gets dirty."
• Slow slingshots and dead rebounds. If the ball barely leaves a sling, or rebounds feel mushy compared with how the machine played when you first got it, tired rubber is the first suspect.
• Worn flipper rubbers. A flipper rubber with a groove worn across the striking face, or one that has gone hard, is due; PU-Parts notes that even slightly hardened or worn rubber can alter the ball's path.

If several of these show up at once, replace the whole set rather than one ring at a time. PU-Parts notes that replacing all rings together helps keep rebound consistent across the playfield, and it saves you from opening the machine again next month.

Find the right sizes before you buy anything

Rubber rings are not one-size parts. PU-Parts says rubber rings come in different diameters and material thicknesses, and that measuring the outside diameter of an old ring alone "may not identify the correct replacement." Its guidance is to use the original specified size or model-specific parts information.

In practice there are three reliable routes:

1. The machine's manual parts list. Home Pinball Repair notes that newer games' manuals have a page listing the rubber parts and their locations, though it warns their accuracy is spotty. Stern's Jurassic Park manual, for example, has a playfield rubber parts page with a numbered diagram and size table. Stern hosts current manuals on its own site.
2. A title-specific kit. PU-Parts calls a model-specific rubber kit "a practical option for a complete service." Retailers build these per game so you do not have to decode the parts list.
3. Checking the old part. Measuring an old ring can narrow the search, but confirm it against a parts list.

Do not guess a size from a photo.

What the rubber ring kit listing actually is

The Amazon listing behind the kit link below is titled "Game Room Guys Gottlieb Big Hit Pinball White Rubber Ring Kit" (checked October 2026). That makes it a title-specific kit for one Gottlieb game, not a universal assortment. The listing says each kit is built for a specific pinball machine, and its description says the kits include rings for the playfield, flippers, rebound and ball shooter plus post sleeves, but not post caps, a ring placement chart or the rings that sit below the playfield. It also notes the product photo shows a universal kit, so do not judge fit from the picture. If you own a Big Hit, it is a natural starting point. If you own anything else, use it as an example of how title-specific kits are named and look for the kit built for your own game. Either way, see the pinball rubber ring kit on Amazon to read the full contents before ordering, and compare them against your manual's parts list.

Home Pinball Repair notes that many ring kits leave out post sleeves, rebound or end-of-ramp rubbers, so check what you need against what any kit lists.

White, black, colored, silicone or natural rubber

The choices come down to material and color, and the published advice is more nuanced than a simple ranking.

PU-Parts lists rings in black, blue, clear, green, orange, purple, red, white and yellow, and does not claim that color changes performance. Treat color as a cosmetic choice, and make the material choice on feel. PU-Parts does not rank silicone above rubber or the reverse; it says the preferred material depends on the gameplay you want.

No source used here gives a lifespan that holds across machines, so be skeptical of any promised lifetime. PU-Parts says rings age through exposure to oxygen, heat, light, dirt and constant mechanical stress, and those vary from game to game.

Tools and supplies

Home Pinball Repair's rubber-ring page mentions only a few tools and supplies:

• Your rubber ring kit, or the individual parts
• Needle-nose pliers
• A microfiber cloth
• A parts holder, such as a muffin tin, for nuts and screws
• Optional: Novus 2 for cleaning, wax, new post nuts or plastic posts

You will also want a phone for photographs and a small flashlight. A playfield cleaning and wax kit is the sensible companion purchase, because the playfield is as exposed as it will ever be during this job.

Before you touch anything: power and safety

Stern's published manual warnings are clear on one point. In the Jurassic Park Pin manual on Stern's site (checked October 2026), the safety text reads: "Always disconnect the line voltage before servicing. Some parts may remain energized when unplugged." Treat that as the rule for any playfield work: switch the machine off and unplug it from the wall before you open the cabinet or lift anything.

Home Pinball Repair's rubber-ring page does not include power-off steps, so rely on the manufacturer's manual for your own game. That is why step 1 below starts by powering down and unplugging.

Two more cautions come from Home Pinball Repair's cabinet guide: remove the pinballs before tilting up the playfield, "to prevent damage to the playfield or the backglass," and make sure the playfield is properly supported when it is raised.

Step-by-step: re-rubbering a playfield

1. Prepare the machine

Power the machine down and unplug it. Remove the glass and set it somewhere safe where it cannot be knocked over. Take the balls out. Read the manual's parts list so you know every rubber location, because some sit under plastics and some ride on posts you cannot see from above.

2. Photograph everything

Before removing a single nut, photograph the playfield from above and then each area up close: slingshots, bumper areas, flipper bats, every post with a ring. Photographs show which ring goes where and how plastics and switches sit.

3. Work one post at a time

Replace one ring, check it against the photograph, then move to the next. If you need to remove a plastic, set its nuts in a muffin tin or labeled cup in the order they came off.

On games without ramps, Home Pinball Repair's procedure is to remove the nuts holding the plastic above the rubber, replace the ring, then reinstall the plastic. If a post pulls out with the nut, hold it in place with needle-nose pliers under the plastic. Snug the nuts back down without forcing them; Home Pinball Repair notes that nylon post nuts get dirty and strip their threads, and suggests keeping spares on hand.

4. Slingshot rubbers

Slingshots take repeated hits, so treat them carefully. Unscrew the plastic over the slingshot, lift it clear and slip the old ring off its posts. Check the post grooves with a fingertip for rough or sharp edges before fitting the new ring. Seat the new ring on the posts, working it around so the tension is even, and make sure the slingshot leaf switch still sits properly next to the new ring. Adjust any leaf switch that touches the new ring.

5. Flipper rubbers

Home Pinball Repair's advice on flippers is a single line: "Replace it. There are standard rubber as well as silicon." Slide the old rubber off the bat, then slide the new one on. Make sure it is seated fully and that the flipper still moves freely through its whole stroke.

6. Posts, sleeves and shooter tip

While the plastics are off, look at the rest. Home Pinball Repair lists post sleeves, posts and shooter tips as parts that may also need replacing. It warns that a missing shooter tip is dangerous because the metal shooter hits the metal ball. Check the plunger tip before you close up.

7. Games with ramps or upper playfields

Some games cannot be re-rubbered from above. Home Pinball Repair says the work is harder on these and that some rings may require removing ramps, and it recommends lifting the playfield out. That involves tracing and labeling every connector and unplugging each wire from the harness, and in the page's words the removal "almost always requires two people." If your manual shows a rubber you cannot reach, read the manual's playfield-removal steps in full before starting, and consider whether the job is worth a technician.

Clean the playfield while it is bare

Once the plastics are off and the old rubbers are out, the playfield is as accessible as it will get. PU-Parts' workshop advice is to "thoroughly clean the posts and playfield areas before installing new rubber rings," noting that dirt buildup can shorten a new ring's life and affect bounce. Wipe the posts and the surrounding wood with a microfiber cloth.

For the full routine, including which products suit which clearcoat, follow the cleaning and waxing walkthrough. Home Pinball Repair suggests cleaning up old wax and grit, and waxing, while the playfield is exposed. Buying supplies for that step? Check the current price on Amazon for the cleaning and wax kit.

What not to do

• Do not work with the machine plugged in. See the Stern warning above.
• Do not guess sizes. Confirm every ring against the manual or a title-specific kit.
• Do not force the nuts. Nylon post nuts can strip; keep spares on hand.
• Do not lift a playfield alone on a game with ramps or heavy assemblies; Home Pinball Repair says removal "almost always requires two people."
• Do not skip the flipper rubbers. Home Pinball Repair's advice for a worn flipper rubber is simply to replace it.
• Do not ignore the flippers themselves. If a flipper feels weak or sloppy after new rubber, the wear is deeper than the rubber; see flipper rebuild signs and parts.

After the job

Reinstall the plastics, check that every leaf switch still registers, replace the glass and plug the machine back in. Play a few balls and watch slingshot action and rebounds. If the room is part of a larger home setup, setting up a home pinball game room covers the space around the machine. If you want a machine-adjacent keepsake, you can browse the shop for the site's own apparel, stickers and posters.

FAQ

How often should pinball rubbers be replaced? There is no single interval in the sources used here. PU-Parts says rings should be replaced when they show cracks, brittle areas or hardening, so inspect them regularly and replace on condition rather than the calendar.

Can I use any rubber ring kit on any machine? No. PU-Parts says rings come in different diameters and thicknesses, and the kit in this guide's listing is named for a specific Gottlieb title. Match the kit to your game and check it against your manual's parts list.

Are black rubber rings a bad idea? Home Pinball Repair says it does not recommend them because they shed color and dirty the playfield. White and colored silicone are the other routes, depending on the feel you want.

Do I have to lift the playfield? Not on every game. Home Pinball Repair describes simpler jobs on games without ramps, where you work from the top after removing plastics. Ramp and upper-playfield games can require removing ramps or the playfield itself.

Should I unplug the machine first? Yes. Stern's manual says to always disconnect the line voltage before servicing and notes that some parts may remain energized when unplugged. Check your own game's manual for its specific instructions.