Repair or replace rubber grommets

[Matt Berry]

Is there a way to repair the rubber grommets in the old wico joysticks. I have a bunch of gromets that have a few cracks in them, and only one looks damaged beyond repair. I want to keep these in good useable condition. Are there any places that sell new ones, or maybe an easy way to make your own?

[SaiNRuB]

I wish that was the case to buddy, but unfortunately I dont think that possible to to fuse those tears back. Youve got to scavenge for those parts like MAD MAX beyond Thunderdome style. I ended up stripping parts from crappy condition Wico joys i got from ebay and using those. Same for the leaf switches also, those dont have replacements for those either. Remeber to scavenge that stuff, it will come in handy most definitely if your preference is to use WICO joys for your cab.

[patrickl]

I've seen them sold on several sites. For instance on http://www.arcadegames.com/parts.html At $30 a piece you're probably better of buying some NOS wico's (with grommet) from ebay.

[RayB]

Cheap grommets may be had by buying a used Wico "Command Control" joystick. Ebay has dozens of them at any given time. The red and black ones have grommets that I think are exactly like the arcade version. Since these kinds of sticks were usually played with by one person, and hand-held, I doubt they wore down the same as publice arcade game joys did.

By the way, $5 is a fair average price for these. Ignore those jerks who think they are worth $20-$30.

[Grasshopper]

Didn't someone say (Paige Oliver?) that the grommets could be replaced by springs? That might be a cheaper and more durable solution if it's possible.

[Kremmit]

The spring-swap thing works like this:

There are Wicos with grommets inside, and there are Wicos with springs inside.  If I remember correctly, he ones with springs inside have additional parts as well.  So, youu could swap all the guts from a spring stick over into a grommet stick body, as the plastic shell and handle are the same either way.  But you need all the parts to do it, so unless you've got a spring stick with a broken body, what's the point?

What you've probably seen Paige O talking about is replacing the spring that comes inside a spring-based Wico with a Happ Heavy-Duty spring from a p360, to give the stick a better feel.

Also, I though RayB said the grommet inside a Command Control stick was smaller than the one inside a regualr arcade Wico?  Same inner diameter, of course, but different outer diameter.  Maybe I'm mistaken here, though.

Edit: just checked out the post I was thinking of, and RayB says the grommet is the same, it's the leaf switches inside that are different.  So nevermind.

[spidermonkey]

Yes they can be replaced with springs providing you have the other parts that need to be replaced along with the spring but it completely ruins the feel of the stick.I have a few of the earlier spring based Wico 8-way sticks and if I ever use them I'll be switching the springs to grommets. I recently scored two "Command Control" sticks that were for an Atari 2600. The grommets inside them were like new. I put them into a couple of my regular arcade grade classic Wico's and they feel like new again. As far as I know Arcade Games.com only sells grommets for the old Midway Pac Man style leaf joys. I don't think anyone has reproduced the Wico grommets yet. Don't know why because there's certainely a need for them. As far as the Midway grommets go,they can be had for around $14.00 + shipping on Ebay which is about half as much as the crooks at "Arcade Games.com" is asking for them. Trolling the console section for Wico Command Control sticks on Ebay is the way to go.

[spidermonkey]

Doh ! Kremmit sneaked in a post while I was typing. Oh well,anyways.. ditto of what he said...

[RayB]

By the way, Command Control joys are so common, your local thrift stores should occasionally have them.

[Dave_K.]

I had gotten a set of grommets (for my Robtron cab) from TNT Amusements awhile back off ebay.  Really nice guy/owner, he sent me free ones when I complained that the original pair I bought were of different types (one felt a lot newer/stiffer than the other).

Anyway, I think the key to making them last longer is using a lot of automotive grease so they don't dry up and crack/split.

[Kremmit]

Dave K.-

I thought about "greasing my grommets", too.  (is it just me, or does that sound nasty?)

I was worried that the oil might seep into the rubber, and soften it over time.  What kind of grease are you using, and how long has it been on there? 

Anybody know anything about greasing rubber?  (oops, nasty again.)

[Stormy151]

If you're going to lube them, silicone gel would probably be the way to go.  Anything petroleum based will degrade the rubber over time.