J-Stik ball-tops..

[jfunk]

Ok, a couple of questions.. 

I've searched but must be searching on the wrong terms or something.  I thought for SURE I'd seen this answered, but can't find it...

We just built my little brother a 4-player cabinet/cp..  And we used J-Stiks ball-tops.  The sticks are GREAT.  Couldn't be happier except for one minor problem.  The balls keep coming loose as we play!  Seems like between every round of MvC we're tightening the tops again..  Has anyone else experienced this?  We don't want to glue the tops on, but it becomes annoying after a bit...  Do they just need to be REALLY tightened?  Some kind of "lock-tight"..?  Any help would be appreciated..

Second, was looking at changing the red ball-tops out for something that matches a bit more.  Since the J-Stik is made by Sanwa, are the ball-tops interchangeable with the other Sanwa sticks?  Like the ones from Himura?

http://www.himuragames.com/store_joyacc.php

Thanx, all!!

[stevodevo]

I have the same problem...I ended up just tightening them down real tight like you described!  I held the top and put a rag around the stick then used a wrench on the stick to tighten it up... that holds for a while but if I play fighting games for an extended period of time (killer instinct!) it can sometimes work its way loose again...

Good luck!  I know what you mean about the glue thing...someday you might actually want to take the ball off!

[wakerlet]

I ordered a blue ball top replacement for my j-stick from Himura and it works great.

-Todd

[jfunk]

I ordered a blue ball top replacement for my j-stick from Himura and it works great.

How much was shipping?  Reasonable?

THANX!

[jfunk]

From Andy@Ultimarc:

> We use Locktite 222 thread lock. This is the proper stuff to
> use. But if you
> use a weak epoxy this should also be OK. There is a
> screwdriver slot in the
> bottom of the shaft, so you can turn the top and hold the
> shaft, tightening
> it as much as possible might help.
>
> Andy

Guess I should've just gone to the source, first!    Hope this helps others, too 

[Minwah]

I used a screwdriver on the bottom of the shaft as described, but used one of those rubber 'get the lids off jam jars' thingies on the balltop.  Since I did that I've never had the balls come loose, but you can still remove them if neccessary

[jelwell]

Locktite works miracles on my j-stick ball tops. It's a pain to take the balls off once you apply locktite, so make sure you're *done* before you apply it. Note: that it can be done, just get the fattest, widest screwdriver that will still fit in the shaft and grab the ball with some cloth (to avoid scratching) and turn!

Joseph Elwell.