Keeping things rolling at a bowling alley

On weekends, you can find Sonny DiPerri in the "guts" of the Kings bowling alley in Back Bay, keeping the machinery working. (Evan Richman/Globe Staff)

Sonny DiPerri, 22, is not the type you'd expect to find hanging around a bowling alley. DiPerri, a Berklee College of Music student, is a former three-sport varsity athlete and a hip musician who has composed music for independent films.

But DiPerri moonlights as a bowling alley mechanic at Kings Bowling and Billiards in Back Bay, where he spends his weekend in the "guts" of the bowling center, maintaining the complex machinery for the pinsetters, ball lifts and hoods, lanes, and gutters. Turns out, the seemingly simple bowling machine operation that the public sees is actually a series of chains, sprockets, bearings, and shafts, hardware that DiPerri helps maintain.

How did you get your job as a bowling alley mechanic? I like to work with my hands and have good problem-solving skills - I tinker with bikes, do carpentry, and build drums from scratch. So this job was a natural for me. Another bowling alley mechanic that I work with is a former auto mechanic. This job is perfect for the mechanically inclined.

So tell us: Just how does a bowling pin get jammed? There are lots of different ways. Usually this happens when the pins are being loaded. They fall off the distributor and get loaded backwards. Sometimes it's the way people bowl - the pins fly off and get stuck somewhere.

How often does this happen ?

It varies depending on the weather, since the machines are weather-responsive. When the seasons change, the pins can swell and shrink. It can occur five times or 20-30 times a night.

Kings is a former movie theater. Where did the bowling machines come from?

We have used machines with mismatched parts - I call them Frankenstein machines. They were shipped to us from all over the country, including four from Japan, I think.

Where do you keep your tools, oil, and hardware? Obviously they're not next to the snack counter.

We have a mechanic's lounge, a small work area in the guts of the bowling alley. That's where I spend most of my shift. It's quieter back there than the noisy crowd in the front.

Speaking of noise, isn't that an occupational hazard? Definitely. I have to wear ear plugs because the sound of the balls hitting the pins is so loud all the time.

And the other hazards, isn't it kind of dangerous back there with all the moving parts?

Definitely. You could lose your life. There are no sensors on the machine to stop anything. I need to unplug everything and turn it off. You also need to make sure no one throws a ball while you're at the back of the alley. I've reached into the machine and thought it was off and gotten pushed around. I have bruises and cuts. It's all part of the job.

According to PayScale.com, the hourly rate for a bowling alley mechanic with 20 or more years of experience is $13.88. What do you make, and do you think this job qualifies as a "profession?"

I think it's an absolute profession and you could make a career out of this. Bowling alley mechanics can make even more than $13.88 an hour, depending on the area. Here, I make close to that.

Do you get to bowl free as part of your job?

Yes. After making an adjustment, there's no better way to test them than to throw a ball to make sure that things are working properly. My game has improved from 110 to 202.