I only wax the wood and novus 1 the plastics. Then throw in some new shiny balls.

Pretty much anything that sees ball travel (playfield, ramps, ball guides, etc)

I stopped waxing years ago. The pain around the biscuits was just too much to take any longer.

Never wax on 15 route machines. Never had an issue.

I use wax but some argue just wiping with a rag & Naphtha is quick & easy. I’ve tried it and it is a lot easier of course but to me the wax protects. There was long threads written about this subject.

Naphtha is a solvent and offers no protection. It is also good at removing certain materials, such as wax. For a playfield that has already been previously waxed, novus 1 can clean a surface without removing too much of the wax. Then once you've done your pass with novus, you can apply the wax to the areas that need it. Note that wax does not "layer", so trying to apply multiple layers of wax is just a waste and you still end up with just one layer.

Yes, the point of the wax is to add a layer of protection and help fill in any small scratches, gaps, or holes in a surface that would otherwise start developing wear.

Also, a lot of the time, the ball slides, glides, skids, and drags, rather than rolls. Yes, the ball spins, but the spin of the ball does not propel it like a soccer ball, and even sometimes doesn't even go in the same direction that the ball is traveling. The speed of the ball sliding around exceeds the spin, more like a hockey puck. This effect can better be observed with some of those custom balls that have patterns or symbols on them.

Anyway, any time you have something rubbing against something else (in this case, a metal ball against a playfield), lubrication helps to prevent materials from wearing down.

A harder surface (clear coating) helps prevent the paint from wearing down, but you still eventually get ball trails (a form of wear), since the surface is still less hard than a steel ball.

So based on this, should i be waxing my new Getaway playfield before doing the swap even though it is new and has a new clearcoat?

keep the wax away from plastic star posts

I wax all new playfields before doing a swap. It's just easier to get a good coat of wax on an unpopulated playfield. Don't wax if you're putting on a playfield protector.

With fresh paint or even clear, most detailers will not recommend a wax coating for at least 8 weeks after painting. (Generally).

Let the clear coat cure for the recommended amount of time, but after that yes, wax on

Nothing worse to look at than wax crud on starposts !

Whats the average recommended time ? I figure the clear has been curing for about a month and im planning on starting the swap soon taking my time and spending about a month on getting the swap done.

There is a Pinsider that has stated he even waxes the cabinet. Not sure which game it was, certainly would not recommending wax over any decals on the cabinet, or back box.

No more waxing for us. We use playfield protectors.

In my experience waxing also makes the game considerably faster.

I put two coats of carnauba wax on my TZ and it changed it dramatically. Suddenly the ball traveled what seemed to be at least 25% faster. Some shots and post rebounds are like bullets. I can't get close to my previous high scores (which weren't great to begin with to be honest)

Worth doing for the protection and longevity aspect, but it does also change the dynamics from what you might be used to.

That's funny right there.

i don't wax any playfield that has clear coat or over any mylar, just an occasional light coat on exposed paint or wood. and i certainly don't wax ramps or any surface that the ball does not travel over.

that being said, i have 10+ games on location at any one time (system 11 to new Sterns) and no problems related to PF wear (that could be solved by waxing, anyway.)

Agree 100%. I have a freshly waxed BSD and it is nuts. I had to shallow it out just a hair to get it back to where I felt it was playing before.

I don't wax as much as some, but I change balls often and really keep my playfield clean, including frequent mini-swiffer use. I have yet to notice any ill effects. YMMV of course.

I wax the playfield but quit waxing the ramps because it makes them so slick that the ball will fly off of them sometimes. When you wax a playfield though the game will play lightning fast until the wax wears off. I use novus 1 on the plastics.

I’m all about wax. I like it when my games play fast and hard. As the playfield(s) dull it’s just not as fun (for me).

I say wax anything that can make the game play as close to NIB as possible.

I was told years ago like 25 years ago ; not to apply wax to plastic ramps as it would build up or dry them out to be honest I can not remember the exact reason I was told just (do not do it) . I have never applied wax to plastic ramps ever . I would use only 'Novus # 2' and or Novus #1' . Now this original advise came from a long time pinball tech. Back in those days the
(distributors) sold . Millwax and Wild Cat I found Novus #1 #2 0n my own . So maybe that is why the advise was given to me as I stopped using Millwax years ago and never used Wild Cat . I still am under the mind set to only use a Carnauba wax base with out any polishers on playfield it is very hard to find "BLITZ" is out of production I think. And Novus which is designed for plastic #1 or #2 on Plastic Ramps . I not inclined to change however ForceFlow is well informed and I really am wondering about his statement on waxing plastic ramps. Informed feed back would be great.

You shouldn’t use Novus 2 on plastic either, only Novus 1

just wax the wood, no need to wax the ramps. you can wax the cabinet too if its not decaled.

Even INDY waxs his balls !
Just got to do the playfield first

On a serious note, Wax attracts too much crap

Novus for playfield
Plexus for plastics http://www.plexusplasticcleaner.com/about.html

indy (resized).png

Novus 2 is perfect for plastic polishing and removing fine scratches. It's actually better to use it on plastics than painted surfaces. Novus 1 is nothing, and neither is good for older playfields. Buy cheap Naptha instead.

I would just be afraid that Novus 2 might be too abrasive and novus 1 does just fine anyway. Now if you are talking ramps that are old and in bad shape then i dont know what to use there. Truthfully i would say Plexus would be best for plastics that are in good shape That is a pretty amazing plastic cleaner.

There's only so much you can do with Novus 2, once the scratches are too deep for that or the ramps are in bad shape, it's probably time for flame polishing. If you are crazy frequently polishing your playfield all the time, I'd avoid the Novus 2, but can go all day polishing a ramp with it.

When I shopped my White Water, I also waxed the ramps. With a shot to the whirlpool, the ball would roll around the whirlpool ramp so long, the sound would time out, and the game would think the ball got stuck. Eventually, when the wax started to wear off, the ball would take a much more reasonable time to empty under the playfield.

The wax definitely provided a smooth barrier between the ramp and the ball (as those ramps were pretty worn), so I've been doing it ever since. Can't hurt, and it only takes a little extra time to do.

I wax the playfields once a year, on average.
The ramps will get novus 2 then 1. Whoever said Novus isn't right for plastic is incorrect. It is specifically designed to polish plastic. It is what it was designed for, and the specific reason it is an abrasive - it uses fine abrasives (small scratches) to take out deeper scratches. Deeper scratches require more abrasives (Novus 3) working backwards to Novus 1

Yes I agree, but it's easy to get the wax out. I use an old toothbrush (dry) to clean those ridges of the posts. Easy peasy.

Quick tip: Put a piece of removable painters tape around the star posts to prevent the wax from getting on them. The extra couple of minutes will save you some time for the whole job.

If I have a playfield stripped, I'll wax all of it. Otherwise, I'll wax whatever open area is accessible on the pf. I've also waxed playfield protectors, I think they recommend it.

I don't wax the balls or ramps.

I don't wax anything and I never will, but I'm dealing with freshly cleared playfields.

There.

I said it.

I like Wizards Mist-N-Shine. No residue.

CPR recommends 30-45 days for their playfields.

http://www.classicplayfields.com/guides.html

Petroleum-based wax will wreck plastics. Carnauba wax does not harm anything.

Millwax contains petroleum solvents and silicone--so it's not really a wax.

Blitz wax can still be found at a handful of car-related shops: https://store.carcareonline.com/onegrandblitzcarnaubawax-15ozcan.aspx

I think they just just scaled down production and stopped selling with amazon and whatnot.

Novus 2 is abrasive and shouldn't be used just for general cleaning.

I wonder if it's just spray-on silicone. The MSDS sheets don't contain any ingredients, unfortunately.

[edit]: well, it says "contains no wax, silicone or petroleum solvents", so I really wonder what's in that stuff.

Another option is Wizards Mist N Shine. That will get your ball moving!

I am quite hairy so legs, chest, back, bal... oh wait. different question entirely...

Just sell a game or 2 and get the laser. You won't regret it.

Wax on, wax off!

I change the balls out once a year.

I use Novus 1 on the playfield & plastics. Any stubborn areas, I'll use rubbing alcohol.

I never wax.

At least every 3 months, I'll take the glass off and do a quick wipe down on everything I can easily reach. I feel that if I keep the machines as clean as possible, then the hard to reach areas will stay as clean as possible too.

Nope. Just use Novus 1 lightly on all to be safe. I certainly don't use any form of wax on the ramps
in particular. The ramps will just yellow and crack over time. These new ramps these days can't be
any better in quality than they were before.

With products that contain petroleum. If you use a wax without that, then your plastics will be fine.

After-market ramps are made with PETG plastic. It's much more durable. I'm not quite sure what plastic is currently being used on games coming out of the factories.

I do it maybe once a year. Even then I'm not going to tear the whole playfield down just to wax. I don't know of any good way to do it where it doesn't get everywhere - on all the posts, in all the switch slots, on the wood sides, etc. Looks great when you get everything clean and waxed but ball travels so fast game is unplayable. After a few dozen plays things go back to normal and I assume the wax does not last that long. For all the effort and mess I don't think it's worth much. A lot of games from 20+ years ago still look great after being routed and played thousands of times with only basic maintenance. Keeping good balls in the machine and a wipe down now should work fine in a home environment.

Know your solvents, cleaners, and waxes and the differences between them and what they do.
Know which solvents and cleaners react to different types of playfield coatings meaning Tuffcoat, pure lacquer, clear coat, or varathane equivalencies.
Know which solvents and cleaners react with plated and galvanized coatings on metal.
Know your applicator pads as well, whether terry cloth, brillo pads, steel wool, sanding pads, fiberglass pens, chamois, sponges, or Scotch Brites, as they all have their purpose. Scrotch brites come in different abrasive levels as well.

Solvents are always cleaners in some type of form.
Cleaners are not always solvents in their pure form, but is based on their chemical composition AKA "harshness".
Waxes are not cleaners by nature, unless additives are in the material.
For example, Simple Green is a cleaner, not a direct solvent or wax.

IMPORTANT:
I clean playfields with Novus #2, or a mixed compound and terry clothes.
I wax playfields with carnauba either Mothers Gold Step 3 or Blitz Wax with sponges and chamois.
I polish plastics with Novus #2, then Novus #1 with terry clothes.
I polish metal parts with Flitz, unless there is serious rust issues which then I use Evaporust, or several other commercial products with Scotch Brites and terry cloth.
I clean cabinets with diluted Simple Green and terry clothes.
I wipe down games every 400-500 games with Novus #1, especially high traffic areas.
I inspect the pinballs at the same time and replace as required, if pitted or scratched.

Most of the time after a game restoration only the final two steps are required once a year.
Waxing is redone every 2-3 years (or sometimes more) unless a game receives more than 1000 games a year.
Games when brought out of storage get a "once over" before play, but are not waxed.
If an owner is installing a playfield protector, DO NOT wax playfields, Novus #2 only.

There are other guides for "how to wax".

Keep Flipping

- TBK

Why would you not wax a play field if you are putting on a play field protector? Is this going to damage the play field in some way?

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cleaning-and-waxing-pinball-machines-vids-guide

LOL

I definately wax none-CCed playfield regularily (based on games played). It makes a huge difference in how the game plays and looks.

For CCed playfields, I'll wax them once in a long while and then use Novus 1 for regular cleaning. Waxing a CCed playfield doesn't seem to do much for it. I doubt much wax actually remains on it after polishing to be honest.

I do also wax metal guide rails and such if they contact the ball. Shines them right up.

I use carnuba wax.

Agreed on the waxing of older games. I’ve made some questionable looking playfields look pretty damn good after they get cleaned and waxed. Always plesently surprised by that.