We NEVER use Sharpie pen, Paint Pen, or those little bottles of Testors enamel that you have left over from your Dungeons & Dragons days - EVER.
All of the above will run into the final Clear Coat, making a smeary mess (for you or the poor sucker that buys the game after you and tries to have it restored).
We don't want to use those cheap $1 acrylics from the craft store, because they fade so quickly, making our repairs more apparent over the years.
We don't want to use cheap paints because they don't contain enough pigment to cover in a single coat (especially expensive pigments like Red). Add a little thinner so you can run it through the airbrush, and you find there is almost nothing there.
We don't want paints that dry darker than they look when wet.
We don't want paints that become darker when they are clear coated.
We don't want a paint that permanently sets until heated. This gives us an "out" if we spill, mix the wrong color, or simply make a mistake.
So what paint can we use? Createx air brush colors.
http://www.createxcolors.com/products.html
1. It's already good to go in your airbrush, no thinning is necessary (unless you are doing shading)
2. It covers in a single coat.
3. No waiting for it to dry. If you like your work, you hit it with a heat gun (use a hair dryer if this is your first time - safer), and go on to the next color. Tape will not lift it. This saves you hours of time.
4. It does not react with auto clear coat.
5. It dries the color you mixed it.
6. It is almost the exact same shade when clearcoated.
7. The colors mix properly. Many cheap paints just turn brown when mixed (blue + yellow = brown).
8. It's fade resistant.
9. It sets so fast with heat that even when using white, old colors do not telegraph through the new paint.
Yes, it's $4 a bottle, not .99 cents, but once you try it, you won't ever go back to cheap paint again.
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration
Createx_Opaque-Set_5803-00.jpg