Yep, keep it simple

All this naphtha talk is getting me hot!

Is this the right stuff?

IMG_20190509_193108 (resized).jpg

You mean the gallon cans in the lower part of the picture, not propane bottles corect?

Maybe:
see if its 100% naptha. Coleman fuel might have a rust inhibitor in it and leave an oily residue, smear some on glass see if it evaporates completely
Probably ok for cleaning but you cant clearcoat over it for painting.

BBQ lighter fluid is also a good source. read the label.

They dont have Zippo or Ronson Lighter Fluid in canada for a smaller quantity, its super clean and has no additives?

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/zippo-lighter-fluid-4-oz/6000195317956

or this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Vm-P-Naphtha-Fast-Drying-Thinner-For-Oil-Based-Paint-1-Quart-By-Klean-Strip/263189808?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=6446&adid=22222222227151808747&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=347107747644&wl4=pla-436913956983&wl5=9030895&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=115059210&wl11=online&wl12=263189808&wl13=&veh=sem&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqZe0hNCP4gIVAdVkCh0SYQdaEAQYAiABEgL1w_D_BwE

Rona might have BBQ lighter fluid near the BBQ's Its also good.

I have heard that Varsol paint thinner is used somewhat but it dries slow and is not preferred.

Zippo lighter fluid is probably your best bet for the money.

The label on the store shelf said "naphtha".

Here are a couple of photos of the container:

IMG_20190509_202119 (resized).jpg

IMG_20190509_202136 (resized).jpg

I wouldn’t get that. Try to just find a can that says simply VM&P Naptha. That way you can be sure what you are getting.

Can't get that in Canada as far as I can tell.

And the label above says naphtha. Anyone else know if this might be good to use?

Found these on Amazon. The VM&P seems expensive. Would the Zippo fuel work?
Screenshot_20190509-205649 (resized).png

Screenshot_20190509-205529~2 (resized).png

I get it at Sherwin-Williams.

yes, and walmart carries it. Also the Ronson brand too.
I like the small bottles. I carry one in my tool bag.

Its a good price.
The only way to know if its free of contaminants is to put it on glass and see if it evaporates clean.

They dont list it, But my understanding is that it has a rust inhibitor in it.

If it evaporates clean with no residue than you are good to go.

So that Zippo ones is good?

VM&P naphtha?

Both of these are very good.

VM&P naptha is carried by most paint stores. Its very good and fairly inexpensive.

For the record, you can always check the MSDS of each particular product to see exactly what is in it. "Ingredient Names" on the MSDS are ambiguous at best, so it's best to look up the "CAS Number" instead. Each chemical component is given a unique identifying number that can be used to cross reference other MSDS sheets, or to look up what exactly what the number corresponds to in a database.

I did some digging. Generally "VM&P" Naphtha from a hardware store or painting store is the "gold standard." It's what you'd want to use on your playfields. Looking up the MSDS for this particular product from Klean Strip shows the ingredient "Hydrotreated light naphtha" at a concentration of 95.0% to 100.0% (CAS Number: 64742-49-0).

Looking at Coleman Camp Fuel (White Gas), the MSDS states the ingredient as "Light Hydrotreated Distillate" at a concentration of 100%. This is technically naphtha, but not the same kind, as it has the CAS Number: 68410-97-9

Looking at Ronsonol Lighter Fluid, the MSDS States the main ingredient as "Aliphatic hydrocarbon,Hydrocarbons, C7-C9, n-alkanes, isoalkanes, cyclics" at a concentration of 100%, which is cryptic at best, HOWEVER, the CAS Number is 64742-49-0, which means that the product is chemically identical to Klean Strip's VM&P Naphtha.

Interestingly, Zippo's lighter fluid is actually a mixture of 70% "Light Hydrotreated Distillate" (CAS Number: 68410-97-9) AND 30% "Hydrotreated Light Naphtha" (CAS Number is 64742-49-0), which means it's a 70/30 mix of Coleman Camp Fuel and VM&P Naphtha.

Too lazy and didn't read all the nonsense above? In short, not all Naphthas are created equal. Kleen Strip VM&P Naphtha and Ronsonol Lighter Fluid are functionally and chemically identical in every way. So get whichever is available in your respective country/state. Coleman camp fuel, while technically naphtha, is not the same as the aforementioned products. It might be close enough to work, but it's chemically different. And Zippo lighter fluid is a mix of both coleman fuel and ronsonol fuel. Use at your own risk.

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Links for further reading:

https://chem.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/rn/64742-49-0
https://chem.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/rn/68410-97-9
http://ferris.msdssoftware.com/ImageDir/i011DA2E.pdf
http://doryventures.scene7.com/is/content/DoryVentures/Ronson/Website/Servicing/2018MSDSRonsonol.pdf
http://www.kleanstrip.com/uploads/documents/KS_VMP_Naphtha_MSDS.pdf
https://www.vercounty.org/MSDS/EMA/Zippo%20Lighter%20Fluid-USA.pdf

Yes, they don't always have it, I call ahead. Ottawa has 2-3 locations, one of them always has it.

Awesome research, man!

I tested the Coleman stuff on glass, and it evaporated completely leaving no residue that I could feel.

I decided to give it a try on some ball trails, and it really cleaned up nicely!

I'm going to check a paint shop tomorrow to see if I can find the VM&P stuff.

Excited to now have a new cleaning regiment for my games!

After the naphtha, I wiped the pf down with some Mist N Shine, and I'll finish off with some wax once I get some dinner in me

Thank you a again for all the info and help. Great hobby and some great people!

You are exactly right. Mist N Shine is a "quick detailer" which are used to remove light dust from cars. It will also work fine on a pinball machine for the same purpose: removing light dust from the PF.

Of course the issue arises when the PF has more than a layer of dust on it, which is going to be pretty much all the time. Because of this, I prefer something with just a little more cleaning power that will still not remove any wax/sealant, and actually leaves some slight protection behind. It's called OptiClean, and I've been using it on my PF's for years. Any time I have the glass off I will use that opportunity to spray down the PF with OptiClean. You can't over use it.

I recommend getting the 32 oz concentrate and mixing with distilled water (you will have to put it in your own spray bottle):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003CH9KCM/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_aZC1CbMEADEB8

Water and wood don’t mix well. Ok, if your clearcoated, the water will never come in contact with the wood. But some older playfields, or even newer ones with wear or chips in the playfield might expose the wood to water. Why chance it? I keep water away from my pins at all cost. And for similar reasons, I never use glass cleaner with ammonia because of it’s affect on plastics. I mean, if you only get it on the glass it’s fine, but why risk overspray or spillage onto a plastic.

.

Well said. I have never understood why people in the pinball hobby continue to use Novus (any of them) on their playfields. Why not use something specifically designed to work on a clearcoat, instead of something designed to work on plastic?

I'm not sure what your point is. Based on what you are saying, you wouldn't use any of the quick detailers that are being discussed. If you are that paranoid about a little speck of quick detailer making it's way to an uncoated part of your PF, you are probably also using a PF protector on your brand new HUO pin.

RobT are you confident that product you linked to doesn’t contain silicone?

Any advise on using simple green to clean off the PF before a new coat of wax?

Use the search function, I found 57 results.

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Simple green is good sprayed on a rag.

I wouldnt soak It down though.

For that matter sparkle glass cleaner works good too, sprayed on a rag. And its ammonia free, good for clearcoat.

Once you get surface debris off the playfield, the actual wax does a great job of removing old wax and laying down a new coat.

You will see your applicator get black, just wash it with dish soap and warm water.

Yes

FWIW — Mist-N-Shine smells really good. lol

I tried some of that Mist-N-Shine on my Mata Hari. Holy cow! It plays like a new game. Lightning fast!

Now that its clean you can wax it to finish the job.

I take it that this is just like Wizard Shine that was discussed in another thread but I can't remember which.

I want to say it was this thread.

The official name is Wizard's Mist N Shine.

Yep it’s overdue for wax.

Hey all - I got a project Bally Black Jack SS a couple months ago and got up and running 100% this past weekend after hours and hours of re-pinning connectors and replacing transistors on the SDB and Lamp boards. I'll be tearing down the topside of the playfield and entering the cleaning phase this weekend.

This SS pre-dates sound boards so it's chime-based. Chimes work fine and they sound ok, but they're tarnished and look pretty ugly. I discovered ultrasonic cleaners and tumblers a few months ago when I cleaned up my project Mata Hari and the screws, rebound gates, drop target assemblies, etc. came out great. My question here is - can I tumble the chimes clean without affecting the tone? Walnut media and/or corncob media? Or should I just try to clean them up by hand?

Thanx...

The chime is based on the material used, the bulk shape of the metal and the box it vibrates over, not the finish. One thing to do though is find a nice soft rubber o-ring to sit the piece on. It will improve the tone from a clank to more of a "goooooong" sound. The old ones get hard and the sound damps out very quickly.

After a bunch of paint store visits, I found this...

Is this the good stuff?

IMG_20190514_173541 (resized).jpg

Yes

But.... isn’t Mist and Shine a “cleaning wax”. If so, I thought those were to be avoided?

Think of it as a general purpose cleaner like windex or sparkle.

Spray it on a rag and clean your game.

Dont soak down the playfield wirh it.

Dont soak down the playfield with anything really.

Dont be foolish, drink sensibly etc...

Its basically a substitute for Novus 1 only a lot better smelling.

And way cheaper

hey so I have a NIB batman 66 coming soon. I read the first few pages of this thread, but can't get myself to read the whole thing.

I think the original poster (vid) said 1 Grand blitz wax was his choice. 3 years later is that still his choice?

I just want to clean my new playfield once a month or whatever is necessary. This will be my only pin at this point.

or P21S which is even better than Blitz.

I use P21S, but you can't go wrong with either.

Any 100% Carnuba wax is great for your playfield. Label discussions just start religious wars, like anything else.

Get the hard stuff, nothing that is a past or soft, they have additives.

I’ve used both p21s and blitz and I believe blitz is easier to use and lasts longer

thanks guys

Vid needs to come back on pinside. People are now just referring to him generically.

Where are you buying this from? Their website doesn’t support online orders.

Got my blitz from pinballlife.com, giant sized lifetime supply

100 percent carnauba is hard as a brick and doesn't exist in any kind of commercial wax.
Something is always used to soften it.