Dont bother with novus 1 or novus 3.

Use mist n shine and novus2.

Use novus 2 for heavy ball tracks that wint wipe off, followed with pure carnauba like blitz 1000 or P21S silver.

Other than that, VM&P Naptha to clean mechanical parts and badly soiled playfied targets and such.

Always re-wax the playfield in areas that naptha was used as a cleaner. It readily removes wax.

Oddly naptha wont harm anything on the playfield.

It's the only thing I use to remove wax, no residue to deal with.

Naptha is a wonderful thing!

It's weird, everyone I know uses Novus 1 to clean their playfield and these guys all know their shit. That's all I've ever used because I learned from them and my games are super clean. I'm not trying to argue because I'm certainly not an expert on the subject but Novus 1 seems to do a fantastic job for me.

Novus 1 and Mist N Shine are fairly similar cleaning products when it comes to playfields. Both work fine. Mist N Shine has a much nicer smell though.

Novus1 is a plastic cleaner.

Mist n shine is a clearcoat cleaner. It has more wax in it and is better suited for playfields, ramps and plastics.

They are similar. Mist n shine is way cheaper and better.

Sparkle glass cleaner is also a good ammonia free cleaner that is safe to use on everything, including anti-glare treated playfield glass.

Spray way glass cleaner, nothing better, cleans and polishes the glass.

And its ammonia free!
Perfect.

You can also use it to clean the tint film on your car windows. Multi-purpose.

It’s also dirt cheap and locally available (Wallymart, Sams, Kroger, etc...).

Pinhedz has many retail dealers, some of which sell the products in store, and some online. Flipn out was owned by my buddy Larry Kitchen, he sold Pinhedz primarily at shows. When he sold the business to Zach, Zach made the decision not to carry any small items. They are focusing strictly on machines.
You can get the products from many dealers, or online at Pinball Pro, Cointaker, Mezel mods, Pinball Wizard, Tilt Graphics inc

So I picked up a machine from the 1960’s that was absolutely filthy and it literally had caked on dirt. I used the old naphtha method and it did absolutely nothing in terms of cleaning. It has done wonders for me in the past. For the first time I used simple green on a barely damp microfiber cloth and I have to say it worked amazing. I know that there is a huge debate whether or not to use water based cleaners on playfields but if you wipe it off immediately it should be fine. Vid actually contradicts himself in his guide at one point and says to never use water based cleaners and then about ten pages later he actually mentions the use of simple green to remove dirt rather than grind it in using Novus. I’m converted.

Discrete use is ok and can yield great results.

Purple power is also really effective in tiny doses.

Generally on a rag. Not flooded onto the playfield.

I used Krud Kuttrer on a rag recently.

Followed by a naptha wipe down to pick up moisture.

Worked really good on tar from cigarette smoke.

I have a brand new machine. How frequently should I be cleaning and waxing the playfield? (I tried searching the forums for an answer and couldn't find it, so apologies if I missed it.)

Using common sense, I expect I'll just wipe it off when I spot any dust/debris, and when I start seeing loss of shine or obvious indicators of dirt, I'll clean and wax. Is that reasonable, or is more preventative care needed?

That’s reasonable! And inspect the condition of the balls and each time you do this too.

Vacuum and wipe every three months if playing frequently. Wax every six months. If playing less frequently, you can extend the time periods. I define frequent as 750-1000 games a year.

Very game by game basis. 300 plays on one game looks like 2000 on another.

Very true ^^^

You mean like how games on my Flash Gordon last two minutes but games on my WOZ can last 15-20 if I’m doing well?

Yeah, you’re right. Maybe some day, pins will keep track of minutes played.

Happy Thanksgiving, all! Keep those pins clean!

I just mean when I take my AC/DC to a show and it gets 500 plays along with my GOT prem. When I get home it looks like my GOT hasn’t been cleaned in years. AC/DC looks like it has no plays on it.

I just go by how the game looks. See ball trails and game playing slower? Clean and wax.

Here's my GOT. Waxed at new code, plus the upper playfield was removed and cleaned under it too. Played 239 games and cleaned playfield. Just cleaned after 247 play's. GOT looks as if cleaning needs to be every 250 games. Summary: waxed at 0 play's, again at 239 play's and today at 486 play's.

20191220_100931 (resized).jpg

20191220_100936 (resized).jpg

Is the green from the playfield or the wax??

Lockbar button light.

This game gets so dirty so fast. I’d say cleaning every 250 plays at a minimum.

Light from apron. Sorry I seen that after posting.

LOL! I was thinking you were using gasoline to clean the PF! Makes sense now!

But that gets it clean down even into the pores...

What's better to use for ball trails and general of cleaning? Naptha or Novus 2?

Also, where is the safest place to store naptha? I have a big-ass 4L container from the paint store. Have it sitting in my basement, but not sure that's the best spot.

For the most part, if you wax properly, the ball tracks are in the wax.

Removing the wax and re-applying cleans them off mostly. Sometimes a little naptha.

Stubborn ball tracks are easily wiped off with novus 2, and then wax over when done.

Vacuuming the cabinet and under the playfield removes a lot of the black dust.

Wiping off black dust around the coils and plungers once in awhile also helps.

You will end up with cleaner rubber and much lighter ball tracks.

What about removing the swirl scratches on the clear coat. I notice them and was able to get some out with Novus 2 but not all. I only have 200 games of pf

Are you asking about ball trails in older unshopped machines that have been sitting a while? It’s highly unlikely that there is any wax on them. I just cleaned a 60’s EM playfield that was VERY dirty and had a pretty heavy ball trail. Naphtha and Novus did nothing for it however I gently used Mean Green and quickly wiped it away and it came right off. It seems to get off the really stubborn dirt. I know it’s water based but if you use very small amounts and wipe it away quickly it shouldn’t be an issue. Another pinsider suggested using DL mechanics hand cream which I haven’t tried yet

Mean green is awesome!

I used it all over my farfalla that had serious cigarette smoke problems.

It was amazing! Nothing cut the tar like mean green did.

Just dont flood it on, too much and it raises the woodgrain.

I put it on a rag, rub down and immediately wipe off.

Then follow with naptha to evaporate any water.

Water based cleaners are effective but dangerous if not used thoughtfully.

Do you happen to have any before/after pics of this? I spent awhile cleaning the playfield on my Space Mission EM with naphtha, but there were a handful of sections that wouldn't clean up.

Swirls are normal to games that are played.

During shop out they are buffed off.

Shop the game at 7000-10,000 plays.

Wax and clean in the mean time, replace/clean worn rubbers.

Rc-88/naptha is a pretty good latex rubber cleaner.

Windex/sparkle is a good silicone/urethane cleaner.

Try a little mean green, use sparingly until you get a feel for it.

I’ll take some pictures when I get a chance to get down to my workspace and get some decent lighting setup for pictures.

I used naptha for the first time on my Metallica and it was amazing how much cleaner it looked after.

Last question... Where is it safest to store naptha? I have a huge container from the paint shop.

Usually storage instructions are on the container.

Generally away from fire or flame or ignition sources

You’re are asking the person here. I store it in my basement alongside several other volatile chemicals and paints. If my house goes up in flames that area of the house is going to be toasted.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/diggers-1l-shellite_p1563463

Is the this equivalent of Naptha ?

MSDS:

https://2ecffd01e1ab3e9383f0-07db7b9624bbdf022e3b5395236d5cf8.ssl.cf4.rackcdn.com/Product/9b69fd3c-3356-4752-81b6-e137953601f4.pdf

Not equivalent, it is a specific brand name of Petrolium Naptha looking at the SDS details:

SDS_Info (resized).jpg

"Naptha" is the generic term for a volatile liquid hydrocarbon compound, typically used as lighter fluid or a light solvent cleaner.

I'm confused - can you elaborate ?

Petroleum naphtha is a name used primarily in the United States for petroleum distillate containing principally aliphatic hydrocarbons and boiling higher than gasoline and lower than kerosene.

Isn't that the same as the MSDS supplied ?

Sorry, I worded my post poorly. You asked if the Shellite product is equivalent to Naptha, I was trying to say that Naptha is the generic name for the hydrocarbon compound and Shellite is a brand name of Petrolium Naptha per the SDS. It's like facial tissue vs. Kleenex, or adhesive bandage vs. Band-Aid, or in this case Naptha vs. Shellite.

Thanks for clarification - I was concerned it was a different chemical. So I guess 'Shellite' is fine for use on my Pinball machines then?

It would seem that way, although testing in a small inconspicuous area would be prudent in my opinion. Please make sure you have good ventilation and appropriate safety gear. Benzene is seriously nasty stuff, even at the <.1% reported in the product.

I have a '72 Fireball that is in pretty decent shape. I am not rehabbing the 'whole' game, but need/want to do a solid job cleaning and preserving the playfield.
Please, Correct me if I'm wrong or in the wrong order or (Productive) give advice.....

-Remove everything from PF
-Clean with Compressed air, Shop Vac, and Naptha (Carefully w/ Magic Eraser) or should I use 99% isopropyl Alcohol?
-Wax- Carnauba
-install new lights (I got frosted warm white led)
-Install All New bands
-Install New Flippers
-(Basically put everything back together)

(((Any recommendations for cleaning glass, aside from windex, etc.)

Anything to add, or 'must do's'??

Thanks guys

IMG_6681 (resized).jpg

Hey, what ever happen to the original poster of this forum? Vzid1900. Has not been on in a while. Seems very helpful.