Apparently, all my machines are in rooins now because I've been using Mill Wax as the only form of "wax" (I had no idea...).

I guess I got lucky with Paragon, because it saw a lot of it before restoration and didn't suffer any fisheyes anywhere in the clearcoat.

Better late than never I suppose.

I wanted to post some photos (without the glass) of my BOPP after giving it a well deserved shop. I’ve owned this machine for around 20 years. It’s a player-grade machine. The previous owner was a smoker and the playfield has that nicotine patina that you sometimes see. Anyway, I’d always cleaned the PF with Milwax because that’s what I was taught back when I worked in arcades as a kid. That or Wildcat. This time, though, I used the info in this playfield cleaning thread. Naphtha and then two coats of Blitz. Very happy with how it turned out.

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I’ve been reading that more than one coat of wax during routine playfield maintenance is redundant and gives a game no real advantage. Can two coats really be better than one?? Asking for a friend.

Looks like it's not quite "less" after a second coat, but not reliably more. 3rd coat was definitely thinner than the first, 4th "by hand" was on average *slightly* more. All landed in a 26nm ±11% range though, so more than one coat probably isn't helpful unless you missed a spot.

" ***** Vintage (4 coats applied at 24 hours intervals)

Wax applied with microfibre, hazed and lightly buffed with clean microfibre cloth.
Thickness after first application = 25.6 nm; sd = 2.5 nm
Thickness after second application = 26.3 nm; sd = 3.2 nm
Thickness after third application = 24.9 nm; sd = 1.9 nm
Fourth layer applied by hand.
Thickness after fourth application = 27.4 nm; sd = 1.7 nm "

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cleaning-and-waxing-pinball-machines-vids-guide/page/4#post-2663702

I primarily did it that way in case I missed a spot, but your point is well-taken. Maybe next time I do it, I'll leave it at one and see if I notice. I doubt anyone in the house would.

I noticed some non-americans being confused to what Naphtha might be in other languages.

I was also curious to what exactly this Naphtha is in my native tounge (Swedish). While googling this over and over I found this table translating it into multiple languages.

Perhaps this has already been covered since I am only 1/4 into this thread but thought I'd share it anyway.

For Naphtha look at the third column in the table. I hope this helps someone.

http://www.ultralight-hiking.com/fuelnames.html#table

Essence C (France) and "COMFORT" (Thailand) are my favorites

It does have many different names my grandparents and great-grandparents would have called it white gas. So when I went searching for it that's what I was calling it. But they also had a different name for Brazil nuts which I won't repeat

I guess to throw my two cents in this is the brand of pernubal wax I've always used. The first games I had were of course really old electron mechanical games without any super duper clear coating or other cool protection. What I like to do is hold the container in my hand and the heat in my hand helps make it a little softer but I still have to go over it. I finally broke down and tried to buy some of that two guys which I assume is just a mill wax with silicone. I'll probably try that on a newer machine rather than one of the old timers

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use this, its really good:

https://www.pinballlife.com/blitz-carnauba-paste-wax-12-ounce-jar.html

Just confirming I'm not crazy, but this isn't the normal kind of consistency for Blitz wax right? When I opened it up it had a thick, hard, white layer on the top. When using it, it was extremely crumbly and I got chunks and crumbles all over my playfield that I had to (try) and vacuum up. Heres what it looked like after attempting to mix a little (the right side is what the entire top looked like when I opened it):
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I took it downstairs and mixed it with my hands in a mixing bowl (my hands feel amazing btw!!!!) and now it has the consistency of like apple sauce:
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You know, wax isnt spackle or body filler.

Its a micro-thin layer of rock hard coating.

When applied, it should look like "fingerprints" on glass, no thicker.

Being hard in the original container is proper and correct.

You swirl a very slightly dampened applicator pad over the surface of the hard wax.

There will be enough wax on the pad to apply a thin coating.

Do this until the playfield is lightly coated.

Wait 30 to 40 mins then wipe it off.

Wait 10 minutes and rapidly buff the surface with a yellow flannel detailers cloth.

Clean the playfield with a dampened paper towel. I use sparkle non-ammonia cleaner or naptha to heavily soiled areas

I use novus 2 for ball tracks.

I use mist n shine on a clean rag, between waxings for spot cleaning.

I have bought old dried up wax before.

Old wax can be re-heated and poured back into the container.

I scrape it into a small pan and gently warm it up on the stove until its uniformly melted.

Then I pour it back into its container and let it cool.

Sometimes I add a 1/2 teaspoon or less, of naptha while its melted and stir it in. This works very well.

Hard waxes are easier to use when in a uniform solid form, you have more control.

I'll need to re-melt it. I bet that's the fix. I'm currently trying to clean up all the wax crumbles. Also trying to buff out the wax a bit because I definitely over-applied. Who knew new sterns had plastic sticker sections on them! I do now lol -___-.

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I use a small shop-vac.

Also lift the playfield and vacuum the cabinet inside to get all the small wax flakes and dust out of it.

Take the balls out etc.

Hey guys... I have bought this old routed LOTR that I'm trying to take care of. It was quite dirty when I got it. The figures were basically black.

I have wiped it down with naptha a few times, used novus 2 once, and applied blitz wax after cleanings.

But I notice that the playfield is cloudier/matte where the ball can reach, and shiny where it can not, you can see in the inlanes and above flipper here.

Is the clear coat just scratched up or gone? I do see one tiny red crescent below the two Rs in "for ring", which I believe is the printing starting to wear?? That implies the clear coat is gone there?

Is there a way I can make improve this playfield safely? Or should I just continue to keep it clean and waxed and not use any more novus

Thanks!

edit: adding second picture of playfield. On the characters faces (specifically Frodo, Aragorn, and Legolas) you can see little red spots on their skin.
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Search my name in this thread for others replies to the same issue I asked about

I’d like more info around those PJ pants sir…

https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=751957#pdp-page-content

Super cozy! Especially for sundays

TBH I thought that was the first thing people were going to call out lol

Edit:

My wife tells me they no longer sell the polar bear pattern I have :/

I can’t remember the type of cloth material they recommend using?

Thanks guys. Any comment on the magenta spots starting to show up? I'm just thinking if that is due to wear, then the clear coat is already gone right?

Yes when LOTR starts to wear you get gandalf sticking his tongue out for example.

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Lmfao!

Simply put.. it's light wear causing dulling of the finish. Not wear enough to concern about losing thickness of the topcoat, just tons of micro scratches dulling the finish aka Hazing. Its why you see it where the ball travels vs where the ball doesn't make contact. It just needs to be polished and it will shine right up.

For really light hazing, normally just Novus 2 on a MF cloth with polishing movements will clean it up. If you need more, on a modern clear coated game you can use automotive polishes with a machine pad. A 3" pad on a drill works fine for pinball and use a light polish like a light scratch remover. I use 3M products. Start with the least aggressive product needed to remove the haze.

On these playfields from the 90s onwards you can even go as far as using high grit sandpaper, then compound, and polish... just like you would a car. I have a TZ playfield people always ask if I clearcoated it.. Nope, just sanding (where needed), and multi-stage compounding and polishing.

Just be aware if you've not done this before you will likely 'sling' a ton of the liquid product all over the game. So consider putting up some blue tape or other means to minimize your clean up after.

After polishing a playfield you'll be amazed at the finish.

Yeah, i mean thats what i thought was happening in tiny spots around the middle of my playfield and near my flippers. tiny spots. Gandalf and Saruman are fine so far. But it may be what Vid is saying, it might have always been like that

Is novus 2 the way to go for ball trails on metal or it rails? Only owned machines for 2 years, good at getting them nice and clean except for the metal orbit rails on my games. Any tricks for the orbit rails to know?

I really like Mother’s Mag & Aluminum Polish for shining up metal parts. A little bit goes a long way and man does it ever brighten things up. Hand polishing works fine without having to use a ton of elbow grease. It even smells nice! I get it at the local hardware or auto parts store.

I use Simichrome metal polish on rails and spot clean as needed with Quick-Glo metal cleaner and rust remover.

So I I'm on vacation in the Caribbean I know there's a lot of waxes being sold for beauty, surfboards etc. I thought maybe I want to pick myself up some wax. Normally I use Yellow Carnauba wax i warm it uo in my hand to help soften it. (Pictured). I was thinking maybe since I'm here maybe I could pick some up? I've always tried to stay away from waxes that have a lot of extra additives especially on my older Em games.
Any recommendations of what I should get since I'm here anyways? I might get a couple of cans for my games and maybe for friends. Thanks

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Looks like a good enough wax, I would try it:

https://www.amazon.com/Brazilian-Carnauba-ORIGINAL-PARAFIN-FILLERS/dp/B00789Y98K

Oh yeah this is the wax I currently use comma I was just thinking about maybe something else period After doing all my research I really want to stick with the carnauba wax I think or maybe some other plant-based period I guess at this point I'll just look and see what they have period I probably will stay away for the surfboard waxes cuz I think they have a lot more paraffin and maybe some Petroleum in them. I mean I don't need any more wax right now but I will maybe later this year and I thought this would be a good opportunity to grab some local stuff

We’ve acquired a newer Stern with Mylar in the shooter lane and the Mylar is pulling up by the switch. I’ve been reading through pinside about pulling up Mylar and then cleaning with flour/alcohol. In all of those cases it seems to be that the playfield will be restored/recleared. If you use the freeze method to pull up the mylar: Can you use alcohol/flour on the adhesive without damaging the clearcoat on a newer Stern?

Use this to remove the left over glue it wont hurt the clearcoat.

Alcohol and flour is tedious and yields a lot of extra clean up:

https://www.amazon.com/RapidTac-Rapid-Adhesive-Remover-Fluid_Ounces/dp/B006RU65UG

Clean up remnants with naptha.

Use the freeze method to remove mylar.

Never pull on it. Gentle light "tugs" when needed.

Spritz the freeze spray periodically over the edge you are working on, after wetting it down completely.

When the temperature is right, the mylar "plinks" off leaving all the glue on the playfield.

Plastic razor blades and patience is the key.

Great, thank you! I’ll get some ordered. Sounds way easier than cleaning flour out of nooks and crannies.

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This stuff seems to offer a real protective layer but man is it hard buff out, may not have been the best choice for a pinball machine. I don't think they were kidding when they say it was made for large surfaces.

I just got one of these mini angle polishers for plastics and plan on giving it a try polishing and waxing the World Cup Soccer playfield that I'm working on.

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ETVNPV6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00

Nice tool, but yikes....pricy! Couldn't somebody complete essentially the same task using a couple of simple buffing attachments for a drill?? Asking for a friend. LOL

Yes! That fancy tool is 800-2800 RPM... easily within reach of a variable speed hand drill.

I like other people's thoughts of getting an attachment or maybe something like a knockoff at Harbor freight. But it also reminds me of a couple of dentist tools my grandfather had. I wonder if a dental tool could be good for those tight spaces

A $10 oral B round toothbrush works amazingly well to remove wax off posts etc

For those that use Novus 1, which is preferred… The pump spray bottle or the flip-top bottle?

Is one type used in some cases but the other in others, necessitating having both on hand? I haven’t actually used either so I don’t know what form the latter material is….are they in fact different, like a liquid vs a cream?

Novus 1 is useless. Its not even a good cleaner, it just too gentle. It works about as well as distilled water.

Its just window cleaner with a little wax in it.
It might be good for cleaning motorcycle windshields or pinball plasitics, but thats about it.

Sparkle glass cleaner is MUCH better as its ammonia free and can be used on anti-glare glass. You can use it on anything!

Mist n shine is better (compared to novus 1) for a between waxing "touch up" and wipe down solution, it has more wax in it.

Its commonly used to clean up fingerprints and dust after detailing cars, it wont remove the wax.