Quoted from OLDPINGUY:Do you have any thoughts on blowing instead of sucking?
If I have the playfield out of the game (like for a pop bumper replacement), I'll take the game outside of the shop and hit it with the air compressor.
You never want to blow all that metal dust all over your shop, you would be breathing it forever. And on an older game where the ball is wearing on the paint, you would have some nice lead paint dust mixed in too.
So outdoors - blow.
Indoors - suck.
Quoted from mesa:...... and the wax isn't safe to use on plastics since it will trap the PD, melting the plastic.
Wax does not trap Petroleum Distillates or melt plastic.
The distillates evaporate leaving the hardened wax behind.
If the distillates were still trapped in the wax, then the wax would still be creamy and soft.
Quoted from scampcamp:I hope these pictures are clear enough to show what I am talking about.20150916_122013.jpg
20150916_122001.jpg
Yep, great pictures!
-
You are at a very dangerous crossroad with that playfield.
You can see that the lacquer is already chipping/wearing off the inserts and playfield.
So waterbased or alcohol based "cleaners" are going to soak into the porous wood and could plank the finish.
Use some Naphtha on a clean rag or real sea sponge (not a petrochemical man made sponge) and GENTLY try to lift some of the crud from those cracks. You WILL NOT be able to clean it all out.
Give it a good waxing and be sure to keep it waxed.
-
If someday you are going to clearcoat that playfield, you can use Magic Eraser and alcohol and remove the topcoat and ball swirl completely. But don't do this yet, as once the topcoat is removed, you will be wearing down the paint itself.
Vid- really appreciate all that you do for us!
I feel bad asking more from you, but...
Could you compile a "Vid's guide to getting a stubborn guy laid"
Lately, it seems a lot of pinsiders REALLY need this...
Quoted from ryan1234:"Vid's guide to getting a stubborn guy laid"
Lately, it seems a lot of pinsiders REALLY need this...
Yes, Please....but I am afraid the answer might be use naptha as cologne, not Novus 2! 
definitely not novus 2 for that, you will wear her down, only use nous 2 if you are trying to polish scratches out of her plastic or her clear coat, then rub her gently with wax, and polish the wax off, she'll shine prettier than your brand new pickup truck. If she's a bride, place a ball in her mouth and she'll turn her head, after that place 2 balls in her eyes and she'll give your balls back, put those balls on her face again immediately and she'll turn into a real woman!
come on guys, I'm talking about pinball, get your mind out of the gutter
Quoted from Sheprd:According to SC Johnsons, they do not use soft beeswax or silicon. Naptha and Carnauba are the top ingredients used.
http://www.whatsinsidescjohnson.com/us/en/brands/sc-johnson/sc-johnson-paste-wax
There is so much hype about waxes, that bad information gets spread and people can really get confused. I agree with your advice on how to treat the metal, but the bees wax / silicone comment conflicts with the manufacturers' published disclosures.
Thanks for the posts as always... great discussions.
I can just state what happened from personal experience.
Subject: 30+ year old 31" metal legs used on a Gottlieb game
Initial condition: Moderate surface rust, especially on the inside.
Cleaning: First washed off with a hose to get excess off then given an overnight bath in Evaporust inside a sealed PVC tube
Post bath: Gently wiped with some green scotch brite to remove the excess as best as possible.
Polish: Mother's Metal Polish brought up a very nice shine and I was happy with the results after buffing with a clean cloth.
Protection: Have been told to apply wax as a protectorate for the polished metal. I have carnauba products but wanted to use the SC Johnson paste wax I had on hand.
Results: It didn't harm anything but some ingredient in it prevented it from really shining. I buffed and I buffed but I could not remove the haze until I stripped the wax back off.
Lesson for me: I got a can of SC Johnson's Paste Wax (great Frank Lloyd Wright design on that building and the house BTW) that I don't know what to do with. Good on hardwood floors? Got plenty of them in my house.
As always, this is Vid's thread. Feel free to comment or add corrections. Yea, I know we're talking about playfield's soooo, hey, maybe Vid can start a guide to metal stripping and polishing as well.
Quoted from ryan1234:Vid- really appreciate all that you do for us!
I feel bad asking more from you, but...
Could you compile a "Vid's guide to getting a stubborn guy laid"
Lately, it seems a lot of pinsiders REALLY need this...
No problem.
1. Cockiness gets you the most chicks. It's not your car, ever.
2. Wear a dark, fully button up shirt that is NOT an office work shirt. While everyone else has on a tshirt with a stupid slogan, you will look like a cock master.
3. No Dockers. That is why your wife stopped having sex with you.
4. Chicks will notice your shoes before they even look at your face. If you are wearing boat shoes with no socks or sandals with socks, cut your penis off right now. A real man can wear combat boots or bright white sneakers with a suit, and own it; no problem.
5. Keep them laughing. If you are loud, funny, fun and tip like a sultan, you will get laid.
6. Tip 30% all night. When your date comments, you shrug "Eh, they have the hardest job in the world."
7. Never try to pick up a waitress or shot girl. They have heard every stupid line from every stupid guy, many who have much better delivery than you.
8. No daylight dates - ever. If she only suggests lunch dates, skip that one.
9. If she shows up for your first dinner date in pants, she is not serious about you. Chicks who want to impress you will always be in a dress or skirt.
10. Always stand about 1" too close to her. She needs to smell your pheromones if anything is going to happen.
11. If you want to do a stripper, get them from the day shift.
12. If a chick has 5 photos on OKCupid or Plentyofish and they are all just of her face and shoulders, she will weigh 300 lbs - every time.
Quoted from vid1900:No problem.
1. Cockiness gets you the most chicks. It's not your car, ever.
2. Wear a dark, fully button up shirt that is NOT an office work shirt. While everyone else has on a tshirt with a stupid slogan, you will look like a cock master.
3. No Dockers. That is why your wife stopped having sex with you.
4. Chicks will notice your shoes before they even look at your face. If you are wearing boat shoes with no socks or sandals with socks, cut your penis off right now. A real man can own combat boots or bright white sneakers with a suit, no problem.
5. Keep them laughing. If you are loud, funny, fun and tip like a sultan, you will get laid.
6. Tip 30% all night. When your date comments, you shrug "Eh, they have the hardest job in the world."
7. Never try to pick up a waitress or shot girl. They have heard every stupid line from every stupid guy, many who have much better delivery than you.
8. No daylight dates - ever. If she only suggests lunch dates, skip that one.
9. If she shows up for your first dinner date in pants, she is not serious about you. Chicks who want to impress you will always be in a dress or skirt.
10. Always stand about 1" too close to her. She needs to smell your pheromones if anything is going to happen.
11. If you want to do a stripper, get them from the day shift.
Quoted from vid1900:No problem.
1. Cockiness gets you the most chicks. It's not your car, ever.
2. Wear a dark, fully button up shirt that is NOT an office work shirt. While everyone else has on a tshirt with a stupid slogan, you will look like a cock master.
3. No Dockers. That is why your wife stopped having sex with you.
4. Chicks will notice your shoes before they even look at your face. If you are wearing boat shoes with no socks or sandals with socks, cut your penis off right now. A real man can own combat boots or bright white sneakers with a suit, no problem.
5. Keep them laughing. If you are loud, funny, fun and tip like a sultan, you will get laid.
6. Tip 30% all night. When your date comments, you shrug "Eh, they have the hardest job in the world."
7. Never try to pick up a waitress or shot girl. They have heard every stupid line from every stupid guy, many who have much better delivery than you.
8. No daylight dates - ever. If she only suggests lunch dates, skip that one.
9. If she shows up for your first dinner date in pants, she is not serious about you. Chicks who want to impress you will always be in a dress or skirt.
10. Always stand about 1" too close to her. She needs to smell your pheromones if anything is going to happen.
11. If you want to do a stripper, get them from the day shift.
12. If a chick has 5 photos on OKCupid or Plentyofish and they are all just of her face and shoulders, she will weigh 300 lbs - every time.
Nice! Vid has a guide for everything
Quoted from vid1900:No problem.
1. Cockiness gets you the most chicks. It's not your car, ever.
2. Wear a dark, fully button up shirt that is NOT an office work shirt. While everyone else has on a tshirt with a stupid slogan, you will look like a cock master.
3. No Dockers. That is why your wife stopped having sex with you.
4. Chicks will notice your shoes before they even look at your face. If you are wearing boat shoes with no socks or sandals with socks, cut your penis off right now. A real man can wear combat boots or bright white sneakers with a suit, and own it; no problem.
5. Keep them laughing. If you are loud, funny, fun and tip like a sultan, you will get laid.
6. Tip 30% all night. When your date comments, you shrug "Eh, they have the hardest job in the world."
7. Never try to pick up a waitress or shot girl. They have heard every stupid line from every stupid guy, many who have much better delivery than you.
8. No daylight dates - ever. If she only suggests lunch dates, skip that one.
9. If she shows up for your first dinner date in pants, she is not serious about you. Chicks who want to impress you will always be in a dress or skirt.
10. Always stand about 1" too close to her. She needs to smell your pheromones if anything is going to happen.
11. If you want to do a stripper, get them from the day shift.
12. If a chick has 5 photos on OKCupid or Plentyofish and they are all just of her face and shoulders, she will weigh 300 lbs - every time.
I was having a crummy day until I read this.
Vid, I think its important to show how much wax is needed for a play field. It took me forever to figure out the right amount.
Quoted from the96stang:Vid, I think its important to show how much wax is needed for a play field. It took me forever to figure out the right amount.
This much? 
Sorry if it's been mentioned but what are peoples thoughts on the citrus based cleaners like this
I've read elsewhere of people using these to remove ball swirls but wondered what you thought Vid.
Quoted from OLDPINGUY:Last there was a post about difficult to reach areas, that require a tear down.
I use a few items...a flexible piece of wood, a long plastic large straw. On either I wrap microfiber, rubberband, then cleaner...naptha, novus1 for others. (even a small piece of magic eraser)
Ill get that into the back orbits and clean the ball line and extra dirt, then change out, as needed, to all the steps mentioned in thread.....
Do you have other thoughts for this? Or have others created a tool for cleaning under ramps?
I'm also curious if there is a tool out there for this specifically.
Great thread, thanks for posting all this info in one place. Will be doing some shopping this week.
Quoted from the96stang:Vid, I think its important to show how much wax is needed for a play field. It took me forever to figure out the right amount.
I agree. I would like to see some "in process" pictures of wax being applied and what it looks like immediately, after frosting, after cleanup, etc. I'm not too concerned about what I've been doing but there are a ton of pictures in this thread and not much at all on the actual waxing technique itself despite it being so critical. Do you go heavier if you're trying to protect a planked area or chipping clear? What's a heavy coat of wax, anyways?
Quoted from PinballFever:What do you use to clean and polish metal side rails and lock bars?
I love never dull. It is a can of cotton wadding and polish. It work wonderful. It certainly will not regrain a lockbar or polish like a bench buffer but for smaller items it is my go to product.
Quoted from CNKay:I love never dull. It is a can of cotton wadding and polish. It work wonderful.
Will give it a try. Thanks CNKay.
Bruce
Quoted from Scout:are you really Shaggy from those Pinball repair dvd's?
It's funny you say that because when I originally saw vid's guides I thought it might be Clay, but with a bit of review he's clearly not. Also there's the fact that Clay posts under "cfh" here on pinside.
Ok... That eases my mind. I was just a little worried that being a thinner... It would take some paint off.
wow! thanks, you helped me. I was thinking how to explain what I want to buy when looking for Naphta because in my language Naphta is crude oil and didn't want to end up with something to ruin the paint. Ordering online would be problem because I doubt they would ship that overseas and still would have the same what-is-it-actually?? problem with european supplies. it is further complicated because in my language benzene, benzin, petrol, gasoline are all synonyms.
so, to confirm:
is VP&M Naptha you mention same as this:
oil paint thinner - used for thinning basic and enamel oil based lacquer and washing brushes, rollers and other painting equipment after use
contains:
1) heavy petrol (naptha), hydrodesulphated heavy, low boiling point hydroprocessed petrol
2) ethanol
is it that?
can I use it to clean ball trails and grime off my heavily used 90s DMD playfield safely?
Quoted from o-din:It looks like our host took a vacation.
Is that allowed?
-mof
Quoted from Ika:is it that?
I've heard paint thinner is definitely NOT the same thing.
I'm in the same boat as you are, VM&P naptha is not available here in The Netherlands. Products that are available here and -i believe- are the same as VM&P naptha:
Coleman Fuel
Zippo (or another brand) Lighter fluid
Kelfort Cleaner
But please-please correct me if I'm wrong
VID may've gotten hit with the new and improved banishment penalty.
Still, it makes me wonder how a petroleum distillate thinner is a good thing on playfields while other products that contain some PD are wicked. 
There was some discussion of which "naphtha" products to use and links to buy it in this topic which may help ease the confusion.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/40s-united-pinball-machine-cleaning-question
Be careful which one you get. Vid provides some excellent advice on using it in that topic.
Bruce
Quoted from Ika:we don't need brand names, since they can't be found over the pond, we need chemical ingredients and percentages to identify correct product analog in our markets.
It is naptha... that is the common chemical name, not a brand. Formally listed as 'Light aliphatic solvent naphtha'
Look at this spec sheet for more formal references (this is for the version sold in our home improvement stores)
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/bf/bfb9e5da-773d-4116-a279-b23cf9345aaf.pdf
Quoted from angryjeep:Anybody else use this on metals?image.jpeg
I worked at a motorcycle dealership for a few years. Most sell it. Works really well on alum and stainless.
I have been using this polish for a decade, the best metal polish i have ever used
I think I didn't ask my question very well......
Is VM&P Naphtha ok (won't remove paint) to clean a pinball machine playfield like Naphtha is? I couldn't find just plain Naphtha.... just VM&P Naphtha.
Quoted from cody_chunn:Still, it makes me wonder how a petroleum distillate thinner is a good thing on playfields while other products that contain some PD are wicked.
Depends on what type of petroleum distillate the product contains. Petroleum distillates range from strong solvents to products like petroleum jelly, styrofoam, mineral oil (used in a lot of cosmetics) and so on. You really can't make a blanket statement about whether they are good or bad for a specific application, but have to look at each one individually. Unfortunately most of the attitudes you hear about petroleum distillates are not based on facts.
http://www.protectall.com/artpetdist.aspx
Quoted from scampcamp:Is VM&P Naphtha ok (won't remove paint) to clean a pinball machine playfield like Naphtha is? I couldn't find just plain Naphtha.... just VM&P Naphtha.
Yes.
Quoted from angryjeep:Anybody else use this on metals?
image.jpeg
image.jpeg
I worked at a motorcycle dealership for a few years. Most sell it. Works really well on alum and stainless.
Yes.. one day I went on amazon, looked for metal polish, and that one came up with nearly perfect ratings. Bought a small tube, it works wonders (in same cases, it'll remove minor pitting). Don't need much of it, but you'll be sad when you run out of it.
Quoted from toyotaboy:Don't need much of it, but you'll be sad when you run out of it.
You know it is good when you try hard not to run out!
Quoted from CNKay:I love never dull. It is a can of cotton wadding and polish. It work wonderful. It certainly will not regrain a lockbar or polish like a bench buffer but for smaller items it is my go to product.
This is all I use... shopped out many games with a single can, and unless there is physical damage to the metal they tend to come out better than new. I mean that literally, I've ordered replacement parts but by the time I was done polishing the old, I thought the originals looked better.
Quoted from toyotaboy:Yes.. one day I went on amazon, looked for metal polish, and that one came up with nearly perfect ratings. Bought a small tube, it works wonders (in same cases, it'll remove minor pitting). Don't need much of it, but you'll be sad when you run out of it.
Do you use a buffer on your metal parts? or can you use a cloth?
Quoted from dmbjunky:Do you use a buffer on your metal parts? or can you use a cloth?
Depending on the part, shape of it, and what sort of cleaning it needs, I use a mix of hand polishing, tumbling, and buffing. Basically, I will use whichever method gets me the best results in the least amount of time. The kind of shine you get also differs between techniques.
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