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Even those old EM playfields were cleared originally.
If you wanted a "low sheen" clearcoat that matched those old EMs, you can easily "knock down" the high gloss of a 2PAC clear with Rottenstone. You will still have all the protection and color pop of 2PAC, but without the high gloss.
Quoted from swampfire:If the clearcoat is thick, won't that "blur" the artwork underneath? I like what you're saying, but I'm afraid to try it.
You don't want it thick, you just want to protect the game from wear.
BUT, I always fill in cupped inserts with 2PAC (thus many times thicker than a playfield clearcoat), and it does not blur the underlying artwork at all.
In fact, auto 2PAC is so clear that it makes the colors pop, where water based clear dulls the colors.
Quoted from dothedoo:So is a coat of wax, but it does speed up ball movement. Yes, auto clear is much more durable long term, but say you had one machine with a perfect playfield that was just cleared with lacquer, not sitting in a box for 40+ years where it could plank, craze, oxidize or whatever, and another machine with a freshly cleared 2PAC playfield. If you played the first game on each playfield would you notice much difference?
It's a more complex issue, but bear with me:
The topcoat lacquer back then was silkscreened on, not sprayed. So it had a different surface.
If you sprayed a coat of lacquer on, it indeed would play like a modern 2PAC (just look how shiny a showcar is with lacquer finish!).
A 2PAC clear is REALLY clear, whereas a lacquer clear turns yellow/brown.
Quoted from dothedoo:Personally, I like the speed offered by a smooth clearcoat, but that's just me. But I would do this if going for accuracy.
You could try it both ways, mirror and knocked down finish.
You would just repolish it or depolish it at anytime you wanted - the clear does not care.
Quoted from NicoVolta:My only concern for the future is how to deal with any scratches... though with such a smooth surface and a new ball, it should take a long time for that to become an issue.
You will get scratches from little nicks in the ball.
Polish playfield with Novus to remove, then replace balls.
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