Teardown is pretty straight forward, I think its a good idea if you can do it fairly cheap since lw3 is a low cost game. I believe its a good idea to clear coat any pinball machine with a good playfield, its all about keeping them around for 50+ years.

I would say showing any game some love no matter what it is, is a good thing. That being said if there's no immediate reason to due so I would avoid it. For me personally if I decide to tear a game apart it's goin to get expensive and the short list of replacements usually turns out quite long by the time your done. If u plan on keeping if for sometime or putting it on route a clear coat could be a blessing. If its neither for you I would give it a good shop job and be done with it. That's just me. Now if your speedy Gonzalez and have no attention to detail and can tear it apart and put it back without having to replace stuff even if it looks bad/broken go for it!! It's Monday so hope this made sense..

No, I think it's overkill.

EDIT: Let me be clear...if this is something you are going to do yuorself and you're good at it, then yeah why not. If this is something you have to farm out and pay some cash for I think it's too much.

If the game was totally mint - I'd not clear the playfield, as that kills the value to a true collector.

If the playfield is just starting to wear - I'd clear it and then you never have to worry about it wearing. At the same time you can level the inserts (especially at the UZI), rebuild the pop bumpers, slings, flippers...game will play better than new.

>>was wondering what your thoughts on a complete teardown and clear coat are

No. If you pay to have it done, you will never recoop the $$ and time spent rebuilding the playfield if you decide to sell it. DE games are not heavy on the worn playfields, and in a home environment you will never ruin it as long as you regularly clean the playfield and change the balls. Way way overkill for a LW3. However as far as doing a teardown shop job, that I would say yes to.

Like I said, if the game was perfect, a true collector would want it un molested.

Like an old mustang - perfect original paint is worth 5x more than repainted.

I think clear coats are a mistake. They look fantastic but ruin the play. Williams spent a lot of money developing diamond plate. This was like a clear coat but still provided some traction for the ball. Stern line adds dimples to their clear coat to provide ball traction (you can see them if you look closely). Automotive clear coat becomes like a sheet of ice and provides no traction. The ball is always spinning sort of like a bowling ball then does done unnatural things when it hits a rubber object.

I consider a clear coated playfield ruined. It should only be used when the original coating is gone, damaged, or on repro playfields where the stern or diamond plate processes aren't available. Even then, the resulting playfield is less than.

What? Are you sure about that, I have never heard of that, and I can't believe Stern would do an once of anything over just cranking out a machine as cheaply as possible. I'm not saying you're wrong, that just doesn't sound like Stern.

As for CC'ing a LW3, just understand that this is for you, and you will likely see next to no increase for your upgrade with this title. LW3 is a good game, but it is rated and valued low, and I doubt anyone will appreciate (or care is a better word) if the Pf is cc'd or not when selling.

Personally, I think a clear coat greatly adds to the game play.

The playfield is dead level. No trails or inserts to effect ball trajectory.

The playfield is protected from wear. Harder than Diamondplate, 2 part isocyanate will probably outlive any of us (as long as the balls are replaced every year).

If you want traction on your clear coat - simply use Novus polish #2. It knocks down the mirror finish of the clear into the standard playfield shine. Easy.

They don't add those dimples, that's called "orange peel"; the result of poor spraying technique.

You can do the same thing at home if you don't know how to clear a playfield, LOL.

LOL, you don't have to look closely, that's just Stern's cheap lick and a promise clear.

I disagree, a clearcoated (done right) pin will always bring more than an original, regardless of how nice.

Not for a true collector.

They want everything 100% factory stock perfect.

True collectors cringe at clear coats like we cringe at people who cut hood scoops in the hoods of classic Mustangs, LOL.

The stern dimples don't look orange peeled. They look different. And no, novus 2 does not restore the traction like on a normal game. Research diamond plating and learn about why Williams went through such great pains to invent such a process when spraying some can of clear coat would have been so much cheaper. Until someone can actually debate this, your arguments hold no weight.

Yes. Newly clear coated playfields look amazing and can be durable. (although since the clear cost doesn't flex it can crack but that's another discussion). but the automotive clear coat has a negative impact to game play.

So what it comes down to is, it's your pin, if you like a CC'd playfield then clear it. If I had the money and time I would clear all my pins, just for the preservation factor. If you don't like the ball play on a cleared PF, then stick with a nice wax/buff and be happy.

I can see your point about "true collectors" there are probably a few out there but the majority of your buyers are not "true collectors" they are guys like me that want a minty looking piece of art they can play. A restored to the 9s pin is worth more to me than an original with wear and tear. I may be wrong, but HEP pins draw more coin than NIB don't they?

I have cleared maybe 140 playfields with 2 part urethane (not spray cans), so I have some direct experience in the matter.

Personally, I like the play of the mirror finish clear coat - fast and fast. But I have clients that desire the more conventional and duller Novus #2 finish.

The good part about the whole thing is you can always start with mirror finish and if you don't like it you simply buff down with Novus and you have a conventional surface texture. You can, of course, polish back up to mirror at a latter date.

Most of us know the entire Dimondplate story (Diamondplate was based on Imron, an automotive 2-component urethane clear developed by DuPont).

Knowledgeable refinishers know what additives are used to add flexibility to any brand coatings they have loyalty/experience with.

Depends on who's buying.

A NIB MM went for $29k, much more than a HEP.

Just like cars, some collectors want the original 8-track and some want a Blaupunkt.

"To each his own, said the lady as she kissed her cow"

Well personally if i didnt spray auto clear myself Vid would be the man i would have my PF done by.

Seee the mistake being made here is spray can clear is being mistaken for auto clear spray can clears are all crap and honestly in years to come the PF will look like crap and be chipped & cracked all over so honestly if your going to use a spray can leave the PF alone becouse it will become nothing but a mess and kill the value of the machine.
As far as some collectors hey I hear at Michigan pinball expo they hate leds or anything not original and from what i hear I could see them hating clearcoating.

I think a fresh smooth thick clear makes a huge difference in gameplay it speeds the game up and i believe it should have played this good new as well but dimples or texture etc are not proper and shouldnt be on a playfield its prolly just sterns cheap clearcoat lol

Good post. Plus, the LW3 is already clearcoated...I have one and I believe they all are. There is no reason to teardown. I have never seen a LW3 with extreme PF wear. Even if yours had it, maybe tough up with clearcoat or wipe-on poly, then call it a day. If the inserts are high...heat and tap em down. If they are low...heat and tap em up. After, touchup the edge/line with a qtip and some auto clear. Everything above is just opinion. GL!

I saw lots of LEDs at the expo a few months ago, only saw a few good clear coats.

Have any links or guides on how to apply a clear coat, I would like to know more. Great thread btw

If done right and you are going to keep this game for a long time then I would consider it. But it is very hard to find someone that knows how to do it right on pinballs and it is usually costly. These are two reasons I have never done this even for my keepers. As for CC any playfield with a blemish I think that is an absolute waste of money. If done it needs to be right and under the coat it should be as near perfect as possible. I have never done CC on a machine so this is just regeretating things I hear.

The 2 part urethane is $300 a gallon (with catalyst) , so if you are only going to do a single playfield, it might be better to just pay an experienced restorer 200-300 and know it's done right.

Isocyanates are crazy toxic, so you need full eye protection and a chemical respirator rated for cyanates. They can be absorbed through the skin too, so a Tyvek suit is also required.

You also need a big air compressor capable of delivering lots of clean, oil and moisture free air. That little pancake compressor is not going to cut it. If you ever used an automatic oiler on your compressor, you will need new hoses too.

You need a HVLP gun with a 1.5mm tip.

There is no way to spray it in the basement. You need a spray booth (best) or a plastic sheet "booth" made up in your garage.

Now if none of the above has scared you away, I'll be posting a "how to" on proper clear coating, soon. It will be in a similar format to my Flipper Rebuilding posts.

How about a list of people that can properly CC a playfield for me and what sort of costs to expect?

Well clear can be done in a garage if need be just water down the floor leave the door closed give a few hours for the dust to settle Ive done it with little problem. but i also have a buddy with a body shop i typicly take em to as well and shoot them there when the booth is free for a day

There are alot of factors when clearing first is surface prep and conditioning dust removal and cleaning, degreasing then humidity is also a factor when you spray also temp and needing to use certain speed reducers then on wood or this application flex additive needs to be mixed in.
Then there is wet sanding and buffing if you want it like glass and to remove nubs and dirt.
Ive done profesionaly spraying industrial equipment, automotive body tech, electrostatic spraying etc.
Automotive clear isnt something a novice should prolly try and alot of cost associated with equipment and materials to do it as well. but if a person is going to clear a PF have it done right instead of ruining a decent Playield.

Looking forward to that!