Quoted from hocuslocus:I usually don't look at the playfield to closely until, I got a Beatles that looked like that. Also had some art coming up near the apron along with other minor defects. Stern said the woodgrain showing through the art is normal, but I was able to get a swap due to the apron art luckily. Haven't seen that woodgrain stuff before or after that. The new playfield looked great with zero defects. Seemed like this woodgrain issue was isolated to playfields from late 2018 to early 2019.
Anyone have an idea of what would cause that? moisture, or the wood not being sanded well enough?
Not so sure about it not being an issue still. That JP Pro would have been mid 2019.
I think it's just the way the clearcoat is applied, it looks like they use a machine that "prints" the clear in the lengthwise rows you see in that pic. For whatever reason in these cases it doesn't fully settle/self-level before it is cured, and Stern isn't sanding these flat and smooth at all.
Even the newest Stern games including my Aug 31st 2020-built DP Pro have similar artifacts in the clear-coat. It is sprayed on and cured and you get what you get, no final sand and polish that I can see. Fast and cheap...
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