Quoted from John_I:At work we use Shore hardness testers whenever we are using epoxies, RTVs or potting material. A small sample is put into a tiny plastic cup and allowed to cure right next to the location which the material is installed. That way it cures in the same temperature and humidity as the work location. Once 24 hours has passed we use a Shore A or Shore D tester depending on the material hardness. If the sample doesn't pass the specified hardness, we know the material did not cure properly and we have a problem.
For clear coat, I would think this would be Shore-D, but the problem is the clear is very thin and you might basically be testing the wood underneath. Best case would be to test at an area of pooling where the clear is thicker. That is the most likely location that the clear has not cured properly. Even still, this is probably not a great applications for a hardness tester...
The playfield suppliers should be keeping sample cups of each material they use for later testing. If not, everyone involved should go read up on ISO 9001.
From what I can tell, none of these companies are ISO certified! If they are, I would like the contact information for the company that audits them. Their internal processes are obviously failing or not being adhered too. If they were to become ISO certified, they would be selling a quality product and these issues would go away.
St. Clair Shores, MI
