The simple answer is no. As long as steel is harder than wood you will have dimples.

Hard steel ball bashing against soft plywood = DINGS!!!!

They do dimple waaaaay less. The wood is already compressed. When I first met Tdiddy he was restoring old fields and we never noticed any dimpling, didnt even know what it was because it wasnt present on his games (there is some over time in the high speed i got from him and routed but very unnoticeable) then he did his afm restore with a mirco and he redid the field to perfection. I came over a little after it was done and was like wtf! This thing looks like a golfball. The difference is night and day. The afm has since gotten better with thousands of plays but still dimpled as hell.

Sure the wood has been compressed by multiple ball hits - but it will continue to ding, maybe to a lesser degree, as long as a steel ball is belting it and it won't matter what surface finish you apply.

I'm not sure why all the fuss about this? It has been going on since someone decided to use plywood for a pinball machine playfield.

Short answer yes. But reasons are debated.

Some say the wood is compressed, some say the old wood is harder.

I just wonder. If it was compressed wouldn't all old and compressed playfields had distinct higher areas where the ball can't reach? Like the last 1/2" around every post and the sling shot area?

The same playfield before restoration and after restoration will dimple the same

I don't think they dimple less in terms of the amount of dimples but I do think the dimples are somewhat to much less deep because the wood has long since been compacted and seasoned.

The dimples, for the most part, are in the clearcoat, surely?

They result from the ball compressing the clearcoat, and if struck hard enough, then the underlying wood. The difference is that the wood will rebound (though over time becomes compressed and harder). Since the larger strikes and drops won't compress the wood as much in older pfs, dimpling of the clear won't be as pronounced.

That's my understanding.

everybody is going to answer this diffrent. My proceedure has evolved to make the clear harder, and more resistant to ball dimpling. education, experience, trial and error and keeping in touch with customers has helped develop a great system. One of the variables that I can not control is the hardness of the wood. My clear on an older nos pf many times will mean not a dimple in 2 or 3 years, but they are not all hard wood.
My answer is a professional clearcoat that was developed to resist ball dimples makes a very big diffrence. If it didnt, I would see a reason to clear as many repros as I do.
Take it for what it is worth.
cheers, kruzman

Chris / Ron,

After clearcoat, your playfields look like glass. How does play affect the mirror finish? I am asking because the two playfields I had cleared show some very faint ball marks. One's a TZ the other a LOTR. I have not played a single ful game on either one (yet), and still I noticed some very faint ball marks looking up close. You have to really pay attention, but they are there. The silverjet balls are in perfect condition. The playfield was waxed before any ball got in contact with it.

I don't expect zero wear or the perfect mirror shine to last but I am curious.