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(Topic ID: 197429)

First time working on a playfield

By Flippersaurus

6 years ago



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Alpha playfield partially stripped (resized).JPG
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#1 6 years ago
OP
 
FMK

Flippersaurus

Pinside member

10y 72,300 481 12

I picked up this 1976 Gottlieb Target Alpha at a garage sale. Great back glass. Playfield may have never been cleaned. I hit it with some Mean Green. That may have been a mistake. The art is intact but I may have stripped off some varnish. I'm thinking it's a good candidate for clear coating. Needs a few minor touch ups. Has some minor cupping of inserts. I'm thinking of touching up the paint but leaving the inserts as is.

It still has some dark dirty spots and a few ball swirls. What do you guys use for cleaning the dirt and grime off a playfield from this era?

Alpha playfield partially stripped (resized).JPGAlpha playfield partially stripped (resized).JPG

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#2 6 years ago
 
JLC

Tablewicked

Pinside member

CA Halifax, NS

8y 44,050 103 8

Congrats on the new game! Might want to go through vids guide on play field restoration. Have fun.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration

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#3 6 years ago
 
HRG

poppapin

Pinside member

12y 135K 11,325 6 7 1

pinrepair.com

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#4 6 years ago
 
TRG

TomGWI

Pinside member

12y 143K 10,945 156

OP
Quoted from Flippersaurus:

I picked up this 1976 Gottlieb Target Alpha at a garage sale. Great back glass. Playfield may have never been cleaned. I hit it with some Mean Green. That may have been a mistake. The art is intact but I may have stripped off some varnish. I'm thinking it's a good candidate for clear coating. Needs a few minor touch ups. Has some minor cupping of inserts. I'm thinking of touching up the paint but leaving the inserts as is.
It still has some dark dirty spots and a few ball swirls. What do you guys use for cleaning the dirt and grime off a playfield from this era?

If you do want it clearcoated, contact CaptainNeo on pinside. He is in Burlington WI. He does excellent work.

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#5 6 years ago
 
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ForceFlow

Pinside Moderator

9y 238K 31,362 268 14

Never, ever use mean green. It will strip paint very easily.

Use simple green instead to clean up grime. Walmart and some hardware stores carry it.

Do not spray the wood directly--spray it on a paper towel and wipe. You don't want the water soaking into the wood.

You can use novus 2 to clean up ball trails. Note that it is abrasive, and will eventually wear through with enough rubbing. Novus 1 can be used to wipe down areas that aren't too dirty.

Naphtha will clean up any old wax.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cleaning-and-waxing-pinball-machines-vids-guide/

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#6 6 years ago
 
???

Silverstreak02

Pinside member

US Lutz, FL

8y 61,300 1,306 4 7

Stay away from any water based products.

This is what I use.

IMG_0239 (resized).JPGIMG_0239 (resized).JPG

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#7 6 years ago
 
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ForceFlow

Pinside Moderator

9y 238K 31,362 268 14

Note that magic eraser will strip off the topcoat, so don't do that unless you plan on protecting it or clear coating it.

Also, you can buy no-name brand melamine sponges for a few cents per sponge, rather than the name brand and they work the same.

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#8 6 years ago
 
JPM

jmountjoy111

Pinside member

US Williamsburg, KY

10y 109K 3,431 84

Simple green is the stuff! I use it all the time. I clean about everything with it. I use it in my ultrasonic too.

I also use 91% alcohol, cp-100, novus 1-3 depending on the parts (3 only on metal guides), a good natural wax, etc...

If you are going to clean a lot of playfield I would buy a tumbler and an ultrasonic cleaner. You can get cheap ones at harbor freight and they make a world of difference.

I will also second staying away from a magic eraser. It's really easy to get carried away. And it's really hard to put paint back after you've pulled it off lol

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#9 6 years ago
OP
 
FMK

Flippersaurus

Pinside member

10y 72,300 481 12

Thanks for the replies. I've decided to clear coat it. I'm almost done stripping it. I still have to attack some of the more stubborn stains before it gets coated. I don't need it to be perfect. But I'm afraid that if I don't coat it, more paint will come off.

Quoted from TomGWI:

If you do want it clearcoated, contact CaptainNeo on pinside. He is in Burlington WI. He does excellent work.

Thanks for the recommendation. But I have someone nearby that does good work.

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