I'm just wrapping up a restoration on this Skateball. Before I install these $55 worth of drop targets, I decided I want to protect the graphics on the drop targets. I'm looking for protection that's not too obvious, but can withstand some light cleaning. The paint on these new drop targets is really thin, compared to the originals. It looks like a few hundred plays would remove the graphic, without some sort of protection.

I considered this, but it doesn't mention anything about acrylic. Plus, the can is 10 years old. Off to Hobby Lobby...

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Here are the 2 finishes I'm going to experiment with, using Skateball. The two 3-banks will get the polyurethane, and the 5-bank will get the acrylic. I'll update this thread periodically with long-term wear results.

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Here's a pic for comparison. The original has paint laid down so thick, the graphic has a texture you can feel with your finger. The repro has just enough paint to be opaque over the white background. This is why I think it's so important to protect these new targets.

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I tried that - too shiny, and if you pull the mylar the paint comes up with it.

Skateball is going to be my "learning" project. I've got a Mata Hari and a Paragon in the queue, so I'm hoping to nail down something that works well before I tackle those.

Left: original drop target, no treatment
Middle: polyurethane (3 coats)
Right: clear matte acrylic (5 coats)

Color
The clear acrylic is the runaway winner, if you want your drops to look arctic white. Interestingly the polyurethane yellowed the target the exact shade of the 35-year-old drop target. That could be an advantage, if you only want to replace a couple of drop targets and you need them to match the originals.

Texture
The clear matte acrylic didn't add any texture at all. In fact, they look exactly like they did when I pulled them out of the bag. The polyurethane added a slight orange-peel texture. I think this will look OK once it's in the game. I may also be able to knock it down a little (in a few days) with some 1000-grit sandpaper.

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Yeah, it looks so good I was tempted to abandon the experiment. But I'll stick with it, if for no other reason than I don't want to spend another $30 on drop targets.

S-K-A-T-E drops are in, looking good! It's funny that you can't even see the skateboard - it looks like a row of guys dancing.

By the way, those drop target e-clips are the devil's butterflies.

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It's not clear, it's acrylic. And the new targets are pretty rough, as you can see in the closeups above. But I did say this is a long-term experiment. If the acrylic peels off, or doesn't do its job, I'll update this thread. I'm setting a Google Reminder to update this thread on Nov 1, 2016. I'll try to keep a count of the plays too. Oh, and Skateball will definitely be in the lineup for SFGE2016! That will accelerate the testing somewhat.

It's just my personal preference, but I don't like mylar on drop targets. It reminds me of the plastic on the new sofa that our parents used to put down - remember?

Every new idea seems "out there" when it first comes out. I'm sure there are other collectors who don't like the shine of mylar, or the possibility that pulling it off is going to damage the artwork.

I’m very pleased to present how these drops look after 7 years of wear. This is after cleaning with Novus 2. The polyurethane has yellowed and chipped, it looks awful. The clear acrylic still looks great, and I haven’t lost a speck of paint!

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I got a new set today, to replace the yellowed ones. I did 5 coats of the acrylic, and waited 30 minutes between coats. I’ll report back again in 2029