the pfs are packed so there is pressure on the front and back of the pf to keep it suspended in the middle of the padding, so keep it up right, and remove it when you can, and take out one of the sheets of padding to relieve the pressure on the clear. please.

Ya know I dont have a problem with how that clear looks now. My problem is how it looks after 100 games, and 150 games. On the centaur that I bought with the brand new cpr pf, it was so ball dimpled at 100 games it looked like a Titleist, and people would come over and look closely with the glass on and say why does it look like that? It sounded like I was making excuses so I sold it stat. Thats when I started experimenting with the many thin coats, sanded in between plus waiting weeks between coats. Mike schudel has an AFM that I did about 6 years ago, before I changed the process, and his game gets played a lot. he has big parties as well as leagues, and I cant find one ball dimple on that pf, and that title takes a beating!

So most of my labor is for longevity not for the ladies (looks)

You will need the install kit for that roll over in SI. I just got the bits shipped so I am mailing out about 5 of them monday, I will send one to you, and if i owe you a kit or you want one let me know, because like I said monday they are going out. price is 95 plus ship 100$

Thats not my clear on that pf that appears to be a cattacomb.
I dont think the original poster was concerned with a ball getting stuck in the grain of the wood. If that is the case, raise your rear legs.
If you think the production clear on your pf is too thin and you dont like the way it looks, feels or plays, send it to me to spend some time on it.

As for ball dimples. Mirco has a thicker production clear and it ball dimples. cpr has a thin production clear and it ball dimpled, stock stern pfs dimple. I look at it as a great pf for a route game. I have found a way to make the finish harder and not look like a Titleist in 100 plays (refer to the cpr centaur pf experiment).

Yes the install kit will do a couple pfs. if you run out of a part let me know and I can help you replace it.
I dont have room in the crates for the kit so I have to send them separate, and i am going to mail a bunch of kits monday. so if you need one let me know, or if you paid for one lately and got your pf but no kit let me know so I can get it out to ya.

The catacomb thread if of a stock cpr pf. I mentioned that I restored one long ago. I still have that pf for sale if you want to buy it.

sorry, I hit enter too soon. this pic of a catacomb is not my work it is a stock cpr pf for sale. I wrote about a catacomb that I restored long ago that took many hours, and I have the before and after pics of it, but I was showing a pf for sale. which it still is available.

One of the clichés I have heard a million times is dont assume, it makes an ass of u. Its a play on words. I hate it, but you wrote I am assuming kruzman cleared that? nope. i did not.

I would agree with this. about 1/3 of the pfs have the grain rise after a couple months. Not all. some of them its just a little or on half of the pf, but others like the cpr bally rolling stones I delivered to daane yesterday had ridges so deep I had to hand sand the pf to get down in them without taking off the top.

If the ridges dont bother you, install it as is. no prob. I love pinball weather I did the pf or not. I dont think you have to worry about a ball getting stuck in them.

Thats what it is!

Concerning the finish appearance. my clear is different from a stock production clear because they just spray it. I spray sand spray sand, over and over, but here it the big difference, after the last coat, I block sand it ugly but flat, by hand. Then O polish it out to glass, then clean the compound out of the holes.

At this point in my career, its form follows function, but follows very close behind. The last 2 days work is all about looks and a flat gloss surface. the 3-4 months before that it is a lot of hand sanding between each coat over all of the edges of cut outs and dimples. I am not going to say what i do with my clear, but it is manipulated to coat thinner, and harder, and I use a pretty expensive clear. I have tried about 6 different clears in the last 3 years, and I keep going back to what I have been using for about 5 years, but now, I mix it different. You can get a gal of clear for like 89 and a qt of hardner for like 70, but that stuff looks bad, it ball dimples like crazy, it doesnt like to be built up. I dont have a choice I have to buy the expensive crap. I also buy my hardener in half pints rather than quarts, so that its super fresh. Its said to have a life of 14 days after opening, but I can tell after 3 or 4 days. so I use half pints. though I dont want to give away all of my secrets.

Its still putting a super hard material on a soft material, wood that expands and contracts at a different amount than the plastic inserts, and you bounce a HEAVY ball on it with a lot of force. I have said it a million times. There are people who see a repro pf with the wood grain super raised, and they see it is super nice and better than what they have. Then there are people who want something that really stands out for more than because its not worn. Then there are people like me that see everything they do, as a reflection of who they are. so if I cant do something to the best it can be done, I just wont do it.

all of them are right if it makes you happy. even though I take my process as serious as a heart attack, its still not perfect, and just like any moving part, its going to wear each play, just a little. But I would never do what I do for a living if I didnt think it mattered. I took a 75% pay reduction to do this for a living, and I am happy with it, and I hope to continue till I die. Later rather than sooner.

The test I wish everyone could do is have one of my pfs installed next to a stock pf installed. and watch the difference after 100, 150, 200 and so on. When I went to go see one of my pfs that was installed for 5 years in a high traffic, but private place, I was worried it was going to look played, and there was not one ball dimple, it looked brand new, and it played like lightning. so fast!!!

Funny you mentioned that. UPS delivered a nos IJ yesterday. it was sitting in my breezeway with the top flap open all the way. lucky the pf was not touched in shipping at all. it made it safe. I suggested the foam pipe insulation and it worked good

Years ago I received a nos 007 pf that had to pieces of cardboard with the pf sandwiched in between and the bottom and top edge were just padded by the tape. the edges all around it were just tape. the sender didnt make the cardboard bigger than the pf so the cardboard would absorb some impact. Needless to say that pf was a total write off by the seller. I am not sure if the shipper reimbursed. They never have for me.
I have mentioned it before but back in the late 80's I worked 2 christmas seasons at UPS from 11 till morning. back then the semi trailers backed up and when I opened them the packages were not wrapped on skids. Nope thousands of packages and tires just piled on top of each other. They ship a lot of unwrapped tires. I would have never known.

Of course, but if it is a mirco its best to let it sit for 6 months. I just did a mirco IJ and I let it sit 2 months, and I took my time. I block sanded it and made it amazing, I was super proud. I unwrapped it to check it before I ship it and I could feel the inserts. About 3 months ago, I had that thing like glass. They are not horrible but its so frustrating for me and I am sure the owner to have it happen. seems like all of the mirco IJ's do it. Since the inserts are going up, not down, it makes me think the wood is contracting because it still had a little too much moisture in it when it was made, and still when I recleared it. I have spent years of time trying to get around it, and I have minimized it by taking longer, and doing more thin coats, but its totally unpredictable. I have not been able to get any info from the makers that has helped or shined a little light on it.
Dont get me wrong it not too bad, and it can only be noticed at the right angle, and once installed w parts that angle will be very rare.None the less I spent 2 days at the end of the process block sanding it like glass, then polishing. Its also hard work because that polished is a 13 amp milwaukee. between the wright and the momentum, its a work out!

I just got so insulted by some douche. dam.
he is selling a stern pf for 900 for a pro. I am not going to say the title or who it is. I never dealt with him. By the way I never write anyone without saying hello, and I speak in full sentences, I always do a salutation with my name and have a great weekend or day. first I wrote to see if it was indeed a pro, or prem/le. I am trying to collect all of the LE pfs. I also said for pro pfs I only pay around 500 for that title. which is a little bit of a lie because I have never owned one of this title nor ever once been asked if i have one. Its one of those sterns that came out like 10 years ago and is never talked of. I have never even seen the game before. So he wrote back that he is not giving it away and thanks for the low ball you cant even buy it used for that price.
so this is here on pinside, not face book.
So I wrote back saying I meant no disrespect at all, and that I just bought 2 LE pfs for 600 and 700 and a pro for 450, I wrote that I am not the guy who sells one pf out of his garage for top dollar that I got for free, because my new game had a scratch in it, I have been doing this 14 years, and some of the pfs I have had for sale that whole time have not sold, and again I mean no disrespect, sorry and have a good weekend. and he writes me back:

Cool get lost and thanks for offering half of the price Good bye now

I know you have to have thick skin both in life and business. I believe that greed and douche-baggery go hand and hand. By my second letter I didnt want the pf once I realized it a pro and more than 500. I was just writing because in a year this guy may need a clear or a pf, and I didnt want to burn a bridge.

I will never be rude if you write me to see how your pf is doing, or if you have a general pf question, or you wanted to say hi. But if I am ever short with you, its not you, its because I have to deal with people.

Also here is a pf that just came in. Its available. NOS bally knockout. Drilled and dimpled. Looks like one scrape, almost 1 in. I like the colors and bought it for art until if someone needs it. I think this is about 1972? Never played it

20220420_145938 (resized).jpg

20220420_145953 (resized).jpg

20220420_150002 (1) (resized).jpg

20220420_150012 (1) (resized).jpg

20220420_150023 (resized).jpg

20220420_150031 (resized).jpg

20220420_150101 (1) (resized).jpg

20220420_150106 (resized).jpg

20220420_150147 (resized).jpg

Finally got some of these. first I went to kinkos and they only have a real thin sticker material, and cant cut around them. I get 2 pages worth for a dollar.
so I went to a sign shop and I had the 4 different fonts I like and wanted to get a page of each. well the art work was done on my bro in laws phone, so when its printed its very pixilated. Especially since I made them 2 inch and 3 inch these pics are of the 2 in. I thought the thin stickers would be good for under the clear, but I have a feeling the clear will melt the ink right off. Plus its so pixilated I dont want to put it on the front of the pf. I asked the sign guy hom much to clean it up and make it look good, he said a lot and that he didnt want to do it.
So I am going to put them on the back of the pfs. The stickers shown are the 50 cent a page version. The 20 dollar a page will go on the next job, I will take a pic.
I have wanted to do this forever, and of course its half ass. Booo!

20220422_135752 (resized).jpg

20220422_135758 (resized).jpg

You are not the person I have heard say that. I did a planitary MM pf and I loved it. so no problemo!

Oh yes I have. I used to have a metal shop back in the 90's. a brand would be easy and very cool. if you know anyone who can make one, please let me know.

I have a lot of pfs that I need to get up on the website very soon. But I dont have a MM. They are still available over in germany, as I am sure you know. you may be better off buying it from a dealer in the states incase you get one with issues, I have heard that the customer service is lacking for whatever reason.