Alcohol leaves residue behind, and can sometimes stain wood.

Lots of things are flammable. Heck, pins can start electrical fires. Just don't use naphtha near an open flame or while smoking a cigar, and you'll be fine.

I've used isopropyl for years on modern games no issue. Recently switched to novus 2.

Key is 99% only not 91%

Are you trying to summon vid1900 ?

Where do you find the 99% stuff?

Novus 2 is abrasive. Not a great idea to use just for regular cleaning.

Anywhere. Walmart has it.

It's very very very minor. You would have to clean with it thousands of times to notice it.
Clay uses it on all of his games at VFW and they are all really nice.
Here is my getaway before and after novus 2.
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My Walmart's can get 99% alcohol if I ask them to order it. There is no extra charge other than 99% costs a little more than 91%. It is just not a shelf item.

My Kroger pharmacy has also ordered 99% in for me.

So you have to special order the 99% alcohol at Walmart?

I use Novus periodically. It is a polish and works very well, even on EMs.

That's a shame.

I wouldn't advise using alcohol when cleaning early Bally solid states, in my case Space Invaders. The alcohol ate right into the lacquer topcoat, luckily I was testing it in a small spot covered by the apron so it'll never be seen. Naphtha (plus Magic Eraser for really ground-in grime) only from now on, then use Novus 2 to bring out the shine.

Edit, just saw this thread is for newer B/W games, never mind!

Just walk up to the pharmacy window and ask them to order you a bottle of 99%. It will be there in 1-2 days. There is nothing special about it. They may take your name and call you when it arrives.

Alcohol will dissolve some clearcoats. Naptha wil not harm paint or clear. Naptha is excellent for removing old wax. Vaccum, naptha, Novus 2 if needed and then Blitz or other carnuba paste wax without silicone.

It will dissolve lacquer finishes that where put on older SS pins but, should not affect the newer CC on modern pins. Alcohol will dissolve latex paints but not enamels etc..

MSDS on Naptha makes it seem a little harsh just for cleaning up a game. With so many other milder alternatives, why go with most toxic? I wouldn’t want those fumes in house or closed garage.

I use novus 1 or simple green to clean playfields, the latter works well for more stubborn areas.

It's amazing stuff and I don't mind the smell of it. Cleans rubbers, targets, metal ramps, wireforms, etc. Makes flippers with the typical black gunk on them look new.

Ace hardware near me stocks 99% in gallon jugs

My uncle was a farmer with all of the farm equipment. I saw him wash his hands with gas one day. This was the leaded gasoline. After that, I did that for just a few times. Gas is a great hand cleaner. But then I learned that the lead in gasoline could be absorbed into your body and I changed my ways.

I use the 91% alcohol all the time but will switch to 99% now that I know how to get it. I would like to warn people however about at least one game that alcohol will totally wipe out the sideart with....Spiderman.

I do not know which process they used on the sideart of it, or what other games have that process. But I started cleaning one around the area beneath a leg and it started taking the ink off immediately. Beware and pass this information on to your friends.

That paint must be latex based as alcohol will dissolve latex. I used to test swimming pools with alcohol when the owner didn't know what type paint was applied previously, latex or epoxy paint. If you can rub the paint with a wet cloth (alcohol) and come away with paint it's latex if not epoxy.

in this case, the smell=toxins.

Novus gets a "warning" on MSDS, Naptha a "Danger"...way higher % of toxic crap in naptha vs novus or alcohol or good ol fashioned elbow grease. Not worth it for a pinball game vs health of family--pets, kids are especially susceptible with growing brains.

It would help most if you cited which playfield you wanted to clean.

To be fair, there is no one "playfield", and thus there is no one single answer to the question.

Here's how I'd break it down...

1. pre-modern with no clear coat: naptha for sure
2. pre-modern with mylar: 99% (anything is ok, but this is the strongest)
3. modern or CPR with clear coat: novus 2 ???

Do you agree with the 3 grouping and solutions? I'm not a chemist, but that's my feeling on it from listening to people.

Oh ya, naptha wreaks. It doesnt cloud stuff though, and Ive had alcohol cloud before. Naptha has worked well for me so far.

Remind me to steer clear of the punch at your next party ...

...more for the rest of us!

99 percent isn't all it's cracked up to be. It evaporates so fast it's difficult to use efficiently. So if you can't find 99 it's no big thing, 91 is fine.

following. I'm about the clean the playfield on my first pin a 1974 CCM Dolphin. It is in bad need of a cleaning: I orded a bunch of parts from Marco Pinball including the NOVAS basic kit.

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Yeah alcohol wont be cleaning that, that's Novus country.

Magic eraser and alcohol, just careful how aggressive your are and then follow it up with a good Novus cleaning and a Naphtha wipe down before wax.

Been using simple green sparingly (spraying micro fiber first in a light myst then good ole elbow grease).

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Looks like it is cleaning up nicely.

Alcohol will strip your clear coating, Naptha won't.

Thanks
Blake

Vintage Naptha for working on vintage machines.

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What brand of naptha are you all using? Alcohol is impossible to find right now. Thx

I get it at Lowes or Home Depot. They have it in quarts. I would definitely recommend it over IPA on anything that has clear, paint or ink. IPA might work fine on 20 playfields in a row, but that 21st playfield might lose paint down to the wood before you know what is happening. Either way, always start a cleaning by testing the method in a hidden spot.

I used this product to clean 40 years of nicotine from the play field of a Gottlieb EM that had no play field glass. I had to do some scrubbing. I got the nicotine. The play field cleaned up nicely.

This stuff calls for caution when using. Wear gloves and a mask.

The usual disclaimer: Try it on a small area first. But it did not attack the paint/ink on the play field. I would use it again if the situation were to arise.

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Thx

I'm serious about the gloves and the mask if you decide to try this stuff. Poo poo both of those and you will understand. I also would not ignore the cleaner waxes; They can pull a lot of trash from a play field. You just don't want to use cleaner waxes very often.

How do you decide what level of cleaning or resurfacing to do on a machine that is “new to you”? I recently purchased a Fathom with a CPR play field. It’s in great shape, but the play field clear coat does have scratches in it. Should I use naphtha to strip it down, then novus 2, then blitz wax? Just novus 2 then wax? Just wax?

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For any new game that’s HUO, Novus 2 and wax is all you’ll ever need. Don’t want 2? Use 1. Or Naptha. I started using Naptha as opposed to Novus 2 per Vid, but when I see fine scratches or a dimpled area, out comes the Novus 2.

Don’t forget, never clean with anything but a new, unused diaper made of 100% virgin Supina cotton. Preferably from Egypt or Turkey.

Does Novus 1 remove old wax like naphtha? On the cloth side, I have some USA made, border free Zaino cotton towels I use for car waxing I was planning on using here.