You're doing a whole pf overlay?

I'm surprised VPforums had such a high quality image (unless it's not showing in those photos), will you be able to see pixels? I know CPR was selling some goof playfields for like $500 (some are just white around the border). I'm sure your doing an overlay either because you don't want to spend the money, or you don't feel like doing a complete swap (just a top teardown).

Let us know it goes, how do you plan on attaching the overlay? I've seen some people use an adhesive along with a chemical that slows down the curing process so you have time to adjust position (like you would do tinted windows). I'm curious how well it will align. Also I hope your printing to vinyl (not paper) because paper will likely soak up any adhesive you use, and possibly tear as you adjust.

Very cool Joe.

Get ready for 10000 questions:

1. Is the vinyl substrate white or clear in color?
2. I assume you are going to sand off the silk screening off all of the existing inserts, because they will not register with the new ones?
3. I assume you are going to flood the old playfield with clear to level it and lock down the wood fibers before adhering the vinyl?
4. If the vinyl is white, can you print just your inserts on a clear sheet?
5. Have you tested any clear coats on this vinyl for compatibility?
6. Does the adhesive on the vinyl allow some positioning movement before it grabs?
7. How long until the adhesive reaches full strength? Is heat necessary?

Back a few years ago there where many overlays for sale (usually on polyester) and they were terrible. I'm looking forward to see how this turns out.

Tag to watch this one.

I've got a totally shot playfield just as bad as the one pictured here, lol. I'm wondering what to do with it after I get the CPR playfield swapped in.

Do you have wood router skills?

It would be cool to give your playfield the two "hot dog" inserts in the center (like the more valuable SS playfields had), rather that the 3 inserts on each side.

Since you are completely covering the playfield, you would be risk free doing the mod.

You would have to call Steve Young or CPR, I don't see them as a listed item. I have a SS playfield with them if you need the exact measurements or scan.

http://classicplayfields.com/photo96.html

Oddly enough, it seems that almost EVERYONE here on Pinside with an original Shuttle playfield has the 3 separate inserts..

Mine has the hotdogs. I thought I had the common one and the 3 inserts was UNcommon, not the other way around, lol.

Looks like Planetary doesn't have the hotdogs in red...

http://www.planetarypinball.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PP&Product_Code=PPS-50-26-25&Category_Code=INS

I've got 4 in the shop right now, I'll check for dates on the PFs and report back.

The hotdog ones in the shop have 2 flashers per dog, the 3 insert ones have 3 flashers per side.

There's a Flash Gordon on Chicago Craigslist that looks like they tried something similar with poor results. http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn306/Marauder-Z/Flash%20Gordon/

Once you sand it smooth, are you going to decal all the inserts? I think you'd be able to see where you cut out the inserts even when painted black. You certainly can on the example above.

Dear lord! Dirty and worn, looks like its never been maintained, ever

Okay, why do your pop bumper caps not have the W in the center... mine are the exact same ring on the outside with a red W stamped logo in the middle too... I can't find replacements and mine are chipped. Pisses me off.. :p

None of the SS I currently have here have the W in the center either.

Probably because the W would clash with the scaffolding plastic that is installed above it.

That's why I didn't understand why mine DO. Doesn't make any sense. Was there another game maybe they were pulled from? I've never seen any other game with pop caps with that pattern around the edge...

I've got some early and late model SS right now in the shop and none have the W.

There must be another game that uses that cap, although I can't think of any off the top of my head.

Maybe just get some all white ones for your restore and stencil on the red pattern?

Anybody familiar with Ed Cheung's playfield work on SS? He's attempted several methods and details the pros/cons and problems that he encountered.

http://www.edcheung.com/album/album07/Pinball/ss_pf.htm

Yes, Ed's work on his SS is legendary.

The only upside is that since I went all-out with the red-white-and-blue theming on mine, I'm not even using the originals currently...but would be nice if the alternate coloring doesn't look good once I get the new playfield in.

I believe his artwork was probably used by CPR as a starting point (since Ed basically did what they do, which is scan the playfield, and redraw as vectors in illustrator). Of course, CPR actually made it better by fixing the mis-alignment mistake that williams made (ever notice that a stock playfield seems to have mis-alignment with the inserts?)

ever notice that a stock playfield seems to have mis-alignment with the inserts?

It just depends on how sloppy the guys doing the screen printing are.

Look at the registration marks at the top and bottom of the playfield and see how well the screener did his job:

registration_mark.jpg

So far what's the cost on a print out this big?

I've seen vinyl printing as inexpensive as $50 for something that size. Of course that's typical outdoor sign printing, have no idea what some other companies use.

If you had access to a printer, between material and ink, it could be 1/5th that cost.

I'd like to experiment with a sheet of that that stuff and see how well prepared the substrate has to be and how well it takes to 2 part isocyanate clear coat.

If I were to provide a vector file would you be able to do that by mail order? I don't have a project at the moment, but that seems like a more than reasonable price. Unfortunately I'm better with Illustrator than I am with a paint brush.

I got my Tyvek suit, my fog proof eye goggles, my chemical respirator and my downdraft booth.

I just worry that all the vinyl signs I see seem to shrink over the years. So I worry that the clear will not have "give" to allow for the shrinkage and might delaminate.

Does anyone ever put this material on a car and then clear it?

Very cool then!

If you have a printing error on a sheet or something, maybe I'll make some lemonade from lemons and give it a full test on a scrap playfield.

looks good so far

Houston ...we lost an insert.
(or did I fail to launch?)

You are still OK.

Print your inserts on Water Slide decals rather than vinyl. They are so thin that a minimal overcoat will get you back in business.

There are plenty of times where I'll clear a crummy playfield just to lock down the wood fibers and then I'll get to work on the painting and inserts.

BUT, don't come in too hot on those decals or they will wrinkle.

Dust over them with 2 super dry coats about 5 minutes apart, then go ahead and lay down 2 normal coats of clear 10 minutes apart.

looks like it came out great!