Subscribed. I'd also like to know this.

It's a glaze with colorant to give it color. I have never messed with playfields so i don't have a formula but I have matched many a custom stained wood surface with colored glaze.

Bump

Bumping this thread since it's an interesting question...

Does anyone have a technique they like to use when painting over badly discolored wood to make it look like new wood again?

I believe that in some cases the woodgrain is airbrushed on.
You would need a talented airbrush artist.

Shellac is made from the bodies of the Laccifera lacca insect. It is actually safe to eat, and is used as the coating on Reese's Pieces and fruits like apples.

Shellac has a yellow to amber color to it, and can actually be purchased in different shades.

Shellac flakes are simply dissolved in alcohol and then applied.

Some older pins were actually "clear coated" with Shellac (test under the apron if the finish dissolves with alcohol).

In playfield restoration we use Shellac in layers to match freshly sanded wood to the surrounding wood. Newly sanded wood is bright white, and stands out like a sore thumb. Spraying layers of Shellac allows you to match darker older wood easily.

Vapor are mildly toxic (alcohol).

Shellac is not very durable as a clearcoat, but is does have a place in your tool kit.

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Yes, you can clear over it with 2PAC.

Resurrecting this thread to see if anyone has a suggestion/solution for my situation.

Target Alpha has a very large bare wood area in front of the flippers (See pic). My playfield is trashed, especially in that area. Previous owner tried to paint the area a hideous green color, which I've mostly removed. I'm left with a little green that's embedded into the grain. I'm afraid that continued sanding, even with just magic eraser, will be through the plywood face very quickly. If not for these green spots, I think this might be a good candidate for clear coat over shellac.

Any thoughts on how to get rid of the green without further destroying this area would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

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