(Topic ID: 307929)

Playfield Protector?

By shadetree77

2 years ago


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  • 18 posts
  • 13 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by Pinbee
  • Topic is favorited by 2 Pinsiders

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#1 2 years ago

I recently posted asking opinions on whether or not I should attempt to remove some badly applied mylar from my Old Chicago. The playfield is planking pretty bad and the consensus was that I should NOT remove the mylar because of the high potential for paint damage. Since I'm going for a preservation and not a full restore I completely agree with this. One of the members on that thread mentioned a playfield protector as an option. I've been looking into the playfield protectors and they do make one for Old Chicago. Does anyone here have experience with protectors? I have a few questions about them that I can't seem to find answers to as they pertain to EM machines specifically.

-Will the protector lay down correctly on top of the mylar that's on there? Particularly around the edges and the parts where the mylar is sort of stacked?

-Keeping in mind that the playfield is planking a decent amount, will the protector affect it negatively at all?

-Also, am I correct in thinking that the protector has no kind of adhesive on it at all? If so, what exactly holds it down? Is it like a window cling sort of thing? Or does the weight of the material combined with playfield pieces hold it in place?

-If I do put a protector on, should I wax the playfield first?

#2 2 years ago
Quoted from shadetree77:

-Will the protector lay down correctly on top of the mylar that's on there? Particularly around the edges and the parts where the mylar is sort of stacked?

Yes it will work great!

-Keeping in mind that the playfield is planking a decent amount, will the protector affect it negatively at all?
No it will protect what is left forever.

-Also, am I correct in thinking that the protector has no kind of adhesive on it at all? If so, what exactly holds it down? Is it like a window cling sort of thing? Or does the weight of the material combined with playfield pieces hold it in place?

The weight of the material keeps it in place, you may have to remove flipper bats, ball gates, etc. to install.

-If I do put a protector on, should I wax the playfield first?
Yes absolutely clean the playfield and make sure there isn't and dust or debris on the playfield prior to installing.

#3 2 years ago

I've not used a playfield protector but in your case not much other choice either. Like many people you can wax it and play it as is, but the damage will continue.

The gameplay would likely be much improved with the protector as your removing a lot of friction caused by the current playfield conditions. The protector also will prevent further damage to the wood in areas with cupped inserts too.

Pinabll, like billiards is a game of geometry. With a poor condition table and cupped inserts you are subject to a great deal of random ball and movement and slower ball speed. That's why people start to use 5° or greater angle on tables designed for 3°-4°. Then they might even high tap them to get the ball speed back up.

There is also another route you can take if you have the time and patience. Learn to do playfield touch up. We all start somewhere. My first playfield touchup was on my EM Cleopatra. You do not have to clear coat, but it is the better route if you get to that point in the long run. You can do touch ups and then wax over them, and keep it waxed. Your touch ups under a waxed up playfield can also be easily fixed at a later date to as the wax and acrylic paint is easily removed. My Cleo is touched up and protected with wax only and has looked great for many years now.

Currently starting a restoration of an Aztec requiring insert filling, insert replacement, paint touch up then a 2k clear coat. First time for me. So far so good.

Just a word of caution to those buying and EM pin, don't overpay in this market. There's a Space Odyssey not far from me and in fair condition with some minor planking, flaking paint and cupped inserts for $1,100. In order to a nice flat playfield again there's a lot of time and effort to doing so. Years ago a blown out EM was understood to be just that and the price reflected this fact. Not so much today it appears.

If the modern SS pins had anywhere near the playfield issues as these old EM's do, no way people would be overpaying. Just not sure why people buying EM's do.

#4 2 years ago

There are lots of machines with planking that play fine, and will for years to come. How about some pics.

#5 2 years ago
Quoted from Black_Knight:

There are lots of machines with planking that play fine, and will for years to come. How about some pics.

These are the pics I posted on my other thread showing the poorly applied mylar. But you can also see the planking issue. Far from the worst planking I've seen but if I can throw a protector on there relatively easy I think it might be a good investment. As a side note, Black_Knight, I visited Vertigo a few months back and thoroughly enjoyed it!

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#6 2 years ago

If the paint is not readily flaking off and can take a little rubbing, I find that going over it with novus 2 really helps before waxing. Helps smooth things and then wax to protect. Then its just a matter of keeping up with regular waxing. Looks like it should work with yours.

Its my understanding that a playfield protector is simply a petg film over the playfield. I dont know if they exist for your game, but you can probably buy a roll that is wide enough and cut out the holes on your own. It’s probably not perfect over existing mylar, but it shouldn’t cause massive issues while playing. I haven’t used a playfield protector, so take this with a grain of salt.

#7 2 years ago

The planking is not the real issue, it's the mylar. Can you get better photo's of the playfield and where the mylar is located?

The OP asked in another thread about the risk of removing the mylar.

If it's not in too many areas and the OP want to try some paint touch up that would better than the current condition and playability.

#8 2 years ago

Clean the playfield well. Touch up what you can with good acrylic paints and then install a playfield protector. They are cheap and really easy to install. You will need to remove your plastics and some other hardware anyway to do the cleaning so that prep work will already be done in order to install the protector. There is no adhesive on the protector, just lays flat on the playfield and stays in place by the hardware. I installed one on my Dolly Parton almost a year ago, best thing I did. I had alot of touch ups done and lots of unlevel inserts. The ball rolls smooth now and the action is very fast. Later on, you can do a hardtop or playfield replacement if you choose but the playfield protector is a nice quick way to get you back to enjoying the game now.

If you haven't already, check to see if Cointaker has them for Old Chicago. Their ship time is really quick and they provide great service.

#9 2 years ago

This isn't cheap but looks nice if you want to go all in on a resto.
https://classicplayfields.com/shop/pinball-playfields/oldc/

#10 2 years ago

Thanks for stopping by!

I’d just wax that and play it. Definitely wouldn’t touch the Mylar.

For home use that still has many years left on it.

#11 2 years ago

Thanks for the responses guys. I think I'll clean and wax and then buy a protector. Looks like planetary pinball has one pre-made for Old Chicago.

Quoted from Garrett:

The planking is not the real issue, it's the mylar. Can you get better photo's of the playfield and where the mylar is located?
The OP asked in another thread about the risk of removing the mylar.
If it's not in too many areas and the OP want to try some paint touch up that would better than the current condition and playability.

Garrett, here's a photo of the playfield area covered by mylar. You can see where it starts right at the top of the pic. I'd say it covers about half of the playfield. I'm not going full resto on this so for now I'm going to leave the mylar alone.

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#12 2 years ago
Quoted from shadetree77:

Thanks for the responses guys. I think I'll clean and wax and then buy a protector. Looks like planetary pinball has one pre-made for Old Chicago.

Garrett, here's a photo of the playfield area covered by mylar. You can see where it starts right at the top of the pic. I'd say it covers about half of the playfield. I'm not going full resto on this so for now I'm going to leave the mylar alone.[quoted image]

Ok, so they put a larger sheet on the lower playfield.

In your situation I would go ahead and give the playfield a thorough cleaning and then several coats of wax. And then keep it waxed. You could also try touching up the paint in areas without mylar if you'd like. Like I said, if the color doesn't match all that great than the acrylic cleans off quite easily. No need for the playfield protector.

The wax will protect the paint quite well. The picture is from my Cleo that I took last night. I did the touch up paint in 2013-2014 time frame and the playfield is protected with only wax. I was new to pins at that time and was not ready to try a clear coat. I made the mistake of not putting a piece of mylar here at that time. Kick outs tend to damage the table.

Overall, it's held up well. I do need to touch up the yellow again and get that mylar.
Cleo Paint Toch up area (resized).jpgCleo Paint Toch up area (resized).jpg

#13 2 years ago

Not a fan myself. Played a game someone brought to a show and you could actually see the ball ripple the protector and change the ball direction.

Hated it.

Might have been a one off example but what I have experienced.

#14 2 years ago

I have a protector on my Cleopatra and my Jungle Queen. For me, it was the best way to make the playfield flat and playable. I didn't want to repair all the inserts at the time, so it was the best way. Now that I've done a few games worth of inserts, I'll probably come back to these games and fix properly whenever I get caught up with current projects. I've never had any issues with the protector moving or rippling and I have 2 different ones. My JQ came from Beehive and my Cleo came from Playfield Protector people. Both are really well cut, hold in place very well and weren't that bad to install. It does add a nice shine to the whole playfield as well. You do loose the sound of the ball rolling on the wooden playfield.

#15 2 years ago

Your Old Chicago is a prime candidate for a protector. It will smooth the edges of the old mylar, keep new dirt from collecting around the edges of the old mylar, reduce future wear on the playfield and smooth your inserts.

I make mine own and always leave the plastic under one post near the top. Only one, so that the plastic can expand and contract in all directions. The protectors never move even when I lift the playfield.

After cleaning the playfield, I usually put a spray wax on before the protector. Probably doesn't need it, but it doesn't hurt.

#16 2 years ago
Quoted from edednedy:

I make mine own and always leave the plastic under one post near the top. Only one, so that the plastic can expand and contract in all directions. The protectors never move even when I lift the playfield.

Make your own? I'd like to hear more about that. Is there a tutorial available? I assume that would be cheaper plus most EM titles do not have premade available.

#17 2 years ago

Step 1 - Clean it
Step 2 - Wax it
Step 3 - .....
Step 4 - PROFIT!

On a serious note, the dirt swirls are locked into the playfield by the mylar, so it will always appear dirty. The planking isn't that bad and shouldn't affect gameplay unless it is coming up so much that you can feel it and the ball path is affected by it. If that's the case, then a protector will smooth out the ball paths. If not, then don't worry about it, keep it clean, and enjoy it!

#18 2 years ago
Quoted from JRC6000:

Make your own? I'd like to hear more about that. Is there a tutorial available? I assume that would be cheaper plus most EM titles do not have premade available.

John_I gave a great description of his method in post #12386 of the "Show us your EM Pinball Machines" thread, page 248

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