I have a JM that is pretty minty and I was thinking of doing this. IMO if you have a great PF and are okay taking it all apart, yes, it is worth the CC.

On the subject - how long after the clear coat should they be played?

If I had the money, I'd clear every pin I'd ever touched. No exceptions.

That clear coat sure makes them shine. I would.

Yes good auto clear locks artwork forever. I see this as a plus with any pin.

You cannot populate the playfield until the clear has completely cured. You could play it immediately after that though.

Kim
http://www.WrongCrowdProductions.com/

How long does curing take? Heard various answers. 30 -45 days?

Yes, why wouldn't you?

15 days is sufficient for most automotive clears

This is like a poll on bacon.

Wait three weeks before putting anything back on the playfield. It takes the urethane about that to fully cure.

or "Do you enjoy having sex?"

Yes 46votes ------- edited
No 5votes

inflating-2.jpg

Have you ever played a game that had too much clear on the playfield? I have. It's like playing on glass rather than plywood. The ball gets very little traction. Sure, the playfield gleams, but the game plays like ass.

Like bacon, too much of a good thing isn't always good. Add a couple of coats if you must, but don't get carried away or you could ruin your game.

I was told by a couple folks not to clearcoat a playfield, because it makes the ball "squirly" - anyone else have this opinion?  I still don't understand why re-clearing would cause strange ball movement. As the topic was my STTNG, and it was originally clearcoated by TAG before being placed in the machine by Williams.  The clearcoat that TAG, and others like Sun Process, etc, used is essentially (I think) a similar 2 part automotive clear as is mainly used to re-clear a playfield.
After my interweb-reading, I felt that there shouldn't be any worry to re-clearing, as long as it's done well, and cured properly, it seems to be an excellent means to preserving a playfield.
In case you haven't seen this webpage on playfields, it has a lot of good historical information http://www.flippers.be/pinball_playfields.html .
I was researching because I had some Neutral Zone wear on the original playfield, and wanted to repair and clear it to start fresh.  I ended up finding an NOS playfield, originally screened and cleared by SP, and then re-cleared by HSA - it's a beautiful thing - although I'm not sure the attached photo is doing it any justice.
IMG_6818.jpg

Of course I hit send asking for that opinion - and it was just posted a second earlier! Why do you think the ball reacts differently after too many coats versus just the original coat?

The clear is harder than the plywood. The more clear you put on, the harder it gets. If you can imagine playing on glass, that's kinda what it's like. Most guys like to wax too, which makes it even worse.

If you're doing repair or touchup (not using a sharpie), then sure, clearing is a great idea for a number of reasons. Have you asked Gary at Bobcat how many coats he typically applies? I want to say two?

i kinda like "squirly"- so i clear for wear res & flatness and wax for a lack of traction........

the only time i would never prefer a cleared pf- if i had a "pristine" classic game that was perfect and did not come cleared as org. then i might not prefer cleared, but i still know it would be better at the fun factor if it was cleared.

should be noted- i have never owed a prirstine game.