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(Topic ID: 325514)

Questions about cleaning difficult dirt from a Playfield.

By dunkaroo

1 year ago



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  • 8 posts
  • 5 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 1 year ago by dunkaroo
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#1 1 year ago
OP
 
DNK

dunkaroo

Pinside member

US Olympia, WA

1y 26,650 30 5

Hey guys! So I've been using Vid's guide to clean the playfield of a pin I picked up, and I'm running into some difficulties. I'm using the Magic Eraser + Alcohol method, but I'm thinking that I'm being too delicate. After an initial clean up, I noticed that the method hadn't really picked up dirt from the ball dimples, from areas around the mylar, or in vertical grooves in the paint. Any recommendations on how to dig that dirt up? Also, should I be replacing the mylar outright, or is there a method to cleaning that area?

Additionally, I noticed that three of the inserts sit slightly above the plane of the playfield. Is this common for early 80's pins? Is it something I should even address or is it fine?

Thanks in advance!

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#2 1 year ago
 
ROB

RCA1

Pinside+ Addict

US St Joseph, MI

11y 128K 8,684 28 11

Those are ball swirls and planking cracks.
That's not going to clean off. It's IN the surface.

You could try to pull that mylar, but odds are that some paint is going to come with it.

You can re-level the inserts, and it may be worth the effort, depending on how bad they are.

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#3 1 year ago
OP
 
DNK

dunkaroo

Pinside member

US Olympia, WA

1y 26,650 30 5

Quoted from RCA1:

Those are ball swirls and planking cracks.
That's not going to clean off. It's IN the surface.
You could try to pull that mylar, but odds are that some paint is going to come with it.

That's what I was thinking. I'm planning on doing a full restoration on the playfield, so I'm comfortable with repainting the areas that need it. I appreciate the insight.

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#4 1 year ago
 
POO

SpyroFTW

JK Pinball

US Kansas City, MO

4y 74,800 1,000 9

You could get rid of some ball swirls with a magic eraser, but you can also sand through the paint with them too. If you are comfortable with painting, then I would go that route. The inserts can be heated from the bottom side and releveled. Just go slow with the heat gun so you dont melt the insert.

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#5 1 year ago
OP
 
DNK

dunkaroo

Pinside member

US Olympia, WA

1y 26,650 30 5

Quoted from SpyroFTW:

You could get rid of some ball swirls with a magic eraser, but you can also sand through the paint with them too. If you are comfortable with painting, then I would go that route. The inserts can be heated from the bottom side and releveled. Just go slow with the heat gun so you dont melt the insert.

Perfect! That was the exact advice I was looking for.

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#6 1 year ago
 
---

ForceFlow

Pinside Moderator

9y 238K 31,369 268 14

Quoted from SpyroFTW:

You could get rid of some ball swirls with a magic eraser, but you can also sand through the paint with them too. If you are comfortable with painting, then I would go that route. The inserts can be heated from the bottom side and releveled. Just go slow with the heat gun so you dont melt the insert.

OP
Quoted from dunkaroo:

Perfect! That was the exact advice I was looking for.

Caution: when using magic eraser, you're actually removing the protective topcoat and leaving bare paint. You will need to clear the playfield or put down mylar or the paint will wear off *very* quickly.

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#7 1 year ago
 
SMK

TheLaw

Pinside+ Addict

US Ann Arbor, MI

12y 162K 48,071 19 30 1

You can only do so much. Get the flakes off where you can, spot paint around the PF, level/re-glue inserts, repaint keylimes, and then protect.

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#8 1 year ago
OP
 
DNK

dunkaroo

Pinside member

US Olympia, WA

1y 26,650 30 5

Quoted from ForceFlow:

Caution: when using magic eraser, you're actually removing the protective topcoat and leaving bare paint. You will need to clear the playfield or put down mylar or the paint will wear off *very* quickly.

Yeah, I should have been a bit clearer -- I'm cleaning the playfield right now with the expectation of repainting and resealing it soon. I'm waiting on some supplies, but I'll likely start right before Thanksgiving.

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