I just completed a shooter lane restoration on my 30+ year old Whirlwind. Before picture shows all sorts of wear and discoloration. Not the worst, but, looks bad compared to the rest of my machine.

What I did:

- Taped up stuff nearby with blue painters tape to protect it. Got a vacuum cleaner ready for dust.
- Got 100, 200, 400, 600 grit sandpaper
- Used scissors to cut the sandpaper into strips that would "fit" in the shooter lane without scratching up everything else.
- Sanded BY HAND slowly and carefully. Took a few hours. Many pieces of sandpaper. Fingers are sore.
- Vacuumed between each sanding
- Damp paper towel for final clean up of dust. Let everything dry.
- Used SMALL brush and Polyurethane to put on a couple/few coats. Let it dry and air out. Be patient!!!
- Wet sand using 600 grit paper
- Final coat (again using small brush). Let it dry overnight.
- A little wax and DONE!

You might need more/less coats depending on how thick you put it on or how much sanding you do.

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Two things:

- Pablito350's idea of using a color matched paint is VERY CLEVER for lanes that are really hurting! Saves the playfield! Fortunately, for me, mine didn't need deep sanding. Also, using the socket is clever too!

- Vid's restoration post and tips has folks using a spray poly and a "jig" to get it right. Personally, I liked using the tiny brush. I had plenty of control to feather and it didn't get anywhere except where I wanted it to go. Easy for touch-up.

My main advice is give yourself a couple/few days, take your time. Honestly, I did this once, it'll be good for decades now!