Honestly, do your touch ups and send it out for a real clear coat.

Brushed on clear will make more work for someone latter when you decide that you should have got a real clear coat sprayed on it.

Id say vid1900 is right but I was just recently looking at an automotive clearcoat pen for small repairs. My CV needs a little.

If you are just going to play it and don't care, I would put a piece of Mylar over it to keep it from getting worse. This will protect it and make it easy for someone latter to do a proper restore.

But if you have the gun, booth and respirator to do a clear, I'd just pull the top components off the playfield, plug the lamp holes and clear the whole thing. It will only take a few hours.

WOW. love the attitude.

Don't get defensive, no one say you could not care less, just that you don't care to have a fully cleared playfield.

Touch it up, put a Mylar piece over it. The wear at least won't get worse. Latter when you or someone else wants to make the game 110%, it will be easy to finish it up the right way.

If you don't take everything off of the bottom of the playfield, clearing the top is really easy (assuming you already have all the gear and spraying experience).

It is easy to print Black key lines on Clear Laser Water Slide Decals and just completely restore them.

If you have a color Laser printer at work (or if you are wealthy, at home) you can print full color touch ups with White Laser Water Slide Decals.

Always clear after the decals dry.

Any pics? We all need to touch up playfields every now and then. I did not know about the water slide decals. Heres more...

Copy any pre-printed design or create your own artwork with ink and paper or a computer drawing onto the blank, water-slide decal paper using an office copier, laser printer or ALPS printer.

How to print:

Begin by printing your image(s) from your computer onto your laser printer, color copier or ALPS printer with the use of BEL INC blank laser printer.

Print on the glossy side of the blank paper. If you have purchased soap paper or candle decal paper, your paper will have a plastic film to protect the sheets. Remove this film before placing it into the printer. Note: You should feed your printer one sheet at a time to avoid jamming the printer since this paper is thicker than regular paper. If you take it to a copy center, instruct the operator to feed the copier one by one the sheets to the copy machine.

Allow the ink to dry and set into the paper for at least five minutes and it should be ready for application.

Cut out the image(s) as close as possible to the actual design and place them in lukewarm water for approximately 30 seconds. Hold the decal carefully to avoid tearing. You will begin to feel the printed image start to slide off the white backing paper. This means it is ready to apply onto your surface to decorate.

Gently slide the decal into place. Use a clean damp cloth or paper towel to wipe off excess water and remove any air bubbles that may appear. Allow setting time of about 3 hours. Your decorated object is ready! Note: You can speed up drying time by placing your decorated object under/near a fan.

If you wish to protect your decorated item from surface scratches, moisture, or fading then spray your dried decorated surface with an acrylic varnish such as Krylon Crystal Clear finishing spray.

Didn't read all of the posts , some got too lengthy and I decided not to read everything , sorry . Agreed with vids first 2 short posts and I don't think he meant any disrespect . My advice for fixing smaller areas is automotive base and clear. Clean and scuff area , mask off area of one color past the damaged area .Over reduce base a little and then mix with clear 50/50 , and spray with airbrush blending into undamaged area.

It will look good. You don't need to go all out auto clearcoat, not every machine needs to be a showpiece. Varathane will give you a very close finish to the original. Others have used krylon Crystal Clear with similar results.

I have done a lot of spot clearing and can offer the following-

1)Scuff up area you are going to touchup/paint/clear with 800-1000 grit paper

2)If your area is recessed in the wood from severe wear, fill with a product like dolphin glaze, and sand level

3)Apply your touchups (wipe Naptha quickly over touchup area to verify color when cleared)

4)Lightly scuff touchups with 1000 grit (not a necessary step, but one that is a judgement call)

5)Make sure your playfield is completely level, and then layout shop towels around the area where you would normally mask off. Alternatively, you can mask off the area where you want the clear to stop. If you do this, mask along defined artwork lines, this will blend better. I used to use tape, but went to shop rags awhile ago, it keeps the edges far less sharp and will allow you far less sanding before you buff.

6)After following your spray products directions for application, allow product to cure. For Varathane, if you did several thin coats (which is what I do- 4-5 thin/medium coats), approx time before sanding/polishing is about 4 days.

7)Remove all masking, and lightly scuff up (not too abrasive) your cleared area and the uncleared areas around your cleared area. You want to make sure you have a smooth transition from the factory to your touchup. You don't want any hardlines.

8)Buff the entire area with Novus 2, I use a drill with a small buffing ball that allows more flexibility in work area.

9)Wax

10) Play

And here is a GNR I recently did using the steps I outlined above- try to see if you can see where the Varathane starts and the factory finish stops.

PDR_0248.JPG PDR_0341.JPG PDR_0439.JPG

For whatever it's worth, many pin owners can't/won't send out a pf for a clear coat because they don't have the ability or desire to unpopulate the pf.

I'm in that grouping and it's for lack of confidence in taking apart the pf.

And one more recent one where someone used the wrong sized screw in a TZ, and drove it through the playfield from the underside.

tz.JPG PDR_0239.JPG

Blackbeard, I am in your group as well. To the OP, I used brush on polycrylic to make some spot touchups. My Pin is a player and I just wanted it to look better than exposed wood.

Here's some before and after pics - certainly not the best ever, but at least eye clear for the most part (my first attempt at touch ups).

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/1st-timer-pf-touchupclear-advice-needed

Nice detailed explanation. Thanks.

Holy crap! I have damage from a screw in the exact same spot on my TZ.

I had the same damage to an Addams Family at one point as well. Going from memory, I *think* that is where the playfield support bracket screws into the playfield and after time, the holes there start to loosen up and people just throw in a bigger (and most often- longer) screw to fix the loose bracket.

I will also add that in my description, I specifically am referring to smaller spot touchups areas. In areas where there is significant wear, I will actually lay down a coat of varathane *Before* starting any touchups as it seals the wood nicely and the paint flows a lot nicer on the wood/clearcoat.

Also forgot to add, when wiping with Naphtha to see how the clearcoat will look, wait for the paint to dry before wiping with Naphtha. Obicvously your paint would disappear if still wet.

Thanks for the notes.

Robert

Ah, that would make sense as to why this same phenomenon is seen in multiple games in the exact same spot.

Glad my TZ has avoided this tragedy!

I use practically the same procedure as ralphwiggum and have been very pleased with the results. If you niether want/or need a full clearcoat, the method described works great.

I completely understand and agree with your comment "A solution far beyond the scope of the problem". Is a full clear a good solution? You bet but it's not the ONLY solution. You're on the right path.

Done right it's functional, undetectable and you wont have to wait until February to play your pin again which sounds like the solution your looking for.

Carry on.

Randy

I would touch up with acrylic paint(u can wipe off with a damp cloth if color dosnt match when dry)

After finding color mix that matches simply put a piece of Mylar over it and DONE!!

This is a good thread, wanted to comment & give a bump. I've owned pins for like 5 years now & I've got paint & ready to try my hand at some simple touch ups. I don't have any A list games or collector quality stuff that would really warrant a proper pro clear coat job. Plus just having the funds for that sort of thing, then the patience to wait long periods of time for that stuff to dry, it all just seems like overkill for a small touch up on a cheap-ish machine.

However, I would still like to do touch ups. Say you are just touching up a solid black area. Hey, even an uprotected touch up is better than none at all, right?
For those that use mylar, is mylar better these days? Or is there a way to apply it to ensure that if you or a future owner wants to take it off that it won't lift factory paint?
I just had a bad experience with removing mylar that was applied mid-life many years ago. Not sure what that owner could of done, if anything, to prevent this paint lifting up years later.

Btw, where can I get good, thin mylar? I think I looked at amazon but didn't turn up anything obvious.

Mylar- http://pinrestore.com/Supplies.html
You can also use clear shelf paper with good results. It has less adhesive than the mylar, but still works well. I think it is a little less clear than traditional mylar.

As far as mylar goes.... Lay down a fresh coat of wax before applying mylar, that will allow it to come off easier if you want to remove it.

I think I would want mylar to be as clear as possible. Why go with anything but the clearest stuff? Right?

I havent put them side by side to compare, but was going by memory. There are applications where you don't really see mylar at all (like on the ball launch on BSD), so having the clearest doesn't always matter...

How did this hold up long-term? Any discoloration or anything? I'm thinking of doing the same thing to a Getaway I just picked up.

Thanks again, by the way, for one of the most informative and helpful posts made on this forum! Your write-up of how you did that is great, and especially useful for those of us who are still being told "strip and clear the whole damn thing." That gets annoying fast. Thanks!

As I replied in the other thread (just keeping this response here for others searching threads), this holds up really well..... Three machines with 8+ years and no wear.

Ralphwiggum, would you mind sharing what you did exactly after the varathane cured? Any tips would be appreciated.

Ralphwiggum, would you mind sharing what you did exactly after the varathane cured? Any tips would be appreciated.

On my second to last coat, I sand flat with a 1000 grit paper, and then when everything is perfectly smooth I lay the final varathane coat. After about a week, I hit the whole playfield with a Turtle Wax polishing compound and a mothers ball and mothers mini ball with a cordless drill. You have to be careful not to burn through with this, but if you take your time, the results turn out really well. After that, I hit it with Novus 2, and then a couple of coats of wax.

turtle-wax-polishing-compound.jpg 53-2007PowerBallOnDrillLG.gif

I can’t believe you guys are not using this stuff

KBS diamond finish clear coat

It’s a single pak you can brush it on perfectly smooth when thinned, air brush or even roll this shit on.
It’s perfectly clear and does not discolor.
Its flexible and wont crack like some auto clears.
It’s cheap compared to 2 paks.
I like the fact it’s a single pak and not as toxic as a 2 pak when sprayed

http://www.kbs-coatings.com/diamondfinish-clearcoat.html

Hmm interesting. Do you have any examples that you've used it on? What's the whole process and how many coats should you apply?

I don’t want to hi-jack this thread the op wants an opinion for a spot repair on a playfield I suggest this product would be ok without seeing any pictures of the damage.

I have used KBS on playfield repairs with an air brush for spot repairs and a roller \ spay gun for full playfield clear coat. Cabinet repairs with a spay gun.

I first saw this KBS clear being used on the Aussie Arcade forum
Where a member trialed this clear coat on a TOM playfield applied with a roller. This guy did an amazing job.

If you want to see the process which is very detailed I can post a link but I suspect you will have to sign in to view it, but worth it for you people who want to learn an easier way to clear coat without any spray equipment.

Link

http://www.aussiearcade.com.au/showthread.php/41828-Theatre-of-Magic

I use House of Kolor enamels and have done spot touch up on many games. I did a TAF for a friend and he came in with a brush on lacquer (Super fine brush) and covered over it. We then sanded it smooth and sanded the edges to blend. Polished the entire field. By the time we were done you could not tell it was on the playfield. We used the lines in the artwork as the stopping point for the clear. All in all it looked great and was the only area needing this touch up and not a full tear down.

I was originally not a big fan of this but after doing it; there are many situations where this makes alot of sense. Especially if you don't want to get into a huge job of doing a full restore. Also I don't recommend mylar.

I am in the process of finishing a brush coating on a Fireball II playfield.

Hindsight is an unkind mistress LOL

I did not know what I did not know. Last June I started a playfield swap, took me about six weeks to get everything moved over, got it up and running and playing but realized then that I probably should have cleared it first.

I'm new to this stuff. Seems like instead of trouble-shooting little things, I dive right into the hard stuff.

So, since I didn't want to de-populate the PF, I decided to use the KBS stuff and brush it on. It turned out pretty well, and the field is protected (it had some planking) and it shines real pretty. I just finished the cutting polish, and am working on the final polish before letting it sit for a week or two before waxing.

This game is a restore, I am not worried about value per se, because I'm keeping it to pass on to my kids or grand-kids one day, but I made some mistakes, mostly in the leveling of the clear.

Everybody here that has recommended spraying is spot on correct, but these fields can be brushed with minimal PF de-population, while still "in" the machine. It's much harder and perfect results may not be achieved like a spray clear, but it can be done.

And as some others have pointed out, when it comes to clear-coating a playfield, less is more. That was my biggest mistake (and I didn't even use a lot), but I didn't know what I didn't know as it pertains to brushing on a clear-coat.

This playfield had some weird risings around the Fireball Bonus section, that perfectly reflected the inserts. There was some of that up top coming off of the sploosh waves that are around the pop bumpers, and they ran out to the side. Some of the irregularities with how the clear settled may be tied to that and the minor planking that existed.

I will try to post some pictures soon. I shot some yesterday, but I am not happy with how they turned out. I may get the tripod out and take some formals. And I am not worried about criticism.

Test rolled the ball down and across the field yesterday and the ball seems to roll fine, even across the inserts.

But, in the way of being repetitive, those who suggest clear-coating by spraying, are absolutely correct. But there is hope for those of us who don't want to completely depopulate a playfield.

Just be careful, and remember these friendly unsolicited words of advice: I am my own warranty station

ive brushed on clear over small touch ups and it works fine. Ive even sprayed small areas without taking out the playfield(masking it off) and that works ok too if your not trying to spend all the time to remove everything. when you brush it, just be careful to brush on one quick thin layer. if you keep brushing it can easily smear the touch ups. good luck

Prior to applying the clear, the Fireball Bonus ring and that area around the middle drop targets was raised, slightly. This had nothing to do with the minor planking I noted on the board, it looked like it was designed that way.

Those are some areas where I ran into trouble with leveling.

Anybody know anything about NOS Fireball II playfields, from the design perspective. The old playfield - pictured here showed no signs of this, but that playfield was, shall we say, completely shot.

I bought it that way back in 2006, as a dead machine from an ebay sale. $300

TBH, I will always know I could have done some of the areas a bit better if I had more experience. But some of the imperfections that are not a result of the inserts, I can live with and won't be really noticeable. Still, the do it right part of me is tempted to sand a bit more to try to smooth them out, but that little voice in my head keeps telling me, this doesn't look that bad, don't go there

It's a lot of work. I've got about seven weeks into this.

ahh, if I only knew now, what I didn't know then

I do have a spare, almost stripped D&D playfield that is in great shape. I may finish stripping it for spare parts, and spray that down just for the fun of it.
207_0748 (resized).JPG