Good job.
Good luck.
The product is fabulous and if you follow the instructions here and on the can, your playfield will look awesome.

Update to this post: Just received an email from Harbor Freight advertising al their oil-free compressors. Either I'm more aware of the terminology or they're spying on my data.

Thanks!

Fyi for everyone - The attached compressor is what I was planning to use. If you all think this is an unsafe compressor for air supply purposes, please share your thoughts. From previous conversation, there was mention of an oil free air compressor.

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This stuff is not something you find in your corner store. I've only seen it auto repair supply stores. They assume the peope know they're doing. Most people use it properly, I hope. As for warnings...imagine if the person at the cash register at the grocery store had to warn you about the risks of eating the garbage they are selling.

I had to do a restoration on a Bally Fireball 72' that had the same problem.
I was able to get a long deep reach "C" clap and glue-n-clap all the little
pucker wood pieces flat.

Just look up the manual online for any compressor, even old ones, you will definitely find a warning about using it as an air supply. There is this style of respirator. It uses a more simple turbine style compressor, more like a big shop vac motor to feed the mask. No particulate or oil issues.

https://axispro.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=4

After doing a little reading , it looks as though even an oil free compressor should not be used for supplying air to a respirator.
Not saying it is not possible but the air has to be heavily filtered.
They do make compressors specifically for breathing but sadly They aren’t cheap. If someone has better info please correct me. I just want to be sure everyone is being safe .

The 7 mins max of exposure should be noted.

Sometimes my exposure is only 4 mins. just enough to put on a couple coats.

What about using a shop vac discharge?
If you have a clean vac.

Frankly I'd have zero issues breathing the air out of my 2 stage compressor for a few minutes, the atmospheres I have worked in would make the air from my compressor the finest alpine breeze in comparison.

you can see my setup in the link. I purchased a cheapie ($150 approx) supplied-air system setup from Amazon. The filter won't handle the isocynaides so I ductaped an extension I picked up at the hardware store to the pipe and put the air supply outside, far away from the painting. So far its been working well for me.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-spraymax-2k-auto-clear-in-a-can-club/page/22#post-5739907

Your game looks great. A while back I also sprayed outdoor and I ended up getting a little bit of dust. Not SprayMax but standard 2PAC. I like your idea of the rotisserie. Just out curiosity, why not turn it 180 degrees?

Honestly, the fear it would fall out.
I barely have the pf clamped in there so i can spray the entire surface. Tipping it 180 would likely have it fall on the lawn.

I do choose my day carefully. As little breeze and humidity as possible. The 2k flashes so quick that i dont think dust is a factor. And again, i am going to sand and buff it anyway.

I agree, but it is being sold as a cheap & easy solution for hobbyists that don't want to invest in a full HVLP setup. But whats the point if you can only really safely & responsibly use it within a paint booth and using an expensive supplied air respirator?

The safety datasheet for Spraymax recommends at least a A1P2 half mask, but as I understand it the filter will only last for ~30 minutes from the moment it gets "activated" by the clear. So you'd have to replace the filters for about every coat.

I see a lot of people on YouTube (even professionals) use this product and other 2k products with minimal PPE. Take the channel Paint Society for example, and his quote "Don't overthink it, it's just paint", quite a dangerous statement if you ask me

I don't mind purchasing a supplied air respirator, since I will probably be using it a lot. But I can't find anything similar to the HobbyAir or Breathecool here in Europe, so if anyone has any recommendations?

I found this thing on AliExpress https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32904799748.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.19eb2e0eE1KghM which has a 20m hose and bigger motor. But I'm not sure i'd trust my life with a product from aliexpress

Honestly I would be okay with the aliexpress unit. Why? Because it is deterministic whether or not it is working, you get positive airflow or not. There is no dependence on filtering which you have to trust to work. Keep the pump upwind of your work area. If the unit failed while using it you will know and you can just stop and exit the paint area.

I don't subscribe to the 'its quick and easy so can't really harm you' theory. Its also super quick to drink gasoline, but I know not to.

This is the setup I used for spraying SprayMax2K outdoors. The fan was placed up wind from the spray tent. it supplied ample air flow, enough so that the air pressure would almost push the mask from my face. This allowed me to have fresh air and prevent any spray particles from entering the mask. I found that it worked well.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-phantom-tollbooth-retheme#post-6032837

Sprayed my first can of the year....For BSD. I’ll let it sit a week or two before sanding and applying the last coat.

Usually I wet sand with 800 grit; anyone use a random orbital for between coat sanding? I have 600 grit discs, and can get 800 grit.

I have used a random orbital in between dried coats with 600 grit. It works well.

Hey Guys,

I finally got my DE Batman overlay. I just sanded away all the original artwork and cleaned the bare playfield. I want to start sealing the bare playfield with Spraymax 2K prior to installing my overlay. I understand that the clear will need to outgass for possibly 2 or more months. My plan is to spray the playfield outdoors, then transport to my garage, and keep inside a spray tent. Is there a minimum amount of time I should allow the spraymax clear to dry prior to moving into my garage? The reason I ask is for safety purposes. I wasn't sure if keeping the playfield in my garage would lead to an unsafe accumulation of toxic particles. I'm just trying to figure out if I should keep cars and family members outside of the garage for a certain period of time.

Thanks!

I don't have an answer for you but can you turn your body camera on when you suggest to your wife that she not put her car in the garage for the next two months because your pinball playfield has to cure?

///Rich

You have to pay me extra for that footage. Yes, she would go crazy if I told her to park outside for that long. I need to think this one through a bit longer.

Do you need to use SprayMax 2k to seal? Why not varathane? Do you put 2k on the overlay?

Well, I guess I don't need to use Spraymax for sealing the wood...but I already bought 4 cans. They need to be put to good use.

Yeah, I'm using 2K on the overlay.

Smell is mostly gone in a day.

My application tip is to spray close — 4-5” away. This eliminates most orange peel. If you spray far away the solvent evaporates before it hits the playfield and it won’t level out. Speaking of which, make sure the playfield is level before spraying. I use one can per session; light coat then two medium coats. Flash off 15 minutes between coats. Two cans total is enough for me.

2.5 to 3 cans, and one more in 10 days for die back (2 heavy coats 12 mins apart, one whole can mostly)

So, 3 or 4 cans, but I think really 3.5 to 4 cans.

Usually 3 cans for me.
Lockdown is one can.
Spray after touch-ups is one can
Final spray after first sanding: Third can

I went ahead and spraymaxed my bare playfield using several coats. I'm going to let it set for a week before sanding. I'll probably wait 6 to 8 weeks to install my Batman overlay.

Question for you guys:
This overlay has a clear protective layer on top. Will this cause issues with Spraymax adhering to the surface, or will several light coats work? I'm wondering if the ink needs to be exposed for better clear adhesion. I appreciate your feedback!

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I have another overlay without the clear vinyl covering. Ink is UV based, so should be good. I'll keep the other one as backup in case I screw this one up.

is that the overlay in the picture?

It looks like the surface is rough?

Yeah, and I think it's a combination of the ink thickness and clear vinyl covering. The other version I have is here in the closeup pic.

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Maybe scrubb the mylar down with a scotch-brite. Or spray a adhesion promotor before-hand. If it has a mylar on top, why bother? Thats whats its meant for.

Interesting. I was seriously thinking of installing the one with the clear vinyl film, then add a playfield protector...but I've read some posts that scare me into using clear. I wouldn't say it's mylar, but it does offer some protection...not mylar tough.

I just think that the clearcoat will eventually flake off on any glossy parts unless its prepped right. If you do, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Maybe test on a corner first.

Good advice. I agree.

Has anyone ever played with not doing any clear spray and used stickon clear mylar over the whole playfield? Might be tough to get it on without wrinkles but seems cheap and ought to protect the playfield.

Something like: https://www.amazon.com/Security-Adhesive-Shatter-Protection-17-7inch/dp/B07ZYZ1PDG

The manufacturers did just that.
On my police force the mylar was broken into 2 pieces. Upper and lower
My high speed had operator installed mylar.
You dont really have to put mylar where the ball doesnt travel.

Ugh, I see little raised spots or bubbles after waiting 4 days from spraying 2k on my bare playfield. I probably sprayed too close, or had it in the wrong environment. Hope I can wet sand and buff this surface to smooth.

Screenshot_20210502-090239_Gallery (resized).jpg

That will easily be wetsanded away.

Yes, fear not!
You will have no problem smoothing that out.

How many layers is that?

It's about 4 applications over 2 hours, 30 minutes in between applications (layers or passes could be 20+), or 1 can. I already smoothed it out. Probably too many layers for this step.
I went ahead and wet sanded, followed by naptha, novus 2, and naptha again. Feels super smooth now. I'm still having difficulty polishing these 3 green inserts to a nice shine.
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Clearcoat cant really be mirror finished for about 10 weeks, its not hard enough.

Also, 10 weeks from now there will be substantial die back and you "might" clear it again to fill in any insert dents or other imperfections.

The clear will lose 50% of its volume in 10 to 12 weeks.

It gets very thin and very hard.

2 of those inserts dont look right. Maybe poor adhesion, ghosting? Its hard to say.

Were they sanded rough (550 to 600 grit) before clearing?

Yes, they were sanded up to 600 grit prior to clear coat. I started with 220 and worked up to 600. The inserts looked clean and shiny prior to wet sanding.

Thanks for the helpful information. I'll just keep an eye on the clear and see what happens in the next month and a half.

Might just be too soft to get a good shine.

I am not a expert but 2 hours between coats might be long. Unless you blocksanded.

Wonder why spraymaxx loses that much volume. Is it the material thats in the can to keep it pressurized that is evaporating?

True for all clearcoat I think.

Thanks for the info. I read so many different timelines and steps involved with clearcoating a playfield. No, I didn't block sand between coats in that 2-hr timeframe. That could be one of the reasons why those inserts are looking off. Great info guys. Keep it coming!

I don't think you need to sand between coats. Flash-off time is given as 10-15 minutes; I wait 20 minutes between coats when applying 1 can to the playfield.

For me I did: light coat; medium coat; medium coat -- that pretty much emptied the can.

My understanding is you waited 30 minutes and did 4 coats; that would be 90 minutes total (3 wait times).

Maybe you oversanded the inserts? I don't think they should be too smooth....

Depends on the material. 2 component urethanes don't form a film by evaporation. I poured some left over omni in a plastic cup a few years ago. It cracked but its still about 90% full.

Finally got a chance to use a can..
Biggest lesson learned for me is when you see the spray start to weaken, toward the end of the can, just stop. I didn’t and it doesn’t have the glossy look. But I believe when I do my next coat correctly it will gloss over...