I bought 2 cans of Spraymax 2K. Is this enough to clear an Indiana Jones widebody playfield, or do I need to buy more cans? Also, are you guys doing a light first coat of clear on the playfield, waiting a couple days to cure, then doing paint touchups and sanding into the first coat where needed, and then liberally clearing it all afterwards? I can't wait to see how shiny this and vibrant the colors on this playfield will look after this stuff is applied.

I think it's more likely the Ultimate compound is leaving the tiny swirl marks because compound is considered an abrasive, and your microfiber is absorbing the compound that was left in those tiny crevices, making it look like it's the towel causing it. I would treat it like the clear coat of a vehicle. You want to use a polish afterwards because that removes the swirls left by the compound.

Does clearcoating act as sort of a bonding agent for the stuff underneath it that is being cleared? I used tacky glue to add glitter to some of my inserts on my playfield, and I'm hoping that spraying the entire film of clearcoat on the playfield will act as sort of a glue to help hold down the glitter and tacky glue. The tacky glue has a good bond but if I apply enough pressure with my finger nail it can chip off.

It is not large surface areas with glue/glitter, it's just applied on small text and border trim of the inserts. I will be spraying 2 cans of this stuff on my playfield tomorrow and I'm wondering if clearcoating helps hold down the stuff beneath it. I feel like it's one of those situations where you can't know the answer until you try.
unnamed (resized).jpg

This is helpful. You are the human version of Watson for Pinside restoration.

Do you know of any local places that sell Spraymax 2K? I am wanting to spray just one more can within the next 2 days and buying online would take too long.

Edit: found some locally.

I don't suppose there is a way to check the thickness of the clearcoat on a playfield? I was going to buy a paint thickness gauge but those only work when the underlying material is metal, not wood. I used 4 cans of Spraymax on a White Water playfield, sanding after 2 cans and sanding again after the additional 2 cans. I have a few low spots around inserts, and I am not sure if I have enough clear coat on the playfield where I can just sand them level with the rest of the playfield. They aren't terribly low.

I found my low areas, I just don't know if I sprayed enough clear onto my playfield where I can keep sanding the entire playfield until it is flush with the low spots. I used 4 cans. I prefer not having to buy an additional can and having to restart the entire curing process, it has been curing for a month. But if there is no way to visually see how much clearcoat thickness I have to play with when sanding, I will have to buy another can. I have a 40x loupe, maybe I can see the thickness with that but i doubt it.

A playfield is small enough where I just hold my breath during each coat and then walk away before exhaling. I still wear a generic respirator, goggles, gloves, and a long sleeve shirt, and spray in the garage with the garage door open... but I don't wear the whole bunny suit with air extraction.

A random orbital will work. A $2.99 bonnet drill attachment from Harbor Freight works fine, just don't burn the clear coat but a playfield is small and flat so it's easier to work on than a vehicle's body panels. At most, buy the Meguiar's dual action drill attachment. I wouldn't waste money on a $400 unit unless you're doing dozens of playfields.

I wax the playfield once I can no longer make an impression into the clearcoat with my fingernail which takes several weeks. 4 days does seem a little too early and it probably hampers the clearcoat from curing at its normal rate.

Got some bubbles and fish eyes on my latest coats of Spraymax. Sigh. Now i will have to sand down to remove them, will probably take off a little paint too. Next time I'm doing the Rapid Prep that pinballinreno talks about often. I think the last thing i used before spraying was a tack cloth, it probably had oils and paint from previous wipings. This stuff is sensitive to the most minute things.

20220925_174155 (resized).jpg

20220925_174233 (resized).jpg

That's a good idea. Some of them are submerged bubbles where I can just dig a tiny crater. I might not even have to worry about spot-dripping clear if I can dig a small enough diameter hole and Spraymax enough coats where it should flow enough into and level off enough to just block sand afterwards.

What a deal. Just had to pay $30 for a single can, but it was for the Clear Glamour. Likely going the HVLP route from here on out. Not only for the cost savings, but I have been getting inconsistent quality control with Spraymax also; hiccups during spraying and inconsistent spray pattern. 1 of every 3 cans seemed to spray good this year.

I've done a gloss finish cabinet. Never again. Not because it looks bad, but it looks wrong. Matte or semi gloss on a machine looks much better, and I like how they contrast with gloss decals.

The Meguiars G3500 is a very good alternative to a standalone dual action unit. For $50, you attach it to your cordless drill. The compound/polishing/waxing pads will cost another $50. Just finished a Spaymax clearcoated playfield with it. Took out all the fine scratches with ease. And just so much cheaper than a standalone unit. The compounding pads are thick and resistant to tearing up, which is nice when using on a playfield because of all the bulb holes that pads sink into and shred apart.

91ruVIZ6-RL._AC_SL1500_ (resized).jpg

Why do you have both a standalone DA and this DA drill attachment?

But the Meguiar's unit replaces the standalone unit entirely. Cordless portability and small form factor is a benefit. Standalone unit probably better for doing vehicles on a regular basis.

Your finger might have been hovering over the spray path when pressing down on the nozzle, and causing droplets?

For playfields these cans are just much more convenient than a HVLP. I wanted to go HVLP, but I got the spraycan learning curve down now where these just work perfectly for smaller projects such as playfields. And those 3 pack cans aren't any cheaper than Spraymax:

ebay.com link: itm