Quoted from pinballinreno:

It takes me 3 1/2 cans to do a good job.
And maybe a 4th can if I dont like the die back after 6-10 weeks.

Quoted from jazc4:

Perfect. This is my first time to clear anything. I bought 6 cans initially. So I'll keep at it according to your instructions in this thread. Tonight will be round 3. Thanks for all of your efforts in this thread. I'm not sure I would have attempted clear coating without it.

Quoted from Chrimeg:

So I've finally got my playfield cleared with 2K in can. Sanded and buffed. Just wondering about waxing and repopulating.
Right now its been three weeks since final clear and buffing etc. Do you apply wax? What kind do you recommend these days?
Wax before repopulating playfield (wooden rails etc)? How long should I wait before putting down wax and populating? I've been reading all kinds of dates from from 4 days, to 6 weeks to months....not really sure how long to wait to be honest.[quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from Chrimeg:

Thanks! A lot of work and learning curve but enjoyed doing it. Also, created full vector graphic to scale of the playfield. So if I ever just want to do a printout/overlay that's an option.
Learning vector graphics and color mixing I think was the hardest parts. Now I just got to figure out what to do wax wise and time frame to start putting everything back on it.

Quoted from Chrimeg:

Ok I had no idea this would happen over such a long duration. I'll let it sit for a another month or two and see how goes. Hopefully it won't be to bad and I can sand it out if pronounced.
I used 3 full cans. After the the first I sanded as flat as one could. Waited a month or so and sprayed the second. Sanded flat again and a week after that sprayed the third. About 3 days after that started sanded flat and over a week or so worked it through the various grits up to 3000 and then Novus 2. So right now its been sitting for about 3/4 weeks since that final coat.
Thanks pinballinreno

Quoted from gdonovan:

I have done automotive restoration since I was 18 and prop building for the last 15 years and it's amazing how much transfers over.

Quoted from Pin_Fandango:

So what finish do you use for a pf? Matte or glamour?

Quoted from Pin_Fandango:

I will when I clear coat the lw3 pf I will be working on. But it will be a while.
I will write something here in thr meantime ans can probably just help you by learning a little of what your current process is like.
But always, the principle is thr least aggressive pad for the surface.
More to it later, but tell me a little of what chems and machine you are using and I can guide you.

Quoted from pinballinreno:

Just finished a RARE Stargate playfield:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stargate-woes/page/4#post-7732630

Quoted from pinballinreno:

Thanks, I re-did a TAF CPR "gold" last week.
It was TERRIBLE lol..

Quoted from pinballinreno:

The only "Perfect" NOS playfields I have ever bought were from Buthamburg.
They call them "Perfect Playfields" and they are.
https://www.buthamburg.de/en/playfields

Quoted from rockwell:

I recently re-cleared my lower Elektra playfield and thought I'd post my results here. I've never tried the SprayMax, so this is a first for me. I thought the lower playfield would be a safe place to experiment a little I think it went pretty well, so I will probably try it on the other playfields as well.
I went with a relatively low-effort approach for this "restoration." The playfield was pretty solid overall, inserts weren't cupping or anything. No real damage. Mostly I just wanted to try and clean it a little and touch up the black paint around the inserts and elsewhere.
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I did one session (of one light coat and one medium coat) in covered but open-air environment with a good respirator. The coats went on clean, but you could see the textures and it looked a little bumpy at first. The first coats didn't look too bad after it dried (I don't have any images before I sanded the first coat). After letting it dry for about a day I sanded it a little bit (800 with a rubber hand-held sanding block) and did a second session in the same fashion.
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I sanded it down and I was pretty pleased with the flatness I achieved, and only noticed a handful of low spots that concerned me. Mostly on the inserts.
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Touched up the black and was ready for a third session of SprayMax.
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After about another day, I did a third session. The third session looked a lot better right away before it dried. Smoother appearance overall. I did have plugs in the rollover inserts when I sprayed
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After another day and a half and some sanding (800 with a rubber hand-held sanding block), I was pleased with the results and decided not to spray any further layers of clear.
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I did some finer sanding (1000-2000-3000 with a rubber hand-held sanding block) and then buffed and polished it up, and am feeling good about the results.
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It's not totally glassy smooth, there are some spots that have light scratching and imperfections. I am guessing some particles got in there when spraying, or I didn't sand it down enough. But I'm cool to call it a day and not do another coat. I may take a little more care and try harder when I do the upper playfield, since that is the one you'd see the best in the end.
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Overall, I'm happy with the initial result. The touched-up parts came out really nice, the blacks look totally smooth and even and you'd never know. That was honestly the thing I cared the most about, retouching the bad black paint areas.
Thanks to everyone who has posted their processes and results here previously, it was helpful.

Quoted from Ollulanus:

Thoughts on this to spray outdoors or in an open garage? Bunny suit and mask of course. Trying to keep it simple for the occasional playfield.

Quoted from Ollulanus:

Lol, I forgot the link. Dumbass
VEVOR Portable Paint Booth, Larger Spray Paint Tent with Built-in Floor & Mesh Screen & Windproof Hooks, Painting Tent Station for Furniture DIY Hobby Tool, 7.5x5.2x5.2ft Spray Paint Shelter https://a.co/d/5cFKrYv

Quoted from A_Bord:

I had the Wagner one rip in half due to mild wind.

Quoted from MiniPinHead:

This one (large)? https://www.amazon.com/HomeRight-Shelter-C900038-Portable-Painting/dp/B011L3DVVO/ref=dp_prsubs_sccl_2/135-1702972-0955326