So I haven’t done anything yet, just trying to get a feel for it. A typical playfield clear runs around 5 cans ($75) plus a mask ($40) plus a set of $10 filters for each day ($50?) that actual painting is done plus 6 weeks or so. Plus misc like sandpaper and a paint booth. Does that sound about right?

Amazon has a forced air breather set for $165. It is impractical as-is but I bet you could extend the hose to 20 feet or so so it’s outside the paint booth

https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Constant-Supplied-Respirator-System/dp/B071ZYYBW6/ref=sr_1_1

Most definitely. But stick a 25 foot hose on it and have the end 15 feet away from the spray booth and you don’t even need a filter

I’m guessing your Low-cost option is to use a different product. Is there an “inferior to spraymax 2k but won’t kill you if you use it” thread?

1k seems like a possibility, not to hijack this thread but I see how it’s not as hard but no details on what that actually means for a pf...if it would work for 20 years instead of 100. Would that be adequate?

I am not interested in the KBS spray product as it sounds like a full spray booth/air system needed as well, but the liquid stuff looks pretty safe, their demo application video shows a guy with roller and doesn’t even have a mask on. So I have a can of the stuff on the way and film some experiments on paper plates with brushing and rollering. I will post my results. Probably start another thread so it doesn’t distract from this one.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&time_continue=222&v=wq0YsDXeOgQ

for those interested in an alternative to Spraymax 2K, I've posted results of my testing with "Clear Diamond Finish." I didn't want to mess with this thread so I started a new one. https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/clear-diamond-finish-alternative-to-spraymax-2k

I am going to bite the bullet and get a air system. I’ve tried several different masks and filters and I can still smell the stuff when I spray.

I was thinking of this one, not too expensive : Electric Constant Flow Supplied Air Fed Full Face Gas Mask Respirator System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071ZYYBW6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_5UkODbPXMA9T9

The tube is short, what is the point of a respirator system when you carry the filter around with you, why not just get a mask? I was thinking if I can put a 10-20 foot tube on it I can keep the intake outside the paint booth and be safe

Color matching decals is really hard, you have scanner/camera issues, monitor issues, printer issues.... in addition to the color hue, there is the saturation issues. I have a low-end dell laser (I print something about once every 6 months) and it is not too bad but noticeable on the plastic, I would not try to match a portion of the playfield.. whole sections or black is all I would do to minimize color matching issues.

If you are interested in how mine came out, I posted my results of making a new plastic piece with art at. https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/it-was-supposed-to-be-a-simple-flash-restore/page/4#post-5513198

I don’t know if anyone responded to your question. On page 17 of this thread is a lot of safety discussion and some links. I have ordered the system below after the vendor promised I could get extra lengths of tube. My plan is rather than rely on the filter I will put the filter outside the paint booth. Unfortunately it won’t come until August. I will post my results

JUM99 Electric Supplied Air Fed Full Face Gas Mask Constant Flow Respirator System Device in Gas masks https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086QW3RPS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_vs2-EbXDJYD85

Breathing through a long tube is difficult. I hope it works for you! I am trying a similar system in the next couple of days. I will post a report

I have a status update for anyone thinking of using Spraymax 2K. If you don't have a professional setup, this might work for you.

I purchased the full mask air system linked in post 1055. Its $195 at the moment. I purchased it because although it only had a short 3-foot hose, when I posted the question on amazon they replied and said you could get additional hose extensions.

When it arrived, I was a bit dismayed to find it 100% in chinese. No english instructions, no dual-language, no phone number to call. The filters are in a unique shape and have no recognizable markings on them so I have no idea what they are rated for and I would not trust them at all.
as it came from chinathe filters are all in chinese

Fortunately it is already assembled and even charged up, all I had to do was screw the tubes together and put it on. Since there was no information on extra tubes, I went to the hardware store and got 20 feet of flexihose. I then duct-taped the hose in the moddle, using plenty of tape to ensure a good seal. The air supply is plenty strong to push air through the long tube and I was ready to use it!

I set up my little paint booth (cheapie from Amazon, essentially a tent with no floor) and ran the hose around the side of the house, where the intake would not get any whiff.running the hose behind the housemy paint booth with mask

Put on my moon suit and popped the can and sprayed 3 light coats with a 15 min dry between.all dolled up and ready to paint

It worked perfectly, I smelled nothing and I think it was successful

I had a tough time putting white numbers on a dark background. When I airbrushed using a mask, the white tended to lift. I tried decals but the white was not very opaque. So I went with white vinyl cut from my cameo and then covered with the spraymax. It came out great with no problems

image (resized).jpg

It’s definitely thick. I was careful to spray a few light coats first before thickening up the clear. But it needs a couple of thick coats to get the depth of clear necessary

I’ve sprayed standard rustoleum clear for lockdown coats then after the touch ups are done used spraymax. No problems. But I started with several light coats.

Careful of terminology here... remember that almost none of the filter-style masks are adequate. The Spraymax cans contain isocyanates and only an organic-vapor OV+N95 filter can be used and it must be replaced every 20 minutes.

There is a good discussion about this at: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-spraymax-2k-auto-clear-in-a-can-club/page/16#post-5017384

a sample from it: "This cannot be used with half masks, as the n-Butyl acetate is quickly absorbed through your eyes and exposed facial skin. n-Butyl acetate is known to cause acute(immediate) symptoms and damage to your central nervous system. It causes immediate damage to your brain.

This cannot be used with OV cartridges alone.There must be an N95 filtration component due to the content of Hexamethylene diisocyanate homopolymer."

You might want to read through the discussion - or get a total isolation air supply system!

Lol, spraymax is a great product we just have to be careful

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

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

I picked up a sandblasting cabinet recently. The one with the window in the top and the embedded gloves and it got me thinking about trying to make something similar for a spraymax paint booth. Since the paint process is light coats with 15 minutes between them I find it a real pain to get my moonsuit on and off or sit around in it waiting for the next coat.

It would be nice to be able to walk up, stick my arms in the gloves and spray the can onto the playfield.

Has anyone done something like that?

FYI - Spraymax is great for paint but will attack some decals. I tried a different method on my playfield - a complete sticker on bare wood. The graphic looked beautiful but needed protection obviously. I sprayed 2K on it and it attacked the overlay, causing it to soften and pucker. So if you are trying something new, be sure to test it (I am glad I did!)IMG_5890 (resized).jpg

fyi - I am currently using lacquer - it does not attack the overlay. How hard it ultimately becomes is still a question.IMG_6111 (resized).jpg

Remember to be super careful, there are several posts in this thread about how nasty the spray is-search for “brain damage”, OV+N95 is not enough, wear a full suit with supplied air