So the decals go of top of an un-sanded layer of clear coat. Can I then spray another layer of clear over it without sanding or should I sand around the decals and then clear coat?

So what happens if you don’t sand between coats? I know there may be unevenness but will the new coat not bond well?

That's what I was wondering about. I'm about to retheme a pin and am trying work these potential issues out. What a great forum!

So I have a retheme that I’m doing and it’s time to clear coat. I’m probably going to do this for just this one pin. I have the cans of SprayMax but I need the mask/respirator and the bunny suit. Can someone recommend which ones to buy? Like I said, I probably won’t do this again so I’m hoping to not spend too much money.

It’s a very tough time and I completely understand the trouble that doctors and first responders are having with the supply and demand for respirators.

I have decided and already purchased a full face swim mask and a tyvek clean suit from Amazon. I will connect a long breathing tube to the mask and the open end will be located outside my spraying tent. The total for the mask and suit is about $40.
I don’t plan on staying in the spraying tent very long. I got the idea from a video showing a doctor who made his own respirator using a full face swim mask. He was able to attach a filter to it using a 3D printed adapter. I hope everyone is safe!

I’d be interested in your report! Keep us posted.

Unfortunately these are out of stock everywhere that I’ve looked.

That’s pretty cool. But it looks like the delivery date is in September. Ugh!

Hi all. Hoping someone can help! Bubbles on inserts! I've read the posts and tried what people have suggested but still have the bubbles issue.

The clear looks good when dripped onto the insert but when it dries there are bubbles. I tried letting the clear sit in its container for a few minutes (even for a day, covered) and still get the same results. I've had to dremel out the clear and start over a couple of times.

One thing that I've noticed is that when I put the (plastic) eye dropper into the clear, the clear start to react by almost fizzing. Same with a wooden stick. So I let the clear sit over night in a little covered container and the next day the liquid was bubble free and didn't react to the wooden stick. So I applied it to the insert and still had bubbles when it dried. Temps were just over 70 degrees F.

Is there some kind of chemical reaction? I can't get naphtha in California so I've using alcohol to wipe down the playfield as I sand. Could that be causing it? Would mineral spirits be better? It also seems that tiny drops don't bubble but larger areas (insert size about 1") seems to have the problem.

Which 2 PAC did you buy and where did you purchase it from? Does it matter which one to use?

So this was compatible with the SprayMax?

Thanks! Ebay has the Finish 1 and hardener sold by provisionpaintsupply for $41 shipped. Ordering now.

I saw your post about your playfield. That's an amazing job, not just on the clear coat but also on the restoration. Congrats!

I’m still new to the clear coat scene but am currently in the middle of my for first playfield clear coat using SprayMax. So these are my thoughts from my limited experience. SprayMax is great if you’re doing an entire playfield but I think it’s overkill for small touch ups. Because of it’s toxicity you would need to wear a bunny suit and ventilator just to spray it into a container. After using the little amount needed for your touch ups you would then waste the rest of the can because once you use it the product has about a 48 hour shelf life. (You can extend that longer if you place it in a refrigerator.)

For something like what you’re doing I would use either regular 2 PAC that you would need to mix or MinWax Polycrylic. The cheapest is the MinWax and it comes in a little can that is ready to use and I hear yields great results. Cleans up easily with water and is much less toxic that the 2 PAC and SprayMax.

Insert bubbles update

I bought off of eBay the Sherwin Williams Finish 1 FC710 (instead of FC720) which is supposed to be spot panel clear coat along with the medium hardener FH612. I used a Dremel to remove the bubbled layer of clear from the inserts. Mixed 4 to 1 ratio using glass eye droppers. So far so good - no bubbles on the inserts. Fingers crossed as I move on with the clear coating process which is another spray coat and sanding inserts level. Then a light coat for the decals and then heavy final coats.

A great thing about using the Finish 1 instead of the SprayMax for spot filling is that you don’t need to suit up spraying the clear into a container.

Yes, I did take that precaution.

How soon after spraying a light coat of clear can I apply my water slide decals?

Thanks!

I used those foam ear plugs you can buy at CVS or any drug store. I snip them a little short so they don't stick out above the play field when sanding.

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

I’m about to clear and touch up a Volley em playfield. I’ve cleared a newly painted playfield before but haven’t tried “restoring” one. I have a few questions for you knowledgeable folks out there:

1. How light is the first SprayMax lock down coat? Just one quick pass?
2. I am thinking of doing my touch ups after that first lock down coat. Will that coat be smooth enough to paint over or should I do another coat before touch ups?

I’m about to clear my Volley playfield and am thinking of spraying a light lockdown coat and then do touch ups.

How soon after spraying the lockdown coat can I start painting? I’ll be using Createx paint by brush because the touch ups are quite minor.