Quoted from gmkalos:Gmkalos's guide to Hard Tops...
1) throw it in a metal garbage can
2) grab some matches
3) get a CPR pf and re-clear it
4) mix a drink, grab a joint...now you'll get hard and feel on top! lol
There are days when I need the highest of cringe, and I just come to this post and enjoy it.
Anyway.
IMG_20200904_234548 (resized).jpg
Here we go.
Hi @Vid1900,
I’m attempting my first hardtop install. I had the sanded playfield clearcoated by a local autoshop and there’s orange peel. Do I need to wetsand it if I’m installing a hardtop? I don’t want to get more coats of clear if I don’t have to. If so, which grit should I start/end at? I also have a 3M perfect it EX 1-2-3 buffing polishing kit. Could I just get away with using the 3M kit? Thanks
412F6EAF-C1EF-49AF-96EE-21B7769D6847 (resized).jpeg0AAD41E3-27D6-44C5-BCEE-8180B549D2E5 (resized).jpeg2F3761C0-7EFF-4D00-86DA-0B4809B8C4F3 (resized).jpeg30050566-3EAB-4EFC-A334-6251A5A3E89C (resized).jpeg8188114A-83E9-4EEB-B11B-68CDB551D350 (resized).jpegE026C980-7526-4E3D-9806-20D7EBAB6135 (resized).jpegQuoted from jk:Do I need to wetsand it if I’m installing a hardtop?
Nope, from that pic, I'm sure the HT will stick to it no problem, as is.
How the hell did the shop get orange peel over all the inserts too?? I could see a crater opening up along the insert edge , but across the entire surface seems odd.
Quoted from jk:If so, which grit should I start/end at?
Id just flatten the insert faces. Block sand the faces with 220, then 400, then wet 800, then wet 1000, then wet 1500 and finish with wet 2000. Buff with your 3M after that.
Dont over-sand and cut through the clear, just get it reasonably flat over the inserts.
(thinking more about this, if you want the practice, you **could** block sand the entire playfield flat and then buff it out. A lot of work, but you'd have the confidence to tackle any job after that...)
Quoted from vid1900:Nope, from that pic, I'm sure the HT will stick to it no problem, as is.
How the hell did the shop get orange peel over all the inserts too?? I could see a crater opening up along the insert edge , but across the entire surface seems odd.Id just flatten the insert faces. Block sand the faces with 220, then 400, then wet 800, then wet 1000, then wet 1500 and finish with wet 2000. Buff with your 3M after that.
Dont over-sand and cut through the clear, just get it reasonably flat over the inserts.
(thinking more about this, if you want the practice, you **could** block sand the entire playfield flat and then buff it out. A lot of work, but you'd have the confidence to tackle any job after that...)
Thanks Vid,
No idea how they did that.
I’ll take the opportunity to practice. So to confirm, block sand dry 220 then 400.
Wet sand 800,1000,1500,2000.
-whats the reason for block sanding dry instead of wet? Less aggressive?
Quoted from jk:-whats the reason for block sanding dry instead of wet? Less aggressive?
Block sanding could be wet or dry.
It uses a big flat **block** to level a surface.
Should the holes in the hardtop be drilled out so all posts sit flush with the original playfield wood? Or is it pending which posts sit on wood and some sit on the hardtop. I know it was mentioned that screwing in posts too tight could lift the hardtop; just confirming the correct methodology.
Quoted from dq13:Should the holes in the hardtop be drilled out so all posts sit flush with the original playfield wood? Or is it pending which posts sit on wood and some sit on the hardtop. I know it was mentioned that screwing in posts too tight could lift the hardtop; just confirming the correct methodology.
Based on my experience, I would say no, there's no reason to add that complexity to an install and actually increase the potential for causing cosmetic damage to the hardtop. The mention of screwing in posts too tight causing hardtop lifts was, IMO, just another idea to explain the rash of hardtop failures last year on EBD and other titles. Those instances of hardtop failures were eventually root caused down to a manufacturing issue with the adhesive (OE's ink supplier changed the formula without consulting OE). It took several months to get to the bottom of those failures, but it has been corrected.
Hey vid1900 ive read this thread and your future spa hardtop install thread at least a dozen times. It appears you took a different approach for these - for Comet you sanded back and clear coated the entire playfield. For Future spa you only sanded back and clear coated the ball arch and shooter lane. Just curious if it was a lesson learned from the Comet hardtop that made you change your approach ?
Quoted from joshmc:Hey vid1900 ive read this thread and your future spa hardtop install thread at least a dozen times. It appears you took a different approach for these - for Comet you sanded back and clear coated the entire playfield. For Future spa you only sanded back and clear coated the ball arch and shooter lane. Just curious if it was a lesson learned from the Comet hardtop that made you change your approach ?
Sorry for long reply time, didn't see your post.
Good question.
Comet had chalky, flaky, garbage paint that I did not trust to stay stuck to the playfield a decade into the future.
In hindsight, I wish I would have left even more paint on the Future Spa, because there were some big holes in the HT that show the bare wood once you stick it down (and then I had to mix paint and dab it into the holes).
Quoted from vid1900:Sorry for long reply time, didn't see your post.
Good question.
Comet had chalky, flaky, garbage paint that I did not trust to stay stuck to the playfield a decade into the future.
In hindsight, I wish I would have left even more paint on the Future Spa, because there were some big holes in the HT that show the bare wood once you stick it down (and then I had to mix paint and dab it into the holes).
Next time I install a hardtop i'll rethink my approach because if you look closely enough, you can see care wood through the holes in the hardtop. Some said that once you had the playfield populated, you'd barely notice it and they were right. My issue with the hardtop is now mostly with the rollover wires: they barely poke through the hardtop and the ball isnt setting off the switch when it rolls over them.
Quoted from joshmc:My issue with the hardtop is now mostly with the rollover wires: they barely poke through the hardtop and the ball isnt setting off the switch when it rolls over them.
You might have to close the switch gap a little more.
If that still does not do it, then use 2 pairs of duckbill pliers, and raise the angle of the trip wire slightly
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