(Topic ID: 33446)

Vid's Guide to Ultimate Playfield Restoration

By vid1900

11 years ago


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143 key posts have been marked in this topic, showing the first 10 items. (Show topic index)

There are 8,774 posts in this topic. You are on page 117 of 176.
#5801 5 years ago
Quoted from phototamer:

Would the clear withstand the ball pounding , or should I cover the drop card faces with mylar ?

I definitely would use mylar, most clear coats require an adhesion promoter over plastics - too much effort & mylar is much quicker and will hold up fine.

#5802 5 years ago
Quoted from Strummy:

Any thoughts on this product?

A 2K clear is definitely a better choice as it mixed with a chemical hardner to more durable; the only question would be what are you using it on? The spray head on an aerosal limits the spray pattern which would make it tought to spray larger surfaces.

There is a pot life once it's catalized, you can increase the pot life my putting the container in a refrigerator - much lower temp.

The only other advise is to make sure you order the charcoal respirator with it as you don't want to breath the vapors form this.

#5803 5 years ago

I would use it to repair the chip on post 5753. My plan would be to spray some into a cup and then use an eye dropper to fill the chip.

Quoted from ckcsm:A 2K clear is definitely a better choice as it mixed with a chemical hardner to more durable; the only question would be what are you using it on? The spray head on an aerosal limits the spray pattern which would make it tought to spray larger surfaces.
There is a pot life once it's catalized, you can increase the pot life my putting the container in a refrigerator - much lower temp.
The only other advise is to make sure you order the charcoal respirator with it as you don't want to breath the vapors form this.

#5804 5 years ago
Quoted from Strummy:

Any thoughts on this product? The can is only good for one use. The hardener gets injected into the can when ready to use.
USC Spray Max 2k High Gloss Clearcoat Aerosol amazon.com link »

I can vouch for it: that’s what I used in my Firepower restore. Worked beautifully just as advertised. I’d recommend buying a six-pack, that’s about how many cans you will need.

#5805 5 years ago
Quoted from Strummy:

I would use it to repair the chip on post 5753. My plan would be to spray some into a cup and then use an eye dropper to fill the chip.

That might actually work okay for a spot repair. I'm thinking along the same lines myself for a couple of ghosted inserts.

#5806 5 years ago
Quoted from La_Porta:

I can vouch for it: that’s what I used in my Firepower restore. Worked beautifully just as advertised. I’d recommend buying a six-pack, that’s about how many cans you will need.

I saw the results that a friend had on an entire playfield and it came out great. He also said that it took 5 to 6 cans.

#5807 5 years ago
Quoted from Strummy:

I would use it to repair the chip on post 5753. My plan would be to spray some into a cup and then use an eye dropper to fill the chip.

I would say it would work fine to fill that chip/divot; it will take a few applications to be flat. Also even though you are just using an eye dropper I would still use a respoirator as the fumes from the hardner (isocyanate) is not good to breath.

#5808 5 years ago
Quoted from Strummy:

Any thoughts on this product? The can is only good for one use. The hardener gets injected into the can when ready to use.
USC Spray Max 2k High Gloss Clearcoat Aerosol amazon.com link »

There is a whole thread on pinside about people using this product.

TLDR if you want to do it yourself, but only intend to do one or two playfields, this is a workable option that can produce good results. But you need high quality safety gear (Tyvex suit, gloves, full face mask respirator with forced air) or it can straight up kill you. I use it for the few games ive needed to clear and its worked wonderfully (after sand/polish)

#5809 5 years ago

Did you ever go over if it was a good idea to do a light foam brushing of clear over waterslides, let it cure, light sand if there are bubbles then proceed with hvlp clear over the whole play field to reduce risk of destroying the decals?

#5810 5 years ago
Quoted from Langless28:

Did you ever go over if it was a good idea to do a light foam brushing of clear over waterslides, let it cure, light sand if there is bubbles them proceed with hvlp clear over the whole play field to reduce risk of destroying the decals?

My advice would be to not brush over waterslide decals unless you have pre sprayed them before wettin and a setting. I tested waterslides to death on the project documented here...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bally-magic-circle-semi-sympathetic-playfield-restoration#post-3326081

#5811 5 years ago
Quoted from Langless28:

Did you ever go over if it was a good idea to do a light foam brushing of clear over waterslides, let it cure, light sand if there are bubbles then proceed with hvlp clear over the whole play field to reduce risk of destroying the decals?

Vid recommends two very, very light dust coats, 15 minutes apart, prior to shooting over them. It worked well for me. Otherwise, it may straight up melt the decals.

#5812 5 years ago

I have a 1979 Stellar Wars. Would it be ok to use Polyurethane (Varaurehtane / Chrystal Clear) to seal the outside of the cabinet to protect the artwork and paint?

#5813 5 years ago
Quoted from Da-Shaker:

I have a 1979 Stellar Wars. Would it be ok to use Polyurethane (Varaurehtane / Chrystal Clear) to seal the outside of the cabinet to protect the artwork and paint?

Even if the poly says "non yellowing", it will turn yellow

#5814 5 years ago

Anyone have any tips for color matching with waterslide decals when you don't have a scan of your exact PF? I've been able to match the whites on my aged Bally playboy pretty well, but I'm struggling with the blue. It seems like no matter what I print it's just... Off. I'm not trying to get it perfect, just close enough that it's not obviously a different color from the blue 3 inches away.

#5815 5 years ago
Quoted from McSquid:

Anyone have any tips for color matching with waterslide decals when you don't have a scan of your exact PF? I've been able to match the whites on my aged Bally playboy pretty well, but I'm struggling with the blue. It seems like no matter what I print it's just... Off. I'm not trying to get it perfect, just close enough that it's not obviously a different color from the blue 3 inches away.

Are you printing the blue? CMYK printing is pretty narrow in the range of blues you can achieve. The tend towards purple no matter what you try.

#5816 5 years ago

Yes in redoing the center art with decals. It's a greenish dull blue as a result of the original finish yellowing over time. I've gotten fairly close, but not good enough for me to call it good. I was hoping someone might know a good tool that will let you input a color and give you similar colors to check. I found a tool like this in a painting site but it's limited to their own paint colors.

#5817 5 years ago

Is it ok to use Naphtha to clean coil sleeves and plungers?

#5818 5 years ago
Quoted from Da-Shaker:

Is it ok to use Naphtha to clean coil sleeves and plungers?

Yes
It's a good degreaser and dewaxer.
Make sure they are dry before reassembly.

#5819 5 years ago
Quoted from McSquid:

Anyone have any tips for color matching with waterslide decals when you don't have a scan of your exact PF? I've been able to match the whites on my aged Bally playboy pretty well, but I'm struggling with the blue. It seems like no matter what I print it's just... Off. I'm not trying to get it perfect, just close enough that it's not obviously a different color from the blue 3 inches away.

Quoted from BJM-Maxx:

Are you printing the blue? CMYK printing is pretty narrow in the range of blues you can achieve. The tend towards purple no matter what you try.

This requires basic Photoshop or similar program skills. I had the same problem with my Fast Draw red color. I took a picture of the playfield in natural light (not a scan) and imported in Photoshop. I then tried to get as close as I could with the Red by comparing the colors on screen (you can also pick the color value from the imported image and create the same color). Having that as a Base I created 5 lighter and 5 darker shades and printed a test Decal sheet. After cutting and looking them side by side on the Playfield I got an exact match and printed all the rest of the Red decals according to the match.

#5820 5 years ago

Has anyone ever used a waterslide decal to repair a small portion of cabinet art? I'm thinking I could do this to fix the fade of the guy in the cryo on the sides of the Demolition Man cabinet. I realize it will be very be thin and prone to more damage...

Any other thoughts?

#5821 5 years ago
Quoted from Walamab:

Has anyone ever used a waterslide decal to repair a small portion of cabinet art? I'm thinking I could do this to fix the fade of the guy in the cryo on the sides of the Demolition Man cabinet. I realize it will be very be thin and prone to more damage...
Any other thoughts?

Couldn't you matte clear over it? I guess some decals dissolve when exposed to the wrong types of clear. That would be my thought.

#5822 5 years ago

Could definitely “seal”it with something. Will likely take some experimentation.

#5823 5 years ago

Put some clear over the water slides, or they just peel off

#5824 5 years ago
Quoted from Da-Shaker:

Is it ok to use Naphtha to clean coil sleeves and plungers?

As others have said, naphtha cleans off grease and wax excellently, but unless it's some rare size coil sleeve, it's almost always better / faster / cheaper to just replace them with new sleeves.

Always replace those disgusting old metal sleeves with newer nylon ones. The nylon is much less abrasive to the plungers.

#5825 5 years ago
Quoted from Walamab:

Has anyone ever used a waterslide decal to repair a small portion of cabinet art? I'm thinking I could do this to fix the fade of the guy in the cryo on the sides of the Demolition Man cabinet. I realize it will be very be thin and prone to more damage...
Any other thoughts?

Here is a small thread I did several years ago showing some repairs on cabinets that did get completely restored. There is a mix of water slide and vinyl fixes.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/front-cab-art-reproduction-and-fade-fix

#5826 5 years ago
Quoted from Lonzo:

Here is a small thread

Awesome...Thanks!

#5827 5 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

Always replace those disgusting old metal sleeves with newer nylon ones. The nylon is much less abrasive to the plungers.

What if the metal sleeves are stuck in the coils or are part of the coils?

Replace the coils or clean and polish the inside of the metal sleeves? (this means I would have to replace a bunch of coils on this game which isn't very practical)

#5828 5 years ago
Quoted from PinballFever:

What if the metal sleeves are stuck in the coils or are part of the coils?
Replace the coils or clean and polish the inside of the metal sleeves? (this means I would have to replace a bunch of coils on this game which isn't very practical)

You have to use common sense.

If the sleeve is stuck on a saucer eject coil, then you'd just clean and go.

If the sleeves are stuck in a flipper or pop coil, you'd probably replace the coil, yes?

#5829 5 years ago

Makes sense. Thanks, Vid.

#5830 5 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

Put some clear over the water slides, or they just peel off

Vid - When you say clear to you mean 2PAC? or is there a simpler approach?

Thanks!

#5831 5 years ago
Quoted from Walamab:

Vid - When you say clear to you mean 2PAC? or is there a simpler approach?
Thanks!

You have to put SOMETHING clear over them, or they just come off.

I'd use 2PAC but you might use other products.

#5832 5 years ago
Quoted from Da-Shaker:

Is it ok to use Naphtha to clean coil sleeves and plungers?

What part of the playfield is the coil sleeve and plunger?

#5833 5 years ago
Quoted from newmantjn:

What part of the playfield is the coil sleeve and plunger?

Flippers, slingshots and pop bumpers. I'm just trying to down size chemicals. Instead of using lighter fluid, I'll use Naphtha.

#5834 5 years ago
Quoted from Da-Shaker:

Flippers, slingshots and pop bumpers. I'm just trying to down size chemicals. Instead of using lighter fluid, I'll use Naphtha.

I use 99% isopropyl to clean all parts. Doesn't affect electronics at all as it is not conductive, and it cleans well. Cheap like borscht too.

#5835 5 years ago
Quoted from Da-Shaker:

Instead of using lighter fluid, I'll use Naphtha.

Lighter fluid is naptha, but the older better one. But what's a few carcinogens between friends...

#5836 5 years ago

What do I use to thin Createx paint? It is too thick to work in my Molotow paint pen.

#5837 5 years ago
Quoted from Silverstreak02:

What do I use to thin Createx paint? It is too thick to work in my Molotow paint pen.

Windex

#5839 5 years ago
Quoted from Silverstreak02:

What do I use to thin Createx paint? It is too thick to work in my Molotow paint pen.

Molotow makes a pen you can load with your own paint?

#5841 5 years ago
Quoted from pinheadpierre:

Molotow makes a pen you can load with your own paint?

My mistake it is made by Montana. I use the same createx that I’m spraying for touch ups.

609E67DC-4B1D-4E54-8A9F-BAEE6AB96046 (resized).jpeg609E67DC-4B1D-4E54-8A9F-BAEE6AB96046 (resized).jpeg
#5842 5 years ago
Quoted from Silverstreak02:

My mistake it is made by Montana. I use the same createx that I’m spraying for touch ups.

Ok I have to ask - As someone who is just starting to dip toes into restoration work and have literally never used a spray gun before - How well does this marker work? I'll get around to getting the sprayer bought and set, but I'm just moving to a new place and my workshop is a little less than set up right now - but I have a few temporary fixes to make and mylar before I get to full resto work.

Thanks!

#5843 5 years ago
Quoted from statictrance:

Ok I have to ask - As someone who is just starting to dip toes into restoration work and have literally never used a spray gun before - How well does this marker work? I'll get around to getting the sprayer bought and set, but I'm just moving to a new place and my workshop is a little less than set up right now - but I have a few temporary fixes to make and mylar before I get to full resto work.
Thanks!

Like everything it takes some technic to get the paint to flow well enough to cover, but not create blotches. I believe the key is proper thinning. The Createx paint needs to be thinned to work in the marker. I did most of the key lines in my crosstown with the marker. Using a ruler for the straight lines works great, but I had to do many lines freehand and they aren’t perfect. This is a work in progress, but you get the idea.

9475895C-AA99-432B-9FEF-5B0F60E8EAED (resized).jpeg9475895C-AA99-432B-9FEF-5B0F60E8EAED (resized).jpeg
#5844 5 years ago
Quoted from Silverstreak02:What do I use to thin Createx paint? It is too thick to work in my Molotow paint pen.

Better use their own reduser. I use the 4012 - High Performance Reducer with the Opaque series of createx up to 1to 1 ratio with fine results.
If your paint gun is 0.7 ( as it says on the specs ) then you should have no problem shooting the paint undiluted. You may need more pressure from your compressor (40 psi maybe )

#5845 5 years ago

Just a question about colors. There are lots of posts about matching colors - which makes sense, but when repainting (rather than touchups) a color, is it better to try and match the (presumably) faded color or go with something more vibrant?

#5846 5 years ago
Quoted from mark532011:

Just a question about colors. There are lots of posts about matching colors - which makes sense, but when repainting (rather than touchups) a color, is it better to try and match the (presumably) faded color or go with something more vibrant?

Look under posts or other mechs and match the unfaded color.

You don't want to introduce new colors to the pallet, they stand out like a sore thumb.

#5847 5 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

Look under posts or other mechs and match the unfaded color.
You don't want to introduce new colors to the pallet, they stand out like a sore thumb.

This is realistically as close of a matching guide as one can reasonably expect. Note though that even this is really just matching a less ambered/faded version of a color. The old clear coats turn somewhat amber and therefore shift the underlying color even under posts where the paint has rarely seen the light of day. Short of having a time machine to go back and see what the colors looked like on day one, we are all just doing our best to restore to a convincing approximation the original spirit of the design.

#5848 5 years ago
Quoted from pinheadpierre:

This is realistically as close of a matching guide as one can reasonably expect. Note though that even this is really just matching a less ambered/faded version of a color. The old clear coats turn somewhat amber and therefore shift the underlying color even under posts where the paint has rarely seen the light of day. Short of having a time machine to go back and see what the colors looked like on day one, we are all just doing our best to restore to a convincing approximation the original spirit of the design.

Many of the Bally Williams games art is still around.

The films say right on them what Pantone colors are used.

That is why CPR can say that a color is EXACTLY what it was supposed to be, because they have the official Pantone color # from the 70/80/90s

#5849 5 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

Many of the Bally Williams games art is still around.
The films say right on them what Pantone colors are used.
That is why CPR can say that a color is EXACTLY what it was supposed to be, because they have the official Pantone color # from the 70/80/90s

Well now, that would be mighty handy to have access to.

#5850 5 years ago
Quoted from pinheadpierre:

Well now, that would be mighty handy to have access to.

How would someone get access to this color information?? Would this be a case for the CIA? They seem to know about getting hidden information.

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