Vid's Guide to Ultimate Playfield Restoration

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#8351 1 year ago

???

vec-tor

Pinside+ Addict

Unknown

7y 91,150 4,599 83

Quoted from PinFixin:
What would you recommend to fix these enlarged hole?
This is on my future spa on probably the highest stress area on any pinball machine. A mini post bolted through the playfield right in front of the flippers. These things get pummeled quite a bit. I've read that people say Bondo is too soft and to use Qwikwood, and then others say Qwikwood isn't for use on playfields and to use Bondo, and HEP uses Bondo. One of those answers is completely wrong for this application but I don't know which, or if there is something else?
I wanted to fill with something to remove the hole, then drill a hole for a #10 mini post bolt, and either go into a t-nut (preferred) or just a washer and nut underneath. Or would you guys recommending something different?
Pics:
[quoted image][quoted image]
I'm even open to the idea of thinking outside the box and putting a different, newer style post there that would hold up better to the onslaught, but not be any larger in diameter to make the shot more difficult.

I use new doweling pieces.
1) Plug hole with tight dowel. May need supper glue instead of wood glue.
2) Redrill new hole..slightly smaller than mini post.
3) Use dry soap on mini post to rethread wood hole.
4) Finish with mounting hardware.

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#8352 1 year ago

???

joshmc

Pinside member

Gold Coast

3y 26,800 180

Per vid’s post on doing an overlay for Future Spa, I’ve put new inserts into the playfield and coated with polyeurathane on the parts that will show through the overlay. I have just two questions vid1900
1. In your other thread you recommend using 220 for sanding the poly. Would using a slightly finer grit be better? Concerned that 220 will basically remove the poly
2. Between coats of clear, are we talking 800 grit or 120 —-> 240 about 24 hours after the first coat goes down. This is assuming a second coat is required

39E3CDAC-A49B-4548-A1B2-82AE3F0324DD (resized).jpeg

7A1AB973-A4D6-4C05-9C94-B2DA3D5E6310 (resized).jpeg

CB88B3D7-06CC-4FB9-AA82-70F413EC052B (resized).jpeg

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1

#8353 1 year ago

OP

BOY

vid1900

Pinside member

Sana'a

12y 164K 40,202 18

Quoted from joshmc:
1. In your other thread you recommend using 220 for sanding the poly. Would using a slightly finer grit be better? Concerned that 220 will basically remove the poly

220 is "very fine" sandpaper, so you'd have to really go crazy to remove the poly. But if all you have is 340, it would probably still give plenty of tooth between the Poly and 2pac

Quoted from joshmc:
2. Between coats of clear, are we talking 800 grit or 120 —-> 240 about 24 hours after the first coat goes down. This is assuming a second coat is required

600 or 800 is fine for tooth between finish coats. Some brands of 2pac say you don't have to sand between coats up to 48 hours (check your label)

If no fisheyes formed, and no trash fell into the clear; you can shoot a second coat usually a hour latter with no sanding between. This saves you from having to clean the gun twice.

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#8354 1 year ago

???

joshmc

Pinside member

Gold Coast

3y 26,800 180

OP
Quoted from vid1900:
220 is "very fine" sandpaper, so you'd have to really go crazy to remove the poly. But if all you have is 340, it would probably still give plenty of tooth between the Poly and 2pac

600 or 800 is fine for tooth between finish coats. Some brands of 2pac say you don't have to sand between coats up to 48 hours (check your label)
If no fisheyes formed, and no trash fell into the clear; you can shoot a second coat usually a hour latter with no sanding between. This saves you from having to clean the gun twice.

Perfect, thanks Vid! Much appreciated

My only concern is that I went a little too hard on sanding the inserts flush. Unfortunately the new inserts today seem to sit a little higher than the old ones and despite my best efforts I couldn’t get them flush enough without having to go at it with 220 grit. The result of all this is potentially a playfield that isn’t perfectly flat

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#8355 1 year ago

OP

BOY

vid1900

Pinside member

Sana'a

12y 164K 40,202 18

Quoted from joshmc:
Perfect, thanks Vid! Much appreciated
My only concern is that I went a little too hard on sanding the inserts flush. Unfortunately the new inserts today seem to sit a little higher than the old ones and despite my best efforts I couldn’t get them flush enough without having to go at it with 220 grit. The result of all this is potentially a playfield that isn’t perfectly flat

At the factory, inserts are installed, then the playfield goes through a drum sander to make the entire surface flat

So it's normal for the inserts to be slightly proud of the playfield (unless you sand them to the proper height)

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#8356 1 year ago

???

Flipper_McGavin

Pinside member

Sacramento, CA

5y 47,800 541

I bought some Rapid Prep for cleaning the playfield before clearcoating. Does it have to be cleaned off with naphtha afterwards? My state banned naphtha. Wondering what the alternative is to clean it off, or does it evaporate on its own?

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#8357 1 year ago

TOM

pinballinreno

Computer Extreme

9y 134K 15,511 31

Quoted from Flipper_McGavin:
I bought some Rapid Prep for cleaning the playfield before clearcoating. Does it have to be cleaned off with naphtha afterwards? My state banned naphtha. Wondering what the alternative is to clean it off, or does it evaporate on its own?

Try getting the camp fuel at walmart?

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#8358 1 year ago

???

Flipper_McGavin

Pinside member

Sacramento, CA

5y 47,800 541

I can try that. It doesn't wipe off with isopropyl alcohol and a paper towel?

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2

#8359 1 year ago

AGE

A_Bord

Pinside member

8y 63,300 884

Quoted from Flipper_McGavin:
I bought some Rapid Prep for cleaning the playfield before clearcoating. Does it have to be cleaned off with naphtha afterwards? My state banned naphtha. Wondering what the alternative is to clean it off, or does it evaporate on its own?

I follow the instruction on the Rapid Prep bottle. From memory it just says to wet the surface, wait a moment, then wipe it off with a clean rag. I'm 4 playfields in with this technique and no fisheyes. Don't put Rapid Prep over touch-ups, though. Takes new paint right off.

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2

#8360 1 year ago

???

Flipper_McGavin

Pinside member

Sacramento, CA

5y 47,800 541

Ok good. I already did touchups so i won't even attempt to try it on this one. Or maybe carefully go around all the touchups.

I also used pinballinreno's Rapid Remover recommendation for mylar adhesive removal. It took that stuff right off. Whatever formula is in it is in an entirely different league than Goo Gone. Half the playfield was factory mylared, it would have taken a frustrating entire day with Goo Gone.

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3

#8361 1 year ago

KEN

radium

Pinside+ Frequent

Covington, LA

10y 93,550 4,153 12 2

1B464E93-C148-487C-9216-D0B58CC2BA01.jpeg

0

#8362 1 year ago

JMG

Pin_Fandango

Pin Fandango

Ottawa, ON

3y 82,550 4,366

Quoted from pinballinreno:
What I really like about that product is that you can easily repair chips and defects WAY after the fact.
It bonds very well to the cured product, unlike P2K.
Its nearly ideal for pinball and dries ROCK hard just like P2K. It also "dies" back like P2K.
You can also thin it out to "wick" it into cracks or loose chips.
It takes a bit longer to dry, but if your not in too much of a hurry, it works VERY well.
They also claim that it bonds to old P2K. I havent tried it yet, but it looks VER/Y promising for repairs.

Ok, would it work well to redo a lethal weapon 3 I have?
I mean, if I sand the current top slightly?

Leaning to using the can version maybe…

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#8363 1 year ago

AXE

YeOldPinPlayer

Inactive member

Unknown

8y 111K 6,454 4 12

OP
Quoted from vid1900:
order new inserts from Gene at Illinois Pinball.

Was looking over the key posts and noticed this reference. Is there a current source for inserts?

0

#8364 1 year ago

JRP

Gogojohnnyquack

Pinside+ Frequent

Seattle, WA

9y 84,300 1,361 5

Hey all - I'm looking at a Starship Troopers with some missing clear coat or something over two of the bug counters. Would this be a clear-fill job as outlined in this thread or is this different because of the LED displays beneath? Pic:

00J0J_2Qxrlab90g4_0f70bl_1200x900 (resized).jpg

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1

#8365 1 year ago

TOM

pinballinreno

Computer Extreme

9y 134K 15,511 31

Quoted from Gogojohnnyquack:
Hey all - I'm looking at a Starship Troopers with some missing clear coat or something over two of the bug counters. Would this be a clear-fill job as outlined in this thread or is this different because of the LED displays beneath? Pic:
[quoted image]

That is exactly the repair.

Pull the playfield, fill and reclear.

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#8366 1 year ago

JRP

Gogojohnnyquack

Pinside+ Frequent

Seattle, WA

9y 84,300 1,361 5

Quoted from pinballinreno:
That is exactly the repair.
Pull the playfield, fill and reclear.

Thank you. I ended up passing on this one, it is in pretty rough shape over all.

0

#8367 1 year ago

OP

BOY

vid1900

Pinside member

Sana'a

12y 164K 40,202 18

Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:
Was looking over the key posts and noticed this reference. Is there a current source for inserts?

Pretty pitiful right now....

0

#8368 1 year ago

ACE

jazc4

Pinside member

Humble, TX

10y 90,050 1,671 10 8

I have a CF playfield where the inserts are sunken. Could I do my first layer of clear and then build up the inserts with clear? Or does the fact they are sunken mean they need to be removed and reglued?

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1

#8369 1 year ago

???

Flipper_McGavin

Pinside member

Sacramento, CA

5y 47,800 541

Yeah sunken inserts are easy to fix by dropping in clear coat. It will not impair clarity of the inserts when dripping a thick layer of clearcoat in them (or at least it doesn't when I use Spraymax 2K). I like to spray 1+ coats of clear after the dripped clearcoat has flashed off, it helps even everything out when wet sanding.

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1

#8370 1 year ago

BSM

sethbenjamin

ReplayResto

Greenfield, MA

12y 84,050 1,447 8

Quoted from jazc4:
Could I do my first layer of clear and then build up the inserts with clear? Or does the fact they are sunken mean they need to be removed and reglued?

Remove and re-glue them. You’ll probably find that they don’t put up much of a fight. Skipping this step is ill advised.

Re-glueing inserts really isn’t that big of a deal. Like everything else in playfield restoration, it takes some time, but it really isn’t difficult.

Dripping in clear to level inserts can work, but good luck sanding things flat. I tried that method on a game that had printing on the inserts that I didn’t know how to reproduce (I know how to do it now!), and in sanding the clear flush, it got warm enough that it de-laminated, resulting in the need to carve that away and go backward. It worked out but it was a real drag.

Re-glueing gives you the chance to get things far more level. You will certainly need to drip in clear later in the small gaps. There’s every likelihood that you’ll need to fill a couple that moved a bit lower than flush while they were clamped up. But the less dripping in you have to deal with, the better, in my experience.

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2

#8371 1 year ago

OP

BOY

vid1900

Pinside member

Sana'a

12y 164K 40,202 18

Quoted from jazc4:
I have a CF playfield where the inserts are sunken. Could I do my first layer of clear and then build up the inserts with clear? Or does the fact they are sunken mean they need to be removed and reglued?

I'd start by seeing if the insert is loose, if so, then glue.

Next would be touching up the Key line and printing

Then drip and fill.

Scrape flush, and clear the rest of the playfield

(I don't remove inserts unless necessary, as sometimes they crack, no matter how careful you are (especially if somebody stealthy reglued them in the past))

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#8372 1 year ago

CES

WalrusPin

Pinside+ Frequent

1y 47,800 385 2 3

Does anything need to be done from this guide as a final step for a replacement playfield (say CPR) before installation?

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5

#8373 1 year ago

OP

BOY

vid1900

Pinside member

Sana'a

12y 164K 40,202 18

Quoted from WalrusPin:
Does anything need to be done from this guide as a final step for a replacement playfield (say CPR) before installation?

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-re-populating-playfields

0

#8374 1 year ago

BSM

sethbenjamin

ReplayResto

Greenfield, MA

12y 84,050 1,447 8

Quoted from WalrusPin:
Does anything need to be done from this guide as a final step for a replacement playfield (say CPR) before installation?

I’d be curious to know how many people add another topcoat before swapping a CPR.
I’ve done it on a few of them, particularly older ones where I could still feel the veneer surface texture, it really seemed called for.
On the other hand, the Meteor I bought last year for my own machine had what looked to me like a pretty robust clear coat. Some people might have been inclined to sand and buff it, but I barely have time to do my own projects as it is so I was fine with using it “out of the box.” It plays fast and looks nice.

I’d also be interested to hear more from people with professional experience using clear coat on the topic of “dimpling.” Opinions seems to be pretty split on this; my take has always been that the steel is harder than the most cured 2PAC or the densest plywood veneer and so dimpling is inevitable. But I also hear about other playfield finishers using months long processes that ostensibly eliminate the dimples.

I personally am not bothered by dimpling of the clear and feel that the “problem” is over-emphasized. But I also want to fully understand the products and processes I use and employ best practices. This subject seems to be forever under debate.

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1

#8375 1 year ago

LUD

lb1

Pinside member

Bay Area, CA

11y 66,800 1,242 1

Quoted from sethbenjamin:
I’d also be interested to hear more from people with professional experience using clear coat on the topic of “dimpling.” Opinions seems to be pretty split on this; my take has always been that the steel is harder than the most cured 2PAC or the densest plywood veneer and so dimpling is inevitable. But I also hear about other playfield finishers using months long processes that ostensibly eliminate the dimples.
I personally am not bothered by dimpling of the clear and feel that the “problem” is over-emphasized. But I also want to fully understand the products and processes I use and employ best practices. This subject seems to be forever under debate.

My (non-professional) impression is that the dimpling affects the plywood much more than the clear. Two reasons for this. (1) The clear is very thin and there is not much to compact. You can see this because there are no dimples on inserts. (2) The 3 fairly heavily used playfields that I had cleared did not dimple that much relative to a new playfield. It seems that the plywood had already been compacted enough and there was little more a steel ball could do to create new dimples.

IMG_2376 (resized).jpeg

0

#8376 1 year ago

PAT

KalleColucci

Pinside member

Düsseldorf

1y 15,750 10 2

Hello everyone, does somebody have an idea what to do with THAT... its quite ruff.
Thought about touching up with epoxy and a brush, let is soak and aply additional layers. Sand afterward and polish.
Tanks in advance for any advise

20230412_021531 (resized).jpg

20230412_021601 (resized).jpg

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4

#8377 1 year ago

AGE

A_Bord

Pinside member

8y 63,300 884

Quoted from KalleColucci:
Hello everyone, does somebody have an idea what to do with THAT... its quite ruff.
Thought about touching up with epoxy and a brush, let is soak and aply additional layers. Sand afterward and polish.
Tanks in advance for any advise
[quoted image][quoted image]

It looks like maybe you haven't done this yet: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration/page/3#post-640071

Start there and then assess next steps.

0

#8378 1 year ago

PAT

KalleColucci

Pinside member

Düsseldorf

1y 15,750 10 2

Quoted from A_Bord:
It looks like maybe you haven't done this yet: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration/page/3#post-640071
Start there and then assess next steps.

Thanks, i will try this.

0

#8379 1 year ago

DO

Dono

Pinside+ Frequent

Glenelg, MD

9y 86,050 1,784 12 25

Quoted from sethbenjamin:
I’d be curious to know how many people add another topcoat before swapping a CPR.
I’ve done it on a few of them, particularly older ones where I could still feel the veneer surface texture, it really seemed called for.
On the other hand, the Meteor I bought last year for my own machine had what looked to me like a pretty robust clear coat. Some people might have been inclined to sand and buff it, but I barely have time to do my own projects as it is so I was fine with using it “out of the box.” It plays fast and looks nice.
I’d also be interested to hear more from people with professional experience using clear coat on the topic of “dimpling.” Opinions seems to be pretty split on this; my take has always been that the steel is harder than the most cured 2PAC or the densest plywood veneer and so dimpling is inevitable. But I also hear about other playfield finishers using months long processes that ostensibly eliminate the dimples.
I personally am not bothered by dimpling of the clear and feel that the “problem” is over-emphasized. But I also want to fully understand the products and processes I use and employ best practices. This subject seems to be forever under debate.

My experience with the new fields is mixed as far as dimpling. I have a nice CPR Old Chicago that has been super rock solid with no dimples, and one from another source that looks like the Argonne Forest floor after a Luftwaffe shelling after only a few hundred plays. You're gonna get folks who say there's no difference in ply "hardness" from the 40s to today, and others who think quite the opposite. I'm from the latter camp, and have several long-time collectors that share the same opinion. Like they say, YMMV. Great example of a current repro with a sea of dimples.

sea of dimples (resized).jpeg

Post last edited 1 year ago: “adding photo”

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#8380 1 year ago

PAT

PinFixin

Pinside member

Albuquerque, NM

8y 36,300 267 15

Game is Silverball Mania. Area of playfield is the horseshoe. Yes, the playfield is trashed, but I'd like to test out some things with it.

Obviously the person who did this can't have nice things. What in the holy hell is this stuff? It's harder than silicon I think, and I've never messed around with Bondo. How do I get rid of this?

20230418_130134 (resized).jpg

20230418_130524 (resized).jpg

-Pat

0

#8381 1 year ago

DPD

nsduprr

Pinside+ Frequent

Northfield Township, MI

16y 66,300 359 7 1

Quoted from PinFixin:
Game is Silverball Mania. Area of playfield is the horseshoe. Yes, the playfield is trashed, but I'd like to test out some things with it.
Obviously the person who did this can't have nice things. What in the holy hell is this stuff? It's harder than silicon I think, and I've never messed around with Bondo. How do I get rid of this?
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
-Pat

I've done a similar crap removal with a Dremel tool and ball cutter. Keep a shop vac running to draw away the dust. Take your time (just like your dentist does).

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#8382 1 year ago

OP

BOY

vid1900

Pinside member

Sana'a

12y 164K 40,202 18

Quoted from PinFixin:
Game is Silverball Mania. Area of playfield is the horseshoe. Yes, the playfield is trashed, but I'd like to test out some things with it.
Obviously the person who did this can't have nice things. What in the holy hell is this stuff? It's harder than silicon I think, and I've never messed around with Bondo. How do I get rid of this?
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
-Pat

Could be epoxy.

See if it softens with acetone or MEK

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#8383 1 year ago

PAT

PinFixin

Pinside member

Albuquerque, NM

8y 36,300 267 15

Thanks, that's what I thought of and was hoping that wasn't going to be the answer LOL.

The most hopeful thing is Acetone I guess? MEK will destroy the paint underneath practically immediately I'd imagine. Maybe I can just say, I'm prepping the playfield for a hardtop?

0

#8384 1 year ago

OP

BOY

vid1900

Pinside member

Sana'a

12y 164K 40,202 18

It's not going to just melt away.

Put a tiny amount on a brush, and scrape away with a single edge razor blade ( held 90 degrees to the playfield, not at a low angle like you are shaving)

You'll quickly get the hang of it

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#8385 1 year ago

BRY

Aladdin

Pinside member

11y 72,300 1,333

vid1900 I would use a Q Tip, not a brush.
Just the tip.

0

#8386 1 year ago

OP

BOY

vid1900

Pinside member

Sana'a

12y 164K 40,202 18

Quoted from Aladdin:
vid1900 I would use a Q Tip, not a brush.
Just the tip.

It might leave fur behind, but sure, why not.

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#8387 1 year ago

PAT

PinFixin

Pinside member

Albuquerque, NM

8y 36,300 267 15

Watched a video today, and I get what you're talking about Vid. I'll try Acetone and see if I can cut through it after a while.

Some of it may be in the way of the ball, however, I'm going to mod this game while the playfield is bad, in an attempt to make it the most difficult Silverball Mania in existance. Looking at the wider yellow bumpers around the horseshoe to make it a tighter shot then regular posts, skinnier posts for the rubber ring above the outlane, and flirting with the idea of 2in flippers. The flippers may be overkill though.

-Pat

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2

#8388 12 months ago

PAT

PinFixin

Pinside member

Albuquerque, NM

8y 36,300 267 15

Here is what it looks like when I got done with it. It's a SBM once again, so I cannot justify an NOS playfield for it. An overlay or hardtop will be what I'm going to attempt.

It looks like Epoxy? Clearish/White. I sanded it down with a dremel. The left side, for some reason, broke off right at the playfield, luckily. Didn't damage it too much, or comparing it to the rest of it. What is nice, is they used the stuff about halfway through the playfield, so I just redrilled it, and the post will cover a lot of that anyways for testing.

20230423_172304 (resized).jpg

20230423_172319 (resized).jpg

-Pat

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1

#8389 11 months ago

BRM

Redcloud

Pinside member

Rockport, TX

2y 28,150 98 9

Quoted from RTR:
Vid - this is OT, but what is your avatar pic from?
Mike

Phantasm movies

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1

#8390 9 months ago

JAK

jfbenson

Pinside member

Ann Arbor, MI

10y 32,300 28 9

First off, thank you so much Vid for taking the time to post all of your knowledge and help. Your tips have probably saved hundreds of games.

I’m hoping that my game is one of them. I just got done spraying my first layer of clear. I used the spray max 2k rattlecan. I was anal in my cleaning and made sure to use both naphtha and a tack cloth before spraying. The end result is… imperfect. There’s these teeny tiny wrinkles across the playfield after this first coat (see picture). I sprayed outside in a tent with the humidity below 65%. I didn’t sand before I sprayed, maybe that did it? I plan on waiting a day and then wet sanding with 600grit to see if this all smooths out. I am doing some touch up paint work so I gotta sand this initial coat any way.

Thanks,
Jack

IMG_1448.jpeg

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#8391 9 months ago

JAK

jfbenson

Pinside member

Ann Arbor, MI

10y 32,300 28 9

FYI I sprayed about 3 hours ago. Should I add another layer to this? Is this a case where I didn’t spray enough clear?

Anyone’s input would be appreciated.

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3

#8392 9 months ago

TOM

pinballinreno

Computer Extreme

9y 134K 15,511 31

Quoted from jfbenson:
FYI I sprayed about 3 hours ago. Should I add another layer to this? Is this a case where I didn’t spray enough clear?
Anyone’s input would be appreciated.

Its orange peel.

Can too far away or you didnt let it "wet" up during the spraying or your strokes were too fast.

Sand it out and try again. Make sure its good and wet, can about 10 inches above the surface.

Spray with smooth deliberate strokes parallel to the surface. Go all the way past the surface to avoid dry spots.

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#8393 9 months ago

JAK

jfbenson

Pinside member

Ann Arbor, MI

10y 32,300 28 9

Quoted from pinballinreno:
Its orange peel.
Can too far away or you didnt let it "wet" up during the spraying or your strokes were too fast.
Sand it out and try again. Make sure its good and wet, can about 10 inches above the surface.
Spray with smooth deliberate strokes parallel to the surface. Go all the way past the surface to avoid dry spots.

Thanks for the response. I did a “finger nail test” and I leave an imprint. Could I potentially just respray now and avoid the hassle of sanding back down?

Also, if I do need to sand it back, how long should I wait before sanding? Do I sand as soon as possible? 24 hours? 2 weeks?

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4

#8394 9 months ago

ACE

jazc4

Pinside member

Humble, TX

10y 90,050 1,671 10 8

I scuff sand the surface with 600 grit sandpaper before naptha and tack cloth. Then I use a full can on the first session. I do 2 light layers about 7 minutes a part. Then I empty the can and let it cure 24 hours. Then I wet sand with 600 grit sandpaper to flatten before I do any paint repairs.

I bet you could sand with 600 and put more coats on and be fine.

0

#8395 9 months ago

JAK

jfbenson

Pinside member

Ann Arbor, MI

10y 32,300 28 9

Quoted from jazc4:
I scuff sand the surface with 600 grit sandpaper before naptha and tack cloth. Then I use a full can on the first session. I do 2 light layers about 7 minutes a part. Then I empty the can and let it cure 24 hours. Then I wet sand with 600 grit sandpaper to flatten before I do any paint repairs.
I bet you could sand with 600 and put more coats on and be fine.

Great! I am planning on doing some artwork touchups, I heard I should do those after the first light layer of clear. Does this change how I proceed in this case?

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2

#8396 9 months ago

TOM

pinballinreno

Computer Extreme

9y 134K 15,511 31

Quoted from jfbenson:
Thanks for the response. I did a “finger nail test” and I leave an imprint. Could I potentially just respray now and avoid the hassle of sanding back down?

Spraymax is "wet sandable" in 4 hours. But I would wait over night.

You dont have to sand it all out, just smooth it down and spray a medium-heavy coat to cover it.

You ALWAYS have to sand with 800 grit between coats to insure the next layer bites in.

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#8397 9 months ago

JAK

jfbenson

Pinside member

Ann Arbor, MI

10y 32,300 28 9

This is my first clear coat and I am (rightly) afraid of fucking it up. Thanks for the information it is all helpful and a relief.

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4

#8398 9 months ago

TOM

pinballinreno

Computer Extreme

9y 134K 15,511 31

Quoted from jfbenson:
I did a “finger nail test” and I leave an imprint

The paint takes 6 to 10 weeks to dry completely, and still dies back more for 18 months.

At 6 to 8 weeks the fingernail will stop leaving an imprint.

Do not roll a ball on it for at least 8 weeks.

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#8399 9 months ago

JAK

jfbenson

Pinside member

Ann Arbor, MI

10y 32,300 28 9

Given what I’ve gathered here, tomorrow morning I will set sand the playfield with 600/800 grit sandpaper. How do I know when to stop sanding? Can I use naphtha to check if there is still orange peel when “wet”?

Side thought: how long should I wait after clear coating before (1) art touchups and (2) repopulating the playfield? I want to have it repopulated (but I won’t be playing it until the suggested 8 weeks) to clear out some space.

0

#8400 9 months ago

ACE

jazc4

Pinside member

Humble, TX

10y 90,050 1,671 10 8

Quoted from jfbenson:
This is my first clear coat and I am (rightly) afraid of fucking it up. Thanks for the information it is all helpful and a relief.

Don't worry. I felt the same way. I've found if you follow PinballinReno's advice it is a pretty forgiving thing.

By vid1900

11 years ago

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