Bobby Orr's Power Play
Bally, 1978
Gilligan's Island
Bally, 1991
Space Jam
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Quoted from Schwaggs:Whats the best approach to pushing these flat and re-gluing them? Simply put a block of wood on them with a C-clamp and dab epoxy on the back of the insert? Do I need to use heat to get the insert to move?
Yep, warm it up and push it back flush. Epoxy from the backside to keep it from rising again.
Quoted from Schwaggs:Is the C clamp only needed for inserts that will not stay flat or will I need that to get it to move at all?
The C clamp just makes it easy.
Sometimes you glue an insert and it pops up the moment you turn your back.
For the $8 investment, it won't be the last time you use a 12" C clamp.
Did you ever cut Rubylith doing silk screening?
Let the weight of the Xacto do the work.
Use real Xacto blades, not some knockoffs.
If you are cutting up the playfield, you are pressing 3x too hard.
Relax, use a straightedge on the straightaways....
CLEARCOATING PLAYFIELDS
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In this next section we are going to discuss Clearcoating Playfields.
Nothing about playfield restoration has more misinformation than the clearcoating process.
I'm going to walk you guys through clearcoating with just normal tools you can find anywhere. Sure I've got a bunch of high end HVLP guns, but I'm going to show you how to do it with a $12 gun and get totally pro results.
I'm also going to stress SAFETY. You will probably get tired of me talking about it, but it's the most important topic of this whole section.
THE GREAT PRETENDERS:
People love easy, it's human nature.
They want to just go to Home Depot, walk out with a can of clear, go home to their basement, clear a playfield with a brush and put it back in the machine a day or two latter.
As this is the Ultimate playfield restoration guide, were not going to be doing anything like that.
Lets look at some unacceptable products for clearing playfields:
Pretender #1: Polyurethane
Poly is what people think of when they think "clear protective finish".
This "oil based" clear turns yellow as it ages, even if it claims non-yellowing formula.
Some formulas dry fast, but don't actually get hard for months (even a month latter the "finger nail test" lets you leave a mark).
After a few months of drying, it can be buffed to a medium shine.
Vapors are very toxic.
Do not use Oil Based Poly on a playfield!
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Pretender #2: Water Based Poly
This "water based" Poly (sometimes sold as Varathane or Polycrylic), cleans up with water.
The number one reason we don't use it for playfields is that it dulls the colors of the underlying playfield in a serious way. It does not make much sense to do all that work fixing up a playfield, only to dull down the color pallet.
Water Based Poly yellows over time, but not as much as oil-based Poly.
The finish drys very fast, but it takes 3 coats of Water Based Poly to build up the same thickness film of a single coat of Oil Poly. So you need many more coats to get the same protection, but each extra coat is further dulling the colors.
The can says that Water Based Poly is "tougher" than Oil Poly, but on a playfield, ball trails start cutting their way through much more quickly than with Oil .
Water Based Poly can be buffed to a medium gloss, but not as high as other clearcoats.
The vapors give you a headache, but they say it is non-toxic.
Water Based Poly makes a good primer over raw wood if you are going to paint over it, as otherwise the paint may soak into the wood fibers. Because it drys fast, it is ideal for this use.
Do not use Water Based Poly as a clearcoat on a playfield!
Here is a great example from Tdiddy, where the water based poly is peeling away from the substrate. This is not a hard, protective finish, folks:
NEVER USE POLY TO 'CLEARCOAT' A PLAYFIELD (p68)
Another well documented Varathane disaster:
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Pretender #3: Lacquer
Lacquer is a fun clear coat for many things because it drys super fast and you don't have to sand between coats.
You don't have to sand between coats because Lacquer is very "hot". It chemically melts into the lower layers, becoming a single layer.
Lacquer can be buffed to a very high gloss.
The bad things about Lacquer are that it turns slightly yellow, it is so hot that it often reacts tragically with other coatings and paints, and it melts decals like nothing else on the planet.
Some older pins were clearcoated with Lacquer.
Vapors are very toxic.
Do not use Lacquer to clearcoat a playfield!
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Pretender #4: Shellac
Shellac is made from the bodies of the Laccifera Lacca insect. It is actually safe to eat, and is used as the coating on Reese's Pieces and fruits like apples.
Shellac has a yellow to amber color to it, and can actually be purchased in different shades.
Shellac flakes are simply dissolved in alcohol and then applied.
Some older pins were actually "clear coated" with Shellac (test under the apron if the finish dissolves with alcohol).
In playfield restoration we use Shellac in layers to match freshly sanded wood to the surrounding wood. Newly sanded wood is bright white, and stands out like a sore thumb. Spraying layers of Shellac allows you to match darker older wood easily.
Vapor are mildly toxic (alcohol).
Shellac is not very durable as a clearcoat, but is does have a place in your tool kit.
Quoted from ArcadiusMaximus:Hello,
Sorry if you've answered this before but I am doing water slide decals on my playfield and as expected I am getting a thin white border around them. Do you recommend a paint or a specific marker type to do the touch ups? Luckily all my decals have black borders around them so it shouldn't be too difficult. Thanks !
Let's see a picture of what you have there.
THE PROPER CHOICE FOR CLEAR COATING
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So above, we ran through all the choices of what we don't want to use to clear a playfield, so what CAN we use?
2 Part Auto Clear (2PAC).
2PAC is the stuff the pros use (and soon you will too).
It REALLY protects the playfield from wear.
It does not yellow.
It makes the playfield colors pop.
It has UV blockers to keep your painted or printed repairs from fading at a different rate than the rest of the paints.
It is hard in an hour, and crazy hard in a week.
It is ready for another coat in 5 minutes.
It buffs to the highest shine (although you can latter knock down the shine to match older EMs, if you want)
It is compatible with acrylic paints and Waterslide decals commonly used for repair.
It can be used to fill in cupped or shrunken inserts so they are level with the rest of the playfield.
It can be mixed with different hardeners so the speed that it catalyzes can be controlled.
There is currently no better clearcoat choice available on the market.
There are probably 100 different 2PAC brands and formula on the market, so what do I recommend ?
PPG JC660 (or it's plain labeled cousin "Omni 161" )
It is the most forgiving 2PAC I've found for the beginner. Literally, a beginner can lay down a layer of this stuff their first time out, with a $12 HVLP gun and stand back and say DA-HAMMMMMM!
It is available everywhere PPG paints are sold (over 2000 dealers in the USA).
It has 3 different speeds of hardener.
It is less "hot" than the old DuPont Imron DiamondPlate that Williams used to use (I have 5 gallons of DP, and it is HOT stuff).
Vapors are very toxic
http://www.bapspaint.com/docs/psheets/PPG/Automotive/Shopline/JC661.pdf
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Now, like I said, there are 100s of other choices and experienced auto painters are all going to religiously preach about their favorite brand. If someone is familiar with another brand and how it lays up, or has a friend who gets it "free" at work, or got laid once because they cleared their Trans-Am with it, more power to them.
STUFF YOU ARE GOING TO NEED TO CLEAR A PLAYFIELD.
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You are gong to need a pile of stuff to clear a playfield. Even if you are not going to clear anything today, you might as well start getting all your supplies in order.
The first chemical you are going to need is Naphtha. It is usually sold as VM&P Naphtha (Varnish Maker & Painter's Naphtha). It has little odor, but is a carcinogen, so you need to wear your chem mask while using it. Naphtha evaporates very fast and won't dissolve our playfield touch-up work. We clean everything with Naphtha before we clear.
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The next chemical you need is Lacquer Thinner. This is nasty stuff that dissolves many finishes. We use it to clean our spray guns, eye droppers, measuring cups, spills. DON'T use Lacquer Thinner to clean your playfield. Lacquer Thinner is a mega carcinogen, so again, chem mask needed during use.
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Next you need the Clearcoat itself and the hardener. Unlike Poly, the 2PAC will not just air dry. The hardener acts as a catalyst and chemically turns the clearcoat hard as a rock. You must be very careful to never even get a drop of the hardener into the can of clearcoat - if you do, in about a month the entire can will turn into a solid cube of plastic. So again, do not dip an eyedropper into one can and then use it in the other!
The clear is mixed with the hardener in a 2
ratio, so a half cup of clear to a quarter cup of hardener. Or 10 drops of clear to 5 drops of hardener if you are mixing small batches to level inserts.
Don't mix the clear in any old plastic or foam cup, because the clear will become contaminated as it melts the plastic. Use a glass measuring cup and do it right. The store you buy the clear at will have disposable plastic measuring cups that are solvent safe, but I like to reuse the glass and keep the plastic out of the landfill.
Most of the time I use the Medium speed hardener, but the fast can be useful when we don't want to have decals dissolve, or we don't want out-gassing bubbles in old Bally playfield inserts (more on that latter). So you might buy a small can of Fast hardener to have on hand along with the Medium.
The clear contains super toxic Isocyanates (as the names implies, it contains cyanide) so you don't want to breathe it into your lungs. Isocyanates don't have a smell, so the company that makes the clear adds the most horrific smell to the formula. It smells like a mixture of Chlorine and Puke. If your chem-mask is leaking, you will know it!
Yes, I've seen the videos on Youtube with the guy shooting 2PAC with just a "10 cent dust mask", but that is the most insane thing I've ever seen. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.
Next you need the all important Chem-mask. You can get one at the store that sells you the clear for $29. Home Depot sells an Isocyanate rated mask, but it is not with the other dust masks, it's in the isle with the Mold abatement products. Don't ask me why.
You need to wear the Chem-mask anytime you spray clear, rattle can paint, work with solvents (Naphtha, Toluene, Lacquer Thinner...) or sand painted cabinets (commercial products continued to use lead paint well into the 2000s - you can safely assume any pinball cabinet is painted with lead paint). Do not sand pinball cabinets in your basement or garage - you will NEVER get the lead dust out.
Your Chem-mask only works if it is sealed to your face. That means you need to shave the day of the spraying. That means you people with fancy facial hair are going to need to shave the mask's pattern through it.
You need to keep the mask in it's thick zip-lock bag when not in use. The chem part of the mask lasts about 40 hours of use, and then you can start to smell the stench of the clear. Don't continue if you can smell the clear - stop and replace the cartridges!
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If you start clearing playfields all the time, it makes sense to switch to a full hood that supplies outside air . The $350 cost of the hood will pay for itself in replacement cartridges and it is much more comfortable to wear. You can even wear it with a full beard.
Next you need some packs of Tackcloths. Tackcloths are Cheesecloth covered in resin that grabs even the smallest particles of dust. Even stuff that won't blow off with the Airgun, will be removed by the Tackcloth.
You will need some fine 500 or 600 grit sandpaper. You need to rough up the existing surface so the clear has some "tooth". Once the 1st layer is down, you can use finer 800 grit sandpaper between coats. It's that first coat that really needs some tooth.
800 grit.jpg
An Airgun or Blowgun attaches to your air compressor hose and lets you blow off fine dust out of the nooks, slots and holes. It is also great for blowing 40 years of dust and mold spores out of old cabinets (do this outside, not in your garage).
MORE SAFETY EQUIPMENT YOU NEED
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You will need some Nitrile gloves. These are usually black in color. You don't want paint, clear, or solvents ever in contact with your skin. Regular latex gloves will allow the solvents to soak right through them easily. A box of 100 is usually $7.
You of course need a Tyvek "bunny suit" . They are $10. Get the size above whatever the package recommends for your height, because the chart is always too small in actual use.
You need some airtight goggles, as safety glasses wont keep the vapor out of your eyes. You can even just use swim goggles if you have them already.
You need a roll of plastic sheeting. The mist from the clear goes EVERYWHERE. It will escape and cover your wife's car, your other games, your entire garage would be coated if you don't tape off a "clearing booth".
Taping off a booth will keep dust from settling all over your fresh clear. You can even wet the garage floor with a hose just before spraying to further keep the dust off the playfield.
Just buy the super thin cheap .31 mil plastic that painters cover windows with - not the expensive 9 mil "drop cloth" stuff. You are not going to be walking on it.
Quoted from Zitt:but I can tell you I've cleared 5 PF... including Star Trek: The Mirror Universe in my driveway.
That's only because you have a Texas Driveway.
The rest of us have dust, bugs, leaves, Maple Helicopters, Dandelion fuzz, and bird crap to ruin our mirror finishes.
Quoted from Anth:The clear I would need for this would preferably be able to be purchased in very small quantities and shot through an airbrush. Any recommendations on what I should use?
I don't know where you would find small quantities of 2PAC.
Maybe ask here on Pinside if anyone local can hook you up.
2PAC hardens on it's own, and does not have to chemically melt the underlying layer.
You just lightly sand the old playfield with 800 grit to give the 2PAC some tooth and you are good to go.
You can always test under the apron for compatibility with iffy past coatings.
Every factory coating I've covered with 2PAC has worked fine.
Only trouble makers are junky past "repairs" like Testor's paints, Paint Markers, Sharpie pens or people who put silicone on the playfield like Pledge or Millwax.
Quoted from Anth:Vid, what is your opinion on high quality rattle can auto clear? I'm assuming it's slightly inferior to two part, but will gladly trade that for the tremendous convenience and cost savings.
I've never used it, so I can't yet recommend it.
CONS: It costs more than mixing the 2 parts yourself, once you activate the spray can, you have 2 days to use it all up. No long term data of how it holds up hardness wise. Does it melt decals?
PROS: You don't need to borrow an air compressor, no measuring or mixing.
DIFFERENT: You probably have to spray it into a glass jar, then use a glass eyedropper to fill in cupped inserts.
Quoted from UvulaBob:Page 2 goes into detail about how to use an airbrush to great effect, which is cool for more geometrically-themed playfields. But what about something like Gorgar? Is this something that has to be done by hand, or would you figure out a way to airbrush it because you're awesome?
I'd probably use Frisket to repaint the red and yellow of that area, then use a clear waterslide decal to put the black detail back in place on top of the repair.
It's too hard to match a little "spot" of a bright color like yellow or orange because the repair color might fade at a different rate than the surrounding area over time. Especially because in his instance it is right under the player's nose.
Much easier to spray a larger area up to a distracting feature, like the Gorgar arm, the slingshot, the chick's butt.
MORE STUFF YOU ARE GOING TO NEED TO CLEAR A PLAYFIELD.
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You are going to need a HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) spray gun.
Do you need a $300 Devilbiss sprayer to lay down some clearcoat that looks like a sheet of glass? Hell no.
A Devilbiss is a nice gun, but we don't need anything that good. We are shooting a surface that is flat on it's back. We are not going to have any runs to worry about. We are going to do what painters call a "flood and go". It's so easy, you almost feel guilty that it does not require more skill.
The Harbor Freight gun can be had for $9-12 bucks on sale, so sign up for their email coupons. Buy a few if you want, they are cheaper than probably anything else you have ever bought for pinball.
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You need an air regulator that installs right at the gun, you don't want to keep walking back to the compressor to adjust your air flow.
The gun says it wants 40psi to run, but don't be surprised if you need 45-50psi to get a silky flow.
You set it and forget it, so once you get it right, you won't have to think about anymore (unless you shoot other brand paints/clears with your gun). The guns and air regulator are so cheap, you might as well use a different gun for shooting clear and shooting paint.
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You want a little disposable air/moisture filter that attaches at the gun. These are $1-2.
Yes, I know you have a water filter at the compressor, but for $1, why not do it right?
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You need a little roll of Teflon Tape (.20 cents).
When you hear people complain that their spray gun leaked air "right out of the box", that is because they did not put Teflon Tape on all the connecting threads.
Every threaded air connection needs tape.
Make 3 full, smooth wraps, clockwise, at each joint, around the male threads.
Don't ever use "pipe dope" or putty on the threads. That will contaminate your air supply and gun.
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air kit.jpg
You need a $3 set of Air Connections.
The gun and valve does not come with any connections, so you need a few.
It's good to have some extras around because brass is soft and sometimes the ends get dented and leak.
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Finally you need a Dremel to clean out the insides of holes and slots.
You need a Dremel (aka "rotary tool") to clean out the slots and holes.
Why?
If anyone ever used Pledge or Milwax on the playfield, that stuff contains a bunch of silicone (NEVER use Pledge or Milwax on any game that might be restored someday!). Silicone is just about impossible to remove from a playfield because Silicone is inert.
If you open the coin door on a game you want to restore and smell lemon Pledge - DO NOT BUY IT.
Even the slightest amount of Silicone will produce a dime sized "Fisheye" in the clear finish.
You hopefully can wipe enough of it off the flat surfaces, but around the holes, the Silicone can be impossible to remove so you get a big hole in the clear, right alongside the hole in the playfield.
We use the rotary tool with rough sandpaper to clean the holes and hopefully give enough tooth to the clear so that it can grab without the Silicone creating a Fisheye.
Some Emery Sticks can also be helpful in cleaning out the slots.
Hey Vid: Won't Smoothie Fish Eye Eliminator prevent Fisheyes???
No.
Popular lore says that Smoothie will prevent Fisheyes in the clear. It works on clearing automobiles sometimes, but it is powerless against liquid silicones like Pledge or Millwax that have soaked into the pores and checks of the wood.
I've used both Smoothie and PPG Fisheye Eliminator and neither works all that well, you won't be impressed.
Worse yet, once you use it, every layer of clear applied afterwards will also require it. At least with straight clear, once you fix a few fisheyes, they don't ever return because the silicone is sealed under the first coat.
Also, once you contaminate your gun with all the silicones that Smoothie contains, you now have to always use it in that gun. The gun is "boogered".
Even the sanding dust from Smoothie clear can contaminate your shop with tiny molecules of silicone (that is why most high end auto refinishing joints won't let Smoothie in the door).
And it makes the clear coat a little less hard and take longer to cure.
Save your money.
85% of the time you will not get a single fisheye in your playfield (unless you have contaminated your gun and shop with silicone Smoothie), so why bother even getting started down that road?
PinJones asked a few weeks ago: How many times should I empty and fill the air compressor before I start spraying to get the water out?
Zero times, actually.
I always hear somebody saying that you should completely drain the air tank, then charge it up again, then drain it again and finally recharge it one last time to get all the water out of the tank. This is nonsense.
The water that condenses in an air compressor actually comes from the atmosphere itself.
Every time you run the compressor, any moisture that is in the air is condensed and collects on the cooler temperature walls of the tank. This moisture rolls down to the bottom of the tank.
So if one filling of the compressor on a humid day nets you a 1/4 cup of water, filling and draining the tank 100 times will still, of course, net you a 1/4 cup of water, each time.
You will note that at the bottom of your tank there is a drain valve. Open this valve slightly until all the rusty water blows out and only clear air is emitted. This will probably take 5 seconds unless you have not drained your water in a few weeks (ever? lol).
Small "pancake" compressors often have a reverse threaded valve you turn to the Right to open; don't ask me why.
Large air compressors will often have an auto-drain that blows out the water at the very start of each cycle.
Back on page 5 we talked about how big of an air compressor to get:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration/page/5
The final air compressor accessory that is probably already installed on your compressor, is the oil/water separator filter.
This takes the air from the tank and removes any oils or water from it.
It is usually mounted on the tank with the air hose connector connected to the output of the filter (although you could mount it anywhere).
It has an IN and an OUT, so make sure your sprayer hose is connected to the OUT.
The separator is clear glass so you can see how much water has been pulled from the air supply.
Turn the valve on the bottom of the filter to blow out the captured water.
Quoted from UvulaBob:For applying the clear coat, people are recommending a 600 dollar air compressor.
You don't have to spend 600.
Craigslist has 1000s of old compressors that are much better than the ones made today.
Look in your neighbor's garage, you will see an upright 60 gallon compressor just sitting there "Yeah, we really only use it to fill the kid's air raft...."
You want an old Iron Headed compressor (test with a magnet), not a new aluminum head one.
Get a brand name like Speedair, Saylor, Ingersoll Rand...... those old compressors will run forever in home use. (Even an old Craftsman (USA made) will run for 20 years).
Quoted from Leo13:I will sand the area to clean it (which sandpaper granularity to use?)
Use some Naphtha to clean out all that Sharpie (or it will bleed into the clear through the Bondo). It looks pretty roughed up already.
Then fill and level that hole with Bondo.
Quoted from Leo13:I will have to paint the area in white (any recommendation on the paint/white color tone to use?)
I'd match the blue with the surrounding blue. Take your time and get it right.
You have a little white and gray to match too.
Quoted from Leo13:how can I get the same color on the decal printing ? There will probably be some differences between the scan and the real color obtained after printing
I think I would just print the black, and leave the blue and the little bit of white and gray for air brushing.
Quoted from Leo13:So in summary you won't use a decal for this fix, right ?
Yes, we DO want to use a decal, but a BLACK ink only decal on clear waterslide.
So paint your Blue, White and Gray patches - then put your Black decal on top to restore the details.
Here is the problem making a color decal:
1. The blue goes on FOREVER, so there is no way to make a decal that ends at the next distracting feature. Wherever the edge of your decal is, it is going to be in the middle of the blue field, and thus stick out like a sore thumb.
2. Your wear spot just about runs into the half-tone dots below. Handheld scanners are not good at keeping the dots in scale or alignment.
CUPPED INSERT REPAIR
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Before we clear a playfield, we often need to repair it first.
One common problem is cupped inserts.
Common pinball folklore says that hot, incandescent bulbs melted the cupped inserts; but even NOS playfields have them, so that can't be the case.
Old inserts that are not reinforced with jeweling, will simply cup from being made too thin and the pressure of the surrounding wood.
You almost never see a cupped jeweled insert.
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Q: Shouldn't I take them out and sand them flat?
A: No, they are too thin already.
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Q: Shouldn't I take them out, heat them up and flatten them again?
A: It's risky and they will cup again in a few years.
We want to avoid removing inserts whenever possible. Many styles have not be made in years, so you are unlikely to find replacements should you break one during removal.
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So what do the pros do? They fill the cupping with 2PAC.
This reinforces the insert, making it stronger, and less likely to cup further.
We also know that the cupping fix is compatible with our clearcoat.
Here we have a 30 year old New Old Stock playfield.
These old playfields hardly have any clearcoat at all (it was just silkscreened on), so they need to be protected with a real coat of clear. Even in home use, a nicked ball will destroy these fragile playfields in no time at all.
If we don't fix this cupped insert, it will launch air balls, deflect ball travel, and of course cause deep wear around it's edge.
So first we epoxy all the inserts from the back of the playfield to keep them from moving once they are heated by the lights.
Any inserts that are proud of the playfield are heated up and pressed back in flat with a 12" C-clamp, and then glued:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration
Then we take some 800 grit sandpaper and sand off the gloss. This gives some tooth to the 2PAC so it does not "ghost" .
Don't sand too much or you will wear away the paint on the insert. There is VERY little clear coat on these old playfields.
Blow off any sanding dust and then clean out the insert and the surrounding area with Naphtha. Once you clean it with Naphtha, don't get any oily fingerprints or dust near the insert.
Put your respirator on and find a glass substrate to mix the 2PAC on. You can use an upside down pickle jar.
Using 2 different glass eyedroppers, drip the correct ratio of Clear & Hardener onto the mixing surface.
Remember not to get even a single drop of hardener into the can of clear, or the whole can of clear will become a cube of plastic in a month. This is why we use 2 different eye droppers.
Depending on how many inserts you have to fill, you need to mix up your clear, by counting drops. Each insert might need 12 drops of clear, so your ratio might be 10 drops clear : 5 drops hardener.
Use the fastest curing hardener you can for this. The faster it cures, the less chance of any outgassing from the insert (more on this latter).
Mix up the clear and then let it sit for 5 minutes to allow any bubbles to dissipate.
Draw the clear up into an eyedropper without creating any bubbles.
"Draw" around the edge of the insert with the clear, so as you fill it, the clear will climb to the very top edge.
Overfill the insert slightly, it will get sanded flush.
Suck out, or drag out any air bubbles with the eyedropper.
You can fill in the valley between the inserts and the playfield with this same technique.
Once the 2PAC had hardened, you can then sand it flat with the rest of the playfield.
Quoted from UvulaBob:But I'm more concerned about the conditions under which Varathane would make someone regret not putting in the effort to use ACC (whether self-applied or paying a local business to do it). What kind of degredation have people started to see after two years? Five years? Ever?
You don't even have to wait 2 years, the moment the Varathane dries, you see that all the colors are now dulled down.
Then once you start playing the game, you see how fast ball trails start cutting through the Varathane.
Quoted from UvulaBob:Varathane is considerably cheaper, money and effort-wise if not time-wise, to apply to a playfield than automotive clear coat.
Time wise, 2PAC is much faster.
Varathane takes probably 10 coats to build up as much film as a single coat of 2PAC.
And, that coat of 2PAC is dry in a hour. How long would it take 10 coats of Varathane to apply and dry?
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Varathane is good to let your kids use on an art project, but it looks terrible on floors and is not suitable for pinball playfields.
Quoted from UvulaBob:Much like the agonizing wait for the next book in a certain sweeping medieval fantasy series, I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for Vid to get to the part where he tells us how long to wait after a given coat before we can sand it down and apply the next one.
Every brand of 2PAC is different, and every brand has different speed hardeners that can be used with it. So like George Martin would say, YMMV.
Many restorers sand the next day. If you wait a week, it is much harder to sand.
If your last coat came out perfect you might not even need to sand at all, wait 15 minutes and top coat it.
Sometimes the last coat comes out perfect, and you don't even have anything to buff out.
2PAC tends to "wall up" around holes in the playfield, so you may end up sanding to make the playfield dead flat.
For many people, a good single coat of 2PAC is all they need and they would be very happy with the results.
It would be better than any factory clearcoat.
For others, spraying, flattening and buffing to absolute perfection is their goal.
Quoted from UvulaBob:The alternative is buying a big compressor,
A big compressor is a great workshop dream, but remember, you can do it with a cheap 28 gallon too.
You don't want to make the clear too thick.
We've all seen those playfields that look like they came in out of an ice storm - don't do that.
Sometimes you have to coat and sand back and coat again to flatten, but many times 2-3 coats and you are done.
I'm going to be posting some real life examples of a few common scenarios to help guide you through.
Quoted from mac622:This is somewhat OT but type of wax do you recommend and how long should you wait before applying to make sure the 2PAC is fully cured?
The 2PAC cures chemically rather than by evaporation, so it's not like Poly where you have to wait a month.
Different brands require different cure times.
Try putting your nose next to it and see if it still stinks. If it does not smell like solvent, wax with Blitz 1 Grand and then populate.
Quoted from Robotoes:1) Should the mylar actually come up because its in such bad shape in this area, and much less worse in a couple others?
That playfield looks flaky, I'd probably leave the Mylar alone.
Quoted from Robotoes:2) Is it possible and/or advisable to remove just the troubled section of mylar, decal the terrible section of the PF, and re-mylar?
If there is a bubble in the Mylar that is deflecting ball travel, you could cut it out; but seeing how that playfield looks under the posts, I don't think you are going to be able to pull up any Mylar.
Wax the worn area, put down some Mylar so it does not get worse, play the game and forget about the wear.
If you end up loving the game, one day when CPR gets a $1500 wide body sander, you can get a new playfield.
SHOOTER LANE REPAINTING
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Sometimes you would have to sand 1/16" of wood out of the Shooter Lane to get all the dirty, dark gray wood fibers out.
Or sometimes there is some strange defect in one of the plys of the wood that distracts the eye.
If you have to sand too much wood, you mess up the way the ball lays and launches. The ball needs to be CENTERED in the shooter lane, and it will be too low if you sand too much.
What do we do? We paint.
1. Fill in any soft spots or wear holes/dents with wood filler and sand smooth.
2. Cover entire shooter lane with Frisket.
3. Follow the layer of the existing plys with an Xacto knife.
4. Mix some translucent Brown, maybe with some lighter Sand color, and maybe few drops of Red. You need this mix to be transparent, but darker than the existing layer.
You want to still see the detail of the underlying wood.
Spray light coats and dry with a hair dryer.
Don't make it too dark.
Make it an attractive contrast.
Don't over analyze it.
If you peel off the Frisket and it looks odd, wash it off and try again - nothing is permanent until you clear coat.
Spray a fine mist of Sand color transparent paint on the lighter layer of wood to cover and lighten any dark spots. Wipe if off with a rag if you put it on too heavy and try again.
Some guys try to "draw" on new wood grain, but it is way faster to just use a light, transparent touch and let some of the old, dirty grain show through.
Quoted from PeteB:clearing a cabinet with the spray gun to be a real pain especially with all the masking required when parts are still in the machine. I'm looking for something that can be rolled on, in a thin coat, which can then be buffed.
Nothing that rolls on is ever going to give a nice finish as a spray.
Efficient masking with .31 mil plastic that painters cover windows with ( not the expensive 9 mil "drop cloth" stuff) is what you need.
You can mask off a cabinet in 15 minutes and be ready to shoot.
OUTGASSING and INSERT BLOOMING
======================================================
Every beginner just thinks if they pick up a 1960-1990 NOS playfield, they can clearcoat it and it will be ready to go.
Of course that is never the case.
These NOS playfields DO have to be clearcoated, or they will quickly wear out, even in home use.
The old playfield's topcoats have become brittle, and the paint beneath it often turns into a chalky consistency.
Beginners are often alarmed how fast wear develops and chips are created, even with fresh balls and thorough waxings on NOS playfields. That is because the old, used playfields had the wood fibers compressed by the ball while the paint was still fresh and soft. The NOS playfields get their wood fibers compressed, but now the paint is brittle and chalky.
So we know we have to protect NOS playfields, what exactly is the problem then?
Outgassing.
The old topcoat on these NOS playfields seems to react somehow with the plastic inserts and the new clearcoat.
The "heat" from the new clearcoat's solvents can create "insert blooming" or "outgassing". Literally, the solvents in the clear have no where to go against the inserts, so they melt the old topcoat and create a pattern of large or little light colored spots.
Worse yet, the Insert Blooming does not happen instantly, it usually appears a few days latter when you assume the clear has cured.
Here is a playfield cleared by one of those guys who are always spamming the forums:
Q: Does this happen with all playfields?
A: Once DiamondPlate coatings started to be used in the 1990s, Outgassing was not as much of a problem. The DiamondPlate is much more compatible.
Q: Why is it more of a problem with NOS playfields, rather than all playfields of that era?
A: Usually the factory topcoat is already worn off, or mostly worn off on well used playfields. If you scrape the old lettering off, and replace it with a decal, there is no topcoat to react with anyway.
Q: Does it matter what clearcoat I use?
A: Yes, the slower the cure time, the more chance of Outgassing. Always use the fastest hardener for your first coat over a NOS playfield. Never use DiamondPlate clear on old NOS playfields, it is WAY TOO HOT and ALWAYS creates Insert Blooming.
Q: Could I protect the insert with a water based clear first to guard it from the 2PAC.
A: No, I've tried that, and it does not work at all.
Q: Does it always happen?
A: No, it is hit and miss. You can test an insert near the back of the playfield and check it in a week .
So what can we do?
I know some restorers spray and pray - then grind out the outgassing. But I'm going to teach you to preemptively strike, saving massive time and energy.
We are going to quickly and efficiently clean off the old topcoat, so there is nothing for the 2PAC to react with.
How do we do this without chipping up the Keylining surrounding the insert?
With an Acrylic Template with various sized holes.
A 1/4" thick piece of acrylic is ideal. You can see through it for alignment, and it drills cleanly with Forstner bits.
Make one with a bunch of common insert sizes.
The tool of choice, way faster than a Dremel, is a SHARP Chisel.
We use the chisel completely vertically, not at an angle like you would normally chisel wood.
Get a Diamond Hone and constantly re-sharpen your chisel. Using it vertically quickly kills the edge.
A sharp chisel works so fast, you won't believe it . A few seconds and you are on to the next insert. It will take you longer to move the template than it will to clean out the old topcoat.
On Arrows or other inserts that you don't have a template for, lightly cut just inside of the Keyline with an Xacto knife, so that you don't accidentally take a chip of keylining out along with the topcoat. You will feel the Xacto cut with the tip of your chisel.
On inserts with lettering, weigh the risk of trimming around the letter, with the risk of Insert Blooming. Test the 2PAC on an insert near the back if in doubt.
Small scratches from the chisel can be left alone, they actually give the clearcoat more tooth and will fill in just fine once cleared.
Good pics to show where you are at!
1. Sand out the shooter lane and see if it can be cleaned up.
2. Sand out the ball trail that is in the natural wood before it enters the black field and wizard's cape. Either sand all the surrounding wood, or tone the repair to match the old wood.
3. Spray a light coat of clear to lock down any loose wood fibers.
4. Touch up where the paint is worn through. Do it any way you feel comfortable.
5. Scan and make up some waterslide decals to replace text on inserts.
6. Keep updating us on your progress.
Quoted from KloggMonkey:I've pounded down screw 'mounds' like show above, but there is still some variability in the smoothness those areas.
When clear coating is it like filling a swimming pool where the top is an even layer regardless of the bumpiness below?
You will never get everything totally flat, pound the best you can.
Clear tends to mound around holes, rather than waterfall over them.
Quoted from sd_tom:what do you do about stained mouse pee inside a ball trail:
wow, that's bad!
I'd sand down to solid wood and see what you have to work with.
You could always veneer a new slice of Maple, if you have router skills.
Quoted from Lonzo:Will the inkjet still fade under Auto clear? I thought it had UV protection. I have a playfield with inkjet decals on it that was auto cleared a couple of years ago and still looks as good as the day I did it. Of course all machines are in a pretty dark room as well. I am still going to look in to a Laser printer for future decals.
Someone told me that genuine Epsom inks don't fade because they are pigmented rather than dye based.
2PAC is good for UV protection, but I've seen inkjet fade anyway.
But printer manufacturers could change their formulas at any time, so YMMV for sure.
The Declaration of Independence is under UV glass, but it's still fading......
Quoted from sed6:Hey Vid, I didn't mean to let you off so easy. I don't think that you've covered a gouge in the PF yet, which the ball track basically is. So I'm thinking clear to lock the fibers down, touch up the paint, then level the track (gouge) with clear from an eyedropper? Or would you level it first then paint? I'd imagine frisket (and tape) for paint masking would perform best on a smooth surface? Will the eyedropper trick even work for this like it does for leveling PF inserts? Inquiring minds want to know.
Yes, you can fill gouges the same way you fill cupped inserts, with clearcoat.
Spray down a light coat of clear to lock the wood (or it might absorb the paint and make it a different color).
Lightly sand to give paint some tooth.
Do your touch-up painting.
Fill the gouge with clear.
Quoted from sd_tom:and if the entire paint on the playfield is kind of cracked.. so like "advanced" ball swirls.. but the paint is actually holding on pretty good.. sand off anyway or try to fill cracks with matching paint; as there is no way i can get the dirt out.
Lightly sand the paint and then put a thin clear over it.
If the cracks fill with clear and look good, you sometimes can just leave it without repainting.
Quoted from LongJohns:Hi - have a question (think I know the answer too); I have an EM game that I am currently doing and the white inserts have yellowed some. Now I know about "retrobright", but the inserts have some art on them and not sure how that is going to affect it.
I am going to assume my choices are: remove the art, "retrobright", repaint (or water slide) art - or - buy new inserts and redo art; but checking if there is an alternative.
If you put new, snow white inserts in, it would probably look terrible.
50 year old games naturally have off white inserts; that is usually what looks best.
1. Make white your last color, because it gets dirty fast.
2. Spray THIN coats, let them fully dry before adding another layer.
3. If you paint is rubbery, it is not dry.
4. A thin coat of paint dries in less than a minute with a hair dryer.
5. Make sure you clean your sanded, de-glossed playfield with Naphtha before you paint it.
6. If working with paint that is not fully dry, peel the Frisket away at a sharp "backwards" angle so you don't lift the paint edge.
7. I suspect your thick white paint layers would have taken a week+ to dry since they were so rubbery...
8. Be careful you don't get oils from your skin on the cleaned playfield.
Don't get discouraged, it was a learning experience.
Quoted from Lonzo:For a layer of paint. How many typical coats do you spray? And do you do them all at once? Spray heat spray heat etc?
Yellow seems to be the hardest to get coverage on, especially if I'm painting over black lettering; so that always gets two coats.
Most other colors cover in 1 or two coats. Black, blue, green.....those always are fine with a single.
Createx white has lots of pigment, so even that usually can cover in a single coat, unless there is lettering beneath it.
If I'm moving fast I heat and spray, but if I'm working on other playfields at the same time, I might just let it air dry.
Quoted from Lonzo:Also, do you thin the paint at all?
If I get down to the last 1/4 of the bottle, I might have to thin it on an unpopular color (peach or turquoise ?), but colors that I use up quickly spray just fine at the consistency they come from the bottle.
Createx makes thinner, but in a pinch I've used ammonia and it works great.
Dropping a small glass marble in the bottle will make seldom used colors mix up very evenly without clumps.
Quoted from Lonzo:My biggest problem is keeping the gun clean. I had to take the fun apart after the third coat because no paint was flowing. Any tips?
Depends on what gun, and what clogged it.
Keep the cap on when not using it, even for a minute.
Nothing can help if you allowed dried flakes of paint to fall off the bottle into the brush.
If you have an "easy clean" gun like this, ball up a wet paper towel chunk and keep on the paint nozzle (in fact, in this style of gun, if it clogs you detach the handle and shoot a blast of air down the paint nozzle. You will fee it "bubble" in your hand, and then you know it is unclogged.)
Quoted from Lonzo:I have a HF gun that pulls the paint through the gun. Pretty sure it's just the paint drying inside the gun. When I spray oil based paints I never have an issue. But they take forever to dry.
You can add Createx Retarder if you want slower drying in the gun and at the tip.
Quoted from Lonzo:Do you recommend the type of gun In your picture?
Quoted from KoolFingers:It does look like a nice gun. What is it?
You guys are going to laugh, because it's the $7.50 (after coupon) Harbor Freight "easy clean".
No paint goes through the gun, so unclogging is just shooting air back down the paint nozzle .
It comes with 5 of those jars, so some of them I have mixed up and permanently stored with popular colors like black, white, and "Gotlileb purple".
That gun is great for Frisketing, but it has no finesse for shading.
http://www.harborfreight.com/quick-change-airbrush-kit-93506.html
STAR ROLLOVERS
========================================================
pbl_c-900_c-901.jpg
Star Rollovers get their own section because they present a giant time wasting problem to the restorer.
Anyone who has ever bought a CPR playfield, or has ever had a playfield restored by an amateur has had the problem where the white "star" of the rollover is sticky or won't install at all.
What happens is that the clear coat goes down into the slots making them too narrow allow the star blades to freely move. You sand, and you pick and then sand some more.... we are not going to be doing that on our own playfields.
The best way to keep the clear out of the slots is to use some Protective Star Insert Plugs from a NOS playfield or replacement inserts. Don't throw these away, after a while you will have a good sized jar of them.
These fit snugly and keep all the clear out of the hole.
You use a #3 screwdriver to "rock" them out while the clear is still hardening.
248139-i-994.jpg
If this is one of your first few rodeos, you can just use the old Star Inserts upsidedown to keep the clear from getting into the slots.
A tiny ball of "Blue-Tak" will keep the inserts from flying out while you spray your clear.
Again, as the clear is starting to harden, roll the insert around to make sure the slots are clean and the insert does not get glued in.
Of course you have to get the white star out of the insert, without breaking the insert.
40 year old plastics can be brittle, so you need a gentile technique. It's not hard to do, but you have to do it carefully.
First, we need to get the switch out of the way.
Remove only one screw from the switch.
Here is where you have to be careful.
The Barb is held in by thin plastic fingers.
You need to GENTLY press on the Barb, while rocking outwards in a 360* circle.
-
If the old stars are yellow and you are replacing them anyway, you can just cut the barb off with some SHARP end nip wire cutters.
MAGIC ERASER
===========================================================================
PinPod emailed me a few weeks ago asking why Magic Eraser + Alcohol works great on some playfields, but seems to in a blink of an eye chew through the paint on others.
The answer is not a complex one, but first let's talk about what ME is.
ME is a Melamine Foam that was used in noise control for years. The fibrous foam is made up of the same Melamine that the Chinese were adding to dog food protein (killing 1000s of dogs in the USA).
It has about the same abrasiveness as 1200 grit sandpaper, but its fibrous nature lets it "dig deep" into small cracks and ball swirl.
Magic Eraser + Alcohol works best when the cracks and ball swirl is in the top coat of the playfield AND when the top coat is Alcohol Soluble.
Here we have the usual cracks in the top coat of the playfield. The playfield top coat is Alcohol Soluble ( tested under the apron).
Using ME + 96% Isopropyl Alcohol (don't use the 50-75% Alcohol, or all that water can raise the grain of the wood), we wet the top coat with a light, quick scrub. Wait 30 seconds for the top coat to soften, and return to give the area a gentle scrubbing.
Here the top coat has been worn off through years of ball travel.
The Magic Eraser seemed to be cleaning out the swirls in the yellow paint at first, but 2 strokes latter, the Eraser had chewed all the way through. It happens in seconds, no matter how careful or experienced you are, lol.
If the Magic Eraser shows ANY paint color at all - STOP, there is almost nothing left for you to sand.
Once we remove the top coat, we HAVE to clear coat the playfield.
Without the protective top coat, any wear, or ball swirl will be occurring into the paint itself.
Trying to remove ball swirl from paint, often results in exposing the white primer below.
So if you have an old game you want to "clean up" but not clear coat - don't automatically reach for the Magic Eraser.
Let the old top coat do it's job, and leave it alone.
Quoted from LongJohns:Did I miss the section on kick-out hole repair, or is that a future topic?
BTW - thanks for all the tips and effort you are putting into this.
Cheers,
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration/page/10
One day I'll have to do a Table of Contents, lol
Quoted from Lonzo:1. If you had a choice would you use water slide decal or get vinyl printed for a large section in the middle of the playfield. I have the art done and ready to go with all the colors matched to my printer so water slide is ready to go. I could see a problem with color matching getting vinyl printed especially for colors that are on the decal are close to the original color on the playfield.
Vinyl tends to shrink over the years, so it's dicey unless you have good experience with both the material and the clearcoat and how they interact over time.
Orange and yellow seem to be undersaturated on vinyl, too.
Quoted from Lonzo:2. I bought a set of printed insert decals from a well known source. I planned on putting them on wet to make sure there are no air bubbles and placement in perfect. I know your recommend decal solution with water slide but what solution do you recommend for this? Vinyl application or decal application or something else?
Best to use whatever the manufacturer of the decals recommends. You don't want to find out about some strange chemical interaction 6 months later.
Quoted from Lonzo:Do you prefer to paint insert text or use thin vinyl? I have used vinyl and have had great results but sometimes it takes two sessions of clear (shoot, sand and shoot) to get it perfectly smooth.
I use waterslide decals for inserts. Super thin and clear.
I sometimes use vinyl for stencils, but its too thick for most of my work to be buried in the clearcoat.
About 10 years ago there used to be vinyl overlays that covered the whole playfield. You could see by the edges that they shrank over time.
Quoted from thedefog:it is coming out a little rough around the edges anyway due to all the wear and gouges that were on that trashed playfield.
Fill all the wear and gouges with clearcoat, before you start painting.
You want to start with a nice, smooth surface.
Quoted from thedefog:My problem is that I didn't take down some of the areas I filled well enough to make it perfectly flat and smooth.
Either sand it flat, or shoot another thin layer of clear.
You can drip clearcoat from an eyedropper to fill in holes, too.
Quoted from Robotoes:Wondering if this thread will cover what to do with the areas under posts that have "sunken" and bit into the surface and how best to deal with these.
Two schools of though here, and I think you will understand the logic behind both of them:
1. Since the ball never rolls into the post depression, why mess with making it totally flat? It will not affect ball travel at all.
2. It only takes a half hour to fill every depression on the playfield, and since I'm hanging this on the wall, I want it dead flat - even in normally unseen areas.
Note that if you DO leave the depression unfilled, you still have to rough up the depression between each coat of clear by hand with some sandpaper, otherwise when you tighten the post down, the clear could separate between layers.
Quoted from Robotoes:So I should let each layer dry, sand the post depressions free of that coat of clear, then continue with additional coats?
Nope, let the coat dry, then with some 400 grit, de-gloss the depression.
Quoted from Robotoes:Maybe stuff the screw holes with a little dowel to keep the clear out, and then remove prior to drying?
The post holes won't fill with clear by spraying.
The clear usually walls up around holes rather than filling them.
Even if a the hole somehow filled with clear, you would just drill out a pilot hole before putting the screw back in.
Quoted from Robotoes:what do you do with screw holes that no longer have bite? Enlarge with a tap?
Put a drop of wood glue in the hole, tap in a wooden shish kabob skewer, break off flush with the playfield.
FLATTENING THE PLAYFIELD BETWEEN COATS:
========================================
Everyone has the idea in their head that each coat of clear "fills in" or "levels off" dips and depressions in the playfield, but that is not true at all.
There is a cohesion tension that breaks up the surface tension of the clearcoat and causes it to wall up around holes and slots.
You need to sand down this build up between EVERY coat of clear.
Also, little dips in the playfield around pop bumper nails, sunken inserts and fisheyes will not just fill in by spraying over them. You need to de-gloss these areas, and fill them using an eyedropper with 2PAC.
-
Here we have the first coat of clear on a playfield.
I've gently sanded it with some 800 grit paper on a sanding pad to show any low spots. The sanding pad is flat so it really makes the low spots evident. If you sanded by hand, the sandpaper would just follow the contour of the playfield, never showing how uneven it is.
Note the insert that "felt" flat to my hand before clearcoating, now shows it is sunken and needs to be filled. I'll rough it up with sandpaper by hand, and fill it with an eyedropper.
Note the build up of clear around the drop target slot. This I'll sand back to flat before the next coat of clear.
Here again we see some shiny low spots around the pop bumper nails and just a random dent in the field. You can see that the tip of the 3rd arrow insert has a low spot in front of it too.
Quoted from Lonzo:When you fill with an eye dropper do you mean fill and let dry and sand before the next coat or do you mean fill to add clear and then spray the rest of the playfield immediately?
You can fill it and then shoot a layer of clear immediately, but you need to shoot the clear STRAIGHT DOWN over the fill.
If you shoot at any type of an angle, the air pressure will often push the fill out of the hole and leave a "wave" on the playfield. If this happens, sand the wave out with 220 grit (800 would take forever), and fix the depression again latter.
Or just wait for the fill to dry a hour or so, and shoot normally.
If you let the fill dry a few days before you clear, de-gloss it with some sandpaper as the fill is now fully cured, and in need of some tooth to bond with the new layer.
Here this playfield is being sanded dead flat.
Note that some of the post depressions are still glossy.
Whether you were going to fill them in, or ignore them because you won't see the depression under the posts, you still have to de-gloss the depressions so that the next coat of clear will have some tooth.
If you don't, the next layer of clear may not adhere well enough and could crack when you tighten the posts.
Some Emery Cloth, or old worn soft sandpaper is great for hand sanding depressions.
Quoted from Lonzo:I have also had an issue with clearing over Createx paint. Sometimes is appears to gas a lot over the paint. Looks like little micro bubbles or something. Only happens over the paint and is most prevalent over black. It is usually not an issue as it is normally not my last clear so I sand and it is fine with the next clear application.
I've seen those micro bubbles rising from the first clearcoat over decals where it is printed black sometimes.
Just like you, I sand them flat and they don't reappear again, so the clearcoat must seal them from further chemical interaction.
I have not seen it with Createx paints, but I'd guess the phenomena is related because of the black pigment.
The more experience you have, the farther you can make a batch of clear go.
Beginners will lose more material to overspray or having to go back and spray down more clear in a thin spot.
Have some things that also need clear sitting around to use up any left over clear.
Freshly painted rails, aprons, and that kind of thing can remove any guilt of having to toss out left over, expensive clear.
=-
For a beginner, I'd say mix up 1/4 cup will be plenty.
As you gain experience, you can dial that down .
Quoted from Lonzo:When you sand an insert it clouds up and then looks perfect when shot with clear. How does this work when the insert is covered with a clear decal with text?
When you mist it, the decal looks slightly milky, then when you hit it with a regular layer of clear, the decal reacts and becomes invisible, with only the ink showing. The edge and field of the decal is undetectable.
Quoted from Lonzo:Also will it make a difference if it is a water slide or adhesive vinyl insert decal?
I only use the waterslide, the vinyl seems too thick and would require more work to bury in the clearcoat. Vinyl also seems to shrink over the years, so I don't use it.
Quoted from Lonzo:Also when you clear, do you just spray one mist coat and then one regular coat? I have seen a mist coat and then 2 regular coats with allowing to dry to tacky touch (20 min or so) between coats. Is one way better than the other?
Sanding between regular coats is the only way to flatten the playfield.
But if you have other work (like maybe a fisheye opens up), you could shoot a little more clear.
Remember, you don't want too much clear on a playfield. The flippers will rub and switches would have to be rebent.
Quoted from Lonzo:Do you do it at the same time or clear between decals?
I just stack them directly on top of each other. Let one dry and then add another.
Usually it's only the odd color printing. Black is normally plenty dark.
WORKING EFFICIENTLY WHILE CLEARCOATING.
=====================================================================
We don't want to take everything off the back of the playfield if we don't have to.
Some old playfields have no clearcoat or grey paint on the back to seal them, so sometimes you have no choice - but normally, don't put yourself through more work than you need to. A playfield that is coated on both sides has much less chance of ever warping. It puts a more equal tension on both sided of the wood, and it slows the entrance and exit of moisture.
If you are shipping a playfield, then you probably want to strip both sides either way.
If all the light sockets are corroded and in need of replacement, it is usually faster to strip the back of the playfield than to perform surgical replacement.
Note that there is, of course, some risk of not reassembling everything correctly, or even damaging something; in stripping the back of the playfield.
Before you start, take 50 pictures from all different angles and directions of the back of the playfield, so you can put everything back in it's proper place and orientation. If you think you took enough, take 20 more.
coverage.jpgWe need to protect all the electrical connectors from dirt, dust and overspray.
There will be plenty of dust while sanding.
Use heavy duty bags and a zipties to secure them.
Use "freezer" bags, because they are a thicker mil of plastic.
Coil up the wiring harnesses and secure them to the bottom of the playfield .
Getting everything off the top of the playfield is easy, but some mechs below we REALLY don't want to get gummed up with overspray.
Pull drop target mechs away from their playfield slots and secure with zipties.
Ziptie mechs to thick parts of the wiring harness, or other very secure parts of the playfield.
Cover the slots with blue painter's tape.
Clearcoat generally wont go down small slots and holes, but large holes are just asking for trouble if you don't seal them up.
Gottliebs are notorious for having all Standard screw heads that are terrible for re-assembly and disassemblely (both on the top and bottom of the playfield). I usually throw them all in a bag for the owner if he wants "all original" hardware, and re-assemble with Phillips head screws. Phillips install about 20x faster, and way less chance of the screwgun slipping out of the head and damaging the playfield.
ZIP-TIE.jpg
Look for secure locations for the zipties.
Don't leave anything dangling, or you will get cracked solder joints (if the wire does not break entirely).
Don't secure any mechs near the top or bottom edge of the playfield because you need that area clear for the rotisserie.
Sometimes the wiring harness or brackets are secured from the factory too close to the top or bottom edge. Remove these and save yourself a lot of headaches latter.
Quoted from REMPins:The 4 inserts along the top are cuped causing the ball to atually sit on them if its rolling slow enough, sanding them flat is not an option... I don't want to loose the image.
You never want to sand down cupped inserts, they are already too thin - that's why they cupped in the first place.
Gently de-gloss them to give the clear some "tooth" and then fill them with 2PAC.
Once they dry, sand them flat and your new reinforced inserts will be ready for action.
Detailed directions about 2/3rds down:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration/page/17
Quoted from KloggMonkey:What is a good psi setting for the HF brush for what this guide outlines for color?
For this brush, I think I run 50psi :
And this one 40 :
But it's Harbor Freight, so the "quality" can change without notice.
Experiment and you will quickly get a feel for good flow.
I use a separate regulator for each type of gun, once I set it, I rarely need to ever adjust it again.
Don't leave them plugged in overnight at high pressure or the o-ring might blow, lol.
SANDING AND PREPPING FOR CLEARCOAT
==========================================
We need to sand the playfield to give some tooth for the clearcoat to stick to.
You mostly want some fine sandpaper for this job, maybe 800-1000 grit.
If you are clearing a reproduction playfield, or a new Stern playfield that has a clear coated surface, you can probably use 400-600 grit and REALLY give your clear some tooth.
On older non-clearcoated playfields, think of this job as de-glossing, rather than any actual sanding.
Don't press to hard, you don't want to sand off any paint.
Don't sand flaky paint that has turned to chalk. If it is chalky and dull, it will hopefully adhere to the clear due to it's lack of gloss. Many sys11 Williams games are just too fragile to sand.
You will probably have to hand sand with just sandpaper folded to get into cupped inserts and into holes and slots. Look at a reflected light source at an angle to see any glossy spots you missed.
Make sure you clean out the Shooter Lane and check how it will look with a rag soaked in Naphtha. You don't want to seal a bunch of dirt or grey wood under the clearcoat.
CUPPED INSERTS - I would sand these and fill them with clear from an eyedropper. You will see later why it is good to do this step before you clearcoat.
HOLES - Try and sand inside of slots and holes with emery sticks or coarse sandpaper (120-220 grit). You need the clear to REALLY hang on to these difficult edges. If anyone ever used Pledge or some other silicone based crap on the playfield, you will soon find out.
Blow out any holes on both the front and back of the playfield with your air compressor (do this outside, the playfield dust is toxic).
Wipe the whole playfield down with Naphtha, then follow with a Tack Cloth. Do not touch the playfield with your oily fingers or stir up any dust - you are ready to spray the clear.
So you have shot your first coat of clear.
It will appear glossier than anything you have ever seen (this gloss will fade a little in a few days as the clear shrinks into the cracks and crevices of the playfield).
You will notice that the clear did not "fill in" cupped inserts, dents or worn valleys, it simply followed the curve.
You will notice that instead of burying humps or decals in the clear, the clear simply built the humps even higher.
Finally, you will notice that the clear walled up around holes and slots. It did not "run" down the holes, dripping from the backside. It actually makes a wall around holes, taller than the surrounding clearcoat.
Every beginner thinks that the more layers of clear they lay down, the flatter the playfield will become.
But they quickly discover that each new layer of clear follows all the old dips and humps, making the new layer just as lumpy as the last (and around holes, sometimes even more humpy).
This means that you have to sand between each coat if you want a totally flat playfield.
Read the above sentence again.
For about 24 hours, the new layer clear will stick to the last layer because the last layer, although hard, is not fully cured. After 24 hours, plan on always sanding to give tooth to the new layer.
If you don't sand, and simply put a new layer of clear on a fully cured layer, the 2 layers may separate latter down the line. If this happens, you have to sand back to the old layer. You don't want to ever have to do that.
To make the playfield flat, we need to sand using a flat surface.
The larger the surface of the pad, the flatter the sanding result.
Once you get a bunch of playfields under your belt, you can use a pneumatic or electric sander, but for a beginner, you want a sanding pad made for drywall.
The fresh clearcoat dust will want to quickly clog your sandpaper, so have your air nozzle ready to blow out the dust from the pad.
You don't want to use any fine grit sandpaper for this knock down of the playfield surface. 120 grit, followed by 220 will give you quick knockdown of hills, and less clogging on the paper.
The clearcoat dust is toxic, use a respirator mask, and don't track the dust through your house. Take your Tyvek suit off outside and shake it outside.
Note in this diagram how the playfield is flat, but the cupped insert still has a low center. Hand sand the dip, and fill with a few drops of clearcoat before you spray the next layer.
Quoted from flugs:I have just got my Future Spa Playfield and my biggest concern are the inserts.
They are nearly all cupped and what worries me more is that the decals are starting to get loose.
Those are not decals, that is the ink from the silkscreened playfield starting to lift away from the substrate.
Ink has an easier time sticking to porous wood, than to the slick plastic of an insert.
The Mylar, that has protected your playfield from wear all these years, would have to be removed before restoration could start.
That same Mylar may not come off the playfield without peeling a bunch of ink with it.
The best advice may be to leave the playfield alone, but if you have the stomach for it:
Find some Mylar as far away from the player's POV as possible and warm it with a hair dryer, or freeze it with canned air - and see if it will lift cleanly. If not, trim off the lifted edge of the Mylar, replace it with a new scrap of Mylar and just enjoy the game as is.
Quoted from flugs:I can clearly feel a "plastic" type something on top of the insert and when I press on it, I can here a noise as if it is glued (this is at places where there is no mylar). Is this "plastic" the layer from the silkscreen (maybe this is a dump question, but I do not know much about this)).
Let's see a close up picture or two.
The ancient silkscreen overcoat would not have any tackiness 30 years latter, so I'm not sure about the sound.
Quoted from flugs:If I will be lucky and able to remove the mylar, could I clearcoat the playfield or should I place new mylar?
Clearcoat would be the best, but new Mylar is easier/cheaper.
Quoted from flugs:Would you advise to push the inserts a bit higher prior applying clear coat or new mylar?
You will want to push the inserts down, so they are flush with the surface of the playfield. Then glue them in place to keep them from popping up again.
You can fill all the cupped inserts with 2PAC to make them flat again, once they are glued in place.
Those inserts are "cupped".
That means that the center of the insert has sunken in compared to the outer edge.
We want to make the highest point of the insert (in this case, the edge) flush with the surface of the playfield.
You will then fill in the sunken center with clear, and then the playfield will be flat.
Quoted from REMPins:Instead of trying to touch the worn area on my Bally Playboy I was thinking of using a Decal, is this a good idea?
A decal may not be a permanent solution (unless buried under the clearcoat), but it can make the game look superficially better.
A decal won't fix your cupped inserts, and depending on how deep they have sunk, may have a hard time adhering to them.
Quoted from REMPins:as you can see the paint has chipped and flaked off in the one area, and in front of the Sling Shots is a rounded mylar piece that the decal would have to go over, wouldn't it peel up in that area around the edge?
It might start to lift up after a few years.
You could:
Try and remove the Mylar pieces (risky)
Put a large Mylar piece over the decal and lower playfield to keep the decal edge from being exposed.
Just accept that the decal won't last forever, and plan on replacing it in a few years.
Quoted from flugs:As I have cleaned the hole playfield with Magic Eraser (as I understood this is a bit like sanding already), do I still need to sand it prior clear coating or could I just clean degreas the playfield and apply the coat (I hope I have not missed the answer somewhere in the thread)?
If the Magic Eraser has de-glossed the playfield already, you will have a lot less sanding to do.
Line the playfield up with a single source of light and sand any remaining gloss, sand your slots and holes, sand the shooter lane
Quoted from LongJohns:Anyplace that had a post screwed into the surface is raised - so what is the best way to deal with this?
Tap down the mounds with a Doming punch, or even just the rounded handle end of a nut driver.
Quoted from pinwillie:Heres what I'm fixing
That's an expensive game....
Quoted from pinwillie:Vid can you send me a link for the waterslide decal material
The good laser printer stuff:
Quoted from KloggMonkey:After shooting the final coat with the JC660 clear how long do you wait before?:
A. waxing
B. repopulating
C. playing
JC660 is rock hard after a week, but there is some shrinkback/dieback .
You will see your totally smooth playfield develop light telegraphing of the insert lines sometimes in a month.
The wood shrinks at a different rate than the inserts.
If I'm not on a tight schedule, I'll put the 2nd coat on, then just let the dieback do it's thing for a month or two.
Then I'll sand flat and shoot the final coat.
Quoted from beelzeboob:I have very minimal cracking in the PF art around one insert. What's the best way to stop that from progressing?
Glue the insert from the back of the playfield so it stops moving around.
Quoted from beelzeboob:To fix chipped holes, should I really use that wood-weld stuff you can get at Home Depot (like someone suggested to me) and just sand it to shape?
Yes, drill some holes into the old wood to give extra tooth to the wood repair epoxy.
The stuff that comes in a "log" and that you kneed together works great. Sand before it is 100% cured, or it is really tough to sand.
Quoted from beelzeboob:Then how to I clearcoat just that part without taking the whole PF apart?
It's a lot harder to spot clear, but if it's just a saucer hole, you might do it with a small brush.
Quoted from beelzeboob:I have a round area of wear around my left outlane post - a circle of wood about the size of a dime.
You might be able to cover the whole thing with a stainless steel washer of the correct size under the post. Just make sure the washer is not so big as to contact the ball (and chip the ball).
If the spot is too big, have wife paint it, then wax it, then Mylar it.
Quoted from Fifty:The grain of the wood. So it's just dirt? I'm glad it isn't the PF cracking. I tried cleaning it with Novus #2 but it didn't help. Would gentle use of a magic eraser be the next thing to try?
The playfield may crack once you scrub off the topcoat with a Magic Eraser and alcohol .
The alcohol sometimes wets the woodgrain and it expands and checks.
Sys11 games are known for their crappy playfield topcoats.
Quoted from chuckwurt:Hey Vid, thanks for all the info. I have a question. I am debating painting my Dipsy Doodle play field to fix the bare spots, or just give it a good cleaning/ waxing. This will be HUO, and I intend to keep it forever. Thanks for the help!
That would be an easy one to repaint, then decal back all the text, and clearcoat.
If not, just touch up the paint, wax it, and put Mylar over the top.
Quoted from Fifty:Just read back a few posts. Looks like it's best to just leave the dirt. I wish there was a way to clean it, but for now I'll leave the magic eraser alone.
Once you remove the protective top coat with the Magic Eraser, you need to protect the playfield from wear.
Quoted from beelzeboob:What kind of glue to use on the underside of inserts
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration
Quoted from beelzeboob:how do I get the glue into the cracks with the PF in the upright position (or do I have to take the whole thing out and flip it over (and please say no cuz then I have to buy a rotisserie for a glue job!))?
You can probably stand the playfield back against the backbox.
If not, pull it out and lay it across 2 sawhorses.
Quoted from beelzeboob:And what is the purpose in waxing repaired/painted areas first before applying mylar? Doesn't that keep the mylar from sticking properly? And the mylar should be cut just big enough to overlap the repaired area, right?
If you wax before you lay down the Mylar, it will be easy to remove it later when you clearcoat for real.
Quoted from Shredso:Some of the inserts are gone, none look great. Should I remove every one? The picture shows the overall condition.
Don't remove inserts unless they are cracked.
Scrape off any bad ink and clearcoat.
Quoted from Shredso:The wear spot from the magic eraser is beyond my hand touchup skills. Is this a candidate for a waterslide decal?
Sure.
You can paint the playfield, and then put the black print waterslide decal on top to restore the details, or if you have a good color laser printer, you can print a color decal.
Quoted from Shredso:The wear at the left sling I plan on touching up by hand. I know it won't be perfect but it's a thin line, I'm hoping the paint will sit in the divot. If I want to utilize the divot should I touch that up before any clear?
Don't paint by hand, because it won't be perfect.
Use Frisket and an air brush.
Paint the divot, then fill it with clear before you clear the playfield.
Quoted from karmalord:Are there drawbacks to going overlay vs clearing?
Clearing makes the colors pop.
Clearing gives the ball similar traction to the original finish.
Clearing does not allow abrasive dust to get between the overlay and the playfield.
But if you like the simplicity of the overlay, it's better than nothing; and you don't have to pull up any Mylar. For many people, not a bad choice at all.
Quoted from beelzeboob:In order to epoxy that, I'd have to actually pop it out, possibly causing more damage to the artwork, then reglue from the top, right?
Nope.
Do not remove inserts unless they are broken. They are fragile and many are completely unavailable.
Make sure the insert is level with the playfield, then epoxy the insert in place from the back of the playfield.
Then wax the area and Mylar it.
Quoted from KloggMonkey:After the final coat is down and hard, what do I need for the final sanding/polishing?
I have some 1000, 1500, and 2000 sand paper. As well as Novus 3 and 2.
Lastly what is the procedure to get the best end result?
I'll go into more detail later, but run through your grits to flatten out the final coat.
If you are not going to totally flatten the field, then just use the 1000 to spot sand out any dust specks in the final coat. Remember to keep the sandpaper wet with water, or it will clog instantly.
Then spot sand with the 1200, 1500, and 2000. Remember water.
After 2000 grit, put some Novus2 on an orbital buffer and polish yourself out. If the playfield is indeed cured, you will now have a high shine.
Quoted from UvulaBob:"I can either delicately trace around the various taxis and such on the road and shoot the whole thing with grey, or I can cover the entire thing with grey and apply decals afterward. Both choices have their pros and cons, and to be honest - I'm leaning towards the latter."
I really feel like trying to delicately trace around a giraffe riding in a taxi with a swivel exacto knife on frisket is a recipe for disaster. How would you proceed with a playfield like mine?
I'd probably make up the decals too.
Frisket would not be a disaster, but a lot of time for sure.
Quoted from JohnDelNJ:Vid, if I buy a repro playfield does it need to be sanded and polished or has that been done already?
It will come with an ok finish, but not a high end one.
If there is lots of crazy problems (and there often is), then you will need to sand and re-clear.
If you want a harder clearcoat, you will need to sand and re-clear.
Sometimes there are gross errors to correct and repaint (like WH2O and AFM).
If it is relatively good, then you can maybe just polish it out.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/what-to-expect-from-a-new-cpr-playfield
Quoted from MT45:On my BOP, I painted using my airbrush right to the PF with no base clearcoat. Will I need to apply differently now? Will clearcoat even be viable at this point
As long as the paint is sticking and not coming up with the Frisket, you should be fine.
1000 ways to skin cats.
Mylar is there to protect the playfield.
If you remove it and get a nicked ball, it can do a lot of damage in a high wear area in little time.
A modern playfield is a bit less of a worry than a pre-1990 .
If you wax the playfield before putting on new Mylar, it will come up much more easily than the orig Mylar.
Quoted from MT45:Vid... probably not but will this compressor work for clearcoat with Harbor Freight gun? 21 gallon, cast iron, fits in my car? And on sale $165 this week at HF.
1407602992564.jpg 217 KB
Looks good enough.
Order a valve replacement kit NOW, and put it away. You never know if 5 years from now parts will still be available.
FEAR OF MYLAR
===================================
A lot of Pinsiders seem to have a fear of Mylar.
There is nothing inherently wrong with Mylar. It has saved millions of games from the dumpster.
Of course if the Mylar is peeling or bubbling and thus affecting the ball travel, it probably should be dealt with, but otherwise 90% of pin owners should just leave it alone. Let it continue to protect the playfield as it has for the last 30 years.
-
A few years ago I restored a Fireball Classic for a client and I put a piece a piece of Mylar on the upper playfield.
I put the Mylar over the spot that is worn to bare wood on 99% of every Fireball in existence. Every missed skill shot takes a bounce down the chute and crashes into the exact same spot.
After a few months, the guy was waxing his playfield and discovered the Mylar:
Client: Hey Vid, you put Mylar on my brand new clearcoated playfield???
Vid: Yes, of course.
C: I mean, with that super clearcoat, you ruined it with Mylar?
V: Ruined it? I'm keeping it from getting ruined.
C: The new clearcoat can be ruined?
V: The clear is super tough, but it is still not as hard as a steel ball.
C: I always heard you want to remove Mylar.
V: Only if it is interfering with the game somehow. How long did it take you to discover the Mylar?
C: Three months!
V: Then I think it's not interfering with game play (laughs).
C: What if it starts to peel?
V: I'll pull it off and put a new piece down.
It's been years and the Mylar is still solid.
-
So don't be afraid of Mylar.
Even with a good clearcoat, you want it where balls drop from ramps (like MM in front of the FIRE inserts), some pop bumpers, and any other super high wear spot.
You can ever put it on the bottoms of ramp flaps to keep the spring steel from cutting into the playfield.
Just remember to wax before you Mylar. That way it will peel up easily.
There is one Mylar to always fear: Non-Adhesive Mylar.
You see this all the time on Gottlieb games.
Abrasive grit and junk gets under the Mylar and is continually ground into the playfield. It literally chews holes all the way down to the wood.
If you have a game with Non-adhesive Mylar installed, replace it immediately with an adhesive ring (wax the playfield before you install it).
Quoted from mof:I have a Black Hole with the non-adhesive pop mylars. The wood is worn badly under each one. I removed them.
Yep, I see that all the time.
Quoted from mof:I was wondering if there is such thing as a black or blue mylar, so that I have plain coherent circles of "a color" under each pop.
Lighting Gels are Polyester like Mylar, and they come in about 100 colors.
Hit up your local DJ Supply or Guitar Center and find a good match.
gels.JPGQuoted from PhilGreg:Could you do that with the non-sticking circle mylar pop-bumper protectors as well?
Spray is usually yellowish looking, so it might not be the best for clear Mylar.
A double sided clear bonding tape would be better for clear Mylar
Quoted from UvulaBob:Would I be able to use the HF Airbrush with this compressor, or will I need a smaller, lesser-powered one? Not excited about needing to own two compressors. :/
A single large compressor is all you need.
An inline regulator for each type of gun will let you 'set it and forget it' as far as air pressure.
image_13985.jpgQuoted from Deez:So I have a craftsman air compressor that is probably 10 years or older. It's a 5HP with a 25 gallon tank. The specs on the side of the motor say 11 CFMs at 40 psi. The HVLP gun from harbor freight says it requires 6.0 CFM at 40 psi. Am I going to be ok with my compressor even though the tank is less than 30 gallons?
Air tool makers always underrate their air consumption, and compressor makers always overrate their output.
As you get better at spraying, you will use way less air.
Quoted from pinball_erie:I ME & naptha'ed the PF, cleaned all that up, got the remaining paint all nice and shiny, went to lay down some frisket, and this happened where the frisket touched. My question to you is, am I going to be lifting all the rest of the paint as I do my touch ups.......only to make a problem 10x worse?
That is one of the reasons we always shoot a thin layer of clear to "lock down" the wood fibers, hold together chalky paint, and make sure that decals have the same substrate as their top coat.
Alcohol is also notorious for getting into the wood fibers and swelling them.
Let's see a pic of the entire playfield.
Most likely you should sand and clean your shooter lane + the ball trail leading up the top, then shoot a layer of clear to lock down all that loose paint.
Quoted from GoodManners:Was wondering if you could expand on filling in holes underneath the playfield to re-solidify loose screws. I read here that you just epoxy in a bamboo skewer so the screw has something to bite into.
You don't even need epoxy, just wood glue and a skewer will hold just fine.
You can fill an entire hole with epoxy and then drill a new pilot hole.
Quoted from GoodManners:I'm worried that the dowel - which has wood grain running with the length of it - might not be enough to hold the ball popper solenoid screws which are obviously under some stress.
Wood dowels are very strong, with tight grain. Glue them in and you will never have to worry about their strength.
Quoted from NickRocco:I am not sure if the paint has just yellowed if that was the original color.
It was white 30 years ago, but nothing wrong with keeping the natural look of aged white.
Quoted from NickRocco:Also, I am replacing some star inserts. Should they get sanded flat before installation like other new inserts?
Give them a light sanding so the clear has some tooth.
If you are not clearing, you can just polish the faces and install them.
I can't tell you because I don't know the humidity or vapor concentrations of the space you work in.
Call 3Ms toll free safety line and give their product experts your particular info.
I can tell you that you will only spend 1 minute clearing a playfield, so you will get plenty of life from your cartridges.
Quoted from Pinstym:Picked up a Monopoly a few days ago.
That's a cool game, you will have a lot of fun with it.
Quoted from Pinstym:Thanks for any advice on how to go at this.
Fill it in with epoxy, or fiberglass resin.
Overfill into the target slot to give it some extra reinforcement (that means you will have to install that front target first upon reassembly). Dremel out JUST enough material to let the switch fit.
Finally drill it out and replace that post with a machine screw post (rather than a wood screw post).
Normally I'd suggest a T-nut below, but there is so little meat there, I'll gently suggest putting a metal plate underneath, and using a few inches of 12-24 threaded rod and locknuts instead of an actual post.
Quoted from CraigC:what about using an adjustable underplayfield post bracket that screws into the pf with 2 holes. the kind usually used for outlane post adjustments to make the lanes easier or harder. You would want to do the epoxy thing too to give it strength, this would be replacing the T-Nut idea with something to spread out the load better.
-c
The post needs to be able to accept a rubber post sleeve because it gets hit 20000 times a game, so whatever is used needs to work with that.
Quoted from Cheddar:what about putting the t-nut in the hole before the repair material? Thread a screw into the nut until it is flush to keep the repair out of the threads.
Might work, but if you do that, make sure you wax the T-nut so it can be removed from the epoxy in the future. They like to strip out or the post will break off, lol.
Quoted from UvulaBob:How do you make sure your playfield is level?
Literally shim it up using a standard Construction Level.
Quoted from UvulaBob:How much back-and-forth do you do?
You need each pass to flow evenly into the edge of the last pass.
Lay out enough clear to get it looking smooth after it flows out (after about 30 seconds).
Practice on an old computer case side, freezer door, or a piece of scrap sheet metal. After about 1 minute of practice, you are ready for a playfield.
Quoted from UvulaBob:Do I need to replace my Tyvek suit every X number of sprays?
It will probably tear long before you get too much clear on it.
Keep it clean so you don't have trash falling into your clear.
Always wipe the last 4 feet of air hose clean of trash before you start, too.
Quoted from lb1:Thanks a lot for all this information vid.
Is there any trick to easily remove the dried white wet sanding residual that ends up on the vertical walls of playfield openings? I tried alcohol and naphta but it feel like it always require a bunch of careful manual work. In some cases the residual seems stuck in some crack and refuses to go away.
I usually use the blow gun at 150psi outdoors.
Quoted from UvulaBob:I'm having a hell of a time finding PPG Shopline anywhere in the Seattle area. Can you recommend any other clear types? The places around here offer PPG Omni. Do you think that'll be good enough for a beginner and/or a playfield?
Omni and Shopline are the same really.
If a store only carries PPG, they will have Omni and if they carry many brands of paint, they will have Shopline.
Quoted from tezting:Could the cracks be planking?
That's what the picture looks like.
Quoted from tezting:Is it no problem to cut the masking when its not straight lines?
You will develop the skill of cutting "freehand" with the frisket. Stick it down, cut your lines, and "weed" it.
You of course can also use straight edges, milk caps or any other guide to help you cut exactly on the line.
Quoted from tezting:It have cracks/planking in both purple and orange. It is very big areas and look complicated as there is much art in the color, can it be done? (And by a noob)
There are "levels" of restoration.
For instance the orange will be the hardest, so you could:
1. Buy a brand new Playfield for $600 and clear it: http://www.pbresource.com/special.html
2. Repaint the underlying yellow, and then print red halftone dots on clear decal paper and do an overlay. This would give you a very stock looking repair.
3. Forget about the halftone dots, and just spray the entire section sold orange.
4. Wipe orange paint down into the cracks, then wipe away the top paint, leaving just the paint in the cracks.
Any of these could be acceptable on a playfield that is already pretty messed up. You just have to decide how much effort you want to put into it.
Quoted from PNorth:Should I be filling the exposed wood area with Bondo first? Or clear coat?
You have to seal the wood with "something" or the wood will darken and telegraph through your paint. You want all the loose wood fibers sealed and locked down.
Bondo feathers nicely, clearcoat is better around inserts where you don't care if it dries on them.
Quoted from PNorth:the paint came up like a film when I pulled up the frisket.
The paint was not fully cured, or too thick to cure.
Thin coats are preferred and are easy to dry with a hair dryer.
Quoted from PNorth:Will I be able to lightly airbrush on the 2 part clear?
Mask and spray, but once you see how good it looks, you are going to wish you sprayed the whole thing.
Quoted from UvulaBob:OK, I'm about to shoot my first fine mist of clear on this Taxi playfield. My first layer will be the one that goes down to lock dow loose fibers before touching things up. I've run the magic eraser all over, but I'm not sure if I need to sand the playfield first. This thread is packed with details for each step, but is there anywhere in it that gives a real high-level overview of the steps to take from start to finish? Something like: Magic Eraser -> Light Sanding -> Mist Layer -> Touch-ups -> First Real Layer of Clear, and so on.
You would need a complex flow chart because every playfield is a very different set of variables.
Most games need a:
Light Sanding->Thin Layer of Clear->Touch ups ->Final Clear ......but there is no one way.
Quoted from PNorth:I'd love to do the whole process, but the toxicity of the chemicals involved has me freaked out, let alone my wife.
It's good to be cautious.
An unattached garage is fine, even an attached one with some fans might be OK, but hell no on the basement.
Quoted from tezting:I was trying to match the "yellow" on the PF but damn its hard!!!! (I use Createx) I started with one drop orange and added yellow one drop at the time. It went from something to red to something to bright yellow so mission failed...
Do you have any tips or guides you use for matching colors? Because I have had no luck until now.
Put a drop of the Createx yellow directly on the playfield (do this outside, in sunlight).
Now examine what does not match.
Too yellow to match the faded playfield? Add White.
Needs more orange hue? Add Red.
Needs more vibrance? Add fluorescent Yellow.
Women have much better color vision than men, so if you get stuck, ask for your woman's assistance.
Quoted from UvulaBob:OK, I've put down the first light coat. As you suggested, it was nothing more than a fine mist. I can see that there's something on the playfield when I look at it in the light, but it's not anywhere close to shiny.
Usually I let the mist coat dry over the decals for about 10 mins and then finish with a full light coat.
Quoted from UvulaBob:I think I mixed up too much of this stuff, though. How do I dispose of it?
Pour it into a metal can and put a lid on it. An old paint can is fine.
It will dry into a rock in about an hour.
Quoted from UvulaBob:Even if this is the first coat prior to touching up?
Yes, a fine mist might not lock down loose wood fiber and flaky paint, but a thin coat will.
You want to sand this coat so the paint will stick.
Quoted from UvulaBob:Also, how do I clean the HVLP gun? Do I just run some lacquer thinner through it, or do I have to take it apart and soak everything?
Like the directions say, don't take the gun apart to clean it.
Put about 1/4 cup of lacquer thinner in and spray into a metal trash can. It will evaporate quickly.
Quoted from UvulaBob:It's been about two and a half hours since I put the light coat on, and the playfield still feels a bit... sticky. Is this normal? Also, the leftover clear hasn't really hardened in the metal can. I'm concerned that I didn't get the mix right. I did two parts clear to one part hardner in a glass measuring cup, so either I'm being impatient or I did something wrong. Any advice?
Best advice? Don't even look at it, or stir up dust around it.
The warmer the temp, the faster it will catalyze.
Tomorrow, run your finger over your work and congratulate yourself on the fine job you did.
Quoted from tezting:Adding black seems to make it more "greenish" and not a darker yellow?
Billede 08-09-14 17.19.25.jpg 110 KB
Needs more mixing, but try grey, or even a tiny amount of purple.
Mix it up in a little clear plastic tray - don't mix it on the playfield.
Quoted from asay:Vid..you mention you do some light sanding so the clear sticks better. It's OK to use really fine sandpaper directly on the playfield paint? I feel like I'm going to damage it.
Don't damage it.
For instance you can't sand flaky paint, but it's rough that the clear sticks no problem.
Use common sense, if there is any gloss to the paint, you are going to have to lightly sand it.
Quoted from UvulaBob:How thin is too thin for an insert?
They are already too thin from the factory. That's why they are always breaking.
Quoted from UvulaBob:Or should I not even worry about it and just buy all-new ones?
If you can find new ones, of course put them in.
Quoted from TrainH2o:I get how it works for painting an overall area. Does it also work for small areas?
For a beginner, it might be easier to paint the entire squares blue, then touch up the lighter blue grid.
"spot" fixing is much harder to do.
Just like on a car, if you paint a scratch, you see the repair, even with factory paint (because the existing paint has faded). If you paint the entire door it is much easier to disguise the repair.
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Experienced restorers can do a spot repair and then use an airbrush to blend into the existing color.
Quoted from TrainH2o:Here's my example. Also, once a "spot" repair like this is done, how do you seal it?
You can frisket the area around the spot and spray a layer of clear.
Quoted from TrainH2o:How do you deal with all the overspray?
Mask off everything with paper.
Quoted from TrainH2o:Would it be better to use a really small brush?
If you have a "detail" brush that is good, but if not, a regular airbrush and Frisket is fine too.
Quoted from TrainH2o:Is this the size area, that you are talking about? Otherwise, it's a pretty sizable area to repaint.
TZ Wear Spot mask.jpg 81 KB
That's what I would do.
If you don't want to paint that much, then just do the spot and put a Mylar disk over it.
Quoted from dawgs650:So I decided to remove it and try to repair what was underneath it. Well I got a bigger surprise than I had expected, and now I'm trying to figure out what is the best way to fix the wear.
That is typical MM wear.
It looks difficult, but the repair is the same as most others.
1. seal the bare wood with clear or just white primer.
2. print a black only outline of the area on clear paper to use as a guide to the missing areas.
3. paint the color sections back in again. I'd paint the entire brown of the scroll, and the entire gold stripes of the scroll, as those colors will be too hard to spot repair.
4. print the black outlines on clear decal paper and put them over the painted area.
5. clear over the repairs or even better, the entire playfield.
You could match the color and paint the scratch, then when it's almost dry, wipe off everything but the scratch.
Or
Scan the area, fix the dots in Photoshop, then print a decal on a color laser printer (ink jets seem to fade too fast).
It's normal.
If the game has frozen in a garage in it's lifetime, it will often lose it's paint with the Mylar.
Always scan the area before you try lifting Mylar.
Heat sometimes works a lot better than freezing on older playfields, so usually I'll try using a hair dryer on Mylar near the back of the playfield and see if can be removed.
Quoted from sed6:Vid, my new, reported HUO TSPP playfield was scratched to shit. The balls looked and felt like 320 grit sandpaper. Some good cutting polish knocked most of it down. The remaining scratches are visible only in the right light but I can feel them with my finger nail. How would you tackle them? More polishing, sand then polish, other? I'd like to hope I can avoid a new CC, for now at least.
Thanks!
Wax it and leave it.
if you keep polishing, you will hit the paint, especially if the scratches can be caught with your fingernail.
One day, clear it and all the scratches will level out.
See how much material you would have to remove to bring the whole surface down to the bottom of deep scratches?
Quoted from Sijcolo:Vid I am in the process of restoring a baby pacman and part of the first layer is lifting. What is your recommendation?
I can't see the lifting on my phone in those pics.
Is it the wood, the clear, the Mylar?
Give me another pic with an arrow, or lighting from a different direction, please.
Quoted from Sijcolo:This is better. It looks like the wood is lifting.
First determine if the wood, or the clear is lifting.
If you are sure it is wood you can:
1. Inject CA glue under the lift, then glue it down. Many CA glues have the consistency of water, and will flow through a syringe.
http://www.woodcraft.com/search2/search.aspx?query=ca%20glue
2. If it is clear and it has not lifted under any painted graphics, you might just cut it out, and fill the dip with 2PAC.
Quoted from Rock914:I have a nice and flat water damaged playfield, unfortunately the diamond plate clear coat is de-bonding in areas. What would be the best plan of attack as far as removing the de-bonded areas so I won't have an issue with my clear coat? Any helpnwould be greatly appreciated.
First be sure that it is the DiamondPlate lifting and not some aftermarket Mylar.
You need to remove any loose material.
Get an Xacto knife and a good magnifier lamp and cut out all loose clear.
lightly sand and feather with #800. If anything else is even thinking of letting loose, the sanding will get it started.
Spray a light coat of 2PAC and let it dry a month. That way the tension of the new clear will pull up anything (if there is anything to pull up).
If nothing terrible happens after than month, do you paint touch ups and final clear.
Quoted from MiamiRedSkin:Any advice on how to handle this on my newly acquired AFM? I have no artistic ability and have virtually no tools/parts. Should I just mylar over, find a local pinball/artist to do a touch-up, put a decal over it?
unnamed (2).jpg 39 KB
Just put a dot of Mylar over it and enjoy the game.
Quoted from UvulaBob:I've given up trying to find replacement clear rectangular inserts for my Taxi playfield, so I guess I'm going to just sand them off and put them back in.
Try not to sand them, that will make them thinner.
Just take a sharp chisel and scrape the ink off the face.
Quoted from UvulaBob:The problem is that they're all kind of cloudy. The cloudiness mostly goes away when they get wet, so will a thin layer of clear before applying decals have the same effect?
It will look even better than water.
You want a coat of clear under and above the decals.
Quoted from UvulaBob:It's not so much that I need white printed (although, now that I think about it, Santa has a lot of white in his outfit). It's more that, unless I'm wrong, the color underneath a the color on a clear decal will bleed through. If I put marylin's yellow hair over the blue background she sits on, it may come out green. Unless the colors on a waterslide decal are pretty opaque.
If you are worried about bleed, then spot white underneath those sections with frisket.
If your color laser is a good one, you may not have to spot white.
Like always, test before you get too carried away.
Quoted from tezting:But what about the finish/last step? Should the last step be sanding or clearing? I don't know if you stop by sanding and then polishing it to gloss? Or you spray as the last thing and then polish it?
The last step is often just a thin layer of clear that you buff out.
But if any trash fell into the final clear, you will spot sand, then buff out.
And every once in a while, your final clear lays out so well that it needs no sanding or buffing. This does not happen too often (and I've got a pro down-draft finishing booth), but when it does, you end up smiling for the rest of the day.
The "texture" that looks like an orange peel usually means that you were a little light on your spray.
Usually it "lays out" flat and smooth when you lay down enough clear.
Humidity, air pressure, and many other variables can give that "orange peel" texture, but it's no big deal. Sand it flat and shoot your next coat.
"Texture" that is just little hills around openings in the playfield is normal.
Quoted from tezting:Thank you very much. Super info! I think I am moving my hand to fast, will try and do it a little slower to get more clear on and see if it helps.
Start spraying, then look back at your work 30 seconds latter and see if it "glossed over" like glass.
If not, hit it with a little more clear.
Quoted from tezting:Then on my final coat, a bug decides to take a bath in my clear!
What should I do? Should I wait until 24 hours is passed? Do something now while it is "wet" ?
I'd pull it out while it's wet.
Clean out any fragments, and fill the hole with a drop of clear.
Quoted from Prosedsp:Hey Vid, am getting ready to work on some raised inserts and was wondering if you heat the inserts from underneath the playfield or on top of the playfield?
Warm the top and bottom.
Not too hot, but pretty hot; you will feel the glue soften just by pressing on it.
Quoted from UvulaBob:Vid, can you comment on the specific material you use when you refer to 3m Plastic Primer?
I steal it from a client's 55 gallon drum, so I'd have to look next time, if you want the exact product #.
You don't have to use 3M, you can use Loctite, Dow, Prism or any other brand of clear, water viscosity, adhesion promoter.
I'm on my phone, so I can't seem to find it, but earlier in the thread someone listed the product # from Grainger
I'm not saying you HAVE to buy the giant bottle of Loctite, I'm just saying that Grainger, Mcmasters, AIN and a ton of places have it.
16oz of the stuff might be a little overkill, LOL.... you might call a rep from Loctite and ask for a free sample.
Quoted from Iaintnobodydork:I did some looking into where I would get this primer and 3M Plastic Primer P591 Black is all I could find in the relm of plastic primers. Could you tell us where you would go to replace what you currently have. Thanks,Charlie
http://www.amazon.com/Loctite-LOC-18396-770-Cyanoacrylate-Adhesive/dp/B001OBQ8VO/ref=sr_1_218
You might try this if you like Amazon.
But your local plastic shop (the place everyone buys their "bulletproof glass" for banks and gas stations), will have a ton more choices. See if you have a local AIN Plastics.
When you change to finer grades of sandpaper, you need to get ALL the scratches out from the last grade, BEFORE you switch to the next finer grade.
So lets say you leveled out all your hills with 800, and now you are ready to go to 1000.
Mix up 2 liters of water, with about a 1/4 drop of liquid dish soap.
Wet the 1000 grit sandpaper, and get the playfield wet too. Not too much water, don't soak the back of the playfield.
Sand with the 1000 grit until ALL the scratches are gone from the 800 grit.
Check that little islands of clear have not stuck to the face of the sandpaper, keeping the grit from actually touching the playfield. Scrape off any islands using a single edge razor blade at a low angle. Keep the sandpaper wet.
Once the playfield is uniformly sanded to 1000, then it's time to go to 1500 grit.
Sand out ALL of the 1000 grit scratches with the 1500, and then move to 2000 grit.
Finally, switch to liquid polish using a buffing pad.
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TIPS:
Don't move up grits until EVERY scratch is gone.
If you don't fully finish sanding the 1000 grit, the next finer grit (1500) will not be able to remove the scratches left over from the 800 grit, and you will have to go back and sand using 1000 again.
If you are using a powered sander, make sure it's rated for wet use (so you don't get a shock). Air Sanders are great, since they don't have electric motors.
If you have never used an electric random orbit buffer before, practice under the apron. You have to keep it moving, don't let the pad get warm.
A brand new piece of sandpaper will have 2x the "cut" of an old piece of the same grade (it will be more aggressive because the abrasive particles are new and sharp). "knock down" a new piece of sandpaper on a piece of scrap for a few seconds, if it starts out with too much cut.
Quoted from Lonzo:Did you really mean "a 1/4 drop" of liquid dish soap or was that a typo?
I'm not even sure how you would do that.
Just catch a drop on your finger, and put 1/4 of it into your water.
You don't want a bunch of foam, but you do want the water's surface tension broken up by the soap.
Quoted from tezting:The very fine scratches disappears but not the deeper scratches.
You need to back up and use a coarser grit.
Try 1000 grit, just on the scratch, by hand. Then move up to the 1500 on the spot, then 2000.....
Remember, if ALL the scratches are not removed with the current grade of sandpaper, you need to go BACKWARDS to the last coarser grade.
Any scratch still around at 1000 grit, will still be around at 1500, and at 2000.
Quoted from UvulaBob:Vid, when would we wet sand versus dry sand during the restoration process?
Wet sanding is the fine grades of sandpaper (generally 800 and up). The water and soap slurry keeps the fine abrasive particles from clogging with clear.
The slurry also removes heat when using a power sander.
Different brands of clear dry at different rates.
You see some guys using IR lamps to greatly speed up the curing process.
Your brand of clear will tell you the length of time you can put a second coat down without sanding (usually it's less than 24 hours), after that the clear is cured and must be sanded.
You don't want to sand "around" your decals, so sand the playfield, then do your decal work.
Quoted from MinnPin:from previous information in this thread, a thin layer of clear should be shot down before decal work, correct?
Correct.
You don't want a different tension above and below a decal.
Quoted from MinnPin:If so, do I sand that layer after it hardens before I add the waterslides?
You don't want to have to "sand around" your decal work, so yes, you sand the whole playfield before installing your decals - if you don's sand, the clear wont stick.
Quoted from MinnPin:The next time I went, they destroyed almost all of my waterslide sheets with images that didn't fuse to the paper worth a damn.
You want to run the decals the moment the printer turns on.
After a short while the fuser will be too hot and ruin the paper.
Quoted from mulder2010:Hi Vid,
I'm going to mylar over this pf issue, and I was wondering how far in excess of the damage would you suggest that I cut the mylar. The damaged area is about 1" across and .5" high. Would .5" on all sides be enough, 1" on all sides? ThanksFH PF angle 2 8-23-14.jpeg 170 KB
.5" on all sides should be plenty. Cut the corners round, so they don't lift up.
Quoted from UvulaBob:When do we wet sand with 800 + grit, and when do we dry sand with 800+ grit? Can we avoid having to know when to do what and just wet sand at 800+ all the time?
**generally** we always wet sand with any papers 800 and finer.
Otherwise, the paper clogs.
Quoted from UvulaBob:Do we still need to wear a Tyvek suit and respirator while wet sanding?
Wear your Respirator for sure, but don't contaminate your spraying suit with dust.
Wear at least long sleeves, or get a separate suit.
Quoted from goingincirclez:Might I also point out that quality brushes make a BIG difference as well. You'd think a brush is a brush, especially a small one, but... the $5 for one brush as opposed to five brushes for $1, is worth it.
This.
SANDING AND BUFFING A PLAYFIELD
=============================================
Once your playfield is fully cured, you can either leave it alone (no trash fell into the clear, everything is flat enough), or sand it flat and buff it out.
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In this example I have the biggest nightmare in the playfield restoration, F-14.
This playfield at first looked like a good restore candidate, but once the Mylar was off, the whole surface planked, paint came off, most of the inserts were cracked.
Luckily, I had good scans of a NOS playfield to get all my artwork from.
Look at all those little half-tone shading dots...Like I said, nightmare.
Also, having all those inserts nested next to each other makes for a roller-coaster of a playfield, even if the inserts are reasonably flush.
So to get this playfield dead flat, I'm sanding after the final coat of clear.
Usually when you are bringing a surface up to a mirror finish, you need to wet sand.
So you are going to need a powered sander that wont electrocute you!
A good choice is an air powered sander. You can get them in Block or Disc styles.
I use both, but for flattening, I like block. The larger the block, the flatter the sanding stroke.
As you probably guessed, air sander connects to an air compressor. Adjust the stroke knob to find the sweet spot - too far in either direction and it won't stroke at all.
You can also use an electric sander, again the larger the sanding surface, the flatter the stroke. Just make sure your sander is rated for wet use.
Buy sandpaper that says wet/dry on it, most fine grades are wet/dry, but there are exceptions.
Wear your respirator. Yes, I know wet sanding is not very dusty, but the dried slurry and the polishing compounds are bad for your lungs.
If you want to wear a Tyvek suit, don't contaminate the one you use for spraying. Maybe use an old one that has a taped up hole or two.
Make up a 2 liter bottle with about a 1/4 drop of liquid dish soap. You want just a little bit of soap. Just enough to break up the surface tension, but not enough to make suds.
The dust that normally would be produced by sanding is captured by the water. This is called slurry.
As you sand, wipe up and dispose of the slurry with a paper towel.
With the slurry out of the way, you can see that all the scratches from the last sanding grade, have been removed.
There are so many inserts, so close together, on F-14 that I wanted to totally flatten the playfield.
Here I used 600 grit to quickly knock down any high spots.
If you still see any shiny spots, you know the playfield is NOT flat, and that the shiny spots are low spots.
BUFFING
Now we switch to the buffing process.
Use a buffing machine. It's big, easy and usually has 2 or more speeds. You can turn the buffer sideways to polish out the shooter lane.
You need a separate buffing bonnet or pad for each grade of polishing compound! Label each of them on their tags with a Sharpie. Do not mix them up!
Here some "Medium Cut" quickly puts a sheen on the playfield.
Never hold the buffer in one place, keep it moving.
Never let the buffer get the playfield warm. Move to a new spot.
Once you have an even sheen, wipe all the Medium Cut from the slots and holes so you don't contaminate the next finer polish with the Medium Cut abrasives.
Here the "Swirl Remover" quickly gives a handsome gloss.
Swirl Remover is about as abrasive as Novus2, but cuts a wee bit faster.
Many customers want a shiny EM game, but not mirror shine. If that is the case, you can stop polishing at this point.
If you are going for mirror gloss, wipe the Swirl Remover out of the slots and holes and move to the next step.
Remember to change your bonnet.
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If you find that the Swirl Remover is not bringing up the gloss, your playfield may not be cured enough. Keep it in a warm place for a week and hit it again later.
Finally we use "Machine Glaze".
This stuff won't polish by hand, it needs a fast buffing machine to work it's magic.
And almost like magic, Machine Glaze brings your playfield up to a full mirror.
This stuff is a higher polish than Novus2, so it really looks amazing.
Wipe all the Glaze out of the holes and slots.
Now that the playfield is fully polished, you want to protect it with a really good paste wax like Blitz. NOT a "Cleaner Wax", because that would scuff up and remove the great polish you have achieved.
You will never again have your playfield this clean and this unobstructed again, so don't skimp on your wax job.
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Q: Vid, should I get one of those "Perfect-It" kits by 3M with the micro foam bonnets and the super fine polishes for even a higher gloss?
A: First, look at what the Machine Glaze can do and then decide if you could possibly want any higher polish. Second, you probably only need the "Perfect-It #1 bottle and the #1 pad", as you already have passed by the other abrasives in the kit.
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Quoted from jasonsmith:If someone (me ) just realized that a spot needs to be touched up in the middle of clear coating what's the best way to go about that? I still have the same color that I airbrushed with. But the touch up paint was over paint (roughly the same color) and not clear. It's a playfield that I'm trying to save from my ignorant touch up days from the past. I'm worried that the color won't look the same due to being on top of two different mediums. I would like to airbrush the fixes if possible. There's 3 coats of clear with the third being light to medium sanding with 320.
It's hard to fix "spots" unless they are away from the player, or in a black field.
Can you paint the whole section again?
Quoted from MinnPin:Hi guys,
This is something my brother brought up to me, and I hadn't thought about it before.
These home made paint booths that we all seem to be building (mine included) use box fans with furnace filters for ventilation. My brother pointed out to me that the electric motor, which is continually creating electrical arcs could inhale a volatile substance such as clear coat and cause a fire or explosion. Sure enough the clear coat cans themselves warn about using fans or ventilation systems with non-sealed motors.
How concerned should we all be?
Thoughts?
Thanks.
Of course that is a concern, but so many people use box fans for their auto refinishing and I've never heard of any explosions.
Maybe the huge influx of fresh air is keeping any concentrations of solvent below the levels needed for an explosion?
Quoted from UvulaBob:Now that I've put the first layer of clear on my playfield, I've wet-sanded it with 800 and then 1000 grit paper. I can see the shiny spots all over the playfield where there are little dips that the flat sanding block didn't get into. Do I need to fill all of these little spots with small amounts of clear coat from an eyedropper? And if so, do I need to rough them up as well right before dispensing it?
Yep, rough up those shiny spots by hand and fill in the cracks and dips before the next shoot.
Quoted from Lonzo:I did a search through your thread on color matching and the only reference you made was a paint match in the sunlight. I am having a hard time matching a gray decal and was hoping you could help. For those following my restoration, this will look familiar.
I have a white painted area in the center that will be a smoke decal printed on clear waterslide decal paper. The gray color changes with different light so I am not sure what to do. Here are three different pictures of the same decal.
Gray is a tough one, sometimes you have to add Yellow or Purple to match it.
One option is to scan the graphics and print a black only decal on clear paper. Then paint your gray on the playfield all the way up to some solid features. Then put your black decal over the gray.
Quoted from Lonzo:Any idea why the color is changing on the decal with the different light?
Light can act like a filter, depending on it's purity.
Think of sunlight at noon being the most pure, then think of a sunset being orange.
Now think about a flashlight with a blue bulb shining on a blue wall (looks blue), now think about the same blue flashlight shining on a red wall (looks black).
So outdoors your gray matches in the pure light, but indoors with "warm" sorta yellow lighting, you notice that the yellow in one of the grays is emphasized and now stands out.
That's why when you touch up a wall in your house, you paint the whole wall up to the corners of the room. If you do a "spot" touch up, you might notice it under different light.
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Sana'a
Walnut Creek, CA