Bobby Orr's Power Play
Bally, 1978
Gilligan's Island
Bally, 1991
Space Jam
Sega, 1996Quoted from mbwalker:I noticed the Createx airbrush paint is water based. Apparently no problems with the moisture on the playfield?
It's waterproof once dry, so as long as you don't have **too much** moisture on the playfield, you should be good.
If you are saying that the Createx has moisture, it's ammonia based and drys very quickly.
Thin it with ammonia, clean it up before it dries with water.
Good day Vid, can you confirm that for typical order of operations, clean the PF, shoot a lockdown layer of clear, any wood repairs to pf, paint repairs, waterslide decals then final clear coat?
Quoted from jwilson:I'm airbrushing a playfield using vinyl stencils and Createx, but I'm finding it difficult to get perfectly sharp lines with them - it's mostly fine but not "screenprinting" perfect - so now that I'm on the black layer, I'm considering options for the lettering.
Either use a very thin vinyl I can cut on my cutter, or decals. The issue is, I'll be using a roll-on clearcoat (KBS Diamond Clear) because I can't spray in my space. So I haven't been clearing between colours or anything. So, since it's an uneven surface, will decals even work?
Since it's a roll-on, I'm not sure how thin a layer I could get, so I'm concerned about it being visibly on a different layer. I could maybe use Rustoleum clear in a can to get a thin lock-in layer but then I'm concerned about incompatibility with my final clear. The issue with vinyl letters is the thickness of the vinyl - not sure how thin I can get. I know I can cut it very small, though.
So, thoughts?
Why are your lines not crisp? Are you getting leakage under the stencil mask? It should be superior to silk screening. If you want to try Gerbermask send me a PM and I can send you some.
You could also contact Drano and ask about transferable silk screened text. He got these done for white text, not cheap though. My understanding is that silk screening is done on a transfer paper and they are rubbed on. Expensive since it needs a screen burned etc. Google dry transfer for info. I also found decalprofx which looks like an interesting system.
Here is a Canadian place that does it: http://www.allout-graphics.com/
Vid,
I'm really hoping you could give some guidance for this one. I've done multiple playfield restoration and this by far will be the most challenging I believe or if you feel it's un save able I will just use it for a scan and make a overlay for my other playfield.
1st issue, it seems at some point she got infested with termites. How could I go about fixing this damage
3rd, the crazing on the playfield is the worst I've seen, the lower part it's really bad, I'm concerned that if I scuff it I'm going to lose a ton of paint or if I try to remove the Mylar around the pops I'll pull a bunch too.
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Quoted from tdiddy:1st issue, it seems at some point she got infested with termites. How could I go about fixing this damage
Clamp the playfield to something dead flat (tablesaw maybe?), put wax paper under it to make sure you don't glue the playfield to the table, put a dam along the edge, and fill the holes with Fiberglass Resin. FR is a structural repair, since we need the edge to be strong on a playfield.
How to do dam:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cabinet-restoration-vids-guide#post-2546343
If termites are still alive, freeze in a chest freezer for a month before you begin.
Quoted from tdiddy:2nd major issue, the wood around the arrow inserts has shrunk
Fill gap with Bondo, FR, or epoxy. Don't overfill the gap, because the playfield is too fragile to sand at this point. You will do the final leveling with 2PAC when you clearcoat.
Quoted from tdiddy:3rd, the crazing on the playfield is the worst I've seen, the lower part it's really bad, I'm concerned that if I scuff it I'm going to lose a ton of paint or if I try to remove the Mylar around the pops I'll pull a bunch too.
You won't be able to scuff that playfield.
GENTLY clean with Naphtha.
Scan the entire playfield.
Mylar is going to be a bitch. I'd probably buy a pack of plastic razor blades (auto store), using a heat lamp, heat the playfield from the rear for a few hours before starting.
Use aluminum flashing or 2 layers of loose aluminum foil to make sure you are only heating the pop pit area.
Keep an eye on the temp of the front of the playfield, you don't want it to exceed 110*F
Start in the rear of the playfield, away from the player's side. Start away from the graphics. Try to get 1mm of insertion from the plastic razor blades. Leave them in place and try to get another 1mm tomorrow. Keep it warm, do not turn the heat lamp off. Keep an eye on the temp.
If you are having success, start the razor blades all around the edges and over a few days work your way towards the center. You may find that you check on it and 5mm or more of the adhesive has let go under the heat and razor tension. Move the blades up into this gap, but don't get cocky.
Take that playfield to the paint store, have their computer match the colors of green and buy quarts of the BEST eggshell paint they sell. Doing small sections at a time, dab the paint into the cracks, allow to partially set, then wipe the excess off against the grain of the crack. Do the black too the same way using Createx.
Sand or paint your shooter lane.
Touch up the black Keylines around the inserts.
Spray a lockdown layer of 2PAC, and begin your normal restoration
Quoted from Atari_Daze:Good day Vid, can you confirm that for typical order of operations, clean the PF, shoot a lockdown layer of clear, any wood repairs to pf, paint repairs, waterslide decals then final clear coat?
Nothing is typical in playfield restoration, but:
Vac up all the dust
Clean off old wax with Naphtha
Glue down all the inserts.
Remove Mylar
Touch up Keylines around inserts.
Tap down any bulges around screw holes
Maybe magic eraser
Sand and fix shooter lane
Sand and fix saucer holes
Sand playfield for tooth
Shoot lockdown layer of clear.
Vid, I just managed to fill in my inserts with 2PAC. Some got overfilled in the process...I hope that isn't a big issue, but on the large "hot dog" inserts, it was necessary to fill in the gaps between the play field and the inserts.
IMG_3855 (resized).JPGIMG_3859 (resized).JPG
Second, I was wondering something else while doing the filling. In theory, once the whole thing is sanded flat and wiped with Naptha, couldn't one just fill up the entire play field with eyedropper 2PAC? Or would this cause far too thick of a layer for what we are shooting for?
Quoted from dr_nybble:Why are your lines not crisp?
It was a combination of not pressing the mask down hard enough, and too much pressure on the airbrush pushing too much paint. I'm getting very consistent lines now.
Quoted from dr_nybble:Here is a Canadian place that does it: http://www.allout-graphics.com/
Oof, you're not kidding - $100 for a tiny sheet! I'll try my hand at the decals first since the text is all black. Thanks though!
Quoted from La_Porta:Vid, I just managed to fill in my inserts with 2PAC. Some got overfilled in the process...
How do you get that perfectly flat without touching the paint around it?
Quoted from La_Porta:I just managed to fill in my inserts with 2PAC. Some got overfilled in the process...I hope that isn't a big issue, but on the large "hot dog" inserts, it was necessary to fill in the gaps between the play field and the inserts.
It's totally OK to overfill.
It will all get sanded dead flat once you clearcoat the entire playfield.
Quoted from La_Porta:Second, I was wondering something else while doing the filling. In theory, once the whole thing is sanded flat and wiped with Naptha, couldn't one just fill up the entire play field with eyedropper 2PAC? Or would this cause far too thick of a layer for what we are shooting for?
It would waste a ton of 2PAC and take a ton of time.
One guy sent me pics of where he clearcoated with 2PAC applied with a brush! He finally got it sanded flat, but he wasted a quart of clear, and a week's time.
Quoted from Chalkey:How do you get that perfectly flat without touching the paint around it?
Good question...ill be finding that out soon enough...
Quoted from vid1900:It would waste a ton of 2PAC and take a ton of time.
One guy sent me pics of where he clearcoated with 2PAC applied with a brush! He finally got it sanded flat, but he wasted a quart of clear, and a week's time.
Yeah, sounds like a huge PITA. Always thinking of "what ifs." Now that the stuff has partly cured, I noticed some pin-hole size bubbles in a few of them that weren't there before. I assume I can just sand that out. All n all, mixing the stuff and using the eyedropper wasn't bad. You weren't kidding with needing the glass jars and droppers, though. The stuff is reactive!
Quoted from La_Porta:Yeah, sounds like a huge PITA. Always thinking of "what ifs." Now that the stuff has partly cured, I noticed some pin-hole size bubbles in a few of them that weren't there before. I assume I can just sand that out.
You can sand them out, or open them up and fill them.
As for sanding it down after, whats the best way to sand it flat, but not start sanding down the paint around it?
Quoted from vid1900:You can sand them out, or open them up and fill them.
Does this mean that the clear melts into itself and there are no visible lines from where the bubbles are/were?
Quoted from La_Porta:As for sanding it down after, whats the best way to sand it flat, but not start sanding down the paint around it?
First, don't make it too tall of a glob and save yourself a lot of work.
2nd, decide if you need to sand it now, or can it wait until you spray the rest of the field.
If you need to sand it now, make yourself two "rails" along side the insert.
These rails can be made of two credit cards, two pieces of aluminum flashing, or, finally two pieces of tape.
Use a BRAND NEW utility blade, knock off the 2 pointed edges, and holding it 90* to the playfield, draw the blade towards you with both hands.
Once you get a flat surface on the glob, it will go quite rapidly.
When you hit the rails on both sides, shift to a thinner set of rails. Finally you can use just 2 pieces of Scotch tape - that will get you 1.5mil over the playfield surface.
If the glob is tall, expect to chew up 3 razor blades.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Does this mean that the clear melts into itself and there are no visible lines from where the bubbles are/were?
If you open up the bubbles, they will fill with no evidence they ever existed.
The clear does not melt past layers, but it does bond with them seamlessly.
I see what you are saying. So, I can actually just degloss the entire playfield, insert areas and all, and spray the clear. Then, once the whole thing has hardened, sand down the lumps flat with somewhat impunity because all the paint is now covered with clear...makes sense.
One last thing: I noticed yesterday that the playfield had a slight bowing in the center. Is there any good way to make the entire thing flat, or will it just naturally do that once it is back in a cabinet?
Quoted from La_Porta:One last thing: I noticed yesterday that the playfield had a slight bowing in the center. Is there any good way to make the entire thing flat, or will it just naturally do that once it is back in a cabinet?
Clamp some straight wood rails or angle iron across the back while you clearcoat (use existing holes).
When the clear is dry, if it still is bowed, you will have to make a permanent reinforcement out of metal.
Quoted from La_Porta:Have an illustration of that? Such as where to clamp?
He's saying take a long piece of wood and clamp and screw it into the back of the playfield lengthwise, like straight up and down how you would look at the playfield if you were playing; using existing screw holes right into the wood pieces. use a piece of woodblock and felt or something soft under the clamp so it doesn't damage the playfield
I'm also left to believe that a lot of times the playfield will go right back into shape when it's reinstalled into the game with all the stuff put back on
Quoted from La_Porta:Yeah, it isn't horrendous. I think it can be put back. I took a picture of it with my level over it. You can see the slight gap:
Just clamp the level down right there! you're done!
Quoted from La_Porta:Yeah, it isn't horrendous. I think it can be put back. I took a picture of it with my level over it. You can see the slight gap:
That's not bad at all.
Put the wood rails on the back, clear, allow to dry.
Latter when you put the game back together, your rails go on the face of the game - like normal.
Apologies if this has already been asked, but what kind of paint should be used to paint the back of a playfield? I have a very dirty playfield that needs sanding down on the back, but didn't know if a specific kind of paint had to be used?
Quoted from vid1900:That's not bad at all.
Put the wood rails on the back, clear, allow to dry.
Latter when you put the game back together, your rails go on the face of the game - like normal.
I see what you are saying: attach them on the flip side, upside-down, and they should straighten it out being screwed in/clamped.
Quoted from tomds:Apologies if this has already been asked, but what kind of paint should be used to paint the back of a playfield? I have a very dirty playfield that needs sanding down on the back, but didn't know if a specific kind of paint had to be used?
Grey Latex flat (or eggshell if they don't make flat anymore).
Put on your rotisserie or across 2 sawhorses and paint it upside down from below, so paint does not run into the inserts.
Quoted from Silverstreak02:Vid I'm considering using a water slide decal to repair this portion of my playfield. Is there a limit to the size of the decal? I'd like to do everything from the bottom blue horizontal line to the top of the buildings.
I'd cut the decals into manageable sections.
8x11 pieces are harder to work with.
So, I am starting to degloss the table. Some of the insert fill is so bulbous, that it is leaving a ring of still glossy paint around the fill that is hard to get at. Any tips for getting into that small area?
Quoted from Silverstreak02:Vid is there another way to scan the playfield for decals other than the HP4670? I'm having problems locating that unit and I understand the software isn't compatible with windows 10. Thanks again for the help.
You can take it and have it scanned with a Cruze Scanner. Every major city has one.
The drivers work fine with Win10 (that's what I use it with).
Quoted from La_Porta:So, I am starting to degloss the table. Some of the insert fill is so bulbous, that it is leaving a ring of still glossy paint around the fill that is hard to get at. Any tips for getting into that small area?
Use a sanding stick or even steel wool.
I feel like all of my questions are dumb.
I have to sand my shooter lane in order to clean it and also to remove some piercings from screws from under the playfield. I would think that the piercings would indicate that the shooter lane has been sanded before since there's less wood on the playfield that the screws are ever so slightly popping up through.
So if I use Quikwood to patch and rebuild the shooter lane, how do I rebuild the lane correctly? With the playfield out of the cabinet how do I measure the new shooter lane correctly for sanding to get good centering and depth?
I would love any advice on fixing this ... I don't know if this is a cigarette burn or what but I've put a lot of work into this game, and if I can tweak this to be a bit better (at least a little) it would be fantastic. I can just throw Mylar on it but I figured it would be at least worth a try
Quoted from alexmogil:I feel like all of my questions are dumb.
They are only dumb if you don't ask them.
Quoted from alexmogil:I would think that the piercings would indicate that the shooter lane has been sanded before since there's less wood on the playfield that the screws are ever so slightly popping up through.
More likely, someone used too long of screw at some point during a repair.
Quoted from alexmogil:So if I use Quikwood to patch and rebuild the shooter lane, how do I rebuild the lane correctly? With the playfield out of the cabinet how do I measure the new shooter lane correctly for sanding to get good centering and depth?
Lets see some pics before you get too crazy with the Quickwood
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:I would love any advice on fixing this ... I don't know if this is a cigarette burn or what but I've put a lot of work into this game, and if I can tweak this to be a bit better (at least a little) it would be fantastic. I can just throw Mylar on it but I figured it would be at least worth a try
Is that a hole in the Mylar?
Quoted from vid1900:Is that a hole in the Mylar?
It's a hole in the -clear- right to the art. Never seen it before like this
Vid,
Is there any benefit of layinv my first layer of clear with out the inserts in? I'm replacing them all and was thinking I should sand the back of the playfield now, hit it with grey and then clear it. Doing thos now would seal the backside and there would be excessive clear in the inserts
Quoted from vid1900:So it's not a hole in the Mylar?
Just through the clear?
Right, sorry, my fault for not being more clear: right now there's no Mylar on it. What you're seeing is the DiamondPlate burned through. When I mentioned Mylar I was saying I know I can just put Mylar down on it and protect it, but I wanted to see if I had other options
a particular area of concern is the burned / dirty area and the spots where it looks like the clear has lifted and become cloudy. Can I Ex-acto around that so it can be airbrushed? Or do I sand? I'm not sure if there's a best approach
What advise or process to restore the text in the picture below? I am more concern with 100 points area, 1st and triple text due to the white color. The "points" would be a black decal, but what about the white inside text? do you make a black decal and paint the inside white?
Also what is the best water slide decal paper?
Quoted from vid1900:Lets see some pics before you get too crazy with the Quickwood
Ok, so the screws under the shooter lane are the same size as every other mounting screw under the play field, so I'm not sure what happened. Perhaps the previous operator overtightened the screws. I'm guessing I'll have to fill the screw holes with a skewer and wood glue, and maybe use a small washer to ensure the screw tips don't pop out again?
In any case here's the condition of the lane and hopefully the screw dents are visible.
I definitely feel the lane needs cleaned and the protrusions sanded down, but does it need repaired?
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Sana'a
Houston, TX
Ottawa, ON
Maidstone