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(Topic ID: 33446)

Vid's Guide to Ultimate Playfield Restoration

By vid1900

11 years ago


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Topic index (key posts)

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

Display key post list sorted by: Post date | Keypost summary | User name

Post #6 Removing mylar and the adhesive left behind. Don't clear over it. Posted by vid1900 (11 years ago)

Post #7 Playfield damage assessment. Posted by vid1900 (11 years ago)

Post #8 Insert damage assessment. Posted by vid1900 (11 years ago)

Post #15 Removing inserts, step one - cut around it so you don't remove artwork with the insert. Posted by vid1900 (11 years ago)

Post #23 Removing inserts, step two - how to heat it, what to push it out with. Don't remove them if you're not replacing them. Posted by vid1900 (11 years ago)

Post #26 How a playfield is made and why your new inserts must be sanded flat before installation. Posted by vid1900 (11 years ago)

Post #34 How to sand your new inserts flat. Posted by vid1900 (11 years ago)

Post #35 Cleaning old glue out of the insert holes. Posted by vid1900 (11 years ago)

Post #36 Removing old mastic with a burr tool on a rotary device such as a Dremel. Posted by vid1900 (11 years ago)

Post #37 Prep your insert for gluing by sanding it with 100 grit. Epoxy can be chipped off the insert without this step. Posted by vid1900 (11 years ago)

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#354 10 years ago
 
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jibmums

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12y 96,900 3,958 16

Regarding inserts: I recently popped out all my arrow inserts, which were lifting quite a bit at both ends; a heat gun and flattening session took care of that. I plan to further sand them a bit so they're totally flat & smooth, which will of course remove the screenprinted numbers/outlines on them. Since that printing was originally badly registered, I'm scanning them first so I can replicate that with homemade waterslide decals. Any particular decal paper you recommend? I will eventually be brush-clearing the playfield (no room or chance of using a spray gun), should I seal the decal to the insert first with a spray-can clear before reinstalling? Also, there's quite a bit of glue still stuck to the inserts after their removal; soaking in water softens it but no matter how much I scrape, it won't all come off. What chemical will remove this hardened glue without harming the insert plastic?

2 years later
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#2521 8 years ago
 
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jibmums

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12y 96,900 3,958 16

I have a couple of wire ball guides on a Space Invaders that have worn/elongated the tops of the holes they fit into, so they're a little loose. Wouldn't be so bad but they're right next to the flippers so they take a pounding and it's only gonna get worse. What's the best way to fix this? Fill hole with wood putty & drill? Bamboo skewer with wood glue, then drill? Is there some way where the wireform doesn't have to be removed? I won't be clearcoating this pf so something with minimal eye-catching potential is preferred.

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#2523 8 years ago
 
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jibmums

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12y 96,900 3,958 16

OP
Quoted from vid1900:

Get some of the 2 part epoxy that comes in the dual syringe, mix it up and let it run down the hole.
Use the the 5 minute stuff so you don't have to hold it forever.
Put a piece of tape over the underside of the playfield, so it does not run out the bottom - the stuff is really runny.

Thanks Vid. The hole's not drilled through so that's not a problem. Do I do this with the wire guide out, then drill a new hole once it's hardened, or reinsert the guide as the epoxy starts to congeal, and wipe up the excess? or.....something else?

3 months later
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#2848 8 years ago
 
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jibmums

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12y 96,900 3,958 16

This isn't really a "restoration" but more a "refreshing" question, but it seems the best place to post it. I have two playfields that I've torn down, a Space Invaders and an Earthshaker. I'd like to know the best method of cleaning/polishing each. Neither will be clearcoated afterwards, although I will likely add mylar over heavy traffic areas. I know I will have to use different methods for each.

Space Invaders - playfield is in overall good condition, the only mylar is semicircles in front of the slingshots. Has slight wear around a few inserts which can be easily touched up with black. Light areas like the yellow/orange/light blue in the middle show typical ground-in dirt and ball swirling. I am unfamiliar with this era of Bally playfield, can I use M.E. and iso alcohol? Is there a topcoat that this will remove? I would like to use the Treasure Cove polishing kit after cleaning, will the #2 polish be too abrasive to start with? Again, I won't be clearcoating, only waxing, so the less "ink" removed, the better.

Earthshaker - playfield also in good condition, has factory mylar which cleaned up great with naphtha. I haven't touched the non-mylared areas yet, these have the usual grunge on them, plus colors are slightly discolored after 25 years - the same bright blue under the mylar has turned slightly teal where not under mylar. I am going to leave the mylar on and polish it with the Treasure Cove. The non-mylared areas are my concern - can I use M.E. and iso if I'm not clearcoating? If not, is naphtha better for cleaning? Can I safely Treasure Cove these areas if I start with #2 polish? There are also a couple of areas at the edge of switch holes where ball drops have worn the surface layer of the wood a bit. After cleaning, I was going to apply epoxy and smooth it flush to the playfield surface with a plastic scraper, then cover with mylar when cured. Does this sound like a feasible minor repair? 2pac is not an option, and again I won't be clearcoating anyway.

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#2850 8 years ago
 
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jibmums

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12y 96,900 3,958 16

Not good news. So basically, anything done with ME and alcohol removes any protective clear over the ink. Let's say I don't try for a deep clean to remove the ball swirl dirt, and just remove the grunge caked onto the playfield instead. How much harm is Naphtha and then Novus 2 going to cause?

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#2852 8 years ago
 
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jibmums

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Yeah, that's about all I was looking to do was just clean & play them. I've already done the bit with going thru the topcoat and removing a little ink with iso and want to avoid that again. I did hit up a DE Simpsons with Treasure Cove a year ago and the non-mylared areas came out spectacular afterwards.

2 weeks later
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#2885 8 years ago
 
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jibmums

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12y 96,900 3,958 16

Not a restoration question, but after seeing the above pix, it prompts me to ask - what's the deal with those indentations at both ends of rollover switch slots? I've seen playfields both with and without them, were they routed into the playfields at the factory, or caused by years of balls rolling over the rollover slot? Always wondered about this.

1 month later
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#2983 8 years ago
 
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jibmums

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12y 96,900 3,958 16

Vid, what's the best course of action for tackling these wear areas underneath the ball drops in my Earthshaker? I was just planning to fill each worn area with a little 5-minute epoxy, skim it with the edge of a credit card before dry so it's level with the playfield surface, then add a piece of mylar once dry. I won't be clearcoating this playfield.

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2 months later
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#3262 7 years ago
 
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jibmums

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12y 96,900 3,958 16

Vid, I have two playfields, a DE Simpsons and an Earthshaker, both with mylar which polished out nicely so no need for removal or clearcoating. Both pf's have kickout holes that are getting a little beat-up around the edges. I have to do any work indoors, so spray clear is unfortunately out of the question for now; what's the best brushable alternative, preferably something I could find locally? It won't be covering anything white-colored, just black, golden-yellow, and the bare wood. Thanks!

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#3268 7 years ago
 
DEN

jibmums

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12y 96,900 3,958 16

OP
Quoted from vid1900:

Quoted from jibmums:

Both pf's have kickout holes that are getting a little beat-up around the edges. I have to do any work indoors, so spray clear is unfortunately out of the question for now; what's the best brushable alternative, preferably something I could find locally? It won't be covering anything white-colored, just black, golden-yellow, and the bare wood. Thanks!

Let's see some pics

Here you go. Neither are all that bad right now; I did some touchup to Simps a year ago, and ES needs a little touchup on the black ring. I'd like to keep them from getting any more chewed-up looking in the future but spray clear or 2pac is just not possible for now.

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4 months later
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#3661 7 years ago
 
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jibmums

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12y 96,900 3,958 16

I have a few wire ball guides that have widened their holes in the playfield a little, and I'm going to fill the holes with epoxy and redrill them. Will a standard 2-part epoxy, the kind in the dual-plunger applicator that comes out in a gooey consistency and you then mix together, like the Loctite stuff at Home Depot, be good enough, or is there a very specific type I should use?

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#3677 7 years ago
 
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jibmums

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12y 96,900 3,958 16

Quoted from klr650:

If you are set on using epoxy: People in the model airplane hobby will use 30 minute epoxy for areas with excessive vibration (engine firewalls). I don't know how it stands up to repeated whacking with a pinball but it should stand up better than 5 minute epoxy.

I'm not seeing any 30-min epoxies in the usual places like Lowes, Home Depot, etc. but there are plenty available online, most as said above for hobby use. Are these preferable to / stronger than / harder than the 5-min kind, or does it not make that much of a difference?

1 year later
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#5938 5 years ago
 
DEN

jibmums

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12y 96,900 3,958 16

I have several raised inserts on my T2 that I'm leveling to the playfield with c-clamps, which has worked well, but now I need to glue them from underneath so they don't raise up again. I'd prefer to use super glue instead of epoxy but I recall from my car model building days that super glue will fog clear plastic, or at least clear styrene. Will this be an issue with the plastic that inserts were made from? Is super glue a better choice than epoxy due to its thinner viscosity, since I'm not really gluing the insert into the playfield but gluing it along the seam where they meet?

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#5943 5 years ago
 
DEN

jibmums

Pinside member

12y 96,900 3,958 16

OP
Quoted from vid1900:

Usually super glue just runs through the seam, around the ledge and out the back.
They make different viscosity super glues that cure the moment you add a drop of activator anywhere near it.
https://www.philadelphialuthiertools.com/glues-and-adhesive/
They still cloud plastics, so mask off anything you don't want ruined.

Sounds like I'd rather avoid super glue then. Will epoxy hold well enough, if it's just sticking to the inner edge of the insert and hole?

1 week later
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#5962 5 years ago
 
DEN

jibmums

Pinside member

12y 96,900 3,958 16

Thought I'd chime in here with a tip since this thread has been such a fount of good info for me: hardwood flooring or Pergo samples from Home Depot or Lowes make great clamping blocks for leveling raised inserts. They're hard, flat, and free. Cut to overlap your insert, knock down the edges on the playfield side, and drill a depression with a 1" Forstner bit so your clamp doesn't walk around.

100_9017 (resized).JPG100_9017 (resized).JPG

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#5963 5 years ago
 
DEN

jibmums

Pinside member

12y 96,900 3,958 16

Damn double post!

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#5966 5 years ago
 
DEN

jibmums

Pinside member

12y 96,900 3,958 16

Finally ready to glue a few inserts tonight. I've removed as much of the existing glue as possible, but there's still some left as it's tough to get into that thin crevice underneath with any kind of tool. These haven't been popped out of the playfield, so I'm just adding glue from below, and I won't be clearing the playfield, just adding a protector. What's the best way to add the epoxy underneath, just slather it along where the edge of the insert meets the wood, then clamp? Should I try roughening the inner surface of the plastic to give the epoxy more to grab onto (tough to do but I can scratch it a little with the tip of an Xacto). I assume I shouldn't to slosh any epoxy onto the bottom surface of the insert or it will be visible when the lamp is on.

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#5968 5 years ago
 
DEN

jibmums

Pinside member

12y 96,900 3,958 16

OP
Quoted from vid1900:

If you stand the playfield up on end, the epoxy will stay on the edge, and not flow into the face of the insert.
A Dremel is good to rough up the plastic.

A dremel, I did not consider that. Wire brush attachment? That'll work great for those large, rectangular inserts (it's a Terminator 2) but the arrow inserts I'll have to roughen manually.

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#5969 5 years ago
 
DEN

jibmums

Pinside member

12y 96,900 3,958 16

.

3 weeks later
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#6018 5 years ago
 
DEN

jibmums

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12y 96,900 3,958 16

I have a ball guide hole that I need to redrill on my Space Invaders playfield. I've already filled it with epoxy and drilled it once, thinking I was drilliing it straight in, only to find that the hole was at enough of an angle that I had to refill with epoxy and start over. How would go about making sure that my drill is held perpendicular to the playfield (which, I should add, is still otherwise fully populated and in the game)?

4 years later
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#8324 1 year ago
 
DEN

jibmums

Pinside member

12y 96,900 3,958 16

The inner cab walls only get damaged when raising or lowering the playfield, so that's really the only time they need to be protected. I have manila folders that I have cut and folded to slip and hang over the siderails when working on my pins, so the playfield sides never come in contact with the inner cab. Kinda like those rubber protectors that mechanics hang over your fender when working on your engine.

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