First of all A big thanks to Vid and all others helping less experienced pinball owners like myself to restore their machines (| I have gone through this thread more than infinite times !!!) !
I bought a Fast Draw a couple of months ago , and after sorting out its mechanical problems I feel competent enough to attempt a full playfield restore. It will need a loooooot of work , as you can see , but I have the dedication to do it , regardless of time needed.
I was going to clean with Naphtha , ME + alcohol , epoxy glue the inserts , Key-lines , eye drop 2PAC into cupped inserts and deep playfield recessions/bare wood , light 2PAC , sand , decals , and final clear. After seeing the color under the posts removed though , I decided that I must airbrush most of the playfield , since trying to remove gray stuff with ME+alcohol is mostly removing paint !
I need some help with that deep line/crack on the top of the playfield. I will sand and shellac before clearing but how should I deal with that crack , especially cosmetically ?
Also the draining ball hole needs to be patched up .. should I use a ring as a mold and fill with a kind of wood epoxy ?
I am sure this is going to keep me busy me for many many nights

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I intend to clear coat my Fast draw as as soon as the weather permits. My question is ... how one can get the playfield , look and behave like a true EM playfield and not a skidding surface of glass ? Wet sanding the final coat with something like 2000 maybe ?

Thank you
since I am living in Europe, I will have to find alternative brand/products .

I am in the process of restoring my Fast Draw . some of the inserts have gaps , and some others are pretty ugly around the keylines. restoring the keylines is not so easy due to the uneven surface and exposed wood around the inserts.
Should I shoot my first layer of clear and then fix/decal the keylines , or is there an advantage in redrawing the keylines before clearing.

Thank you

Should I fill them with clear , even if I clear coat the whole playfield after 2 months or so ?

I use lacquer dry flakes dissolved in 96 percent alcohol, or IPA ( isopropyl alcohol ) (about 1 part flakes to 4 parts alcohol ) and get the desired tone by repeating passes of the mixture on the wood surface .

I am about to airbrush a large amount of area on my Fast Draw playfield with createx sky-blue opaque after I apply the first coat of 2pac. There are small areas with bare wood , that have been covered with 2pac and sanded smooth . Since sky-blue seems to be not covering so effectively like red or blue , I am considering putting a light coat of white on all the area to be painted , before airbrushing the sky-blue. Is that a common technique , and also is white a good choice , or a light coat of grey is more suitable for colors that do not cover so effectively.

So I guess I will go with a very light coat of white.

Thank you Vid .

I shot my first coat of 2pac ( one light coat and a second full coat , 15 minutes apart ) and I am getting ready to paint/airbrush most of this Fast Draw playfield. I am a newbie so I was a bit reluctant with the spray gun and I guess my attempt in clear coating resulted in a not so heavy coat and orange peel.
After 24 hours and wet sanding with 400 grit , the playfield looks nice , but the small pits that were all over the place are still there. Maybe a little less prominent though. I will not get a good weather to attempt another coat , so would it be ok if I would go ahead and do my touch ups hoping that the second 2pac coating attempt will cover them ? or must I wait another 2 months for better weather to lay another coat and try to fill those pits ?

Thanks in advance everyone that helps people like me with no experience in playfield restoration and especially Vid that opened my eyes on that subject

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I will go with the middle road then . Fill the major pits with a 2pac soaked toothpick , sand , and paint.

Thanks Vid !

My bad .. sometimes I mix up my words .
Shellac is not so durable and hard as lacquer , but I like the way the color deepens with repeating applications giving the desired tone , and the fact that is a natural product.

It usually depends on the type of clear and the temperature of the place you keep the play field . Under normal conditions ( 20 Celsius ) you could sand after 12 hours or so . This is from personal experience, while others might have a different opinion.

I am restoring my Fast Draw and I have created all the keylines ... will be uploading files as soon as I get home

Opps .. I did read Raffs post in a harry ...! Will measure the inserts and report back then

Here are the Fast Draw / Quick Draw Keylines .
Will be starting a topic on Fast Draw playfield restoration really soon

Charles

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The black lines around the purple box look fine to me.
if you need to address the small lower right part , then using 2 pieces of pinstripe to define the black line and painting some black acrylic paint in the gap would do the trick. At least , that is what I do , with perfect results.
If you are referring to the circle keylines inside the purple box , then waterslide decals must be the way .

Charles

I am using Createx opaque black and no raised edge is left. If however you need to address a raised edge , then light sanding with a 600 grit sandpaper along the edges will remove any ridge.
This works very good with Createx paint after it is heat cured .

While restoring my Fast Draw , I had to airbrush all the light blue. First I airbrushed the area with white and then I proceeded in airbrushing the final "sky blue" color. I would knock off the painted edge with #800 sandpaper but I am afraid that in doing so will probably partially reveal some of the white color under the light blue. I will do another 2 clear coats . one to add the keylines and miscellaneous decals , and another one that should be my final coat.
My question is ... will the edge even out with the 2 clear coats with wet sanding in b2in ?
my other option is to hide the white by touching up with light blue by hand. a PITA but ..if I have to...!

Thank you Vid , that makes feel much better and saves me a lot of trouble. After frisketing the whole playfield and especially the 2 sherifs , I guess i have run out of patience

Reading this thread , or better “Bible” , on Playfield restoration the recommended stages of finishing the final clear coat is , after final 1500/2000 sanding , buffing with medium cut followed by swirl remover and , if mirror finish required , finishing with machine glaze. Could Novus 2 or Novus 3 or something similar one can buy in Europe replace the medium cut step if Meguiars products cannot be obtained ?

Charles

Fred736 remarks are spot on. Additionally to multiple light layers with heating inb2in, I also dilute the paint with its own reduser , sometimes up to 50 percent and that makes the paint rock solid . Even removing frisket vertically does not lift the paint !

how did you apply the clearcoat ? , 2 or 3 light layers with 5-15 minutes inb2in ? or maybe you applied too much of a clear resulting in a thick layer ?

This is waaaay too thick for sure !! I use approximately 180 - 200 ml for the whole clear coat process ( 1 light and + 1 wet )

Vid is , as usual , right . You could try some white paint in the cracks first . This way the actual final color will cover the imperfections much better .

Trying to restore my Fast Draw drops targets . I printed the decals and , after erasing the original deteriorated ones , I applied then as best as I could.
I intend to use some of the 2PAC from my final coat of the playfield to do the Apron and decals.
Would the clear withstand the ball pounding , or should I cover the drop card faces with mylar ?
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Getting them from abroad would set me back 80 dollars , with shipping !
It is not only the money , but the pleasure of seeing ones work in action
Given your explanation , Mylar looks a better option ... I guess.

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

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

Try and get yourself an original flyer of your game. it is not only the colors themselves but also the relation between them. The flyer shows the game as it came out of the factory.

No prob if your balls are made of steel ...... !

For relatively straight lines and absolutely straight lines I use auto pinstripe ( 2 lines of pinstrip with the damaged black line exposed in the middle ) . Paint with createx , heat dry and clear over. For curves and circles I use a collection of French curves and circle templates , defining the lines with a pencil and very carefully paint the lines with a 10 zero brush . Works beautifully

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fast-draw-playfield-restoration-first-ever-attempt-#post-4468410

In a similar situation I slapped another decal on top , and got a really deep opaque black .
You will have to apply a thicker layer of 2pac ( 2 subsequent layers) afterwards and sand down to take care of the raised decals.

after no smell comes out , give it another 1 or 2 weeks. Better safe than sorry

I already asked this one on another thread but since I got no answer I thought I will try my luck here too
I am about to fully restore my newly acquired Surf champ. I already restored a Fast draw (https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fast-draw-playfield-restoration-first-ever-attempt-/page/2#post-4481363 ) and it seems to me that the colors of both playfields are identical. This would make things super easy for me , because it took me a while to nail the Colors of Fast draw using createx paints which I have in stock. Anyone having both pins with original paint , or knowing Gottliebs choice of colors for these 2 pins , could chime in and advice on this.
Thanx in advance !

I compared flyers of both games , and also looked really carefully at images of well kept playfields . It seems that Gottlieb used the same color palette for those 2 titles. Red , Yellow and blue are definitely the same. So I guess the remaining color , light blue ( Sky blue ) , would be the same too.

No need to remove anything from the bottom, unless you want to clean and wash everything.
I made a case that fits the playfield like a glove and it was used in restoring my fast draw. I now use it to restore my surf champ.
You can do everything by hand , but an airbrush is a big help for painting big surfaces.

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The one I build is without a bottom and if the whole contraption can be made to rotate , it can be easily converted to a rotisserie. So you get a Playfield support for touch ups and clearcoat, transportation box ( if you add a removable bottom ) , and a rotisserie .

Looks that the damage is level with the rest of the Playfield so , I would try to match the red with an acrylic paint , preferably Createx , and paint the area , including the undamaged one that touches the bare wood , with multiple thin layers of paint with heat in b2in. Then apply an oval shaped thin piece of Mylar and no one would notice that it is touched up. If the damage is recessed in a way that affects the ball travel then you would have to bring the bare wood area level with the rest of the Playfield either with some kind of bondo or , if you have acces , with some drops of clear coat before painting and applying Mylar over it. Of course there are others more experienced in this and their approach may be better than mine .

Probably bubbles , by not giving enough time to cure before applying subsequent , thick , coats.

I found Vids proposal fine for any damage regarding a playfield !
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration/page/10#post-1119649

Well , in my case I try to preserve any original line and/or detail hidden or not. I feel that I need to respect and preserve the playfield as much as possible regardless of time and hours spend in restoring it.
Of course others might feel differently .

Comparing the original lettering with the final outcome , the letters and labels differ a lot . was that intentional ?

you should rough up the previous coat of clear , and then apply the decals.
After that a light coat of cleat to set the decals followed by another 1 or 2 heavier coats would do the trick.

wrong post

Plugging the holes will be just fine. After all you just mist the playfield and your sandpaper , you dont flood the place.
Just make sure you clear the residue from sanding from the holes before any subsequent clear coat.

Judging by the image you posted , you can get the inserts level with the rest of the playfield without moving them.
I would fill the low inserts with clear and after 15 minutes or so apply my first clear coat. after wet sanding , and applying the decals , and another coat of clear you should be very close to a truly flat playfield.

Hammer them in , they will stay down .
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration/page/20#post-1802904

Plastic syringes are ok but you have better control with a glass or plastic eyedropper .
Naphtha is a proven and trusted medium to use on a playfield. I may be wrong but Mineral spirits may contain some percentage of water which is not desirable.

Really fine !

The coat on car is very thin , unlike the thick coat we apply on a playfield. Maybe this the reason that the clearcoat on a playfield takes longer to cure completely.

Quoted from " global finishing solutions " " ....paint booth must be a minimum of 55 degrees Fahrenheit for automotive paint with a catalyst to dry. For paint booths with an air heater, the rule of thumb in the automotive industry is that for every 15 degrees above 70 degrees, a coating will cure about twice as fast (assuming 50 percent relative humidity). Likewise, for every 15 degrees below 70 degrees, a coating will take about twice as long to cure...." also from personal experience the thicker the coat the longer it takes to cure .

This is the safest way to proceed . Lightly sanding the playfield and using naphtha to remove any trace of oils will make sure that the subsequent initial clear coat adheres well.

Places that are bare wood and deep gouges can be filed with clear. If you fill them with bondo you will need to clear over that area before painting.

Other than that , if you are using light colors , is better to use white as the base before applying them so as to easily achieve good and uniform coverage with correct colors.

Airbrush is preferable , especially for large single color areas , but you can also use hand brushes with great results. Whatever you use , multiple thin coats is the way to go.

Cut and put a small piece of mylar over it and forget it. It will stay like this for the rest of its life.
If you want to properly restore it , then you are looking for a complete playfield tear down , plus skill and time.

We exchanged emails some months back .
He is fine doing what he does best , restoring pinballs.

Leveling the playfield is mandatory before applying waterslide decals. if you apply the decals and then apply clear and try to level things up the decals will most probably be exposed and destroyed with sanding.

you can use a grit around 400 to 500 before every next layer of clear. decals will stick ok .

The underlying sanded clear-coat appears clear after the decal is applied and a subsequend layer of clear is also applied.
The decal in fact "melts" and all is left is the toner sandwiched b2in the 2 layers of clear-coat.
This is the reason that when applying clear-coat over decals you should go very light on the first coat , so as not to disrupt the integrity of the decals.

I did 3 playfields and nothing like this ever happened. Maybe a certain type of clear is not compatible with a certain type of decal.
Did you allow the recommended flash time before applying subsequent clear coats ?

You should do pure white last , as it tends to get dirty while you work on the rest of the colors. Also , If you are going to apply a light color , for example yellow , then applying a light coat of white before applying the yellow , will make the final color more consistent and vibrant.

Something in the white paint is reacting with the restoleum clear. This could happen if you either did not let the paint to dry long enough , and/or you did not set it with heat. Createx needs to be heated to set. Other than that you may have a paint / clear incompatibility. I am using createx paints , with 2 part auto clear and had zero problems so far.
To correct this , and if you cannot use something other than restoleum , wet sand the playfield and see how things look. If white areas are ok then re apply another coat of clear. Other wise , re-coat the white areas with multiple thin layers of paint setting each layer with heat. Leave the playfield alone for a week and reapply clear.

In agreement with everything mentioned above , plus Paint will be smoother and have better adhesion if dilution is more generous than the 10 to 25 percent that createx suggests for their opaque line of colors. I will go to 50 percent dilution with 4011 reducer
And apply multiple layers with a fairly large tip size airbrush. Createx opaque can of course be sprayed out of the bottle , but you need a high psi ( at least 45 ) and good compressor.

Color is unaffected but Obviously you need more layers to get to the final result , and your compressor can do it in lower psi. Adhesion is improved .
It is there in Createx latest data sheet .

https://creatextech.com/pdf/tds/Createx-Airbrush-Colors-TDS.pdf

For straight keylines You can apply the key line with pinstripe and then use a ruler ( preferably hard plastic) and a xacto straight blade to bring everything absolutely straight and clean. You lay the ruler along the edge of the key line and with the xacto blade you carefully scrap along the ruler making the line perfect ( I use number 3 shortsighted glasses for this) . Of course the colored areas that the key line touches should preferably be under clear coat .
If not then clearcoating after the keylines And using frisket , you can do the colored areas .

Painting directly on bare wood is not the best way to go. in your case since the area to be painted is very small , then most probably things will be ok. It would be better though , after you cut away flaking paint , to give the paint a stable base by first applying a "locking" layer of clear on all the playfield , block-wet sand , do your touch ups , and then reapply your final clear coat.
In this way the touch ups are permanently locked b2in the layers of clear.

If you start seeing color on your ME piece , then you have gone too far.

Bare wood looks good. How are you going to proceed with the rest of the missing artwork ?

Applying clear now , will be much easier to get level with block sand. So first clear and THEN block sand.

You could try to darken the questioned area with multiple , light , layers of shellac. I did this on one of my restorations and you have to look for the touch up.
With a weak solution of shellac you can get to the desired tone with precision.

Fine work Benjamin ! Lots of love there !!

It is polyurethane based , single part. I used a similar product that was for wooden floors. The description , prep and drying times was the same as the one you mentioned.
I used it on my first ever restoration. It tends to yellow a bit with time , at least mine did after 2 years . Not much but it was noticeable. Other than that if you do it properly and apply enough layers you will not have problems regarding protection. If you later have the option to apply 2pac , it can be probably removed with aceton .

try acetone to clean as much as you can ,scrub away the glue with a Dremel or manually, clean with naphtha , Partially fill the bottom with some clear.

Other than a full restore ( including applying clear ), fixing minor problems and reapplying Mylar looks the way to go.

Well .. that's a very welcome surprise !! Very happy to see back the Person that gives life and spice to this site !!
Hope your stay will be a long one. Take care big man

I had a similar problem and used shellac in alcohol. The nice thing about using shellac is that you can build the right shade gradually.

I would use naphtha on a clean rug to clean the whole playfield along with a careful use of soft toothbrush to try and remove as much mill wax from the cracks.
Naphtha is safe to use and will probably remove most of the mill wax from the playfield.

I would mask the surrounding good painted area with the black lines as my boundaries. roughen up the are to be prepared ( maybe drill small holes with a Dremel) . Use 2 part filler holding a straight edge on the inside of the hole. Smooth the filler before it gets super hard , paint to match , clear.

If you are touching up , small areas , then , of course leave as it is. If you are doing a total playfield repaint , is easier to correct the mistakes along the way. Recreating a mistake would , in my opinion , make things worse.

As the others mentioned no need to sand/degloss paint unless you have raised paintwork edges.
So .. clean the playfield as much as you can trying not to remove original artwork. apply clear to protect what is there , block sand.
After that ...
make corrections with paint , airbrush or otherwise. If you are also applying decals or anything other than paint , is strongly preferable to apply them directly on clear and not on paint. if you need to apply them on any areas that are painted , then put another coat of clear , block sand and then apply decals etc..

Applying thin layers of clear between corrective steps , safeguards your progress , and gives you the chance to correct possible mistakes on that step because your previous work is protected under a layer of clear.
The most layers of clear that I applied on single playfield was 4. In my opinion you should organize your corrective steps so as to use the minimal number of clear coats. Some feel that a large number of clear coats will make the corrections on the top layer look like floating. But with thin layers I think that this is undetectable.

From my experience, the applied clear melts the decal leaving just the ink.
In my opinion Even if the underlying clear coat is sanded , the area under the decal would be shiny since the applied clear coat is in direct contact with the underlying one.
Not 100 percent sure when the decal has white color as a base.
Unless others have experienced different results.

400 grit wet sand , works fine b2in clear coats. If the playfield is already level 600 grit is also ok.
You can go to 1200 1500 2000 on your final coat.

In a similar situation I create keylines in photoshop ( you can use any other free program ) and print them On clear decal. I apply them before the final clear coat.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/surf-champ-slow-playfield-restoration#post-4720479
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/surf-champ-slow-playfield-restoration/page/3#post-5194018

Looks there are missing parts from the insert art , so decal would be the solution here. But you will need to sandwich 2 or 3 decals to prevent the light underneath to shine through the art. You could also try to use a few drops of clear coat as an adhesive if you need to reattach the broken insert art .

I would remove the art up to the keylines , and repaint all the inner card area white with an airbrush. Clear coat the whole play field, wet sand with 600 grit , apply water slide decal created from scanning the figures from a deck of cards. You can either use clear or white decal depending of the opacity you want. Try both and see how it looks with light shining below the inserts before a final clear coat. The S and H letters can easily be added last . Have in mind that the white you use should be consistent with the dull white of the rest of the play field and present on the ribbon that has the ROYAL FLUSH lettering .

Looks fine ... you should be proud

Well , this is a first for me !
In my recent Robo-war restoration I used pretty large area water slide decals to fix extensive damage on the playfield and while I was sceptic of the outcome , it came out perfect. This though is looks fantastic !!