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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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#855 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

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10y 93,350 5,673 72

Vid, my greatest thanks for the wealth of information in this thread. I'm about to embark on my first "real" playfield restoration (not just spot painting / clearing), so this information is invaluable.

As a quick break-down of the entire process, this is how I understand it. Please correct me if I am wrong:

1. Remove mylar (if applicable) & repair/fill any physical playfield damage with epoxy wood putty or bondo. Replace inserts if desired.
2. Apply light coat of clear to seal in wood fibers and physical damage repairs and lightly sand afterward
3. Airbrush/paint touch-up and application of waterslide decals
4. Apply final coats of clear

2 weeks later
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#931 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

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10y 93,350 5,673 72

Has anyone tried to 2 part clear coat over that Molotow paint marker? I'm considering using it for touch-up black.

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#933 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

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10y 93,350 5,673 72

OP
Quoted from vid1900:

I'd test it on a piece of white painted wood, so you can easily see any bleed

Good idea. Will do. I have a recently activated can of that 2-part iso clear. I'll use the Molotow pen on it, then clear over it thickly and in thin passes and see what happens. I'll post results. I won't be able to do it till Sunday night though. Finally scored a Centaur, going to pick it up Sunday. 6 hr round trip.

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#937 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

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10y 93,350 5,673 72

OP
Quoted from vid1900:

Looking forward to the results, both instantly and in a week's time.

Didn't get a chance to do it yesterday because the weather sucked. I'll be able to go outside later today though after work and test it out.

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#938 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

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10y 93,350 5,673 72

Quoted from thedefog:

Didn't get a chance to do it yesterday because the weather sucked. I'll be able to go outside later today though after work and test it out.

Again, crap weather. Thunderstorms and torrential downpours here in NJ, so I couldn't test the Molotow marker. I may just give the marker a go on the Comet restoration I'm doing regardless, as it is coming out a little rough around the edges anyway due to all the wear and gouges that were on that trashed playfield. It has been a good learning experience though, and I really got a handle on my airbrushing and frisketing/x-acto skills. I'd recommend anyone trying this for the first time to find some junker playfield to practice on before doing it for real on a loved machine.

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#940 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

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10y 93,350 5,673 72

OP
Quoted from vid1900:

Fill all the wear and gouges with clearcoat, before you start painting.
You want to start with a nice, smooth surface.

My problem is that I didn't take down some of the areas I filled well enough to make it perfectly flat and smooth. I'm probably being overly critical, as I'm comparing what I've done so far with people like you that have been doing it for a long time and are experts. You gotta start somewhere though.

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#973 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

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10y 93,350 5,673 72

This thread just keeps getting better. Great information Vid. Soaking it in. Practicing it is another thing though.

2 weeks later
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#1047 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

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10y 93,350 5,673 72

Not trying to be rude, but there are a lot of duplicate questions on this thread. The entire thread is absolutely worth reading from start to finish. Your questions may already be answered.

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#1050 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

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10y 93,350 5,673 72

Quoted from asay:

So I pulled the mylar off off my playfield. Probably shouldn't have done it, because after reading this I'm not sure I want to clear coat it myself. Should have left it alone...meh, hindsight is 20/20.
Anyway, should I see if an autobody shop can spray it for me? If not, is new mylar the next best option?

Is there any planking of the wood visible after pulling it off, and did you loose any paint? Hope it went well.

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#1059 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

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10y 93,350 5,673 72

The issue with the Spraymax 2k is the spray control, sanding inbetween, and the orange peel finish. The first time I used it, I had excellent results with only slight orange peel. The second time, it was not quite as good. Some areas went on thicker than others, despite keeping even strokes. Still looks good, but not HVLP sprayer quality I see on this forum.

Spraymax worked best when I kept the can further back than the recommended distance and sprayed multiple light passes instead of heavier coats. Obviously that results in more of an orange peel finish in the end, but I can live with that, and it can be somewhat buffed out. But as Radium said, it won't match the quality of what you see people doing on here with the HVLP sprayers. I didn't have a choice because I live in a townhome and have no garage to make a booth out of. I had to take my chances and spray outdoors, and I'm not going to be doing this regularly, so buying 2 cans made more sense than the whole kit.

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#1061 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

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10y 93,350 5,673 72

Quoted from asay:

Do I need to remove everything from the bottom of the playfield before applying flour? I imagine in can get kinda messy...

Nope, but it will get gunked up in your lever switches for slings, targets, rollovers, etc. You can wrap those in masking tape and just vacuum out the rest later. I don't even remove the topside stuff when I remove mylar unless I have to. Maybe that is poor advice, but I've removed it on 3 machines so far with no issues doing it this way.

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#1089 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

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10y 93,350 5,673 72

Quoted from Anth:

In my experience this was not the case. I laid it on thick, as in a whole can, and it leveled and dried super glossy with no orange peel. I did get a can with a bad nozzle that gave me some heinous orange peel though. Watch out for that.

My second try laying it on thick like that wasn't so successful. I guess it is the luck of the draw with how steady the pressure and clear is out of the can, which is why the paint sprayer is still the best method.

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#1090 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

Pinside member

10y 93,350 5,673 72

OP
Quoted from vid1900:

Just use spray adhesive, so you can remove it again in the future.

This is pretty clever. Would 3M spraymount work in this situation?

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#1095 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

Pinside member

10y 93,350 5,673 72

Update on Molotow Black acrylic marker: My Comet playfield has been sitting curing in my basement now for 2 weeks. The Molotow Black acrylic marker I used for the inserts and lines has not blurred or reacted to the 2-part auto Spraymax 2k I laid down on it. Lines stayed sharp. So for anyone that wants to use these paint markers, I'd recommend it as it saves a ton of time.

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#1101 9 years ago
 
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thedefog

Pinside member

10y 93,350 5,673 72

Quoted from Fast-Ed:

Where did you get them? Ed

I could only find them in the US on eBay. ebay.com link: Molotow ONE4ALL METALLIC BLACK Acrylic Premium Paint Marker 127HS 2MM Tip Refill

That one has a 2mm tip. It works well in conjunction with a circle template for insert edges and thicker lines. It is a tad too thick for fine line work. For that, you'll want the 1mm tip. You can buy the tips for them. These are also re-fillable.

Here is the 1mm tip version: ebay.com link: Molotow One4All Marker 127Hs Xfine Black

1 month later
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#1251 9 years ago
 
ARS

thedefog

Pinside member

10y 93,350 5,673 72

Quoted from Anth:

In my experience this was not the case. I laid it on thick, as in a whole can, and it leveled and dried super glossy with no orange peel. I did get a can with a bad nozzle that gave me some heinous orange peel though. Watch out for that.

I forgot to mention that I used a 2nd can later on. The initial coat I did with the Spraymax, the seal-in coat, was done in multiple light passes. I sanded that down, did my waterslides, then laid on thick for the 2nd & final coat.

On my Centaur, I did 2 cans, both heavy, and ran into a bit of trouble with the orange peel. I probably could have sanded it down further in hindsight, but the paint was so flaky on it I was afraid of sanding into the 30+ hrs of work I did restoring the art everywhere. I am okay with the orange peel. I saw another thread where someone used 3 cans and got near perfect results. I probably could have lightly sanded and done that, but it is already assembled and working, so I'm content. Lesson learned for the next one.

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