I usually use a good carnauba wax, two coats.

Novus 2 is just a cleaner, not a wax.

LTG : )™

Don't use Novus on a regular basis.

It is an abrasive.

=

Wax often.

I love Novus 2, I think its a great product, when I use it I dont let it fully dry and wipe off most excess while still wet. edit---Then give it a buff with the cleaning patch after the small amount leftover has dried, I have no idea how well my method works but my pf's are nice+shiny!

Then wax it up! 2-3 coats or whatever, go to town!

Because it is an excellent cleaner. The idea is to use a cleaner like Novus 2 (or 1, depending on how heavy or light the dirt buildup is), then once the playfield is nice and clean, you apply wax to finish it/protect it.

Great cleaner, but definately wax after

So what should be done on a NIB pin machines playfield out of the box? quick wipe down with novus 1 and a coat of wax? first time getting 2 new machines so don't know how to treat the playfield. I have new oh shiny ultimate pinballs from pinballlife to put in the machines and throw out the ones that come with machine. I was gonna hit the balls with some mothers metal polish them before I drop them in the game, good idea or not?

You don't even need the Novus1.

Wax her down and play.

thanks vid!

Always used novus 2 on my new sterns great PF cleaner leaves it nice and shiny. Wax if you want them crazy fast.

Don't use Pledge.

ya, but novus 2 is a cleaner, can't imagine a new machine dirty to use novus 2, novus 1 sure pick up some of the dust, etc. from the factory off the playfield. I usually on my HS I sold after a good waxing I use one of those Swiffer dust pads and it grabs a lot of the left over wax residue. Anyone ever use a Swiffer dust pad before after waxing?

Sorry I use the Novus 2 after a few hundred games it's great for ball tracks on the clear coat, out of the box I just use a clean cloth and wipe them down

If ya do it right, ya only need to use novis 2 ONCE.. regular cleaning and waxing should maintain things where you never need to "deep scrub" again.. or at least not for another 25 years...

So all of you are only using wax as a periodic cleaner as well and skipping Novus 2 unless it's really dirty?

Compressed air (in a can) works well to clear the playfield before and after waxing. After cleaning, slide the playfield up on the rails and blow the dust down and off the playfield. After waxing, do it again to get residual wax dust (inevitable) off the playfield. Some ends up on the floor, some ends up in the bottom of the cab, but it does get most everything off the playfield. Including from areas you can't reach with a rag or swiffer.

I generally don't wax any game less than 20 years old. Games that new usually still have plenty of clearcoat left and play plenty fast without waxing. Not a popular opinion in the collector community, but that's how I do it.

Wax isn't a cleaner. If you read the label of most any wax, it will tell you to clean (the car) first. If you must wax, clean first. Novus 1 or 2. Stern recommends Novus 2.

This ^^

Novus 2 is technically a light scratch remover, typically for plastic surfaces. It's an effective surface cleaner, but keep in mind that it's also an abrasive.

No need for Novus 2 on a brand new playfield. Just wax and play. I use novus 2 (lightly) every few hundred plays. It removes fine scratches and ball trails from the clear coat, effectively restoring it to like-new smoothness. Afterward I put on a light coat of Blitz Wax (a brand of carnuba wax). I should probably do 2 coats, but I only do 1. I'm leery of making my games too fast.

Here's one last tip. Most of the dirt, black rubber residue, etc on the surface of the playfield can be removed by simply wiping the playfield down with a moist rag (not dripping wet, just moist). That way you won't have to use nearly as much novus 2.

I've been told that baby wipes work wekk to get rid of the light dirt / rubber residue, although I wonder if they have some added lotion that would get left behind. Would certainly keep your playfield smelling sweet.
Paul. Editor, pavlovpinball.com

Keep the baby wipes for the baby.

I like CP-100 though I have read it has been discontinued. I would not use it on anything with mylar though because it also breaks down any sticker adhesion. It is mostly made of Naptha.

Novus 2 is a great abraisive cleaner - but it is abraisive, so it's not an "everyday cleaner". It's meant for dirt you won't get off with Novus 1 or to get the micro-scratches from the clearcoat making it shiny again.
A lot of problems i've seen on older pins i buy are related to to much cleaning and especially to using far to aggessive cleaners. If you're using abraisives for every single cleaning, you're slowly cleaning your pin to death.

Waxing (or likewise sealing) after cleaning is a MUST! The wax is there to protect the clearcoat, strange that some don't wax arguing "there is still enough clearcoat"??? Clearcoat should not wear off at all or at least as little as possible, that's why you apply wax. Nice side effect of protecting the playfield with wax is that it also gets shiny and fast.

Does anyone wax with Mylar playfield? I haven't done this yet, because I'm not really sure I see the benefit to waxing the Mylar.

I don't wax mylar. I just scrub it down with Novus 2, and then shine it up with Novus 1.

I clean non mylar PF's with Novus 2 in only the heavy ball-trail areas, and then Novus 1 everywhere else, then finish it off with a carnauba wax.

I put the wax on in an even coat, let it dry for about 20 minutes, and then buff it. I've heard people who say to buff it while it's still wet, but I don't think it works as well as you're essentially just taking the wax you just laid down, right off.

Ok. That's pretty much what I was thinking. Thanks!!

Wax isn't a cleaner. If you read the label of most any wax, it will tell you to clean (the car) first. If you must wax, clean first. Novus 1 or 2. Stern recommends Novus 2.

I get that, but Vid (and maybe others; I don't remember) is saying not to use Novus 2 often as it's an abrasive. I'm not sure what I should use to clean before waxing if I shouldn't be using Novus 2.

Depending on how bad it is (and what game) I will usually remove old mylar patches, clean and wax underneath, then lay down new mylar. Once that is done, the mylar is good to go for a LONG time.

However, if I leave it on (if it is over an older PF, my HS for example), I will use the treasure cove kit on the mylar. Always comes out looking VERY nice!

When a car wax says "wash car first", they are instructing you to rinse away grit and grime that could scratch your paint if it contaminated the wax application pad.

Novus2 is an abrasive. A fine grit that wears away some of your playfield, to "sand down" the surface of the playfield to the depth of the deepest scratches.

So Novus2 is not "cleaning" your playfield, it is grinding it down.

=

Think if every time you cleaned your wood floor, you sanded it clean with very fine sandpaper.

It would certainly have the dirt removed from it's surface, but also it would not take too long until you sanded all the way through the clear finish to the wood below.

So I'm willing to bet you don't sand your wood floors every time you clean them.

You probably just vacuum to get any grit off and then wipe with a damp mop.

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Your pin is the same idea.

Vacuum up any dust or crud, wipe with a damp cloth, and wax for protection.

You don't need any fancy chemicals.

You don't need any fancy abrasives.

You don't need any fancy rituals.

Anything you wipe across the playfield is abrasive to some degree, including the rag. Novus 2 is a very mild abrassive, just like the rag you use. The toothpaste you brush your teeth with twice a day is about 4 or 5 times more abrasive than Novus 2. Read the MSDS sheets and see for yourself.

Do you have any evidence of this? Everyone who makes claims like this never back it up with pics. I've operated a couple of dozen new and used games over the last few years an none have ever shown signs of being cleaned too much. A few were worn from being played a lot, but never any 'damage' from cleaning. If you're going to throw stuff like that out, you need to back it up. Show me a playfield less than 20 years old with obvious cleaning damage.

Wax is designed to protect automotive finishes from things like rain, snow and sleet. Not to protect a wooden playfield from a steel ball.

It's an age old trick that operators use to shorten ball times and increase earnings.

Novus 2 is the only product Stern recommends for cleaning their games. See for yourself a the link below.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&as_q=novus&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sternpinball.com%2F&as_occt=any&safe=images&tbs=&as_filetype=&as_rights=

Not really, I use BioRepair, it brushes on enamel...
On the other hand i wouldn't clean my playfields with toothpaste and brush, for that matter.

Pins, not playfields. Yes, tons of times, mostly aprons were the print was cleaned off, messed up backglasses, sometimes plastics loosing print. I don't think you will seriously question this?

I'm recommending to always use the most gentle cleaning method for your pins which will get the job done. It's a general statement.

Anyway, how would anyone ever prove the damage of Novus 2 on a playfield? It would make it wear quicker, so the ball would damage the paint earlier, looking like it was "played a lot" much sooner than it would have had to.
It's just a simple calculation of how much coat you take off with every run and how often you do it. Probably it's only theoretical to get to the paint one day, but why stress it if it's just not necessary?

Correct. But what's wrong with having the ball roll on a layer of wax instead of directly on the clearcoat? And it also makes the playfield nice and shiny.

I like my games hard. And it also makes the playfield nice and shiny.

Seen it, thanks!

The cynic in me says that Stern wants operators to wear out their games faster so they need to be replaced, lol. But I'm sure it's just some boilerplate that get copied into every manual.

Steve Ritchie says he designs his games to be played waxed.

So if you want your Stern game to play like the master intended, wax it.

The main objection to regular use of Novus 2 is the fact that it is a polish. All polishes are abrasive. Again: ALL POLISHES ARE ABRASIVE. That's how polish works.

So you don't need a polish to clean a playfield. You need a polish only if you want to remove fine swirls and scratches.

So to clean the playfield (remove dirt) you should use something that isn't abrasive (i.e., not a polish). Plenty of options, and I know people use Novus 1 for this purpose, but since it is designed for plastic, I don't. I use a cleaner that has polymers in it, which isn't abrasive, and it helps to maintain the integrity of your coat of wax:

http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-opti-clean-32.html

This product can also be used on the plastics.

You will never have to worry about using too much of this product. I wipe my playfield down with it pretty much any time that I have to remove the glass.

I like Novus 2 to clean ball trails and really ground in dirt. Sometimes you also need the Novus 2 to bring back the shine if you *had* to use a magic eraser.

I like Novus 1 for a wipedown. I make sure to keep the microfiber rag wet, then I immediately come back and dry it up with another microfiber rag. If you use it though, I've always felt I needed to wax again. I may be wrong on this, but I believe the alcohol in the Novus 1 will pull the wax off with it.

For waxing, I use Blitz carnauba wax as vid suggests. I also believe all playfields should be waxed, even new ones. It's about protection more than the speed. Lower the incline if you think it's too fast, but at least you get a nice protective slippery layer between the steel ball and the thin clear coat.

Just whatever you do, don't make the mistake of trying to clean too fast. Slow and methodical wins the race when it comes to cleaning something like this, IMO.

Makes sense. Thank you for your detailed explanation.

How long have you been using this, Rob? Do your playfields looks as clean to you using this compared to a Novus 2 cleaning?

Novus 2 is perfectly fine to use on modern (90s and newer) playfields.

Wax is not necessary, however it will reduce friction (so faster ball movement) and make it easier to wipe dirt from the playfield in future, light cleanings, until you need to use Novus 2 again for deep cleaning.

The product that I linked to is for lighter type of cleaning. It will not remove heavy black grime that has been ground into the PF. That would require a heavier duty cleaner (Meguiar's All Purpose Cleaner would work well), and that may need to be followed up with a polish (similar to Novus 2).

I'm going to give it a shot. Thanks for the recommendation.

Every time you have the glass off, check your balls for nicks - nothing chews up a playfield like a nicked ball.

If you have not played a game in a few months and you live in an area that has humidity (or a basement), check the balls for tiny rust pits that form during inactivity. These carve ball trails in only a few games.

I put new balls in before and after any show (the game will get more plays in 4 days than it gets all year.

If you go to look at a game for sale from a non-pinhead, take new balls! Those 25 year old ones are rolling sandpaper.

At $1.16 for the super shiny ones, they are super cheap insurance.

http://www.titanpinball.com/products_results.php?Search=1&ProductCategoryID[]=11

How often should you wax the play field

Depends on how much play it gets.

The games I used to have on my route were waxed bi-weekly.

Home games might only need 2x a year.

I always wax before and after any show - again, the game will get more plays in 4 days than an entire year.

I would wax 2 times and be done . Just like a car or truck, if wax more than 2 times, you end up removing the wax layers.