That is the only fix other than having the playfield professionally restored.

Just so you know that decal gray wont match. It's not even close.

Clean out the sanctum of any crap thats in it. Apply epoxy into the hole then smooth it out with sandpaper when its cured. then apply the decal and then mylar the decal.

can you use wood filler to fill out the wear and sand before applying the decal?

Wood filler generally shrinks and cracks over time. Epoxy won't. A lot of people use an epoxy by a company called dolphin but I have no personal experience with it.

thanks is there a type of epxoy to use?, i hear of dolphin glaze, but I think it is hard to come by
I seen a type of expoy filler in walmart, comes in a tube you mix the 2 putties together to make the expoy set, would that type of thing work?

Thanks

http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/u-pol-dolphin-glaze-finishing-putty-p-15125.aspx

That leaves more questions. If dolphin is so easy to sand doesn't that mean it is less hard than say epoxy auto body filler or JB weld? Looks like it is not a 2 part mix. That would make it easier to use but is it hard enough?

All epoxy is easy to sand. Doesn't really have to do with its hardness. Granite is hard and you can sand it

One of my friends uses JB weld. It's a bitch to sand.

The Dolphin Glaze is a 2 part mix and will work perfect for this type of application. Use the high viscosity version. It is hard to find (Internet or see if your local auto body shop will sell you some), but is so much easier to work with when you have divots or shallow worn areas.

i use marine epoxy. so far, the strongest fix i've experienced...

-jon

The decal is one option but as pointed out by Pinchroma the color is not a close match. That's the primary reason I opted to paint, clear and mylar the repair instead. In either case you will need to repair the damage first and either an epoxy or epoxy based wood filler will work fine. I used JB Weld and it has held up very well. I didn't find it particularly difficult to sand and level.

If you decide to go this route, and you can do it yourself, search here on Pinside as there are numerous postings on the procedure and materials used.

Good luck!

The decal is a just a sticker. Mylar is basically adhesive backed clear vinyl

I would live with it unless you fix it properly with methods above. The decal to me would be like putting a bumper sticker over a rust hole. I have seen some nice work when searching the forum here.

Revell is an enamel. You want to use an acrylic.

Best color match can be found at Michael's for around $2. I used it straight from the bottle and it's a near perfect match. You'll need to clear after touch-up.

Manufacturer: Plaid
Brand: Apple Barrel Colors
Item #: 20526 - Country Grey.
Size: 2 oz.

Steve (in Escalon, CA)

Don't forget every ones grey is different due to wear age and fading. You want to colour match your faded play field not a new one

Regards David

I'm new to touch-ups, but have a spot or two on my ES I'd like to fix. Is painting with a brusk OK, or is it preferred to use an airbrush? Can you use the same paints with an airbrush?

Airbrush is better, but a brush is ok. You can use the same paints but they will have to be thinned for an airbrush.

For larger spots I would go with the airbush, but that's me. You can also feather the edges which helps them blend in.

If you are going to brush add some Floetrol to the paint and use a high quality paint brush in order to minimize brush strokes. Sand afterwards with fine grit to level out.

The proper fix is definitely to epoxy, sand, etc. But not everyone has those skills. It is ok to simply apply the sticker and do nothing else. You do not need to prep first nor do you need to Mylar over the sticker. The sticker, itself is made of a mylar like material and withstands abuse. Even if it didn't just buy another sticker a year later and apply. It's cheap and easy. The sticker does not match very well. However it is still a lot better looking than the wear spot without it.

It would have been nice if the sticker was the same color as the coverage area.

The area MUST be perfectly flat to work properly. If so, the sticker alone will suffice and no filling or painting is necessary. In many instances this is not the case and the area will require repair first.

My Shadow looked similar but the wood was beginning to splinter under the paint and would have become problematic without repairing the area first.

Here is a link that talks about the repair in that area. There are links in the thread to two other threads. Great reads.

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sanctum-wear-on-ts

It doesn't need to be perfectly flat. If its starting to dimple and look ugly but not splintering then it can work fine. I've stickered over a few like this and the lock mech works fine after. I've heard of odd cases where the magnet isn't strong enough to pull the ball out of the divot but have yet to actually see that. If your lock is working now with the pf divot then it still will be after just slapping a sticker over it.

That very well may be true but why in the world would you sticker over a problem area that will only get worse with time. Repair it properly to begin with and be done with it.

This may be a stupid question, but why do they keep producing stickers that are a bad color match?

The only good reason is that they are selling them.