I've read enough here and around the Internet to gather that pinball was considered commercial equipment and therefore was not subject to the 1978 US lead paint ban. I've also gathered that it's safe to assume that pretty much anything from WMS and earlier contains at least some lead paint.
I've also read mixed things about the 21st century, so I'm wondering if anyone has any firsthand knowledge - does Stern still use lead paint today? If not, when did they stop?
Thanks!
And do you still beat your wife?
Quoted from volcanolotus:I've also read mixed things about the 21st century
Up late bored and drinking? I don't trust products from China, which have been shown to contain lead, but what is your paranoia about the century we are living in now?
Pinball machines may be considered commercial equipment by the industry, but the US regs defined them as consumer goods, and were covered by the ban -
§1303.1 Scope and application.
(2)(b) This ban applies to the products in the categories described in paragraph (a) of this section that are manufactured after February 27, 1978, and which are “consumer products” as that term is defined in section 3(a)(1) of the Consumer Product Safety Act. Accordingly, those of the products described above that are customarily produced or distributed for sale to or for use, consumption, or enjoyment of consumers in or around a household, in schools, in recreation, or otherwise are covered by the regulation.
Stern incorporated in 1999 and had purchased Sega which had operated since '95. Although I don't have first hand knowledge, it would have been illegal for them to use lead at any point. I don't think there have been reports of lead in Sterns, so what are you in search of here?
http://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?mfgid=302&sortby=name&searchtype=advanced
Assume any game before 1979 has lead paint. Do not sand without proper PPE and make sure you are not exposing others to lead.
I work for a chemical company that provides pretreatment chemistry for paint lines and one of my accounts does all the painting for Stern and other pinball manufacturers. They have actually done the painting for them and going back a long while for Williams and Bally as well. Not lead paint currently. Just your general industrial TGIC powder paint. Not sure what it was back in the day.
Quoted from adaman25:Just your general industrial TGIC powder paint. Not sure what it was back in the day.
Made me think of this.
Lead was in Paint WELL into the 90s and early 2000s for industrial applications, of which pinball (or at least parts of the manufacturing process) count. So wear a mask.
Mmm.....paint chips....I’d be far more worried about the lead solder were vaporizing than than dumb paint my friend.
Quoted from Black_Knight:I don't think there have been reports of lead in Sterns, so what are you in search of here?
There's one response downthread saying that lead paint was used into the 2000s. Here's another from a person who I think is generally considered to be an authority on restoration, yes?
So what I'm looking for is just what I asked - it seems from what I've read that everyone in the pinball industry used lead paint up through sometime in the 2000s. It also seems that no one is using it now. Stern (or Data East/Sega) existed in both of those times, so they must have stopped at some point. I was wondering if anyone knew when. There's a lot of knowledge here, so it seemed like someone might have a definitive answer, or at least be willing to share games they've tested themselves and the results.
I did contact Stern directly to ask but never got a response.
And I'm pretty sure solder vaporizes around 450 degrees C - if a pin is getting that hot it seems like lead would be the least of concerns... 
Well Vid’s post was vague and didn’t really say it was used either it’s just a warning to be careful.
You are never going to get a positive answer from someone that really knows since that would be admitting breaking the law.
If you want an answer just buy these and let us know the results -
Quoted from volcanolotus:There's one response downthread saying that lead paint was used into the 2000s. Here's another from a person who I think is generally considered to be an authority on restoration, yes?
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-ultimate-playfield-restoration/page/15#post-1575381
So what I'm looking for is just what I asked - it seems from what I've read that everyone in the pinball industry used lead paint up through sometime in the 2000s. It also seems that no one is using it now. Stern (or Data East/Sega) existed in both of those times, so they must have stopped at some point. I was wondering if anyone knew when. There's a lot of knowledge here, so it seemed like someone might have a definitive answer, or at least be willing to share games they've tested themselves and the results.
I did contact Stern directly to ask but never got a response.
And I'm pretty sure solder vaporizes around 450 degrees C - if a pin is getting that hot it seems like lead would be the least of concerns...
The definitive answer is probably “when we ran out of the last can”. If they stopped using it at all.
Industrial and commercial products and pre-products (like say a cabinet which is then shipped to the factory for assembly) just simply are not regulated to the same degree that consumer grade products are. I bet Zizzle never used lead paint! Haha.
You can test, but I genuinely think even Stern wouldn’t be able tell you.
Last: there appears to be no regulation for the use of “industrial” paint. Industrial as opposed to architectural or decorative - meaning used in a home. “Industrial” applications would be hospitals, paint of machinery, and oh. I guess gaming machines.
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