I'm not sure what the problem is, the residue is the wax which is protecting the wood. I suppose if you wanted no residue and just shine use Novus 2. All wax has residue as that is the purpose behind applying a wax - a protective layer between the ball and the wood.

I think I prefer the Meguiar's Gold Class Carnuba Plus over the blitz.

Not sure yet though.

I use Mequiers Gold Class Carnuba Plus as well, have been for a couple years.

I think you are just using WAY too much wax on your applicator.

I use Mothers Pure Carnuba Wax, the non cleaner/non abrasive kind.
Any autopart store will have it. Not cheap but one container lasts a long time.
It works great for me, game is crazy fast after a fresh wax.
And like Vid said, you are prob using too much wax.
The idea is to apply a 'thin' invisible coat of wax on the playing surface.
Helps if you wet the applicator as well.
-matt

+1 for Mothers

Turtle wax ice...

What do you like about it?

there are some synthetics that do look promising, I just never experiment

Great example of why I never recommend this crap wax.

I know there are people that swear by it, but the difficulty in application and removal makes it an absolute non-starter, especially for a pin. My experience with it has been on cars, and it sucks.

This is what I'd recommend for a pin, as it is super easy to apply and remove (make sure to use *very* little and spread it thinly!):

http://www.autogeek.net/collinite-insulator-wax-845.html

Probably, but even using a little, I have found this wax to be very difficult to work with. Its on the bottom of my list of waxes that I've used...and I've used a ton of waxes over the years as auto detailing is another hobby of mine.

Blitz wax also stains black trim on cars. That would make me a bit concerned about using it on a pin around the plastics.

P21s is the only wax to use. With einszett 1z spruh wax in between waxings.

Awesome stuff for sure!

Gotta pay for it though.

Not quite as durable as some others but for me that's a plus. If rather know it's not going to become flaky over time and it can be removed if neCessary. I use it on my Maserati and is actually sold at the Maserati/ Ferrari dealer near my house. It's great stuff. But buy it online. It's cheaper.

http://www.1z-usa.com/einszett_spray_car_wax.html

I love this stuff. Smells good too

Carnauba

I like Wizard Wax Shine Master - Smells amazing too - http://www.amazon.com/Wizards-11033-Shine-Master-Polish/dp/B005ZH10O8/ref=sr_1_1

From my experience the Meguires gold carnuba paste is the way to go. Get it off Amazon (less than ten bucks). I used some other stuff before but this stuff has a great Sheen to it. And hell, the first time you wax it after you own it go crazy if you have to. You have no idea if the person you got the machine from that said "I took such good care of this and blah blah" had the same attention to detail you did. Once you get "you're" level of cleaning and scrubbing done, coat the hell out of it so you know its all protected. Yeah, you'll clean it up for a week, but after that its gravy. Just spend a little time on the places the ball travels most often after that and it should never change, depending on the amount of play. I've had to modify some of my pins a bit because it sends the ball places it shouldn't go because it's so damned fast.

This is normally very sound advise but be sure to read the directions first as some waxes tell you specifically not to do this while others recommend it. Not sure why the difference though.

I agree with most above. I always used Meguiar's Gold Class Carnuba and switched to Blitz thinking it would be better. Biggest disappointment in a pinball application. I say that as I did use some of it on my car and it worked really well with beading the water. Just runs right off now

I have also tried Turtle wax ice and it worked real well and created a real nice shine but I stopped using it as I got concerned that the watery nature of it could cause me problems down the road.

No mess no flakes no white residue good on all surfaces. It does not go on thick but it's easy to reapply as you clean your play field or use the three step process they offer. Also resistant to heat. Synthetics are awesome.

I've used Trewax Carnuba hard wax. It seems to work very well. This was recommended in the pinrepair manuals. BTW, yes I've had the same issues with Blitz wax as well.

Wildcat #125; Recommeded by Bally and MrBally. For EM's and early SS pins followed by a coat Griot's Garage Carnauba wax stick (paste wax).

For newer pins Novus #whatever followed by a coat Griot's Garage Carnauba wax stick (paste wax).

The new high tech synthetic waxes, usually leave no residue. Generally they do not stick to plastics either. These products contain petroleum distillate, and some form of silicone. They will hold up, but not as good as carnauba.

Think of the wax as a sacrificial layer, between the ball and your playfield. 2 or 3 thin layers applied and removed between applications, will be better than 1 thick coat. The thicker the coat, the harder it will be to remove.

Make that 2.

Well it doesn't exactly work that way.

Whether you apply the wax very thinly or really lay it on heavy, the layer left behind after you buff it off will be the same (assuming that you got full coverage).

There is great debate as to how much benefit there is to doing multiple coats. I would say that there is a general consensus on the auto detailing forums that it makes little sense to apply multiple layers of a pure carnauba wax.

Synthetics, on the other hand, can be layered to create a slightly thicker coat. The important thing is to allow each coat to cure thoroughly before applying the next coat, or it will not bond/layer properly. While some people will put up to 8 layers of a sealant on their car, this is of very questionable value. Many agree that 3 layers of a synthetic is probably the most that you can apply and still get some slight "layering".

But either way, applying the sealant thick and heavy will not leave behind a thicker coat than applying it thinly. In fact, the opposite can be true, because applying a sealant too thick can prevent it from bonding properly.

EDIT: I'm an idiot. I read your post completely wrong. What you said is accurate.

Thanks. I am an auto detailer, I have been doing this since 1982. The new products that are advertised as quick to use, usually do not hold up. The use of a wax/polymer on a pinball machine is important.

At work we rarely use paste carnauba. We use the new polymers. On my pins, I always use a Carnauba. It takes longer to use, but playfields are not as large as a black Escalade.

Is it only me using Novus 2 for whatever era the game is from? The playfield tend to be a bit frictionless for some time though.

I have a very nice POTC if you're looking to trade the Maserati - could maybe throw in a Whirlwind too!

Just go to the local car parts shop and get yourself a bottle of Autoglym red and gold wax. First apply red (you really don't need that much), let sit a while until it gets dried, then buff. This wax also cleans, but if the playfield is really dirty, You need something else to get the grime off of it before waxing.

When done, use the gold labeled Autoglym. This one is almost watery-like so let it soak in the rag and then spread all over playfield. It dries for quite a while; in most cases about 15 minutes is enough. When completely dried, buff with a very clean antistatic rag and have a beer. Or two beers.

I use one of Mequire's Carnuba wax products with great results. But, I'm going to switch the the "Wizard Wax Shine Master" purely based on its ridiculous name.

A friend of mine is big into auto detailing and has been using synthetic waxes on his cars with good results. Anyone have any specific synthetics they used?

I use Turtle wax, the carnuba type and it does a great job.

Lol. Gonna need quite a few more machines than that.

Novus 2 is not a wax, it is a "restoration polish". You really don't want to overuse the stuff. I pretty much only use it the first time I aquire an old pin and occasionally on dirty rubber.

For waxing the playfield I am using Turtle Wax liquid with good results.

This same thread comes up every 2 weeks.

Liquid waxes are just silicone. Great for beading water, not great for protecting the playfield from wear.

Easy "wipe on - wipe off" is code for silicone.

Novus is not a wax, it is an abrasive polish.

You want a NON CLEANER (again abrasive), NON SILICONE hard paste wax.

Here is what Novus says about using it on painted surfaces:

SCRATCHES.jpg

NOVUS-3.jpg

NOVUS-2.jpg

WAX.jpg

Is this the Mothers Wax everyone talks about? Is this a good price?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002U2V1O/ref=mp_s_a_1_3

Looks like all your solvent has evaporated.

With the EM's, be careful of waxes that contain any type of petroleum product. I can post a picture of the can I bought once I get home because I thought I bought pure carnuba wax. The gentleman that bought Royal Flush from me flipped the can around and sure enough there it is. From what I was told it can damage the playfield art work that isn't clear coated, and dry out the playfield. Most folks have said use just Novus2 on the playfield. Currently it is all I use. I do understand Novus2 is a light abrasive so I use it sparingly.

I think it's been mentioned that pure caruba wax would be too hard and un-workable without some type of additive, hence the pertroleum additives. I've been instructed by an OP with hundreds of machines, and servicing thousands, to use nothing but Novus2.

And yes, in the short time I've been here I've read several posts related to wax

Kinda like the thousands of oil threads on the Triumph websites lol.

Novus says to wax a painted surface after use to protect it.

Every time you use Novus, you wear off more of the playfield art.

I agree.

You might be able to throw out the top layer, but it looks wasted to me.

I would agree.

So, as a newbie that hasn't waxed any games yet and has only used Novus 1 for general cleaning of the playfield, my biggest concern on my games right now is removing the apparent ball tracks from the playfield. What would I use to wipe those off? Novus 2? And then afterwards, I am assuming I can lay down a layer of wax? I haven't done that yet, but it sounds like a really good idea. I don't want to damage my playfields by wearing them in too much without protecting them at all (which I haven't done in the year I've owned my machines).

Yep, Novus2 to remove the tracks, then a solid layer of hard paste wax (I'll suggest Blitz 1 Grand as a super long lasting choice).

If you keep it waxed on a regular basis, hopefully you won't need any more Novusing for a long time.

Replace your balls 2x a year on games with multiball or heavy play. Cheap way to keep playfield wear down to a minimum.

I use meguier's gold as it's a great cleaner and makes modern clearcoated games play and look the slickest while giving a decent coat of wax. I've recently at vid's suggestion tried Blitz($8 at pinballlife) and while it is a little more difficult to work with the long lasting depth of protection is better, the games play floaty and the waxy gameplay lasts longer between uses. I find best results when I apply it with a foam applicator($1 each at pinballlife). I also highly recommend new pinballs.

If anyone has a can of the Blitz 1 Grand handy, can they take a look at the can and see if it references any type of Petroleum additives? Have any of you folks used it for an extended period of time on non clear coated EM's?

What about 3M Car Show Paste Wax? Contains both Carnauba wax and fluropolymers.

I know I have used this on my car before and it seems to be one of the best.....

Your wax may have been frozen at one time, it does not look good. Time for some new stuff.

Mine does not say it has any, but you might have to call.

It does not smell like paint thinner - always a good sign, lol.