This stuff happens more than you would think for tempered glass. People do not read the requirements, only the size! So hopefully they replace it quick, & I will order more for this year. I am ready to get the last 4 Star Gazer ready for sealing, & working on the 20 Seawitch.

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Still with my health problems all playfields here should ship by December. Start up with another 20 of Star Gazer & Seawitch before the end of 2020.

Here is pictures of the playfields in production. I picked up the lone Star Gazer from the printer. Had to do some more weep hole repairs around lenses to 1 test Seawitch & 4 remaining Star Gazer. Still doing epoxy repairs to the first 20 production ones. Finally after 2+ weeks finally managing my constant pain & poor sleep. Saw my doctor on Friday, sending me again for hip x-ray since the last one was 2019 (had a mri done 2019).

Still trying to get what is here at the shop done & shipped before xmas 2020. My early retirement was October 7 from my 6 day a week job of 24+ years. So now I can do pinball or other service work in the future until I drop dead! Not much of a pension for my wife & I (56 years old).

For 2021 I still hope to meet any demand for these 2 titles. But it is extremely hard to get lenses molded. Marco Specialties is one of the few trying with myself to get Northern Precision Plastics involved. Foremost Plastics is even harder to deal with. So until I can source the few large number lenses. I will not be cutting anymore playfields. CPR got 700 of the yellow arrows for Stern production from me this Fall.

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I go to the shop almost every day & peg away. Finally sleeping better the last week, & not much hip & leg pain. I see my surgeon the end of the month, & will get x-rays again for my hip.
My goal is to have all the playfields at the shop done before xmas & gone. The 20 Seawitch production playfields are getting final epoxy repairs around lenses. Should see them going for printing mid November - early December. I will be ordering the needed lenses in December from Northern Precision Plastics. More Seawitch & Star Gazer playfields will be cut in December.
Working through my health issues, but I am happy to retire from nearly 25 years with my City. Not missing the grind of 6 day a week, 48 hours straight time in my union contract. The stress has gone from having to deal with this job! Still happy to spend my retirement working on pinball, & other amusement stuff.

Listened to Kaneda about Mirco Playfields. His theory about uv inkjet printing is wrong. My best guess is that the playfields are not being allowed to cure properly over time. The biggest thing I have said for about 12 years is you do not finish clear coats until there is no evident ink smell! Also maybe not enough sealer coat is being done before inking the playfields. CPR & Mirco have switched to uv inkjet production. It still is not 100% bullet proof for production contrary to what is said. Also there are all kinds of variables in playfield production. Which I find interesting being in the smallest group of playfield manufacturers.

Had to focus on some service work since my last post. The local operator has restrictions on operations, & has had a location shut down for months. The last 2 days I have been fighting a cold, & hopefully see my surgeon on Friday. Met with my cardboard box manufacturer & placed a order for 50 outside playfield box later this month. They will be moving to another location early December along with the equipment. So the 24 inside box are left to get out the playfields this year 2020. The tempered glass arrived at the printer late last week, & should start printing. The lone Star Gazer is going out, & the last group is still getting ready for printing. The 20 Seawitch production should still be printed this year & hopefully all cleared & gone by xmas. I will update on the 23rd, a month before xmas.

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4 Star Gazer & 1 last Seawitch test going to the printer. Very close to pushing through the 20 Seawitch production playfields over the next few weeks to the printer.

The playfields got to the printer & I got 4 Star Gazer & 2 Seawitch backglass. Cardboard outside box (50) for playfields ready for pick up next week. Got to see my surgeon today. I will have to wait until my right hip is extremely bad, he said it could be 9 months or 9 years. I have to just keep active until I can barely move, or the pain gets really bad. The 20 Seawitch production playfields should all be at the printer the first 3 weeks of December, & hopefully all gone before the end of the year. 12 more Star Gazer playfields will be cut early December, & 24 Seawitch before xmas. The lense order will be going out the end of the month.

Up early, & will up the next Star Gazer cnc order to 20 playfields over the next few weeks. Hopefully this takes care of any remaining demand for the next 6 months, & start ramping up Seawitch over the winter months to meet that demand.

Not so bad surgery is free in Canada.

Plywood for 20 Star Gazer playfields went into the sign shop that does the cnc work. 50 outside playfield cardboard box to the workshop. I just got a new sander & will go over the Seawitch playfields before they get sealed. The goal is to have the 20 Seawitch playfields all inked before xmas, & some finished clear before that also.

There will be 6 sheets of plywood, hard maple both sides baltic birch core 1/2" cut into Star Gazer playfields (24) done in December. It does not mean I focus on these. They are to keep me busy until the next batch of Seawitch playfield blanks are cut, about 28.
I am down to the last 4 to receive major epoxy repairs, & then inspected for any final epoxy repairs (weep holes around lenses). So the 16 are ready for sealing (minimum 2 coats) & then off to the printer in batches over the next 3 weeks before xmas. So 20 production Seawitch should be all printed by xmas, & hopefully some finished clear coat ones on the way over the holidays.

The last Seawitch test playfield & 4 Star Gazer playfields were picked up from the printer & went for finish clear coats. I have changed up my production procedures & the production Seawitch playfields 5-10 will be at the printer next week. The goal is all for printing before xmas & most finish clearcoats. Things are speeding up now that I am retired & contractors can fast track stuff due to Covid demand! Even the next group of playfields should be cut this month.

9 of 20 ready to try again for 2 coats of sealing before printing. 11 very close, more epoxy repairs around lenses today. Now that I am retired & Covid restrictions I spend just about every day working on playfields. Still trying to get all printed before xmas. So the glass saga continues with 9 of 15 tempered glass (NO STAMP LOGO) at the printer being chipped (before tempering) or scratched at the factory. I had a Seawitch with a chip in the corner already printed, & going out to a customer over 3 years ago as a free warranty replacement. So another 20 tempered blanks that might show up before the end of 2020 & they will credit me the 9 in 2021. Manufacturing anything is hard these days, & playfields are a real beast!

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Finally got my lense order done for 3/4" & 1" trans blue circle lenses for Seawitch & Star Gazer for 2021. There is a real problem with getting things needed this year!

Fighting a cold the last 2 days. Got the spray booth ready, & picked up the finish cleared playfields. Most have some minor issues, & I will be reaching out to those guys that wanted the Star Gazer. The last Seawitch test had lenses off mostly near the top & right arrow.

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New can of paint for the backs. Gave them 2 coats today. Worked on sanding & sealing Seawitch production playfields.

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The first 6 of 20 Seawitch production playfields on thicker game board are ready to go to the printer this week, & should have more ready soon (this week).

The 6 Seawitch production went to the printer a few hours ago. Talked with him, & let him know all 20 will be there before xmas!

Got word today the next 24 Star Gazer playfields are now cutting. The next group of Seawitch for the printer should go in next week. Still trying to get all in before xmas, but it looks like the rest if not ready will go in before the end of the year. So it looks like the next group of about 30 Seawitch may start cutting before the end of the year. I would guess that the 2500 trans blue 3/4" & 1" round lenses from Northern Precision Plastics should arrive in January.

Boxed the 4 Star Gazer playfields tonight, & will reach out to interested parties. The last Seawitch test went out last week. No word from the printer on the first 6 production Seawitch. 4 more wrapped & ready to go. Maybe more ready before xmas, or the latest before the end of the year.

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20 Stern tempered glass blanks were to be delivered to the printer Wednesday, & 9 going back that were scratched or chipped for credit. The sign shop had the 24 Star Gazer playfields cut, & I started these to keep me busy over the holidays. So 6 Seawitch getting finish clear coats, & 5 at the printer. I will have another bunch or all remaining ones at the printer next week. The trans blue lenses are ready to ship when they return after Jan. 4 from Illinois, 3/4" & 1". I bought 2500 each & 1000 each will be sold to Marco Specialties. There is a real world problem sourcing lenses made in the USA, & it seems more are coming from China. The sign shop wanted me to hold off the next 32 Seawitch blanks until January for cutting. Happy Holidays!

***Price Increase On Star Gazer & Seawitch Playfields 2021 to $700 US Each*** I will extend the $600 US price until January 15, 2021 on Star Gazer, & January 31, 2021 on Seawitch. If you have not shown interest in the past with a email to [email protected], or a pm here. Please contact me to lock in the old price. Star Gazer playfields available in January, & hopefully all prepaid Seawitch in January. Already well into the next 24 Star Gazer, & the next 32 Seawitch should cut in January. So the 20 production Seawitch will be shipping in January & on to the next 32. The playfields in the future will be either printed & finish clear ready to ship. Or be standing by printing & finish clear coats. I am now fulltime into the pinball stuff now that I retired from my grinding 48 hour job the last 25 years. Shipping to USA/Canada is still $50 US.

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People are good with previous price if they contacted me.

Should have the last few Star Gazer lenses installed Tuesday (seen on left). I am missing 3/4" trans blue circle lenses which have been manufactured & here before mid. January. Same with 1" ones (Seawitch), I have 1500 of each & 1000 each going to Marco Specialties. Pacing the printer & clear coat guy so remaining Seawitch production playfields will be sealed this week. Missing a few 1" opaque red lenses which I will order in from PBR.

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Seawitch prepaid guys (who still have not got their playfield) please reach out to me again with your shipping info, phone number, & email. The 20 production playfields will be shipping in January 2021! Here is more info on my search for more playfield titles to work on now that I am retired. Got to keep busy!

So I will not do work that others are doing or can do again, or that people seem to have in the works (please let me know!). Seawitch prepaid guys left with out a playfield (many took a test version previously). The production 20 are slightly delayed as I have to pace the printer & clear coat contractor. As of Dec. 30, 6 finished clear & will be picked up next week, 5 in for finish clear, & the other 9 left likely 5 or 6 to the printer next week. The future pace is likely 4-6 with the printer or finish clear coat contractor every week. The new model now that I am retired & spend usually 8-12 hours at the workshop is to finally plow through projects in a TIMELY fashion. The new business model 2021 is to eventually have 2-4 of each playfield finished & ready to ship on hand, & have finished playfields ready to go to the printer when the number drops below 2. Art needs to be print ready (not a easy task!) which means full size test prints are done, corrections made, & you can not have for example wood or lense color in the file (that would be printed). A new playfield project art ready to go is going to be a 2-4 month process to do! Any project would likely move forward if realistically a minimum of 20 playfields could be sold in 2 years. Before anything gets rolling if licensing is required it would need the green light. In the future I am going to refrain from posting in threads about trying to get a certain title in the works. If art is print ready 300 dpi please contact me & I will see if it is possible. So for my fan club that keeps going on about the slow progress of my past Star Gazer & Seawitch production over the last 7+ years. Pinball Production is HARD! when you have a 6 day regular job & the sole worker as a hobby venture. All the Star Gazer prepaid guys have their playfields along with many new buyers previously, & many of the Seawitch prepaid & new customers have received test versions over the last year+. Production Seawitch playfields 20 will be gone in January 2021, & I will have 32 going in for cnc in January (they did not want them in over the holidays. Seawitch & Star Gazer 2021 playfields are waiting on the 3/4" & 1" trans blue circle lenses that I had made from Northern Precision Plastics. They should ship next week after they return from holiday vacation week for the business. Happy New Year!