i have always wondered why people try to remove mylar.?...if the mylar looks in good condition, and has no hassles, why remove it....espescially since it was designed to protect the playfield.
...given machines are getting more and more rare, i would have thought removing mylar will only lead to a quicker worn playfield. its unusual that people seem to think that a factory mylared pin is not as good or worth as much as a non mylared pin... each to their own....thats just my opinion...rightly or wrongly.
..we all know that a pristine playfield lies under the mylar, but alot of new pinball collectors shld be reminded of the extreme dangers in attempting to remove mylar.thats the only reason for my post.i hope your phantom pin comes up a treat but this post has only reminded me to leave mine alone. i was seriously thinking about giving it a go, but not anymore. sorry mate, hope one of the guys can help out n get her fixed up.
p.s -
i had a go at fixing a translite and farked it up bigtime, you r not alone in having a go and having unhappy results, trust me.
Your post has sensible validity, if i could go back in time....i would! I belive i have seriously screwed up a playfield piece of art that i had no business touching. Im extremely pissed that i started it. But as i said earlier, ive now started it, and there is no turning back now.
Ive seen/played mylar removed pins, and they look and feel fantastic. This is why i decided to do mine. I thought and researched for some time and made a decision to remove the mylar, i really cant say it was a wrong decision at the time, but its a decision i made.
As said before, i truley think i was unlucky with mine, and a bit of noobie came into it as well. But, im prepared to ride it out, and do the best i can to bring it back to life.
As i see it, there's no right way or wrong way to do anything......just deal with what you have got at the time, thats my philosophy anyway 
Sorry to hear your dramas, but you are correct a playfield without mylar plays much faster and smoother, Mylar tends to haze up over time which seems to cause slight friction slowing ball speed, you can obviously polish this out but is does reappear over time. So I can understand your reasons for removing it, I would have definately done the same if I were restoring the game.
