My mylar removal technique explained

[pinball god]

First off thanks to Retropin for his words of wisdom on this forum. No hair dryer used whatsoever......never.....and its cold in Melbourne right now, so no sun stuff either.....no heat.

I removed mylar from a funhouse where inserts were lifting and the mylar was bubbling around many inserts. So the choice to remove was simple; had to do it. Popular opinion is that it is very dangerous to remove factory fitted mylar and so I was concerned.

So enough of the preliminary stuff.

Step 1. tools used was a small sharp scapel, white spirits and a syringe and a rag to mop of excess fluid
Step 2. I have a playfield rotisserie and I used a block of wood on one end to have the pf tilted up/down and I also tilted it to the side a fraction. This enables the white spirits to remain against the mylar.
Step 3. use the scapel to gently lift a corner of mylar and then hit it with white spirits. I used the syringe to direct the spirits in the right spot.
Step 4. Gently lift more of the mylar with you fingers while hitting it with more spirits until you have enough lifted to get a good grip on it.
Step 5. Grip the mylar under tension and have the removed part as say 45 degrees. While under constant tension squirt more spirits and as it softens the glue you will see the mylar lift. You just keep the tension and the chemical will do the work. I found shaking my hand like I had the DT's assisted with the removal but keep the tension up.

[pinball god]

I found while I was holding the mylar under tension and refilling the syringe, I'd look back and a bit more mylar had been removed.

Step 6. If you feel a lot of tension and the mylar is staying put, this means you need more spirits. Squirt more and wait for the mylar to come off by itself, don't force it.
Step 7. Keep looking at the mylar coming off and check for any paint. If so stop and re-assess the situation and find/guess at a solution. I cut the small piece of lifting insert decal with the scapel and added more spirits
Step 8. keep going slowly until the job is done.

It took me about 2-3 hours to get this mylar off so I didn't beat any world speed records, but I had no paint loss except for where someone had done touchups previously (see unavoidable damage pic)

I have included the only damage I did do but I think I had no chance with that one as it was the worst raised insert on the pf and probably took a hammering

You can see from one picture the amount of glue residue left on the pf.

The final picture just shows the mylar coming off, but I'm not holding it as its hard while trying to photograph it

[pinball god]

The key to the process in my opinion:

1. Keep as much of the mylar under uniform tension as possible without trying to lift it yourself.
2. Let the chemical you are using do its job in lifting the mylar
3. Having the playfield on a slope and slant to allow your chemical to pool around the lifting mylar area helps greatly
4. take your time and if you find you are getting tired or impatient - stop and come back tomorrow

Hope this helps someone out there. Thanks for listening 

[pinnies4me]

Another great tip. I think one thing to watch for is that different solvents will work with different mylar, depending on the composition of the glue used. If white spirit is not working, worth trying metho or other solvents (taking care not to use one that attacks the ink!) White spirit seems the most useful though I have found.

[pinball god]

Another great tip. I think one thing to watch for is that different solvents will work with different mylar, depending on the composition of the glue used. If white spirit is not working, worth trying metho or other solvents (taking care not to use one that attacks the ink!) White spirit seems the most useful though I have found.

+1
I tried just Iso Alcohol first and got nowhere so fair point

[Retropin]

Glad you had success with this!
White Spirit is the perfect glue remover.. just dissolves it away.. then once dry, its glue again.
It is the only way i remove Mylar and even the most fragile of artwork can have mylar removed relatively safely.
If the paint has less grip than your mylar then the paint will come off.. simple law. Negate the glue on Mylar and paint is left behind.
if you could get White spirit under the whole section of Mylar at one time then the whole lot would just slide off like a water decal.

Cheers PG!! 

[femto]

Can you use white spirit to remove glue on a playfield that has had the mylar removed? If so do you just dampen a cloth with it and wipe away?

[pinball god]

White spirits is what I used exclusively. You can dampen the area and wipe or try the flour, white spirits, finger trick. What I have shown is a playfield that has had the mylar removed already if that makes it a little clearer

[Extra Ball]

just did a mylar removal on my Royal Flush, and used a hairdryer, with eucaluptus oil. The glue was very easy remove whilst still warm, if I let it cool then it was a little stubborn. I lost no paint, and the mylar covered 2/3's of the PF. Never knew about white spirits, will have to grab some from bunnings to try (not to drink lol).

[pinball god]

just did a mylar removal on my Royal Flush, and used a hairdryer, with eucaluptus oil. The glue was very easy remove whilst still warm, if I let it cool then it was a little stubborn. I lost no paint, and the mylar covered 2/3's of the PF. Never knew about white spirits, will have to grab some from bunnings to try (not to drink lol).

One for the playfield two for you never hurts. Makes mylar removal more pleasurable