Hi all Pinball Folks, ......... Just a quick update. ... I'm now waiting a day or so before spraying the playfield with some clear coat. I do this not so much to protect the surface, but to give all the sections of the playfield the same sheen, whether they've been 'worked on' or not. .... I've been going slowly with it over the last month. This is for a few reasons ... Firstly, I find the playfield work the most demanding part of the whole deal. I'm not a professional artist, and this machine had many and varied problems on its playfield. There was the area around the pop bumpers (which you'd expect to do), the pool table was a mess due to the wear and tear, and also a pretty ugly attempt to 'touch up'. There was also the guy's blue shirt, the yellow in places was not great, and there was some writing on the Gottlieb sign missing, and the sign generally was pretty poor. So, for me there comes a point where any further work actually creates as many problems as you are trying to fix. You got to know when to fold 'em, as the old song says.
After much thought I've decided to put down a one sheet mylar, after I do the clear coat. I've found that this is the most sure-fire way of protecting the playfield, and it makes it possible to use the game as if it were new. ... nothing will wear again, or chip or do anything where you find yourself re-doing some part of the playfield due to further ball wear etc. I just hate having to come back to a machine once I've done work on a playfield, and having to fix some part again due to further wear.
