Phantom of the Opera Restoration Part 1-Mylar Removal

[wingtipvortex]

Got the idea into my head to finally remove the mylar, and reveal that shiney, untouched playfield from POTO.  It didn't go exactly as i had hoped.

Read up on different techniques of performing this operation,  and decided on de- solv- it and freeze spray methods.  Used de-solv-it first up,  and found it to be ok. It was doing what i thought it should be doing. 

Then my worst nightmare happened,  insert paint started to lift. So i sprayed and waited.....and waited.....lifted a little more.  More paint lifted.  Everywhere else where i pulled the mylar was fine,  no paint lifting whatsoever.  So i then decided to use the freeze spray, this for me worked well. Very minimal paint lifting.  The only thing was,  now i had goo to remove(which is a bit of a chore i found, but not too much of a hassle).

Ive stopped progress at the moment as im approaching a tone of inserts near the organ assembly.  Im going to have a deep think about why my insert paint is lifting?  Did i rush it?  Was it unavoidable?  I dont know at this stage, so ill just sit on it for a bit.

In my opinion so far,  it is a disaster.  There was really nothing wrong with the mylar to begin with. Nothing a good Novus 1,2,3 couldn't have improved.

So it looks like im in for a bit of artwork repainting and matching( a fair bit ),  but thems the brakes i guess.  Here's some pics of what ive aptley named "CHERNOBYL"
 

[Strangeways]

It is always a great risk in removing mylar - even though the rewards are great with a successful removal. I don't think there was anything "wrong" with you technique. Insert lift is "hit and miss" - very hard to predict. You might need to source a set of decals (if they are made) - and lay down fresh mylar like MartyJ did on his T2.

Don't stress too much - We have all been through this. I destroyed a 9/10 Playboy removing mylar.

[pinball god]

Sorry to hear about the disaster. I'm going to try another mylar removal soon. BTW did the de-solv-it get rid of the glue left by the freeze spray and was it time consuming and hard work to remove?

[Extra Ball]

you were just unlucky

[wingtipvortex]

BTW did the de-solv-it get rid of the glue left by the freeze spray and was it time consuming and hard work to remove?

Yes it did, but not how i thought it would come off.  What i found to be most effective was to pump a fair amount of desolvit on to areas 10cmx10cm at a time.  Then rub the area with my finger to gather the leftover residue into "clumps". Left it to eat away for 20 mins,  then sprayed some more,  rubbed some more,  then using a razor blade ( VERY CAREFULLY ) slid it along the playfield and collected the leftover adhesive.  I was supprised at the ease in which it comes off,  leaving a clean shiney playfield. Mind you,  i repeated this 2 or 3 times in most areas until it all came off.

I tried using cloths to remove it,  but i found it frustrating having to repeat it over and over.

Ive spent around 10 hours all up so far on this, still have the upper half to go.

Regarding decals, im not sure there are any for this, i haven't come across any as yet.  If someone has any idea if they are available please let me know.

Cheers,
Andy.

  

[MartyJ]

I had a quick look at classic-arcades.com as they have many insert decals.  None for POTO unfortunately.

[SPURR]

I have had good results using a heat gun not a hairdrier because I find the hotter you get the mylar the easier it lifts and leaves the glue fully intact. Removing the glue wont lift letters of the inserts. So get a some cardboard cut a hole the size of a playing card place it over the insert then heat, the mylar should crimple up like old skin it should lift easily. So far I have used alot of heat, that hot you cant touch it and up to now I have'nt damaged one PF as yet.

[wingtipvortex]

Thanks for the tips and help   Here is a pic of the centre insert,  by the looks of it, flasher heat had already sealed the fate of the artwork.

[pinball god]

Jeez I'm seeing stuff I've never seen before. Thanks for the explaination on how you removed the glue. Can't believe the time it has taken. Good to see you have some patience, especially after the bad luck with the mylar removal.  Interested in the progress of your restore. As far as your next move, I reckon heat may be the go as I don't know of anyone doing freeze on non clear coat playfield except for me trying for the first time.

Although it seems it'll take me as along a time to remove the glue via the freeze method, I've got so much freeze spray left, I thought I'd try it initially and if its successful do the whole job. If not, I'll definitely do the heat method.

[MartyJ]

There is another POTO on Ebay at the moment...

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Phantom-of-the-Opera-Pinball-Machine_W0QQitemZ180407772510QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_15?hash=item2a0124255e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

I don't know what they are worth, but maybe worth looking for a parts machine and one with a good playfield for yours?

[wingtipvortex]

There is another POTO on Ebay at the moment...

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Phantom-of-the-Opera-Pinball-Machine_W0QQitemZ180407772510QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_15?hash=item2a0124255e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

I don't know what they are worth, but maybe worth looking for a parts machine and one with a good playfield for yours?

Sold for $1825, not a bad price for that one, a tad too much for me at this stage. They do come up every now and again for a little less.
I will look for another i think, cant hurt to have spare parts.

[AskJacob]

let me know the diameter of that burnt insert - I may have a NOS one that will fit.

any little bit I can do to help out.

Cheers
Jacob

[Strangeways]

At this point you have a playfield with mylar removed.

The next result is a vibrant and colorful playfield with missing art on the inserts and some paint lift

Trying to be as positive as I can - You just need to find pictures, or a scan of a good playfield and then produce your own decals. You can then look at clearcoating the playfield, or laying fresh mylar.

All is not lost !

You could even contact the producers of current decals sets - they may have enough numbers to reproduce a set ?

[pinball god]

At this point you have a playfield with mylar removed.

The next result is a vibrant and colorful playfield with missing art on the inserts and some paint lift

Trying to be as positive as I can - You just need to find pictures, or a scan of a good playfield and then produce your own decals. You can then look at clearcoating the playfield, or laying fresh mylar.

All is not lost !

You could even contact the producers of current decals sets - they may have enough numbers to reproduce a set ?

On the matter of decals and clear coating. Is this possible as I think I've read that inlays seem to react with clear coat. Am I mistaken??

[Strangeways]

At this point you have a playfield with mylar removed.

The next result is a vibrant and colorful playfield with missing art on the inserts and some paint lift

Trying to be as positive as I can - You just need to find pictures, or a scan of a good playfield and then produce your own decals. You can then look at clearcoating the playfield, or laying fresh mylar.

All is not lost !

You could even contact the producers of current decals sets - they may have enough numbers to reproduce a set ?

On the matter of decals and clear coating. Is this possible as I think I've read that inlays seem to react with clear coat. Am I mistaken??

Definitely an issue to be researched as I have not done this before - but I'm sure Gavin or one of the the other playfield experts will know