Hey guys,
I've been working hard this week labelling, photographing and documenting the dis-assembly of the underside of the playfield.
With this completed, i was able to have a really good look at what needed to be done with the playfield in terms of bringing it back to life.
The underside of the playfield was filthy, so my first step was to sand back all the grime and give the underside a new lease on life (This photo shows the t-nuts still installed, but these were removed before the sanding occured). I also used an air gun to get in and remove any sawdust/particles from the lamp inserts, followed by cotton buds with a little windex to pick up/clean the remainder.
Before sanding...
Much nicer appearance now...
To remove the mylar, i used De-Solve-It coupled with a hairdrier to heat the adhesive just enough that it let me pull it back VERY gradually, while keeping the De-Solve-It right in there with a plastic scraper. Its a slow process, but one that seems to work very well.
With the mylar removed, i went through a few magic erasers with the smallest amount of De-Solve-It getting rid of all the left over glue. I cant stress enough the whole 'less is more approach' with the Magic Erasers. Scrubbing at the playfield will only start to remove paint, while keeping a firm but progressive swirling motion going will take the glue off just the same, leaving your artwork where it is.
With the glue removed from the playfield, I used another magic eraser with a few drops of water and went over the whole playfield. I didnt soak the pad as water an PF's dont mix well, but a small amount to make the Magic Eraser effective is fine.
At this point, i also re-levelled the ever common raised clock inserts, and used a loc-tight brand superglue gel which seemed to work quite well.
As a final step, rub down the whole playfield with an automotive wax and grease remover. This really is effective, and i think it cost me six dollars from AutoPro. I dont know if this product just neutralises or physically removes the waxes/chemicals on the playfield, but it is VITAL you use a similar product as chemicals and wax will push the clear away.
When it comes to clearcoating, preparation, preparation PREPARATION is the key factor!!
My playfield is now ready to have its first clear layed down...
The clear i used certaintly isnt anything special. It is a generic brand, but i wanted to see the finish of the product. I used the same generic SLOW hardener, and about 5% thinners.
Before i mixed my clear, i released the valve at the bottom of the compressor, and cleared the tank. I also released the water trap valve as well - and refilled the tank with new (and hopefully moisture free) air.
I cleaned the gun, and made the correct adjustments based on the air/paint ratio, as well as the guns spray shape.
With my 2 part clear mixed, i layed down my first two coats, leaving a 15 minute gap between for the first clear to flash off.
I am really happy with the results so far, and these photos were taken five minutes after the second coat so hopefully it will level out alot more as time goes on...
A nice level surface...
Dont get lost in your moment of accomplishment either and forget about your gun, it has served you well - SO GO AND CLEAN IT!! haha.
I now have a nice surface to begin my airbrushing, for which i will be doing quite a big write-up for everyone who is interested in seeing how its done from start to finish.
Hope you like the results, i must say im really proud of my first attempt!!
A final glamour shot...
Have a great weekend guys.
el_timbo
