Advice / Knowledge Required re: Cleaning Playfields

[JurassicP]

Ok guys need a little help here as the more I read the more I get confused.....

I own a JP and recently also aquired a Getaway HSII. The JP needs a light clean, but the Getaway needs what I suppose you guys call a shop out.

I have ordered rubber set, new star posts, some LED's, new balls etc etc for the Getaway and it also needs a really good clean and polish. It currently has black rubbers which have degraded and I'm getting little bits all over the playfield as well as general dirt and grime...

Have ordered some of the Magic Eraser you guys talked about in another thread as well as some Meruairs car polish (Forget what type)

Now the questions start, what do you guys use to clean and polish your playfields. There are thread on Novus, Car polish, waxing etc etc...I'm getting confused.

Do I wax the playfield after a clean?
What liquid do I use with the Magic Eraser?

Any comments, pointing in the right direction etc etc much appreciated. I do not want to damage the babies the first time I clean them.

TIA

[pinnies4me]

magic Eraser is only used to remove "ground in" sort of grime - if the playfield is mylared or clear-coated, then this is not done.

First clean (to remove grime) is with Novus No. 2 - a light polish, dry and buff is usually all that is needed to clean it, but a bit more elbow grease sometimes in really dirty areas. No. 2 does cut a little, but not much.

Macguires Canuda Gold wax in a tin is my preference for the final polish. It's hard, so you sort of scoop a bit onto a cotton rag, and start rubbing - in a few seconds it goes soft and start to leave itself behind. A really good going over, then leave to dry for 15 minutes. A ruff polish with a new cotton rag to start (removing the excess and at the same time it serves to flatten out), then with a new rag again, a final polish. As this stuff is a proper wax, you can repeat the last two steps as it will build up a little move with the second application and polish.

Things like Mill Wax aren't my preference, and a second application is useless - it contains a solvent that removes the first anyway.

[ddstoys]

I agree with everything nick has said but will add if it's really dirty give the playfield a quick clean with some Nifti an a rag so you don't go grinding any of the built up crud into the paint

[robm]

When i get a machine like the Getaway you've described, i normally do the following

1. Check all fuses are rated correctly before turning on, turn on, check for locked on coils or other nasty surprises.

2. Replace batteries on CPU with remote batter pack to prevent any potential acid damage.

3. Completely strip the playfield (although not always the pop bumpers as they are a bit painful sometimes - take a photo of every plastic/post etc to put back in reverse order.

4. Vacuum playfield and cab to get chunky bits off

5. Start playfield clean with metho or shellite and a rag.

6. For stubborn stains use magic eraser with either metho or Isocol (don't scrub too hard)

7. Pull all under playfield tunnels etc off and mechanisms that the ball touches and clean (Nifty and/or metho)

8. Pull all light circuit boards from under playfieild, wash in soapy water, leave in sun to dry

9. Clean all the white scum left by magic eraser with shellite/metho and a new rag

10. Clean again with a new rag that should have minimal/no staining of the rag.

11. I polish with a treasure cove kit, but before i had that, polish with novus 2

12. Wax with Carnuba wax (the hard stuff), buff off wax after leaving for 10 mins or so

13. Clean all playfield bits with nifti, polish plastics with Novus 2 (my wife normally helps out here a lot!)

14. Flame polish plastic ramps

15. Put it back together with rebuilt flippers, new coil sleeves, balls, globes and rubbers

Enjoy!!

[JurassicP]

I seem to have read there are alternatives to Novus?

and what is Nifti and where would i get some.

Sorry for all the questions but want to do it right.

Seeing as the Getaway is mylared in spots and also diamond plate I guess the Magic Eraser will not be used. Save it for something else.

[ddstoys]

Nifti comes from the super market in the cleaning section only about $3 a bottle and is great stuff.

  And all of robs advice is spot on aswell

[pinnies4me]

Nifti comes from the super market in the cleaning section only about $3 a bottle and is great stuff.

  And all of robs advice is spot on aswell

Yes, I concur with Daniel re the Nifti, if there is lots of grime this is great for the first pass clean.

[Caveoftreasures]

Baby bum wipes work a treat on everything. They cost nothing as well. They wont hurt a babys bum, but strong enough to remove the most stubborn yuk on any pinball.

I have used them on almost every machine I have in the fleet and it takes off mostly everything before i use the treasure cove kit.

When the baby bum wipes stop going brown, u know that all the grime is gone from the playfield before polishing.
* You can also get into hard to reach places with the bum wipes. Great for ramps and anything with the dreaded black fine dust stuck to it.

 Give them a try, they work wonders. 

[ddstoys]

BABY WIPES  What a great idea mus give that a go

[robm]

Nifti can actually be a bit hard to find, not all supermarkets stock it.

I actually rang Colgate (parent company) and asked them who stocked it - they asked for my postcode and gave me all the shops within 50ks!

[Strangeways]

Nifti - Coles. Refillables are really hard to find, so you may have to buy Nifti with the dispenser. I buy 10 - 20 at a time

Novus 2 - Commercial guys carry them

Magic Eraser works best with Isophrophyl Alcohol. Jaycar carry 200ml spray dispensers. Part number NA-1064. Don't use ME on mylar.

Meguiars Carnuaba PASTE WAX - Not a tube. I've used all the others on the market, and nothing is as good as this stuff.

Treasurecove polishing kit - Best on the market.

Check out some of the restoration threads on the process. I covered it in detail on one of  the Stern Galaxy restores I've done.

[shansta]

Colgate don't seem to pay the fees required to have it at eye level at the supermarket... (Yes they charge companies for shelf position)

So - you usually find Nifti on the bottom shelf at Coles - I don't shop at IGA or Safeway so not sure about them?


+1 on the baby wipes - I buy the expensive ones as they are "tougher". (Handy to have in the car as well!)

For wax I use Mothers California Gold... Costs a friggin bomb, but it's good gear!

[JurassicP]

Thanks Guys will be off to the supermarket and supa cheap auto, for supplies.....

Will post before and after photo's once all my bits and pieces arrive.

Like most things in life it's important to seek advice before diving in, and never having cleaned a pinnie yet wanted reassurance I suppose 

how often do you guys wax your playfields, and how often do you do the clean.

Thanks for the tip on remote battery holder. Have to make 2 of these up now :)

[Caveoftreasures]

In response to the question of how often to clean n wax.

I wipe my playfields gently with a baby bum wipe once a month just to catch any dust that may be on the playfield.
Waxing really depends on how much u play it and how often u clean it. But for a moderate usage machine (say 20 games a week, every 3 to 6 months would be fine for a good quality wax).

Dust n dirt on a playfield combined with a rolling silver ball is the killer. Keep it clean, make sure the balls are like new, and change balls out the moment u see any black pitt marks on the balls, and your machine will stay great for a very long time.  

p.s - most people overlook cleaning the under playfield tunnels/ramps etc. This is an absoloute must to get rid of the nasty stuff that will kill your playfield in no time. First job is clean the under playfield ball runner areas, before u even look at the above playfield stuff.

[JurassicP]

Thank you..Getaway has no underfield stuff but the JP does....

Will make a start this weekend. Found the Nifty and bought baby wipes. Just have to get some wax and potentially order some Novus....