To clear or to mylar a playfield?

[MartyJ]

Hi guys,

I know this topic has been done to death elsewhere, however with the variety and skills / knowledge of restorations done here I would really value people's opinions.

The question is - to clear (automotive) a used / worn playfield or mylar?

I know it is depending on what the machine is - EM or DMD, opinions will vary.

For me, its the T2.  I guess my biggest concern is that if the clearcoat goes bad - then its ruined, also a very hard to get playfield.  At least with mylar - it can be removed as pf has diamond coat previously...

I had previously 1/2 mylared the playfield after a insert decal set.  Game play was fine, however a few creases in a couple of spots - mainly as I was trying to lay around some parts on the PF (lesson learned).  This time, the playfield is completely stripped of everything and will be removed.

As another insert decal set is going on, something has to go down.

From reading on RGP there are many horror stories with clear lifting around inserts etc..I guess the actual decals themselves - how will these react with the clear over time??

I understand you cannot get as good polish with mylar as you can with clear (or bare EM playfield)...

Having very little skills with spraypainting, I don't think its something I could tackle myself.  Research suggests that a lot of skill is required to get it correct, get rid of imperfections and eliminate 'fisheyes' etc....

 

This is doing my head in for the past two days....

The machine is a keeper - (well unless things go really pear shaped financially)...

Finally - if I go down the full mylar treatment (I know its a brand but I don't know what else to call it) - what would be the absolute best to get?  With Artmart in Blackburn, I'm sure they have a million types to choose from?

Thanks in advance!!

[illawarra_steelers]

Marty,

If it was me I would just leave as is. The playfield looks fine and it's not like your game will be in use like it is in an arcade. By keeping the playfield clean, with balls that aren't slightly rusted etc. there will be mininum wear on your game for the rest of it's life.

I'm sure others will have different opinions

[Strangeways]

Tony is right - leaving it "as is" is an option. Keeping it clean and polished with new balls is the best defense against wear.

Mylar is the easiest method outside of leaving it "as is"..

Clear coating a playfield - Leave that to the experts. I'm sending my Playboy to Gavin for a clearcoat - no hesitation. The playfield NEEDS repair, and the best way to seal the work is by clearcoating.

What about a compromise ?

Place pieces of mylar is high traffic areas ?

[MartyJ]

Thanks guys,

The decals (as per my understanding) which are going to be stuck down, need to have something over the top of them to prevent lifting etc....

Other than that, the diamond coat on there is in pretty good shape....

I don't really fancy just putting mylar down over each insert, I would think it would be better to cover the entire pf it that was the case...

[Retropin]

Youll need to protect your decals, so Mylar would be the best way to go for this.

Im dead against CCing a PF unless you really have to - if you do a restore using paints then itll have to be CC'd.

The game is a keeper and will not get a high amount of play on it compared to on site. As stated earlier, polish and clean balls is the best way to protect against wear. These precautions were never done on site and so Mylar was the preferred way to protect as its quick and easy and cheap.

A PF doesnt have to be floorless - amounts of wear are to be expected and show the games use.

CCing is permanant, so bear in mind that later down the track, a better option may become available to you for a restore.

A full Mylar is no problem, so long as its kept out of the sun and not allowed to bake on - you should have no problems removing it in the future - especially over diamond coat. You might find that the inks on your decal will fade over time and it will need replacing.
With any restore - only do what is necesary if possible and gentle steps are way better than the jack boot

[MartyJ]

Youll need to protect your decals, so Mylar would be the best way to go for this.

Im dead against CCing a PF unless you really have to - if you do a restore using paints then itll have to be CC'd.

The game is a keeper and will not get a high amount of play on it compared to on site. As stated earlier, polish and clean balls is the best way to protect against wear. These precautions were never done on site and so Mylar was the preferred way to protect as its quick and easy and cheap.

A PF doesnt have to be floorless - amounts of wear are to be expected and show the games use.

CCing is permanant, so bear in mind that later down the track, a better option may become available to you for a restore.

A full Mylar is no problem, so long as its kept out of the sun and not allowed to bake on - you should have no problems removing it in the future - especially over diamond coat. You might find that the inks on your decal will fade over time and it will need replacing.
With any restore - only do what is necesary if possible and gentle steps are way better than the jack boot

Very sound advise..

I just feel that if I clearcoat, i may open a pandora's box of issues which may be unnecessary.  I know the T2's were clearcoated from factory, but it is a BIG risk to do it.  Once I put the new decals on again - hopefully fix the artwork around the shoulders and if I go the full playfield mylar will not affect game play. If playfields were easy to come across I would take the gamble, but they're not.

OK.  So what would be the BEST mylar (contact) to get.  ArtMart Australia has lots of vinyl products but I not sure if any would suit:
http://www.artmartaust.com.au/vinyl.html

The previous product I bought from another pinball supplier (only place that had it at the time) was Metamark digitalvinyl.  It seemed to do the job fine, was reasonably thin and had a mild shine to it...

[Greg]

I get all my pf's cleared and never had a problem, to the point now that
when I buy my own personal pf's they go straight to either Bill Davis or Chris @highendpins
if there 2nd hand playfields they get touched up and cleared,
and if l score a  NOS playfield they still go and get Cleared   

(those NOS Sega and late model Gottlieb playfields are eye popping when they get a Wms style clear applied to them)



while I must say that I have been warned that "milking" can occur at the inserts
this has yet to happen to any playfields that I have had done ,  I would probably be reluctant
to cc a older game but as far as (very) late  80's and up to 1999 yes I would always clear coat

if your interested in trying clearcoating your self Marty then l have  a NOS AlvinG world tour pf
that l would be happy to give you if you want to try on that?

[Ford Fairlane]

Ok so if you mylar, how do you prevent air bubbles? If its anything like using contact on a schoolbook then im screwed. Also ive read about "fish eyes" on the clear coat. What is that (air bubbles?) and how do i avoid it? Oh and the TOP videos talk about varithane ... seems easy to use from a can? any reason why you wouldnt use that

Cheers!

[Retropin]

With Mylar - to prevent bubbles. Hold the sheet up that you want to apply, lightly spray with a mix of water and a tiny dash of washing liquid - only needs to be light. apply the whole sheet to the pf and squeedgy out using a credit card or similar.
 OK - allk you lot in horror!!! AAAAAAAARRRRGGHHH!!!! WATER ON THE PF!!!!!!!
 Its not a problem - its only light spray and will do no harm.

To do the dry method, which in my opinion is a bigger risk. Leave the backing paper on. peel off the top 1"or so and lay this at the top of the PF. Run your credit card / old age pension bus pass whatever along the top to get it to really hold.
As you peel away the backing tape - have a straight edge run along the top of the mylar at the same time keeping it as close to the PF as possible - does this make sense?

 But mainly, as you peel away you must be applying at the same time.

There....bloody clear as mud

[MartyJ]

I get all my pf's cleared and never had a problem, to the point now that
when I buy my own personal pf's they go straight to either Bill Davis or Chris @highendpins
if there 2nd hand playfields they get touched up and cleared,
and if l score a  NOS playfield they still go and get Cleared   

(those NOS Sega and late model Gottlieb playfields are eye popping when they get a Wms style clear applied to them)



while I must say that I have been warned that "milking" can occur at the inserts
this has yet to happen to any playfields that I have had done ,  I would probably be reluctant
to cc a older game but as far as (very) late  80's and up to 1999 yes I would always clear coat

if your interested in trying clearcoating your self Marty then l have  a NOS AlvinG world tour pf
that l would be happy to give you if you want to try on that?

I'm fairly sure I've read about Bill DAVIS and his clearcoating...He's in the USA?

The initial plan was to clear - 1st preference to my spray painter or me under his supervision...He's allowed me to spray inside car doors and inside boots before (but not clear!)..

I guess - as mentioned previously if it goes wrong - then I will be parting out a good machine  ....I guess for me - having to put an insert decal set on is the main issue.  I think if the old decals were still good and under the diamond coat - I would not hesitate to get it done.  THe main thing with the horror stories is lifting / milking around decals (with inserts!)....The other reading I've done is that people have suggested a minimum wait of 90 days before tightening posts or heavy use?

Once my decals arrive from classic-arcades I will see then.  Hopefully the art on the lower decals is there, and this will improve it 100% anyway (along with new parts from RTBB of course) (along with all the LEDs from RTBB of course!!).

I must say, after 4 hits with novus 2 and a buffer, I'm very happy with the improvements...I'm not planning on doing this a third time...

I guess its just a risk assessment..

BTW - thank you for the offer re the NOS playfield.  I could NEVER experiment with any NOS playfield.  If it went bad - someone out there would cry...There would be a collector wanting one somewhere!
--? You havn't got any T2's NOS pf's tucked away by any chance? 

I picked up a 8-ball pf which was kangaroo bills brother a while ago from Mark...Another mate was having a play at airbrushing to repair artwork for something to do...I was planning on clearcoating it for practise, but timing has not worked...

Ok so if you mylar, how do you prevent air bubbles? If its anything like using contact on a schoolbook then im screwed. Also ive read about "fish eyes" on the clear coat. What is that (air bubbles?) and how do i avoid it? Oh and the TOP videos talk about varithane ... seems easy to use from a can? any reason why you wouldnt use that

Cheers!

Yep, 1st time around with this I had 3 bubbles.  Basically I used the old school book method, (with still some minor playfield furniture on - as I cut template) - which actually made it harder.  So- the method Retopin is talking about is 100% spot on.  I used this (only a small square) on a section on LAH which went down perfect....This will be the method I use - if nothing changes..  Varithane - I've got NFI about that.  I know auto clear is very strong and most suited for playfield applications...- I used to think a flipper rebuild was a big job...! A full CC on a pf is well out of my league..