Advice on cleaning & basic restoration of my Tommy

[kvernon]

Hi all, 

There is a ton of information on the web about cleaning pinnys but I thought I would ask the gang here.

The playfield is filthy. Tommy's jacket is a nice grey & yellow colour - an almost Tommy tartan ERRGH! And the rest of it is equally discoloured, apparently through dirt & dust. I doubt it has ever been cleaned. According to some info out there Novus is a good product but #2 & 3 are abrasive & to be avoided? Do you guys find this? Others say Novus 1 is just window cleaner & window cleaner will do just as well. Some window cleaners are better than others too, so is there a preferred one out there? I realise it is important not to let liquids run down into sockets etc so I will apply anything using a microfibre cloth.

I also understand that waxing the playfield is important once it is cleaned. Again there are different waxes said to be better than others. Is a car wax OK to use?

I am familiar with how to release the playfield glass but haven't done so yet. Also I'm unsure of the best way to remove the balls themselves. I intend to check the batteries but might need assistance from a slightly taller companion (preferably my BF who is currently in Chicago); so that will have to wait.

So please - although I expect many of you have different methods - let me know how you go about care of your pinball machines?

[Olivia_jason]

STERN playfields are way more positive than yours, they dont need cleaning. 

[ajlaird]

If it is really filthy I would probably start with a damp cloth or even baby wipes, before moving on to using Novus 1.

[robm]

i generally use metho on a rag as a first step as you want an alchohol based product to evaporate off.  For really stubborn stuff, put metho on magic erasers (available in woolies/hardware etc), and scrub lightly - these are like superfine sandpaper, so can eat through artwork, but if you are careful are great to get rid of marks.

After metho, then i polish with Novus 2, and wax with Meguairs Carnuba wax.

Really, to clean properly, you need to pull most of the stuff (ramps, plastics etc) off the playfield, as areas you can't get to will just make the playfield dirty again very quickly.  Also remember to pull any ramps off underneath the playfield and clean them.

Look through some of the restoration threads on here to look at other peoples methods (just avoid looking at El Timbo's ones as you will get disheartened looking at how awesome his restorations are!)

[kvernon]

I've started & so far happy with the results. I've ordered Novus 1,2,& 3 a few other parts - rubbers etc. I have a lot of globes & fuses, came with the machine.
I used baby wipes & a damp microcloth with window cleaner and then made sure I wiped it off well.
Took a while getting the glass off - the support bar was really stuck. Under was toothpicks, grit etc-The playfield had a cardboard tag up near one of the back shoots- think it's fallen in somewhere, seemed to be a sales tag for something.
Haven't taken it all apart yet; need to wait for parts & energy. I've taken alot of pics & will post some soon. Toomy's jacket is now yellow - realised it was tweed looking before, not tartan.

[MartyJ]

TOMMY is such a great game.  One of the very few pinball machines which theme is ....well pinball!  (sort of)

Cleaning playfields can be very rewarding, but care does need to be taken.  My advice is in relation to clear coated playfields (DMD era games)

The most important step is to remove any dirt, grit or abrasive substances BEFORE you do any form of polishing.

I've seen dealers who use a rag, squirt novus 2 or novus 3 onto the playfield directly and just scrub.  Think about what this would do to the finish on your car if you did the same thing.

I will remove the playfield from the game, remove ALL top side components.  Believe it or not, this does include all hole through posts and pop bumpers.  Also remove anything on the underside where the ball travels (inc ball trough etc).

Next I will carefully remove the crud with a soft cloth and nifty (always sprayed onto the rag).  Quite often you'll find broken bits of glass from globes, again you don't want these to be scrubbed into the playfield.

Then the playfield will be cleaned again with rag / nifty, but with dirt and crud gone, a little more elbow grease can be put into it.

After that, I have a 3 stage compound (high end automotive product), but novus 3 / 2 will effectively give you a result.  Don't try and do the playfield in 1 hit, but work on a 2 inch x 2 inch section at a time.

Once the entire playfield is done, gentle wipe down with a microfiber cloth, then a polish with a pure carnauba wax.

For the under playfield ramps / ball troughs etc these need to be dismantled and cleaned.

To do it properly, can take up to 10 hours.  Fresh rubbers (don't buy the 15 year old stale black ones), globes and replace any broken posts and the topside will be fresh to go.

 

[kvernon]

Thanks MartyJ, i've pretty much done what you suggested. I didn't have any Novus or any polishes yet etc so I vacuumed carefully any noticeable gritty area & cleaned in small sections gently with a microfibre cloth & baby wipes - careful to wipe  off anything from the wipes. It feels squeeky clean now but I need to remove the ramps etc. I just wanted to get started & take my time. once i'm happy it is surface clean I will clean it again with Novus & wait before I polish. New rubbers have been ordered. Patience is a virtue but it is also really lovely seeing the difference - and feeling the difference. Nothing sticky or gritty left except under the ramps. Tomorrow i start dismantling those carefully.

I played it for 2 days before the rubber disintegrated on one of the flippers - it's my all time favorite machine & I'm so happy to have it.

[millsy]

And dont forget to take plenty of photos when removing ramps etc, makes it a lot easier when putting back together  ,especially if its a week later.