Author Topic: Stern Thincoat - Dimples & Craters  (Read 40610 times)

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Offline Strangeways

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Re: Stern Thincoat - Dimples & Craters
« on: June 06, 2015, 11:02:40 AM »
Could you share the dimples with some photos.

Every Playfield new has dimples on them because of the wood. I have not seen a playfield without dimples.
The clear fills in all the natural wood dimples and the clear stays undamaged unless the balls aren't right.

I have never seen a Stern machine or a Sega playfield (games dating back to 1997 to 1999 etc) with any damage done to the clear even after some games have been sited and played a lot. After cleaning and polishing plus waxing the playfields , they are as good as the day they were built, shined up and going strong.

You just never hear of anyone with a Stern playfield that has damage down to the colour or ink or wood.
I think the Stern clearcoat being "too thin" from factory is just a bit of a myth.

If you pay to have a new playfield cleared for $1,000, then perhaps people think that is thick, but it doesn't mean in my opinion there is any technical issue with Sterns factory clearcoats. If there was, we would be seeing damage and photos regularly. We never see it. If all playfields have tiny dimples in the wood, I am not sure how that relates to clearcoat. None of my Sterns have any issues after playing them.

I had my ACDC Pro sited at a special event one day with apx 300 games at 3 balls played on it and the clearcoat is still shiny and immaculate and undamaged.
I can't see the KISS Pinny being any different.

Not dimples. Playfield was like a mirror prior to first games with Greg, Marty and myself. Playfield looked great. No issues prior to first game.

I can take as many photos as you need. It looks like the surface of the moon. When I told Greg that I could not play the game as it has divots in the clear, his replay was "That's NORMAL for a Stern clearcoat". I have not checked his other Sterns, but EVERY single person that has seen his TWD LE has seen the ball imprints. Greg bought NEW playfields with his NIB Sterns. In fact, Tim and Stu have his Ironman playfield for clearing for exactly the same reason. He was in the process of ordering a second playfield for TWD LE. In summary, Greg was a Stern collector that accepted that the factory thin playfield clears Stern provide "are what they are", and he simply ordered a second playfield to be cleared properly.

I restored a Fathom 4 years ago. Professionally cleared. Not one single divot. Not one chip near any of the many target holes. Looks like it was cleared yesterday. The game is played every day.

If you want me to post pictures, don't complain that it is another "stern bashing thread" - because the clear is a problem. A know problem with astute Stern collectors that they simply accept. I changed my way of thinking. This is the way Stern present their games. If we all complain, they might do something about it. That's why I assumed the KISS playfield had a thicker clear. It looks much better than the two NIB's we have done recently.
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