BIG PLAYFIELD UPDATEI spent HOURS removing the ball swirl and came very close to removing the paint when I breached the factory varnish (clearcoats were not used THEN as we know it today). It became frustrating as I really wanted the playfield to be as best as I could manage. Even cleaning it with Novus 2 was not good enough.
I originally wanted to attempt the clearcoat process based on the success I had with the clearcoat on the Aces High and Buccaneer. But that was onlt is smaller areas - not an entire playfield. While I toyed with the idea, I did some touch ups around some areas (especially some damage around the diver on the right hand side of the pop bumpers) and I repainted all the inserts.
I spent a lot of time procrastinating
I then approached a friend of mine with a proposal to clearcoat this playfield (professionally), and if it did not work out, then I'll accept the consequences. So I have my playfield touch up work sealed under a clearcoat. What could possibly go wrong ??
Here are the results. I would like to say that the result FAR exceed my expectations, even though the clearcoater dude STILL thought it could be better - I could not be any happier than I am today. Enough dribble, let the pictures do the talking !
The Ball swirl is ALMOST un-noticeable - the clearcoat is so smooth, it removed the fine edges and added depth to the areas that were affected.
This pictures was taken indoors with the flash on ;
I have to wait 2 weeks for it to cure properly before re assembly.
The clearcoat was "risky", but due to the abilty of the "clearcoater dude", it has been a complete success. A risk well taken, and the results are stunning. The depth of the colors within the artwork are pronounced and the finish is not too glossy - which it what I expected. The playfield is like a sheet of glass.
Now I can finally move forward with this restore !
