Magic Eraser Ball Swirl Removal

[grbgemen]

so i read about using a magic eraser to remove ball swirl marks.  went to the store and picked up one and then proceeded to try it in a small area.  the eraser did work like the guide said.  took all the dirt and grime out of the swirl marks. 

but before i go any further, i got some questions.  now i fully understand that if im not careful, i can go right through the layer of artwork and to bare wood.  anyways, the guide said he recommends re-clearing the play field after you have finished.  yet he mentioned you could probably get by with just a thick coat of wax.

im not sure if im actually capable/have the drive to completely remove everything from the play field and re-clear.  The pinball is in average to good condition.  there is tiny nicks here and there on the play field.  it does not get played a whole lot(maybe a few games at one time) but at the same time im not trying to make it look mint.  i think if i was ever going to re-clear the thing, i would definitely touch up the play field first(another task that scares me).

so do you think i would be fine if i just put on a thick coat of wax after i do the magic eraser?  and maybe put a new coat of wax on every so often?

this is my first pinball and its really been a learning experience so far. 

[shardian]

I would personally recommend the whole sha-bang. It is a great learning experience. I burned thru to bare wood in 3 or 4 tiny areas on my restore. No big deal since I was touching up and clearing anyways.

I don't like the idea of just waxing because in most cases you will remove most or all of the original lacquer when using the eraser. Those swirl places are still there ready to be filled back up with dirt and grime (and wax).

[koolmoecraig]

Isn't the magic eraser just 2000 grit sandpaper?

[shardian]

Isn't the magic eraser just 2000 grit sandpaper?

It rates out to approx. 1500 grit. However, it is able to get down into crevices much better than standard sand paper.

[grbgemen]

hmm.  figured ripping it all down was gonna be the way to go. 

so how does one strip the play field?  i mean where on earth do i start.  start by just taking a ton of pictures? and then slowly just start desoldering parts?

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EDIT: Well i just read a guide on pinrepair.com and it looks like he just removed all the plastics.  i guess i was under the impression you guys removed everything including whats attached under the play field.

this is the guide:

http://www.pinrepair.com/restore/index2.htm#pf1
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i took a look under the play filed a little bit ago and im just amazed at how much is going on under there.

what about touch up paints? 

[shardian]

What pinball is it? Older ones are much simpler than newer ones.

Anyways, you only remove the stuff from the top of the playfield. All that complicated stuff on the bottom stays right where it is.

[shardian]

Magic eraser didn't do crap on the GI white areas of my pin. I gave up quickly there to keep from doing exactly what you did Jim.

[grbgemen]

What pinball is it? Older ones are much simpler than newer ones.

Anyways, you only remove the stuff from the top of the play field. All that complicated stuff on the bottom stays right where it is.

Gottlieb Sinbad

Magic Eraser either has amazing results or doesn't do much, in my experience.  If you're working on a white area, I'd recommend having a lot of natural light in the room.  I burned through to the white under layer and didn't realize it in a couple of spots. 

The grime will return to the cracks if you do not clear, and you will have to grind it out again.  This process may take years of heavy use... who knows?

Wax will protect the play field fine, though.

it worked wonderful on the small area that i did.  there was a little bit of black that i did and after it removed all the dirt from the ball swirls, it left me with little white cracks.  nothing a touch up wouldnt fix i dont think.


ive read a few different guides and they all basically say the same thing.  clear coat will protect all the touch ups and prevent wear but its not completely necessary.  at the same time, they say for home use, you would be fine with a nice coat of wax and a new ball.  of course you would need to wax it every so often. 

im kind of on the fence at this point.  maybe i will just start working on it and see how i feel once i get to the stage of clear coat. 

[shardian]

A Sinbad? You might as well join the current system1 restore trend. Stripping down the playfield isn't too bad. The only part that really gave me any trouble was the pop bumper light leads. They are too short, and not easily accessible. I'll be extending the leads on mine to make my reassemble life easier.

[grbgemen]

so ive got almost everything off and i cannot figure out how to get the pop bumpers off.  i see the leads you are talking about but how do i disconnect them?  are they just on really tight?   

also the metal rails at the top of the playfield and the two behind the flippers.

and the flippers themselves.  i saw some screws on the bottom.

[Xiaou2]

Pop Bumpers usually have a removable top.   However, you cant just pull them up, because
the lamp fixture is stapled in place.   You have to cut the lamp wires in order to
remove the pop bumpers.

 A good rule of thumb,  is never to force anything.  Take your time.  Look over the manuals
for assembly details.  Get a bright light in there too.   Look at both top of field as well as
bottom... as some assys are really tricky to remove.

[shardian]

For the Gottlieb bumpers, you have to unscrew two nuts on the underside of the playfield. You'll see 2 rods that come down thru the playfield, and have the nuts screwed on.

Once you have all that loose, you can pull up the bumper enough to unsolder the lamp leads.

As for the wire guides, they are just pressed in place. I used a rag as leverage to pull each side out CAREFULLY. The ones behind the flippers are a little more difficult, but they come out just the same.

[grbgemen]

yeah i removed the cap and got the screws.  then i got the nuts off and got the whole assembly loose.  wasnt sure if the lamp leads were push on or not. 

[grbgemen]

well today i finished cleaning the play field.  i could probably keep going but im afraid of going to far.  there is a few areas that i am unsure about what to do.  it seems as if the wood is cracked underneath the paint.  not sure how to describe it really.  kinda like the paint is raised a little but long lines of it.  i dont know if i should sand it down or what.  would snap a picture but i am not at home right now.

will see if i can find a similar picture in a touch up guide.

[shardian]

The cracking is normal. Unless the paint is actually flaking, the cracks are mostly superficial.

[ChadTower]

If the playfield has been wet in the past the grain underneath the paint can be raised a bit.  I've seen that on a couple of older games now.

Sinbad is a decent game.  I have one waiting for restoration myself.

[grbgemen]

paint is only flaking in one spot near the top.  its hidden under a plastic though.  as for the cracking, i touched it up a little and its not to noticeable now. 

ive been touching it up every chance i get and its going good so far.  im curious as to what color is under the plastics.  where the posts sit, there are white rings.  but the rest of the area is almost a cream color.  could it just be faded?  i thought i remember seeing a guide some place of someone touching up a sinbad and he painted them white.  cant find the guide anymore.

[shardian]

The color change is age/light damage. I briefly considered painting my white areas, but thought it would look out of place compared to the rest of the pin.