Arcade Collecting > Pinball
Protecting your pin...
Q*Bert_OP:
--- Quote from: Pinball Wizard on November 17, 2009, 05:01:13 pm ---
--- Quote from: shardian on November 17, 2009, 01:55:51 pm ---As for glare coatings, a local pinhead had these neat plastic shields he had on his DMD games. He said he picked them up at a pin show recently. They went under the head, and then have a 45 degree chunk of plastic that blocks the DMD glare from the playfield glass. I'm sure they are sold somewhere online.
You might still have backglass glare depending on your gameroom lighting.
--- End quote ---
They where at pinball expo I know. I think it was either Marco or Bay Area that was selling them. They looked good on the few games I played that had them. The only thing is that I was wondering what the heck that was sticking up at first until I saw someone selling them.
I suggest that if your in a home-use machine from her on out then don't use mylar. if you want to ever protect your playfield then clearcoat it. Over time dirt gets under the mylar and the edges look dirty and start to come up. The ball also doesn't roll as much as it slides. When my pinballs where on route it was worth the mylar to protect them with all that play but home use not so much.
--- End quote ---
Mr. 68 on RGP is the one that makes them. His website is http://www.wrongcrowdproductions.com/glareGuard.htm
Xiaou2:
I recommend removing all the wax, cleaning the full game including the subways,
then use a form of "Armorall".
I used to manage an arcade in the mall. Had to clean pins every week, as by the weeks
end, they would be black as coal from the abuses / use.
I decided to try 2001 protectant (armorall with uv blockers). The playfield turned
high gloss like glass. The ball moved 2x as fast... and played like it was factory new.
The field showed no sign of being dirty after a full week of play... which would never be
so when cleaning and waxing as I normally did for the previous 2yrs.
I did this for about 6 months at least (new job), and worked great.
Wax simply gets pushed away, and ends up all over the place in flakes. The flakes
get dirty... and then you push dirt all over the place. Rubbers, subways, etc.
Less friction = less chance a ball will dig into the field. Less dirt = less chance dirt
will get ground into the field. Gloss looks nice, dull haze does not. Faster play too?
Cant go wrong there. No more gunk trapped in the crevices of the once
Beautiful translucent posts? Priceless.
Xiaou2:
Mylar -vs- Clearcoat
First off, many people dont seem to realize that all playfeilds are clearcoated at the
factory new (maybe varnish?). The amount of clear, and type of clear, however,
is varying.
The ones which used a tougher clear, which they called Diamond Plate... still managed
to get worn down in a high play areas. Pinballs are spinning sawblades of destruction.
Clearcoating is not easy. To re-clear a game, you need to clean, touch up, take every
part off the top and bottom... send the thing out and Pray it comes out good. There are
many clears which have bubbled or hazed. The wait time could be over half a year
for a pro to get the time to do it. The cost is fairly expensive too... and thats not
including any touchup costs.
If a clear wears down unevenly... How do you fix it? Not so easily. Auto clear is soft,
and dimples as well.
Personally, Id rather re-mylar a machine than to re-clear it. Or a light clear+ new mylar.
Mylar removes easily from a game, with a simple freeze spray. Its easy to polish up, and
takes many years to wear and pull up from a field. It does not dimple, crack, and any
haze can easily be buffed out.
Jeff AMN:
Xiaou2,
I've seen you mention Armor All before, but I've yet to try it. Does it get gunked up over time? How does the stuff react with the bits of dust that naturally build up over time? I like the thought of a slick playfield, but just have never quite broke down and tried that method. I'm still a big fan of wax as long as you keep maintenance up on the machine.
Xiaou2:
My Apologies. Its ""TURTLE WAX Formula 2001 Protectant" (Neon green spray bottle that
has "F21" on it).
* Super protectant deeply penetrates to bring out the original color as it conditions and protects surfaces from drying, cracking and fading
* Contains "Sun Stop®", one of the most advanced ingredients you can use to guard against harmful ultraviolet rays
* Superior shine and protection for rubber, vinyl, plastic, and leather
* The urethane enriched protectant of the future
The main key here is the Urethane. Urethane is what they use on Rollercoaster wheels.
Smooth as silk, quiet, hard, strong, absorbing, impact & abrasion resistant.
The stuff does not Gunk up. It goes on in a light trasparent coating... and stays gloss slick.
When it starts to dull, just spray and lightly buff in some more. My guess, is that it would probably
take a few bottles worth before you saw any significant level of buildup. Unlike wax, which
flakes all over the place... binds with dirt/metal particles, and smushes that junk into every
crack and crevice.
Its so easy to apply (50x less effort than wax) , and when you do... the resulting Lightning
fast ball travel will have you repeating the process more often than not. Thus, preserving
your field even better than before.
Take the challenge: Polish just the main area of the playfeild lightly with the F21. If
you dont like the results (Impossible), you can simply use some cleaning solution, and then
re-wax that area. After the test, I can assure you, you will proceed to take apart your field,
clean every part spotless... removing all dirt & wax... and wipe everything down with F21 from
there on.
* Warning *
There is only One thing about the F21 you have to be warned about:
Story: Upon getting such great results for a few weeks worth of tests on the No Fear
pinball in the arcade... I decided to try something different. I drowned the feild in the stuff,
and left it on soaking wet, like an 'Oil slick'. (did not rub the stuff in)
A few days later, I saw that the Pinball was stuck to a rubber. I opened the glass, and found
that many of the rubbers were sticky. The stuff ate them a bit. Of course, that was because
I left a Pool of the stuff all wet on the field.
I changed them out, and continued to use the spray and wipe method, for several months, and
there was never any more rubber wear / stickyness.
The same thing might have happened with wax if you left a puddle as well, due to the
nature of the carrier agent. The carrier agents keep the wax from drying out... and when
you buff the stuff, the carrier gets wiped away & evaporates... leaving the wax to
harden. F21 is probably similar if not the exact same, in this respect.
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