Protecting your pin...

[Sinner]

I've just purchased my first pin...it's never been on a route before, and is in great shape.
I've seen leg, play field, cabinet, etc protectors.

1. Do they work and are they worth the money?

2. Are there any specific brands that are better than others?

3. Are there any areas where a protector shouldn't be put, as it will affect game play?

4. Are anti-glare coatings for the scoreboard OK?  Do they work?

Thanks for your help.

Matt

[shardian]

You can make your own leg protectors. I have done it for two machines now, and it works great. Pinball Jim posted a template for it, but it isn't universal. It did give me the baseline to start though. Here's my tried/true method:
-Choose either craft foam or craft felt. Either can be found in 8.5x11 sheets at Wally World or your local craft store. buy 2 sheets for each pin you want to do. There are more color choices in craft foam than felt. Black is universal of course.

-Take a leg, and get a helper. You or your helper tuck the felt into the leg, with a slight overhang at the top and on the edge side. While one holds teh felt securely in the leg, the other will lightly trace the outline. Do this with the short edge parallel to the leg.

- Cut it out and dry fit it. Trim if necessary
- Cut/poke holes for the bolts.
- Use this one as a template for 3 more.
- Trim all to fit either the back leg or front leg. Some cabinets have all the same length leg and the mount higher on the back, while others have different length legs that all bolt at the bottom of the cabinet.

It is pretty darn easy, so go for it.

[shardian]

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.

[ChadTower]

I've seen the DMD glare guards in person - pretty nifty but you could make your own out of black posterboard for a couple bucks.

Really, other than things that are minor tweaks for your own preference, I don't see most of the pricey products as necessary in home use.  The only ones I might recommend would be to protect plastic ramps or vulnerable plastics.  You can get clear washers from a lot of pinball part vendors that work well for plastics commonly hit by balls.

[Sinner]

Awesome.  Thanks for the info...I'll look at making something for the legs...
As for the backglas, I was thinking about some sort of anti-glare plexi or something that could be put over the front of the backglass.
The other option would be an adhisive, clear, anti-glare vinyl, cut on a plotter to fit the backglass exactly...the same material could be used for protecting the area around the button and things...

 

[Sinner]

I've seen the DMD glare guards in person - pretty nifty but you could make your own out of black posterboard for a couple bucks.

Really, other than things that are minor tweaks for your own preference, I don't see most of the pricey products as necessary in home use.  The only ones I might recommend would be to protect plastic ramps or vulnerable plastics.  You can get clear washers from a lot of pinball part vendors that work well for plastics commonly hit by balls.

These would go over top of anything plastic that get's hit by a ball??

[ChadTower]

These would go over top of anything plastic that get's hit by a ball??

Not exactly, there are a few methods, depending on the particular piece being protected.  Sometimes it's a lexan washer that goes on the corner post and sticks out farther than the plastic edge. Sometimes it's a whole piece with the same edge shape as the plastic that sticks out and takes hits instead.  Ramp protectors are obviously unique to each ramp.  The point is that although it's not really likely a spendy plastic part is going to get broken in home use it might be worth taking simple measures to protect them.

As for protecting around buttons and other places, don't bother, just keep your hands clean.  It takes a LOT of handling to wear down around flipper buttons.

[shardian]

I've seen the DMD glare guards in person - pretty nifty but you could make your own out of black posterboard for a couple bucks.

Really, other than things that are minor tweaks for your own preference, I don't see most of the pricey products as necessary in home use.  The only ones I might recommend would be to protect plastic ramps or vulnerable plastics.  You can get clear washers from a lot of pinball part vendors that work well for plastics commonly hit by balls.

These would go over top of anything plastic that get's hit by a ball??

Tim Arnold uses plain old washers underneath that ever so slightly extend beyond the rounded edge of pinball plastics. He also recommends leaving a little play in plastics instead of snugging the nuts down. I know that one of my pins has metal washers on the slings, but I can't remember which. Clear plexi washers are is better because it is prettier and won't nick your pinballs on a hard hit. Most hardware stores also have nylon washers if you want to split the difference.

[shardian]

Oh, and the prices on the complete plastic protector kits are not bad at all. If you have a valuable title in nice condition, it would be worth the price to get a complete set. I think they are like $20-$30.

Of course, the "Is my game valuable" argument applies to every protective measure. If your game isn't restored, then the majority of these protective things are pretty useless.

[ChadTower]

Yeah, don't buy the lexan washers themselves.  Throw a bunch into an order you are already making. 

A while back I got a full plastic protector set for my Shadow but hell if I can find it.  Obviously never got installed.

[Sinner]

Any suggestions for playfield cleaning/waxing??

Any specific brand of cleaner??  I've seen a few threads where people have been doing restorations and they have cleaned old plastic and made it look amazing.

[Sinner]

Oh, and the prices on the complete plastic protector kits are not bad at all. If you have a valuable title in nice condition, it would be worth the price to get a complete set. I think they are like $20-$30.

Of course, the "Is my game valuable" argument applies to every protective measure. If your game isn't restored, then the majority of these protective things are pretty useless.

I'll take a look at the kits...I think for the most part, value is subjective, unless you have an Adams Family or Twilight Zone, etc...
This is a Maverick and I don't think it has much value to collectors, but I think it'sa fun pin and looks great in my gameroom, so to me it has value, to protect it...

Thanks for the info...

[ChadTower]

For all of the standard stuff like cleaning/maintenance go over to marvin3m.com and read read read.  We can't say it any better than he does.  

[shardian]

I looked at a Maverick long and hard back when I had a pocket full of pin fund money burning in my pocket a few months ago. The display was acting up, and that scared me off real quick. Still, it looked like a real fun game with some nice toys.

[Sinner]

I looked at a Maverick long and hard back when I had a pocket full of pin fund money burning in my pocket a few months ago. The display was acting up, and that scared me off real quick. Still, it looked like a real fun game with some nice toys.

Yeah, I heard if the display goes, it can be expensive to replace.
This one is fully functional...paddle wheel and all...

[Sinner]

DMD glare guards are the stupidest looking thing ever.  DMD glare is part of the game, IMO.

On an old game, a 'cabinet protector' does nothing other than hide damage that's already there.  At that point, it doesn't matter what you use.  (Shardian - I'm going to revise the template to show lengths for a few different cabinets)  I got a bunch of 'easy felt' which is stiff and sells for $1 for a sheet big enough to make 6 protectors.  I also bought some kind of foamy paper stuff that I guess chicks use for something or another, same size and ~$1.25/sheet.

A game as new as Maverick isn't going to require any kind of special cleaning.  The easiest thing for me to use has been Mother's Carnuba Cleaning Wax.

Auto wax??

[Sinner]

Auto wax??

Yeah, dude, what does the bottle need magic dust in it or something?

Can you believe I wax my EM's with paste floor wax?

 

I think the magic dust gets cut up on the playfield glass with a razor blade...

I don't actually know what the bottle needs...I'm completely new to this...however, I'm sure if you say auto wax is OK and does a great job, there'll be 10 people who will agree with you and 10 who will disagree and say you're ruining youe machines...
I'm just trying ot gather as much info as I can to learn ow I should care for this thing...

I don't know what an "EM" is...so I can believe it, if you tell me you do it...

[Jeff AMN]

Anybody who tells you that an auto wax would hurt your machine would be wrong. Well, as long as that wax is a good carnauba wax. I use just regular old Turtle Wax paste and it's great.

Clean your playfield with Novus 2 and then wax it. Done.

[ChadTower]

I use Turtle Wax and it always works well.  No special reason for the brand - the local Target carries it so I use it.

I think the magic dust requires a pin2k glass - not enough mirror on the regular glass.

[Pinball Wizard]

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.

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.

[Q*Bert_OP]

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.

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.

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.

[Xiaou2]

Part 2:

 Looks like they Might have changed the Formula on the Spray bottle.  Ill have to
compare the stuff I have with whats out there now.

 The F21 car polish, however, does list Urethane in the ingredients, on the website.

[Xiaou2]

Pledge is Wax with lemon scent.

  Sure, it will work... but it still will leave flaky residue.

 F21 uses Urethane, which has very strong properties of protection, yet does not have
the hassle and problems that wax has.

 If we talk about slippery surface alone, we might think Teflon lube would be a good
choice.  However, Teflon alone simply does not have the kind of protection that Urethane
does.

 For the protection that wax appears to offer,  its all negated once things start getting
gunky dirty.  And anyone knows, that a multi-level pin has areas which would take
65 screws and 3 assemblies, just to be able to access them for proper cleaning.

 I recall one day, trying like heck to find an easy way to get at this 'Sub-way'
(under-playfield passage)... however, the way it was locked down required at least
2 other assemblies being removed before it could be removed.   The clear plastic subway
was pitch black with dirty waxy gunk.  Every time the ball went down there... it would pick
some of that gunk up, and spread it all over the newly cleaned machine.

 F21 isnt going to trap crap, and spread it to the subways like that.  Its very light, and
slick.  It does not hold such particles within itself.  It will thus nearly eliminate all ability
for the ball to pick up and put down dirt/grime material.  Any crap will simply be pushed to the
areas where the ball is not traveling... such as under a slingshot.  The dust will move
freely.. and not get trapped and Ground into the field.

 A very simple concept to test, is getting a candle, and rolling it with across a dirty floor.
A few rolls later, and you will see hair, dirt, etc... stuck all over the thing.   Try the same
with a rolling pin which was buffed with F21, and see the difference.  Wax catches,
spreads, and flakes...etc.  Its not a good thing to use on a Pinball at all Imop.

 Furthermore, now take that Candle, and try to clean it off with your pinball cleaner/wax
solution.   See how adding more wax to a dirty wax does not really make cleaning the
candle all that good.  Yet, you wipe off the roller with more F21, and the dirty and grime
simply slides right off onto your rag without any real effort.  No scrubbing in endless circles...
No use of harsh cleaning agents.  No need for a ton of re-application and more scrub work.



 And just like the Idea that a slightly Dinged Pinball is capable of more damages...
Dirty wax can be just as bad... as that dirt gets trapped and ground into the field.
Its easy to replace a Pinball.  However, removing all that crapped up wax on the entire
ball surface areas will be a nightmare job.  Most people only clean their entire pin once
every few years.  They might clean the easy to reach areas often... but the subways,
and ramps that are under assemblies...etc.. will probably be neglected for a Long time.

 

[Xiaou2]

*Update*

 I emailed Turtle Wax to see if there were any changes to the formula from
"2001 Protectant"  to  "F21".    They replied that nothing changed except the name
itself.   Phew 

 However, I am left to wonder if their F21 car polish (heavier?) would be even better.
Sadly, its never to be seen on any local store shelves.  (Luckily the F21 spray is)

 Also looked briefly into floor polish.  There is one made by Bona, which contains
Urethane in it.  Have to do more digging...  but F21 will do quite fine for now 

[Sinner]

I poke to the parts guy at a locl pinbal/arcade supply store and he told me that I could just us Novus#2 and leave it at that...
He said it has a slight abrasive to it, but that it hazes and goes on like a wax...
He said to ut it on and buff it, and leave it as is...he said I wouldn't need anything else...
He told me they sell a lot of the Mill Wax stuf and he'd sell it to me if I wanted it, but he said I wouldn't need it...

Yes/No??

[Q*Bert_OP]

.
He told me they sell a lot of the Mill Wax stuff and he'd sell it to me if I wanted it, but he said I wouldn't need it...

Yes/No??

No. Mill Wax is like Novus 2 with solvent and a little wax added. If you want to wax the game, get a real carnauba wax.

[Pinball Wizard]

Novus #2 is great stuff. I use it on my games and it is great but ONLY AFTER WIPING PLAYFIELD DOWN! Use a spray cleaner and clean your playfield first, then use Novus. Without cleaning all you are going to do is buff in dirt into the playfield and seal it in with the wax part of it.

[ChadTower]

Isn't the point of using a polish to avoid putting a thin liquid onto the playfield at all?

[Xiaou2]

 Depends on what you consider Polish:

 Novis, is a Polish that is Destructive.  It contains abrasives, which when scrubbed,
smooth out the rough surface.
 
 Some may say "Pledge" is a polish.  But, as far as I know, its simply a wax/oil
blend... with no abrasive materials.  Therefore, its non-destructive polish.  To make
the surface look smoother, it fills in the cracks with itself, as well as coats the surface.


 Novis does not really contain enough wax to be considered a protectant IMPO.
Not sure it really is / has wax actually.  Its more like a wet carrier that smooths
on... when it dries, you can then buff that gritty material on the feild.  It does not
seem to leave any residue behind at all.  Anything left over is dust/powder that
blows away.

  Pinball Wizard  is correct as well, in that you shouldnt apply wax / polish down
without removing / cleaning the old stuff first.  The old wax will have absorbed dust,
metal flakes, plastic flakes, and carbon soot into it.  If left unchecked, the crud will
end up grinding their way down into the playfeild surface / mylar,  doing damage
over time.

 There are official playfeild waxes which have a strong carrier liquid which can remove
crud as you go.  However, this does not always work so well.  Its like mopping
a dirty floor with dirty water + some new clean solvent.  Yeah, it will get some stuff
up... but you still end up pushing a lot of filth around instead of removing it all.

 
 Anyways, as said, the reason I love F21, is that its a Polish that its a
Non-Trapping, Non-Flaking, Non-Destructive Filler-Polish... and it creates
a clean  low friction, High gloss surface that is very easy to maintain.

EDIT: And it has UV Blockers, to protect your Playfeild art, as well as the Cabinet
artwork.   Buy it for your Cabinet art alone, if anything else.

[shardian]

I give credit where credit is due:
Xiaou, you have given a clear, concise argument without attacking anything or anyone. Congrats bro, and I don't mean that in a sarcastic way. You've convinced me to look into this product further.

Depends on what you consider Polish:

 Novis, is a Polish that is Destructive.  It contains abrasives, which when scrubbed,
smooth out the rough surface.
 
 Some may say "Pledge" is a polish.  But, as far as I know, its simply a wax/oil
blend... with no abrasive materials.  Therefore, its non-destructive polish.  To make
the surface look smoother, it fills in the cracks with itself, as well as coats the surface.


 Novis does not really contain enough wax to be considered a protectant IMPO.
Not sure it really is / has wax actually.  Its more like a wet carrier that smooths
on... when it dries, you can then buff that gritty material on the feild.  It does not
seem to leave any residue behind at all.  Anything left over is dust/powder that
blows away.

  Pinball Wizard  is correct as well, in that you shouldnt apply wax / polish down
without removing / cleaning the old stuff first.  The old wax will have absorbed dust,
metal flakes, plastic flakes, and carbon soot into it.  If left unchecked, the crud will
end up grinding their way down into the playfeild surface / mylar,  doing damage
over time.

 There are official playfeild waxes which have a strong carrier liquid which can remove
crud as you go.  However, this does not always work so well.  Its like mopping
a dirty floor with dirty water + some new clean solvent.  Yeah, it will get some stuff
up... but you still end up pushing a lot of filth around instead of removing it all.

 
 Anyways, as said, the reason I love F21, is that its a Polish that its a
Non-Trapping, Non-Flaking, Non-Destructive Filler-Polish... and it creates
a clean  low friction, High gloss surface that is very easy to maintain.

EDIT: And it has UV Blockers, to protect your Playfeild art, as well as the Cabinet
artwork.   Buy it for your Cabinet art alone, if anything else.

[Xiaou2]

 Thanks Shardian.

 But, just so ya know.. I really rarely attack, unless Ive been attacked in some way first.

 I used to sit there and take it.. but as the years passed by, I got tired of eating crap
and bad attitudes. Now I dish it right back at the people who throw it... until they finally
get tired of it, and realize its not worth it anymore.

 Sadly, this can really create a negative environment initially.  But when you
consider the alternative..  such as 'board bullies'  running rampant & unchecked, it can
be beneficial in the end.  Even if it does not completely stop these peoples behaviors,
it can at least help tone them down several notches to bearable levels.

[Expressline99]

Well I gotta say I'm going to check into F21 I've never seen it or heard about it till now. I've been using all stages of Novus on mine for ages.

Yet another great thread! I can't wait till I start my Bobby Orr's Power Play resto. I didn't know so many people were into pins here.

 

[Q*Bert_OP]

Personally, I clean my playfields with Westley's Bleche-White. It does a great job of getting pounded in dirt in front of the flippers out.

[shardian]

Bleche White is an awesome cleaner, but you have to be careful with it. It will destroy inked artwork.

[Cakemeister]

If your room is well lit you might consider a dust cover to prevent the sun from fading your cabinet.

[shardian]

If your room is well lit you might consider a dust cover to prevent the sun from fading your cabinet.

My wife has considered making these, but wondered if there was really a demand for them.