Klarlacks restaurering av en spelplan.

My advice - take TONS of photos when you disassemble the game, I don't remember where things go every time, and I'm sure I'm not the only person.
My photos of my recent taxi disassembley came in very handy, but I still didn't take enough.
I need to remember digital pictures are cheap, and not to skimp ;)
I really had a hard time figuring out where some parts went on my Taxi, and more than once I'd find a piece that needed reinstalling somewhere after I'd reassembled 2 more sections that I had to disassemble before being able to fit the part back in.
If you clearcoat yourself, you're much braver than I.
If you decide to send it off to someone , figure out how to package it well.
For some packing ideas for a wired playfield, see Ben's page: http://ben.flippers.info/fathom/fathom.htm
For mylar removal, I have used the heat method with OK success, but really liked the Freeze Spray method on my Taxi, for the limited amount of mylar I had on the Taxi.
Ben has a page on freeze spray mylar removal here: http://ben.flippers.info/mylar/mylar.htm
After the mylar comes up, attack the left over glue with Naptha, which I've found comes in handy for TONS of other things, including removing drop target decal adhesive.
I'd almost recommending getting pin #2 before performing a complete restoration on pin #1 - it's easy to get discouraged when you can't play your machine for a few months, which a complete restoration will take.
There will be times when you're waiting on one coat of clear to dry while prepping for the next, etc etc etc.
Good luck with the project, and I'll be the first to say let's see some pics! --john -- Pay me a visit and see what's in my home game room http://www.myhomegameroom.com "twister".

Well, finally I bought my first fixer up pin.(PINBOT)I plan to completely restore this pin to like original.
My question is, Which playfield preservation technique is best accomplished by the beginner?
Waxing on a regular basis, Mylar, or Clearcoating?
After doing some RGP search's and reading Clay's guide's on clearcoating I narrowed my personal choice's down to Mylar, or Clearcoating.
Not only would I like to preserve the playfield, I also want to enhance the playfield color and art.
In my research I also learned that Mylar is easily scratched and dulled, and has a direct effect on original gameplay.
Clearcoating seems to be the best way to go in my opinion for touch up, durability, and color enhancement.
Clearcoating also sounds like the hardest technique since the playfield has to be completely stripped, and a great deal of time is spent on the application of clearcoat.
I am a beginner and this will be my first pin restoration I have plenty of time and confidence in myself, and am mechanically inclined, So taking this machine apart should not be a problem for me.
Any advice in addition to Clay's on preservation techniques, which products to use, tools, Or removal of existing Mylar would be a great help.
Hello all. I am in the process of doing a complete redraw of a Sorcerer playfield in Corel Draw. Why am I going to all this trouble you might ask ... because I have way to much time on my hands when I am at work (stupid job but it allows me lots of time for computer projects). My current playfield is shot and I hate just tossing things without trying something first. I have a replacement pf that I intend on putting into the machine once I have more time at home. The replacement is by no means perfect but is way better than the current one. In the mean time I thought I would try making an overlay for the really bad pf. At the current rate I hope to have the whole thing drawn out in 1-2 months. I have recreated the top 1/3 so far (a lot more work than I thought but going pretty darn well if I do say so myself). As I get closer to being done I hope to find somewhere on the web to post pics so that I can get lots of input on what I may have missed etc. So on with the questions ... 1 - Once done I will probably get it printed with a large plot type printer on lexan or mylar. Is there any preference or benefit to one or the other? 2 - Once printed what type of glue does one apply and how to apply it to the overlay? 3 - Does the glue tend to lift the ink printed on the lexan/mylar? 4 - Does anyone know of a font that would closely match the Sorcerer font ... otherwise I will make one from scratch? If someone has done this type of project from start to finish and would be willing to help me along the way it would be greatly appreciated. I have done the google search thing with limited info found. Thanks David ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Våndan av att beundra ett clearcoatat playfield; ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Oh yeah... go ahead, if it came from Bills place, you will be staring at it for days... you wife will think there is something wrong with you... but you just cant stop staring at it. Bill did my flash gordon and I drank wine and smoked a fine Padron Anniversary 64 series cigar over it. In fact , I just finished the swap yesterday. What a job... about 40 man hours. Anyway, yeah go ahead and " Sport your Wood" anyone who poo poo's spending 160 bucks on Bills clear job is just jealous! Matt ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vilken klarlack som används; ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The text mentioned Varnathane. Bill uses DuPont Auto Clear. I remember hearing TBK did this himself with varnathane, so I'm assuming he did it himself. Awesome job, cool early bally pin. --john ------------------------------------------------------------------------ En som gjorde det själv; ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Matt, This was my work, I felt the need to do this game. Only the top was stripped, pop bumper bodies and targets unmounted, everything else was taped off or blocked from overspray. Very small amounts of touchup were used in and around the upper right area of the playfield, but it took minimal effort. Sanding was somewhat time consuming however. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kompletta instruktioner; ------------------------------------------------------------------------ My mother used to tell me "Son... A wise man learns by his own mistakes... A wiser man learns by other's (mistakes)" I've clear coated many pins, 6 in the last 4 months alone and I can tell you my last project is many times better than the first. When Clay first wrote his white paper he was somewhat of a novice at clear coating. I believe he would agree and should probably update his white paper to save newbie's a lot of trouble. Remember Bruce's 1st rule of clear coating, "VARATHANE IS FOR AMATURES!" When I restore a pin, I spend roughly 80 hours, striping the playfield, sanding, touching up, polishing and reinstalling. You hate to spend that much time and then put a cheap $5 product on your work! Sure it's the best $5 product out there, but it's still a $5 product! Procedure is as follows; Raise the playfield and number both ends of any cables going through the playfield (to ramps, coils, lights etc.) After they're all labeled, unplug all. Lower playfield and proceed to strip off parts, have 2 jars for small metal hardware, 1 jar for screws etc. that come off the top of the PF and 1 jar for the bottom, this cuts your chance of getting the wrong screw in the wrong hole by 50%. The logistics of separating them further are more trouble then its worth. I also find it's nice to tumble the metal post and odd shaped metal, don't bother with under playfield parts or screw and nuts, since I think the screws and nuts pick up more dirt and look worse than not tumbling (Unless they're heavily corroded etc.) Use Walnut media and Novus 3 in the tumbler After you have the major components off, flat plastics ramps etc. (Very Important) Take a video camera and make a video of all the post types and locations. If not, it'll be impossible to figure out where they go, you'll add 20 hours to your project when its time to re-assemble and you'll never get them all right! Put ramps, plastic posts, Bumper Caps, (No corroded wire forms, otherwise they'll rust more and you'll hate yourself) in the dishwasher. DO NOT PUT FLAT PLASTICS IN THE DISHWASHER!! You'll get hard water spots of them, no matter how fast you pull them out and dry them and no amount of Novus will fix it (trust me on this) PLAYFIELD PREP There should be nothing sticking up through the playfield at this point! You can take any remaining leaf switches, coils, kickers etc. and push them through and wire tie them to something to get them out of the way and secure. Ball up masking tape and place it in the light sockets also mask off any big holes to the other side of the PF. Forget about using Novus. Dry dust (rub) as much dirt off as you can. The less wet dirt the better since it will get stuck in cracks of the paint easier. If I'm going to replace the factory Mylar (around pop bumpers etc.) I take a rubbing, by placing a white sheet of paper over the existing Mylar and taking a pencil and rubbing the outline (Don't trace! It's not as accurate or as easy) Now you have a template for making a perfect replica of your Mylar after it's all done! Remove the Mylar using a heat gun on high. DO NOT hold the heat gun in one spot too long, wave it over a corner and wedge a razor under that corner and lift, gently apply heat and lifting as you go, if you're feeling to much tension while lifting the Mylar, apply a little more heat, if you don't soften that glue, you'll start to rip off the artwork, especially around the lamp inserts. Immediately use Naphtha to remove glue before it gets hard. Forget lighter fluid (It's just expensive Naphtha). After you've scrubbed the PF as clean as it gets with Naphtha, take 600 grit sandpaper and dry thumb sand entire surface until you have an even flat matt finish, use a little extra effort on the ball trails etc. go VERY light on the plastic inserts. If you have any depressions in the PF, now's the time to fix them! No... clear coating won't make up for a rough PF, if anything it will make it worse, I find these usually around worn PF plastic inserts. I touch up the paint, and then lay some water thick super glue on top of it to raise the depression, I can't emphasize this enough. Let me repeat CLAERCOATING WILL NOT FIX THIS!!! After it's all done put some 600 grit on a sanding block and smooth out the entire PF. The reason I thumb sand first is a sanding block doesn't get the uneven areas as well, but does a better job of smoothing. Next use an air compressor and blow as much sanding dust out of the cracks especially plastic light inserts as possible, then get a clean rag and wipe down thoroughly with Naphtha, up, down all around, MAKE ABSOLUTLY SURE THERE IS NO Sanding dust or grease on the PF, THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME TO CLEAN!!! Now touchup the paint with a water base acrylic, make sure to color match or all your efforts will be for not!! Put a clean rag down to rest you hand on (You don't want oil from you hand on the PF since there will be no more cleaning and any oil will fisheye when you shoot the clear coat and that SUCKS!) Now take the PF to and auto paint shop and pay $50 to have them clear coat it for you (make sure they just wipe it with a tack cloth one final time to get rid of dust, Tell them not to use any liquid or they'll remove your water based paint, often they do this to remove oil, but, you've already done it.) They have the equipment and expertise and Automotive clear coat is a much harder material than Varathane, The difference is NIGHT and DAY. You will only need 2 or 3 coats and it will be fully cured in 3 days versus a month for Varathane. "VARATHANE IS FOR AMATURES!!!!" I mean no disrespect for those who have done it, I have too. It does look better then before, but not as good as it could and with no additional effort. When you get your PF back it will look awesome!! Don't be tempted to stop there, (It gets MUCH better!)Take some 2000 grit sand paper and a spray bottle of water and lightly wet thumb sand the entire PF (Don't over wet!), especially areas where you see imperfections (hairs, dust, orange peel etc) then use a sanding block and 2000 grit and wet sand everything LIGHTLY!! Now your PF is going to lose its shine and look like crap. Don't worry, it's only temporary! Get a (preferred) high speed circular buffer with a new (Or very clean) simulated wool pad, (but an orbital buffer and wool pad will work in a pinch) and some very fine rubbing compound, I use "McGuire's Swirl Ease" but any Fine compound should work. Not all rubbing compound is the same, some is courser than others. Don't use Novus 2 or 3. Novus 3 is too course and Novus 2 has no cutting agent! Also be very careful, there may be splinters sticking up (around the plastic starpost holes etc.) If a high speed circular buffer with wool pad catches that splinter it could rip a strip of wood right off!!!! It's generally safe to do the main areas without fear since there are no splinters to catch the spinning pad. WHEN YOU FINISH YOU'RE PLAYFIELD WILL LOOK LIKE GLASS!!!. Just a couple of other notes, since you have the bottom part of the pop bumper removed, now is a good time to rebuild them, just put in new sleeves and replace any broken metal armatures (Common problem, ya know the piece that mates in a horseshoe fashion with the Bakelite and connects to the rods) Do the same thing with the slingshots. Also I've always had a hard time stapling the pop bumper light to the underside of the playfield, so I just cut the metal light straps off and leave enough from the old one to re-solder the new one to it. This actually works very well and looks very clean. You can make the metal ramps etc. look like new by sanding with 220 grit sand paper, go with the grain! Then follow with 600 to lightly smooth and 1200-1500. you want to start with a course paper and let it do the work, if you start with 600 grit, you'll be doing a lot more work than you need to. I seldom use a high speed buffer with the following exceptions, pop bumper rings and high profile metal (Ya know big pieces that are in well seen areas) Now some may argue that this is too much work. Yes it is a lot of work, but it's no more work then you would do spraying Varathane and only cost about $30 more. (You don't want to be pennywise and pound foolish) My first project took many more hours and didn't look nearly as good, I feel that I've gotten this down to a science and appreciate the opportunity to share ideas with my peers. Please feel free to email me if you would like clarification on the finer points. Bruce Artman Mesa, AZ bruce9090 (at) hotmail