Cleaning a playfield

[Tombyrne]

So, moving on a little i am a lot happier about tackling my Big Brave.
My arrival of a Rocky from 1982 now causes me a new issue. There is a lot of Mylar applied, it looks professionally done but looks 35
Years old. Simple question, does it need to be removed and replaced? Some of it is lifting and the play field is dirty.
Would it have been factory applied?
Thanks

 

[Tombyrne]

Wow the pinside thread moonbus linked is a marathon but interesting - Clay says no wax was a surprise. There is no mention (2000+ posts) of foam cleaners but I see people using it on here as part of a deep clean/shop out (mainly newer titles?). The shop that stoptap linked has a branch in my town so I'll get some to try.

@Tombyrne I'm in a similar boat with a '67 EM playfield that I want to deep clean (also my 80s Bally SS's). Certainly Naptha appears to be the liquid of choice ahead of IPA on older pf's. Where are you getting that from in the UK?

This is where I'm at with my pf, basically gave it the odd Novus 2 and Mr Sheen (slap wrist) wipe down so I can play test it whilst fixing it up - it's getting quite shiny already
View attachment 50398

The micro vaccum kit is a no-brainer - £4-6 options on Amazon and ebay


or this set for £1.99 delivered for the uber cost conscious http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/9-Nozzle-...or-32-35-Caliber-Accessories-JX-/142344389212

I meant to say your play field looks great, i hope my refurbished machines come close

 

[Tombyrne]

Hi helpers.
I had a chance to have a good look at my Rocky playfield, it is well covered in factory applied Mylar. I would say 80% covered.
The Mylar around the bumpers has lifted and damaged the PF. The rest of the Field Mylar is milky and the corners are lifting.
So it's got to go at some stage. Will the paint still be the same quality as non Mylared PF. Is it common to remove Mylar and once
Removed would regular waxing and cleaning suffice, dare i ask should new Mylar be applied, I don't want to do this.
Finally, the damaged bumper areas will need a touch up here and there, can recommend a paint or touch up pen.
Thanks again to all of you have replied to my requests for help, i am learning all the time and loving it.

 

[Durzel]

My TZ that had been shopped in the past (not sure when unfortunately) seems to be pretty clean, but as this is my first pin I have no frame of reference at all for what a dirty playfield looks like, or when it should be cleaned.

To the untrained eye (i.e. mine) it looks to be very clean, except for some discolouration on the white rubbers on various high traffic parts like the slingshots, some posts, etc. This stuff has come off easily with some foaming cleaner (I bought the Amberclens stuff stoptap recommended earlier in the thread, it works wonders). I presume this blackening is from the balls carrying crud around? The balls themselves don't look unclean or scratched but again no frame of reference to compare.

I'm at the point now where I'm wondering what prep I need to do before waxing the playfield. I have gone over a few places with the foaming cleaner and a large microfibre cloth, but to be honest there isn't much dirt coming off of it. Do I still need to use Novus 1 or 2 before two coats of wax? How would I know from observation if Novus 2 is needed over 1?

 

[Replay]

If it looks good, no need to use Novus 2 as it is an abrasive.

Just wax with Caruba and that is it!

 

[Jonwolf]

Sounds like your playfield is clean. How would you know if it needs Novus 2 ? If you look at the playfield and you don’t know then it probably doesn’t need it.
Novus 2 is a mild abrasive - it will take the swirls out of the surface. Can you see swirly scratches in your playfield ?


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