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What wax for playfield

octamus

octamus

Registered
10 Years
Joined
Oct 20, 2013
Messages
406
Location
Bristol
What do you use For Your playfield I'm about to strip a playfield to fit a playfield protector and I want to give it the best protection
 
+1.
Think a small shoe polish sized tin cost me nearly £10 if anyone finds it cheaper. Top wax tho.
 
ronsplooter said:
It's 20 quid! Gerlitz is 6 quid and does a cracking job :D Surely is durability is something you want when you've got a metal ball hammering about the place ;)
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Comes in a much larger pot rather than the vanity set sized Gerlitz.

Durability isn't ans issue but it isn't as durable as some car waxes. That said, it looks better.
 
In order of preference:

1st - Pledge (for serious pro's only and ongoing maintenence):
www.onestopcleaningsupplies.co.uk_images_uploads_HK213.jpg

2nd - Mothers California Gold Synthetic Wax (used on a full playfield strip down, synthetic wax is hard wearing and extremely shiny):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GZLME...=UTF8&colid=P1NY91I8IX3C&coliid=I734Y7OWX69WO
ep.yimg.com_ay_autogeek_mothers_california_gold_synthetic_paste_wax_1.gif

3rd - Meguiars Gold Class (for hobbyists, affordable and easy to use, very high shine):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguiars-Go...45692&sr=8-2&keywords=meguiars+gold+class+wax
www.waxyclean.co.uk_media_catalog_product_cache_1_thumbnail_60e24e66d0c44d76713b0d67ef2eaf9745.jpg

If you have look through your pinball toolkit and find anything with Mill Wax or Novous written on it, then throw that sh*t in the bin! ;)
 
Depends how bad the scratches are. For light scratches Meguiars Step 1 Paint Cleaner, followed by Step 2 Polish and then Wax. If it's got heavey scratches then I'll use Farcela G3 followed by previous steps. Can't use that on the white painted side though cos it'll take off the paint.

That's just for flat plastic parts. On ramps I always wash them first and then flame polish, followed by wax, followed by pledge. If there's too many little crevices where I can't get into then just use pledge and a clean dry paint brush.
 
Unusual choices there @PeteB. And a little controversial. Interesting choice of Farcela G3 for removing heavy scratches from plastic as it's a paint finishing compound. The "G3 Finish Gloss Enhancer" says "...excellent filling capabilities..." in the blurb. Looks good! Can I substitute Lord Sheraton polish? My wife doesn't like the smell of Pledge. :p

Basically though everyone else recommended carnauba wax and bickered over the durability of no less than 5 different brands! Must give it a go one day... in the meantime I'll struggle on with my Mill Wax and Novus, both of which have so far done an excellent job.
 
Nedreud said:
Unusual choices there @PeteB. And a little controversial. Interesting choice of Farcela G3 for removing heavy scratches from plastic as it's a paint finishing compound. The "G3 Finish Gloss Enhancer" says "...excellent filling capabilities..." in the blurb. Looks good! Can I substitute Lord Sheraton polish? My wife doesn't like the smell of Pledge. :p
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No dude you don't want the Gloss Enhancer. The original G3 is what I use. This is what car body shops use to polish clear coats after they have been sanded with 1200 grit wet 'n' dry. When using a machine buffer this stuff will remove a car paint down to the bare metal so you have to be careful with it. But for removing scratches out of plastic it's the first thing I go to. Also you have to use it with water i.e. damp cloth or dipping/spraying your machine buffer. Technique is most important.

For most cases Meguiars Step 1 is mild enough to polish out most fine scratches, and it seems to give a finish far greater than Novus.

On the subject of wax though, the reason I don't use Mill Wax is because it's too powdery. Might look good the first day but day 2 you're gonna see it everywhere. I'm sure everybody here has seen pins with star posts, plastics, and rubbers covered in that horrible white mess. Plus, I don't rate the shine it gives.

You can get Pledge in different flavours nowadays too! :)

Nedreud said:
Basically though everyone else recommended carnauba wax and bickered over the durability of no less than 5 different brands! Must give it a go one day... in the meantime I'll struggle on with my Mill Wax and Novus, both of which have so far done an excellent job.
Click to expand...

Carnauba is fine but it's a little old hat. The Gold Class I recommend is carnauba, but the synthetic waxes available now are more durable.

Basically, no amount of wax is gonna protect a playfield from wear. You're bashing around a heavy steel ball on painted wood. What you want to do is reduce friction as much as possible so it wears less quickly.
 
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