Addams Playfield Cleaning

gamingsince80s

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Hello All! My girlfriend and I did our first playfield cleaning last night. When I bought my Addams Family a month ago it had a light layer of dirt all across the playfield and up the ramps. I read about Novus 2 here and it is everything and more that everyone said! It quickly and easily lifted the dirt without harming any playfield art work or paint. It also left a nice gloss finish. I elected to go over my playfield with Turtle Wax Carnuba Wax that said it was safe for clear coats. It turned out really well also! We also cleaned and waxed the balls. I can't believe how much faster the game plays now- its almost too fast, but I'm sure with some practice I will get used to it.

We only cleaned and waxed the playfield in the areas that were accessible without playfield dis-assembly- we plan on doing a full playfield dis-assembly and shop procedure this winter as a project. Some would have just waited to clean the playfield until the full shop, but the dirt got on my nerves and I'm very proud of my TAF and didn't want to have to play it another two months staring at the dirt on the playfield.

I have attached two pictures, the before and after was more noticeable in person. The first picture is with the right hand of the mansion cleaned with Novus 2 and not the left side and the second picture is of the mansion fully cleaned. It's amazing how much brighter the lights look now that they are cleaned.

Ok, enough of my ramblings, just wanted to share my experience with everyone.
 

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Yes, Novus speeds up the game considerably, but make sure you clean every nook and cranny that the ball ever comes in contact with - otherwise it's just a matter of time before the dirt builds up everywhere again and it happens faster than you think! This includes the under playfield tunnels and the "Thing" box (which are usually filthy). These put a tremendous amount of dirt on the ball and need to be scrubbed. Have fun!

-BB
 
Yes, Novus speeds up the game considerably, but make sure you clean every nook and cranny that the ball ever comes in contact with - otherwise it's just a matter of time before the dirt builds up everywhere again and it happens faster than you think! This includes the under playfield tunnels and the "Thing" box (which are usually filthy). These put a tremendous amount of dirt on the ball and need to be scrubbed. Have fun!

-BB


Yeah I figured the playfield would get dirty again since we just cleaned the top, but when we do the full shop I will dis-assemble it to get all of the ramps and tunnels nice and clean. We just cleaned it this time to hold me over until we have to do the full shop treatment on it.

Do you know if when I go to clean the playfield again if I need to do anything special to get the automotive wax off or will the Novus 2 do that?


Thanks!
 
Yeah I figured the playfield would get dirty again since we just cleaned the top, but when we do the full shop I will dis-assemble it to get all of the ramps and tunnels nice and clean. We just cleaned it this time to hold me over until we have to do the full shop treatment on it.

Do you know if when I go to clean the playfield again if I need to do anything special to get the automotive wax off or will the Novus 2 do that?


Thanks!

I usually start with a high % rubbing alcohol scrub down...That gets the dust, grime and dirt off. Then novus or another polish (I've been using treasure cover which is great). Any polish or cleaner will remove the wax. Ultimately you are removing a tiny tiny amount of the clear coat so yeah, the wax will be gone!
 
if you want to a total job on your game, replace all the coil sleeves underneath the playfield with new ones

while i'm in there i rebuild the flipper assemblies too

how are your plastics ?
i'm restoring an ADDAMS FAMILY too right now
some of my plastics are broken but not all

maybe we can split a set if you want to save some money
depends on what each of us would need to make it work...
 
Keep in mind that Novus 2 is a mildly abrasive plastic polish. It isn't a cleaner. Sure it will take off dirt, but that isn't what it was designed to do. Playfields like TAF are basically protected with an automotive type clearcoat. So treat it accordingly. Clean it, polish it, then wax it with a good carnuba wax.
 
Keep in mind that Novus 2 is a mildly abrasive plastic polish. It isn't a cleaner. Sure it will take off dirt, but that isn't what it was designed to do. Playfields like TAF are basically protected with an automotive type clearcoat. So treat it accordingly. Clean it, polish it, then wax it with a good carnuba wax.

I wonder how thick the clearcoat actually is? I waxed mine with Turtle Wax Carnuba Wax and it turned out awesome.
 
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