Fixing playfield plastics in the oven...

AE35

New member
Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
314
Reaction score
0
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Hey all!

Thanks to the awesomeness of tester007, I'm soon to recieve his old playfield
for my Xenon:) All the way from Canada to Denmark.

So, I've started gearing up for combat, and have looked at the plastics. Some of
them have a slight yellow tint, but not bad. However, some of them are pretty warped.

So my magic question is: If I'm supposed to bake them in the oven, will that be
compromising my health in any way? I have no idea what plastic was used 30 years
ago, or what was used in the printing on them.

Well, I just wanted to make sure that it's okay to do in the normal oven, that are going
to be used for food

Thanks!

Nicholas
 
I straightened some plastics with a hair dryer as I felt there was less chance of me messing things up. I heated until I saw some drooping, watch closely, then pressed them flat.
 
I straightened some plastics with a hair dryer as I felt there was less chance of me messing things up. I heated until I saw some drooping, watch closely, then pressed them flat.

That's what I did but with a heat gun.When they started to droop I pressed them between a couple of books for a few minutes...worked great.
 
You aren't trying to cook them, just get them warm enough to bend. If you are very worried, open up the windows, turn on the oven vent and clean the oven afterwords. Make sure you use some baking paper so the plastics won't stick to the pan, fingers or book.
 
I have always used a heat gun. Usually the plastic starts to bend up towards the heat but then flattens out. Then I place a heavy object on top.

But you have to be very careful. Depending on your heat gun, they can get very got. So hot it will bubble the plastic.

A hair dryer would be a good place to start.
 
I prefer using a clothes iron, putting the plastics between 2 sheets of glass. PPF glass works fine. Iron for about 5-10 minutes, let cool, remove glass. Less extreme than a heat gun, which can melt plastics (if you have a hi-power heat gun).
 
I've tried a lot of methods including most of those talked about here and the ONLY method I will do anymore is the one outlined here; I always have excellent results:
http://www.xmission.com/~daina/tips/pub/tip0018.html

Warped playfield plastics may be flattened by preheating an oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the plastics face down on a clean cookie sheet in the oven. Do not answer the phone or door! Do not be distracted in any way! Watch the plastics closely. If you leave the plastics in too long they will turn to a mass of bubbling goo and likely will be irreplaceable. Prepare several large books near the oven, and open them. When the plastics have begun to droop, remove them quickly, placing them in the books, and quickly closing the books. You may want to place several items on top of the books to ensure that the plastics will be flat. After about 10 minutes the plastics will have cooled enough to remain flat. If you choose to use something other than a book, be sure to use something that is completely smooth, otherwise you will end up with texture imprinted on the plastic.

I always put paper towels under them so that the face of the plastic is not directly on the metal. 250 degrees isn't going to set fire to a paper towel. The key is just to watch, it doesn't take very long and you need to keep your eye on them. Otherwise this works great! I'd be worried that a hair dryer wouldn't get them perfectly flat. After doing this mine are always straight as an arrow.
 
Last edited:
I've tried a lot of methods including most of those talked about here and the ONLY method I will do anymore is the one outlined here; I always have excellent results:
http://www.xmission.com/~daina/tips/pub/tip0018.html



I always put paper towels under them so that the face of the plastic is not directly on the metal. 250 degrees isn't going to set fire to a paper towel. The key is just to watch, it doesn't take very long and you need to keep your eye on them. Otherwise this works great! I'd be worried that a hair dryer wouldn't get them perfectly flat. After doing this mine are always straight as an arrow.

This method sounds pretty risky and prone to screwups, as indicated by your numerous cautions and warnings. Using the glass sandwich and clothes iron prevents the plastics from overheating, plus they only contact smooth glass. Wouldn't want a hot plastic sandwiched in a book! It might pick up ink, texture, etc.
 
With the oven method I use Baker's Paper you can get at any grocery store. Make sure the waxed side is away from the plastic. Keeps the plastic from sticking to the cookie sheet, book, or your fingers.
 
This method sounds pretty risky and prone to screwups, as indicated by your numerous cautions and warnings. Using the glass sandwich and clothes iron prevents the plastics from overheating, plus they only contact smooth glass. Wouldn't want a hot plastic sandwiched in a book! It might pick up ink, texture, etc.

If you do it right they would never get hot enough to where they could pick up ink or texture. Plus the plastics are face down when you put the book on top. I've used this method over a dozen times and never had an issue. In every case I've had excellent looking flat plastics as the result. In several cases I was convinced that the plastics would have to be replaced because they were too warped but this always fixed them.
 
If you do it right they would never get hot enough to where they could pick up ink or texture. Plus the plastics are face down when you put the book on top. I've used this method over a dozen times and never had an issue. In every case I've had excellent looking flat plastics as the result. In several cases I was convinced that the plastics would have to be replaced because they were too warped but this always fixed them.

I agree that approach will work "if you do it right" but it can ruin plastics if you're not careful. The glass sandwich with clothes iron method is foolproof. The plastics can't overheat, and the glass keeps things smooth and clean. The baker's paper idea above is good too. If you wanted to do things faster, you could wrap the plastic in the paper, put it on a hard surface (preferably glass, like a pf glass), and iron at a medium heat.
 
Back
Top Bottom