mylar repair question...

[Lindsey]

I've polished a mylar game to the point the mylar was as shiny as a clear coat.

As shiny maybe but it will never be as clear. Still... I've had good results with mylar too. It really depends on the condition of the rest of the playfield whether it's worth clear coating or not. It also depends on what kind of restoration you're doing on the game. If you're completely stripping the playfield to do your "shop job" then a couple more days effort to touch up and clear might be worth it. If you're removing the minimum amount of stuff to clean and re-rubber the playfield then just enjoy it and dont' worry about the mylar.

My $.02CDN

 

[Deadly]

Don't use goof-off. It's basically paint remover. Use goo-gone. It's for glue. Goof off can seriously destroy the playfield. Hopefully your insert is salvageable. Do some google searching for examples. Easy to confuse the two.

Good call Lindsey!
That is one of those dangerous (1 offs) for sure. There is a HUGE difference between Goof Off and Goo Gone.

 

[shardian]

As shiny maybe but it will never be as clear. Still... I've had good results with mylar too. It really depends on the condition of the rest of the playfield whether it's worth clear coating or not. It also depends on what kind of restoration you're doing on the game. If you're completely stripping the playfield to do your "shop job" then a couple more days effort to touch up and clear might be worth it. If you're removing the minimum amount of stuff to clean and re-rubber the playfield then just enjoy it and dont' worry about the mylar.

My $.02CDN

If I was doing automotive clear, then sure it would be a few days. I did the spray can polycrylic method and built up layers to level out a badly worn playfield. That is a month long procedure with wait times.

Treasure Cove kit = clear mylar in about an hour. I'll be doing a Freddy mylar this evening or tomorrow.

 

[splattergatz]

Then why would he need to put something heavy on it until it dried?

to hold the mylar down while its drying. that way its not sticking up a millimeter or two for the ball to roll over it and ruin the fix. i find that when the mylar is not glued down, it rises up a tiny bit. on this FUNHOUSE im working on for a guy, there are bubbles under the mylar where its not uniformly stuck to the playfield. you can push the bubble down and it sticks for a little while but then it bubbles up again after awhile. its kind of fun having all these bubbles under the mylar. kind of moves the ball around funnyways

you dont put the glue on the top of the mylar so your "weight" gets glued to the mylar, silly. THAT would ruin the game for me anyway and probably decrease the games' value
i suppose for fun you could glue a bell to the playfield to hold the mylar down. i personally would choose a bell in the key of "C", just for the tone when the ball hits the bell

 

[dc2010]

i use automotive reducer for all kinds of removal of gunk

have to be a little careful as it can damage some things(softer plastics) but for some applications i cant live without it for sure

maybe you can buy a new insert and save all the trouble

well im sure it works but as you said its dangerous, try using go-jo, i use that for nearly everything, and shar is right you should use automotive clearcoat

 

[dc2010]

As shiny maybe but it will never be as clear. Still... I've had good results with mylar too. It really depends on the condition of the rest of the playfield whether it's worth clear coating or not. It also depends on what kind of restoration you're doing on the game. If you're completely stripping the playfield to do your "shop job" then a couple more days effort to touch up and clear might be worth it. If you're removing the minimum amount of stuff to clean and re-rubber the playfield then just enjoy it and dont' worry about the mylar.

My $.02CDN

agreed 100%

 

[joeycuda]

Nothing looks as good as stripping that mylar off, but plan on dedicating a long time to doing it. I stripped the mylar off of an F-14 pf, and like many of that era, the insert ink mostly came off. Good thing is, you can buy insert decals, super thin, if you're going to clearcoat it. My end result was nice, but it was a lot of work.

Since a lot of the inserts were either raised or sunken, I removed every single one, cleaned the glue off, flipped it over on wet 320 grit wet/dry paper, and sanded flat, removing any trace of the insert ink. I then re-glued each one, flush with the playfield finish. After touchups, I applied insert decals, roughed the whole thing up, and shot several coats of automotive urethane. It was a ton of work, yet I would do it again (more efficiently)

 

[dc2010]

Nothing looks as good as stripping that mylar off, but plan on dedicating a long time to doing it. I stripped the mylar off of an F-14 pf, and like many of that era, the insert ink mostly came off. Good thing is, you can buy insert decals, super thin, if you're going to clearcoat it. My end result was nice, but it was a lot of work.

Since a lot of the inserts were either raised or sunken, I removed every single one, cleaned the glue off, flipped it over on wet 320 grit wet/dry paper, and sanded flat, removing any trace of the insert ink. I then re-glued each one, flush with the playfield finish. After touchups, I applied insert decals, roughed the whole thing up, and shot several coats of automotive urethane. It was a ton of work, yet I would do it again (more efficiently)

like your style