Start of my 1st Resto (Lost World) Pics and Questions

Zack5959

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Start of my 1st Resto (Lost World) Pics and Questions

Just picked this up off Craigslist the other day. It was made out to be Collector Quality over email exchanges but it turned out to have issues at the time of pick-up.
Original price was $625...I got it for $400.
This game is special because my GF grew up with one in her house...and her Dad still has it!
Since he wouldnt let it go, I had to pick one up.

Playfield is in great shape, started up and played, everything seemed functional.

I want to perfect the playfield, seal it up, and put some new electronic parts on it so it is dead reliable. Some pics:
100_2602.jpg

100_2650.jpg

100_2664.jpg

100_2645.jpg


Here are my questions:

What is the best store bought sealer for the playfield?
Spray or brush-on?
Oil or Water Based?

Another Q: This was in a humid basement and bits of the playfield started to bubble. Whats the best way to re-glue the material back down so its flat again? See pic:
100_2662.jpg


Thanks in advance, this hobby is friggin awesome!

Rest of pics here:
http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn306/Marauder-Z/Lost World Pinball/
 
Start by cutting the battery off the MPU. Then read this:

http://pinrepair.com/bally/

If you have questions that are not answered in the site above then ask them here.

Hard to say about the ridges in the playfield. I would see what they look like after cleaning. Might have to remove them and touch up those areas or they might stick down when the clear is applied. They might also be due to the wood swelling in which case they're going to be tough to fix. You'll probably have to block sand them down and touch-up. You won't know until you've done a good cleaning. I would use magic eraser but I don't see a lot of ball swirl or crazing (beyond the ridges) so don't go crazy with it and whatever paint comes off will have to be touched up. There's no point in trying to save loose paint.

I would use Varathane for the clear coat on that machine but opinions will vary. You'll want to remove the pop bumpers and drop the switches down under the playfield. You'll need the top of the playfield completely stripped if you're going to clear coat.

Looks like a good first restoration project.
 
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I wanted to keep this all 'in house' but the Automotive clear makes sense.
My buddy is a professional car painter and does awesome work for cheap....gonna start the prep tomorrow and remove the remaining switches.
 
First if you're going to do it right, get all of the mechs off the top of the playfield. Remove the Pop bumpers, drop all of the switches below the playfield and tape it off. That way when you go to spray the clear you'll get a nice even spray across the playfield instead of the mist hitting the pops etc...

You're gonna want to remove the mylar near the slings. If you use heat it should come up with minimal paint loss.


Good luck Lost World is a very pretty game!
 
First if you're going to do it right, get all of the mechs off the top of the playfield. Remove the Pop bumpers, drop all of the switches below the playfield and tape it off. That way when you go to spray the clear you'll get a nice even spray across the playfield instead of the mist hitting the pops etc...

You're gonna want to remove the mylar near the slings. If you use heat it should come up with minimal paint loss.


Good luck Lost World is a very pretty game!

Im gonna freeze the mylar off with the upside down air in a can technique.

Im pondering the use of Automotive clearcoat in a can, such as this:
http://www.tcpglobal.com/AutoBodyDepot/ItemDetail.aspx?ItemNo=SEM+40903

I know everyone says the switches/pop bumbers must be removed, but why?
Technically they arent really on the 'playfield' per se, and with a good painter all areas will be hit.
I dont mind the extra work to remove them, I just cant understand the real need to do so.
 
Im gonna freeze the mylar off with the upside down air in a can technique.

Im pondering the use of Automotive clearcoat in a can, such as this:
http://www.tcpglobal.com/AutoBodyDepot/ItemDetail.aspx?ItemNo=SEM+40903

I know everyone says the switches/pop bumbers must be removed, but why?
Technically they arent really on the 'playfield' per se, and with a good painter all areas will be hit.
I dont mind the extra work to remove them, I just cant understand the real need to do so.

There's a LOT more to a clear coat job than just shooting the paint. It's going to be virtually impossible to block sand the playfield with the switches installed. That's one reason among many to remove them. You don't have to remove them from the game. Just remove the screws and drop the switches under the playfield as I originally suggested.

Not to mention every step being easier like cleaning, polishing, etc... I used to try to shortcut the pop bumpers all the time and always ended up removing them later.

You could probably leave all the stuff on and still achieve a good result. It's just going to be a lot more difficult than doing it the right way in the first place :)
 
Ok Ill remove them!

Has anyone used the spray can clear coat, and how were the results?
 
Has anyone used the spray can clear coat, and how were the results?

I've used Varathane with good results but never the rattle can automotive stuff. If you're going to do an automotive clear you're better off trying to get your friend to shoot some real automotive clear. I can't comment on the specific brand you linked and I'm sure it will work but don't confuse it with a mixed automotive clear using a catalyst. They're not the same product.

EDIT: This is my 8000th post :)
 
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Ok Lindsey, the ENTIRE playfield is now stripped.....wasnt bad at all.
Thanks for the kick in the ass. :D
 
I agree with Lindsay, you can't block sand well with a populated play field...

Check my thread for use of Varathane...http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=118059&page=9

VB,

Holy balls what a project. Great work...and patience I must say.

Im going to buy a can of the Automotive clear, spray it on something and let is sit a week and evaluate it before using it on my playfield.
I just picked up a Watercolor set to touch up the playfield.
 
Almost forgot to ask:
After the clearcoating process is complete, will it be necessary to re-apply the mylar by the slingshots and pop-bumbers?
Help a noob out. :D
 
Zack,

I'm no expert, there are plenty of them on the board so hopefully someone else will chime in.

This is my opinion only - I would not do my touch ups with watercolors I would only use Acrylics as has been posted many times on the board in many different threads. The issue may be that all your hard work might be made moot when clear coat is applied to protect the surface, I would stick to the known working paints.

Also, I would consider replacing the mylar around the sling shots and pop bumpers to reduce any unnecessary wear on the clear coat. Clear coat is great but not indestructible and will wear otherwise you wouldn't be able to sand it... :)

VB,
 
Zack,

I'm no expert, there are plenty of them on the board so hopefully someone else will chime in.

This is my opinion only - I would not do my touch ups with watercolors I would only use Acrylics as has been posted many times on the board in many different threads. The issue may be that all your hard work might be made moot when clear coat is applied to protect the surface, I would stick to the known working paints.

Also, I would consider replacing the mylar around the sling shots and pop bumpers to reduce any unnecessary wear on the clear coat. Clear coat is great but not indestructible and will wear otherwise you wouldn't be able to sand it... :)

VB,

Crap thanks. I knew I needed something else. Water based acrylics right?
 
On this era of game, heat works better than the freeze spray. I tested both on a junk Power Play playfield and I lost no paint with heat and a significant amount with freeze. Its the opposite on Sys11 and newer but these older ones seem to prefer heat from my experiences.
 
On this era of game, heat works better than the freeze spray. I tested both on a junk Power Play playfield and I lost no paint with heat and a significant amount with freeze. Its the opposite on Sys11 and newer but these older ones seem to prefer heat from my experiences.

I did the freeze this morning and it came off with no paint loss.
 
I have varathane and duplicolor clearcoat. Torn between the two. After testing both on identical surfaces, the auto clear is the winner... goes on smoother, dries thicker, much shinier. Im gonna give it a go tomorrow, the playfieldy
is all touched up and looks awesome.
 
*Update*
I ended up going with the SprayMax 2 part Clear in a rattle can.......

Excellent decision!

I have 2 coats on it right now and its a smooth sheet of glass.

I didnt quite get the purple matched perfectly, but I dont care. Im doing this under Fluorescent lights so once the pin gets re-assembled and back in my basement (in near darkness) all sins will disappear.
 
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