Whirlwind, remove mylar or not?

InstantArcade

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I have a dirty Whirlwind pin, and the mylar is bubbled in places (also the inserts are crazed, but that might be the mylar too).

Is it worth removing the mylar? Or is that just going to make things worse?

Also, the machine is dirtiest where there is no mylar, but I've been unable to get those parts clean. Upon closer inspection, it seems that the paint is cracked and crazed, and the dirt is deep in the cracks. So far I've tried, simple green, novus 2 and a magic eraser. Any tips on getting the dirt out without damaging the paint?
 

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I have had a lot of luck with teh Treasure Cove cleaning solution and a buffing pad. Just take it slow and multiple cleanings. As for the mylar, thats a tough call, I haven't personally had much experience with it.
 
looking at your pictures, I would leave the mylar on
removing it will definitely damage inserts and then you've got more troubles
the mylar itself looks not that bad ?

the black dirt you should be able to get out with magic eraser pads and alcohol
 
Judging from the pics, I'd totally leave the mylar on; the "bubbling" doesn't look that bad at all.
 
that would be a no. Mylar will ruin the artwork and or inserts. Your best bet is to find a better playfield, get yours touched and cleared or a nos or repro.

Thanks, James
 
Removing mylar can be very tricky but theres a guy on youtube showing you how to do it with freeze spray its worth checking it out
 
Removing mylar can be very tricky but theres a guy on youtube showing you how to do it with freeze spray its worth checking it out

The freeze method works incredibly well and I've had great success with it. If someone's gonna take the chance and remove mylar, that's the way to go.
 
I have had great success with freeze spray and goo gone.
As far as insert damage yes it can happen and no method is FULL PROOF.
I have found that while the freeze spray method is quicker, heating the mylar causes the majority of the adhesive to stick to the playfield which is actually what you want since Good Gone doesn't cause insert damage. So as you wipe the adhesive away the inserts overlays are safe.

Again I stress - no method is bullet proof. There is and always will be a chance for overlay damage to occur.

But on the bright side of things, there's repro insert overlays available. So if you happen to damage a couple no big deal. Me personally I hate mylar and remove it every chance I get EXCEPT the pop bumper areas is without a doubt a place that every pin should have mylar though ;)

BTW - your pics show the 3 spinner overlays are in pretty rough shape. The people that sell them on eBay ... I bought a set and while they aren't EXACTLY like the originals, they are textured and do a wonderful job of flinging the ball around.
 
I have found that while the freeze spray method is quicker, heating the mylar causes the majority of the adhesive to stick to the playfield...

You didn't experience the exact same thing with the freeze spray?

When I've used the freeze spray method, all of the adhesive was left on the playfield after pulling up the mylar.
 
I have the replacement decals, Cliffy protectors for the cellar holes and ramp. I just want to get the PF clean before I start putting the new parts on :)

If I could get rid of the smudgy looking black cracks, then I'll be happy.
 
Been there and done than.....and still wrapping it up. I got a well used WW on trade and once I got it in the house I tore it apart. The cabinet had some battle scars on the front & sides. I stripped it and put a set of cab decals on the cab & head. Stripped & sanded the inside. Pulled the circuit boards and made the needed repairs,new HV section and new caps. All new resistors on main & aux boards. New upgraded speakers all around with balance & crossover.

Playfield-
Mine had some definite planking and the mylar was in fair shape but I wanted it removed so I pulled it using canned air / freeze spray. No issues or surprises removing it.

DSC_0002.jpg



Once removed I used magic eraser & alcohol on the entire stripped playfiled. It removed a LOT of swirl marks & ball tracks. I had one damaged insert sooooo I removed every insert, sanded flat & re-glued in place and leveled. This forced me to use a set of insert decals which worked out pretty well. I am not 100% satisfied but they made it better. I had some moderate touch up work to do around the discs and a few minor area. Once done with the touch ups I shot it with Omni auto clear coat. I shot a fair amount and a lot of sanding to get it flat. I am now in the process of putting it all back together. A new plastic set and all new ramps.

Some pics in random order but you will get the idea:

http://tinyurl.com/2795ff4

Hopefully I can get it wrapped up soon and enjoy a Xmas Ale and some mean WW action!
 
Your pics look amazing. What did you fix the playfield wear with? Is that bondo?

I did not have any really deep craters that needed filled on the PF. What you see is a fair amount of sanding flat and touch up with Liquitex acrylic paint then clear coat. The damage to the front corner (Cab) was filled by using JB weld epoxy and a filler piece of wood then sanded flat and new cab decals. There was minor wear around the cellar holes on the PF but I have stainless steel protectors to put on those so I did not bother to make them perfect to cover them up.
 
You didn't experience the exact same thing with the freeze spray?

When I've used the freeze spray method, all of the adhesive was left on the playfield after pulling up the mylar.

Yeah let me clarify since you challenge :D
I've done some farting around testing different methods such as "rip and pull", "freeze spray" and "heat".
The last three machines I've removed mylar from had small incidences of insert damage from using freeze spray only. I've found that if I heated the areas that covered inserts, the damage percentage was severely reduced. Your mileage may vary of course ;)
 
Freeze spray does leave the adhesive on the playfield. The only time I have lifted any paint was because the paint was already loose. Bubbled mylar is a good example. If its bubbled the mylar is already loose from the adhesive. This means either the adhesive let loose or the paint came loose with the adhesive still attached.

Below is my High Speed. The mylar was bubbled around most of the inserts. The minimal paint that you see on the mylar was already loose before removing it. Once the adhesive was removed it looked 1000% better.

The only "trick" to freeze spray is properly done the mylar comes off easily without any real pulling. If your using a heat gun its a steady pull but your taking some of the adhesive up with the mylar.

I use freeze spray as my first attack method. Heat if it refuses to come off after freezing it.

IMG_0577.jpg


IMG_0576.jpg
 
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FWIW, CPR (Classic Playfield Reproductions) will probably do Whirlwind in the next 6-12 months.

John
 
FWIW, CPR (Classic Playfield Reproductions) will probably do Whirlwind in the next 6-12 months.

John


A big maybe.
I spoke to them and I was told the likelihood of actual deliver time could be a year or more. They already sold pre-registration for the first or early runs.
 
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