To mylar or clearcoat?

[inthecan]

I'm wondering if anyone out there has much experience in playfield art restoration/preservation. I have a really nice condition William's Flash that could use a tiny bit of touch up work and then either a clearcoating or mylar - any thoughts on one or the other? Also wondering if anyone here on the board (or beyond) might enjoy doing a project like this for a bit of $, it'd be really cool to get an opinion/estimate.

Thanks,

Karl

[Opto]

I've never done a full clear coat . . . . only spot cleared. I have done full mylar application and it's tricky, but the results can be great. You have to spend a lot of time cutting your template, then carefully applying what is basically a giant sticker over the pf. Definitely helps to have 2 people when laying it down.

The simple way to do it is do your touch ups, then "spot clear" them with brush on clear coat. Emma did this on my flash and it turned out great. Full clear coat requires that you strip the topside of the playfield entirely, have a spray booth etc etc. Seems really easy to screw up, but then again I've never done it - too much work.

I prefer the way the ball rolls on mylar, but that's definitely a minority stance to take.

I think I may know of a guy who does clear coating . . . but it's probably pretty expensive . . . like the price of a Flash expensive or more!

[inthecan]

Cool, Mylar sounds like it is most likely the route to go in this case. Thanks.

[Opto]

Just don't let RGP hear you utter those words. They'll encase you in automotive clearcoat, then dip your frozen body in chrome.

[revtest]

ah ha ha RGP mylar haters!

I'd say spot clear is the way to go for sure. playfields hold up pretty well if they are cleaned and maintained regularly.