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best pinball wax?

M

Matt BRU

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Joined
Jan 18, 2016
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58
Location
Oxford
Hi, I'm sure this has been covered a few times, could you recommend the best cleaning/wax products for my new Stern Star Trek Pro playfield?

I used to use millwax on my old pinball (which is now sold), but have since found this isn't the best thing at all! Heard a few bad things...

I'm thinking of the following:
Clean - Novus 1 - as it is a new playfield, I'm sure this is enough and not abrasive
Wax - A carnauba wax?? - to wax the playfield once every few months

Does anyone have any recommendations of any carnauba wax products? Or anything else to wax?

Any info would be appreciated. Cheers
 
I've got to admit I was sceptical about how much difference there could be between carnuba waxes but I got some of thy gerlitz stuff and my God does it wipe the floor with the others. Get that stuff
 
Agree with Luke, saw the after effect of that wax on a Wh20 he was cleaning up so got some too, wouldnt use anything else now
 
We've had a lot of posts on this topic before and often peeps suggest Pledge or similar. I'm in the process of restoring a playfield, so have been reading about it a lot, and from what I've read, Pledge or similar stuff is a nightmare for playfield resto's if you (or a future owner) wants to get them re-clear-coated. Pledge (and other spray polishes) contains silicone which is pretty much impossible to dissolve so is very difficult to remove (physical scrubbing only), and reacts to clear coat varnish, forming bubbles. So, avoid household spray polishes and stick to natural products that can be dissolved like plain Carnuba wax.
 
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+1 on gerlitz.

For years I messed around with millwax. Millwax leaves a horrible chalky residue that needs repeated cleaning to remove, it literally leaves dandruff all over your machine. It also messes up star posts if you mistakenly brush up against one

I have found gerlitz works better if left for over 24 hours to truly set

Very east to apply and polish off
 
Balls.

Not being rude, but just as important - if not more so, is making sure you keep good condition shiny balls in the game. Pitted, scuffed balls are basically little sandpaper timebombs rolling around your game.

TBH in home use you really shouldn't be seeing or worrying too much about wear. Wipe it down when ball trails become really evident, check balls are good every so often. Play it, enjoy it :D
 
Awesome. Thanks for all the comments.

I'm going to get some of the gerlitz wax, sounds spot on.

Would you recommend novus 1 as the cleaner?

As I understand it, it should be a two step process- 1 clean with a product like novus , 2 apply wax?

I'm sure wear isn't really a problem for home use and I'm prob overthinking it, but I can't help getting some enjoyment from looking after it and having a clean / wax service every few months :)

Tbh I applied millwax (only once!) to this game last weekend prior to doing my research, but I'm sure the single application won't matter, on to gerlitz!
 
Being a lazy git and not bothering ever waxing my cars,
Having read several threads on cleaning and waxing can someone explain

Do I put a big dollop on a cloth and spread it thin over the whole board, or take big dollop and rub into a small area ?
And once rubbed in do I then have to come back and use another cloth after a certain time?
What is the procedure and timeline for waxing

Same goes for novus do I rub it in like mad and then leave, do I just apply gently leave and then get a fresh cloth and rub like mad ?

Sorry for being so ignorant but never quite understood

Lucky bit is I have done a lot of rubbing in my life so quite good at that :D:D:D
 
Matt BRU said:
Would you recommend novus 1 as the cleaner?
Click to expand...

Yes its a nice product for wiping the plastics over. #2 is good for polishing out light scratches on plastics, #3 heavy scratches use with care.
 
astyy said:
Yes its a nice product for wiping the plastics over. #2 is good for polishing out light scratches on plastics, #3 heavy scratches use with care.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Would you also use novus 1 on the playfield prior to waxing? Or any cleaner on the playfield prior to waxing for that matter?
 
Matt BRU said:
Thanks. Would you also use novus 1 on the playfield prior to waxing? Or any cleaner on the playfield prior to waxing for that matter?
Click to expand...
Yep clean before wax. Novus 2 is standard practice for cleaning modern playfields. It is mildly abrasive but seriously you would have to be going crazy with it to do any harm to the clearcoat.

Novus 1 is really a polish, as said its ok for plastics but won't clean out ball trails etc.
 
mission65 said:
Being a lazy git and not bothering ever waxing my cars,
Having read several threads on cleaning and waxing can someone explain

Do I put a big dollop on a cloth and spread it thin over the whole board, or take big dollop and rub into a small area ?
And once rubbed in do I then have to come back and use another cloth after a certain time?
What is the procedure and timeline for waxing

Same goes for novus do I rub it in like mad and then leave, do I just apply gently leave and then get a fresh cloth and rub like mad ?

Sorry for being so ignorant but never quite understood

Lucky bit is I have done a lot of rubbing in my life so quite good at that :D:D:D
Click to expand...

Gerlitz comes with a little sponge applicator, dampen the sponge slightly and it will help it pick up some wax. Rub the wax into the playfield and leave it for an hour+ to dry. When it is dry the playfield will look hazy. Buff the playfield with a soft dry towel and that will bring out the shine
 
Sgt GrizZ said:
Yep clean before wax. Novus 2 is standard practice for cleaning modern playfields. It is mildly abrasive but seriously you would have to be going crazy with it to do any harm to the clearcoat.

Novus 1 is really a polish, as said its ok for plastics but won't clean out ball trails etc.
Click to expand...

Agree with this
 
JT. said:
We've had a lot of posts on this topic before and often peeps suggest Pledge or similar. I'm in the process of restoring a playfield, so have been reading about it a lot, and from what I've read, Pledge or similar stuff is a nightmare for playfield resto's if you (or a future owner) wants to get them re-clear-coated. Pledge (and other spray polishes) contains silicone which is pretty much impossible to dissolve so is very difficult to remove (physical scrubbing only), and reacts to clear coat varnish, forming bubbles. So, avoid household spray polishes and stick to natural products that can be dissolved like plain Carnuba wax.
Click to expand...

Does the sanding prep for clear coating remove any unknown/undesirable cleaning products that may have been used previously?
 
astyy said:
Does the sanding prep for clear coating remove any unknown/undesirable cleaning products that may have been used previously?
Click to expand...

I guess so, but you can't see the silicone, and it is chemically inert so you can't dissolve it in anything. The only way would be through some mechanical means, like sanding, or scrubbing, but it only takes a dot of it to leave a bubble (called a fish-eye) in the clear coat. Best solution is not to apply it in the first place :)
 
DRD said:
+1 on gerlitz.

For years I messed around with millwax. Millwax leaves a horrible chalky residue that needs repeated cleaning to remove, it literally leaves dandruff all over your machine. It also messes up star posts if you mistakenly brush up against one

I have found gerlitz works better if left for over 24 hours to truly set

Very east to apply and polish off
Click to expand...
Late reply here! Yes I find if i leave Gerlitz for even 4 hours it's not totally dry and smears - ultimately not giving a good finish or I have the feeling I'm just wiping all the wax off again, is it just me? I was tempted to try a different wax but saw your note re leaving for 24 hours .... will give it another go I think, can you recommend any others? Or is this THE one to use
 
This drys quicker than gerlitz and has no silicones or cleaners.(edit. Apart from naphtha to keep it liquid...:cool:but defo. No silicone or cleaning agents)) Pure wax. It's great and you can build up the layers. Autogleam extra gloss protection. Give it a go!......
IMG_2154.JPG
 
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Paul said:
Not quite pure wax i'm afraid.... As there's shed loads of Naphtha in it (50%+)..... And Naphtha Dissolves wax.....

Datasheet : https://www.autoglym.com/pub/media/pdfs/EXTRA-GLOSS-PROTECTION.pdf

:)

Gerlitz all the way....
Click to expand...
Thanks Paul. Do you find gerlitz takes absolutely ages to dry? Longest I've waited is 4 or 5 hours and it still wasn't totally dry which was surprising. I'll try it this weekend and leave it to dry 24 hours as per drds advice. I was just interested if everyone found this with gerlitz
 
Paul said:
Not quite pure wax i'm afraid.... As there's shed loads of Naphtha in it (50%+)..... And Naphtha Dissolves wax.....

Datasheet : https://www.autoglym.com/pub/media/pdfs/EXTRA-GLOSS-PROTECTION.pdf

:)

Gerlitz all the way....
Click to expand...
Ah always wondered what kept it liquid. Still prefer to gerlitz.. as easier to apply, leaves no white residue..(neither does gerlitz) drys quickly (normal conditions within an hour easy) gives a longer lasting shine. And it's much cheaper. Does not damage or yellow playfield...we all have our favourites I guess....;):thumbs:
 
I use
Meguiar's Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax

When i have a Pinball Comp Meet ( Wildball Comp) i use Novus 1 so they play really fast on the night ..
as most people like fast playing games these days ...

and the i re wax with Carnauba Wax for general home use

It is just my thing i do ...
 
I've used Gerlitz for a long time and love it but I will be trying something new on the Wizard I'm doing up. Because of the touch up's and play field restoration I'm having to do I need something a bit more hard wearing than a few thin coats of Gerlitz and saw someone suggesting using a paste wax, then heating it with a heat gun/hair dryer then buffing out. Do that 2-3 times and it supposedly gives a really good finish. Obviously not as good as clearcoating and I've only seen it mentioned in relation to EM play fields but for my situation it could be perfect.
 
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