Cleaning pin for first time.

[RetroGamingBlog]

Hi all,

I got my first pin a couple of months ago. An Alien SV. I love it. I haven’t done too much to it, but it’s looking like it needs a bit of a clean. The rubbers are black and there’s a bit of a greasy film over everything.

I’ve watched a few cleaning videos, but they are predominantly US focused. Some of the cleaning products are not familiar to UK Amazon.

I’d like to understand what to use to clean the rubbers and polish/clean the ramps.

I’ve seen nova is good for the acrylic.

I’m a total noob at this. I didn’t know if isopropyl would degrade the rubber at all, or if there’s a better solution. Is that fit for purpose?

The playfield has a protector on it. It’s looking dirty. I’m likely going to buy a new one, but if it can be cleaned, worth a shot.

Also is it best to replace the balls with new ones? The machine was used in a club.

 

[JAG555]

Just use a good foam cleaner and cloth.

If you have any dirt left, try Novus 1.

And yes, if you did replace the balls when you bought it, replace them after the clean.

 

[PinIB]

Foaming spray cleaner - Pinball Heaven

Foaming spray cleaner. Great for shifting stubborn dirt on playfields/cabinets. We cannot ship this out of the UK!!!!! Or post by standard post due to new regulations. So if you have this in your basket, it will force you to take next day delivery!

www.pinball.co.uk

This is a good start.

I wouldn’t be removing the playfield protector without a super good reason. It might (probably will) do more harm than good.

If the rubbers are already silicone then just wipe them. If not better just replacing them with silicone ones.

 

[RetroGamingBlog]

Foaming spray cleaner - Pinball Heaven

Foaming spray cleaner. Great for shifting stubborn dirt on playfields/cabinets. We cannot ship this out of the UK!!!!! Or post by standard post due to new regulations. So if you have this in your basket, it will force you to take next day delivery!

www.pinball.co.uk

This is a good start.

I wouldn’t be removing the playfield protector without a super good reason. It might (probably will) do more harm than good.

If the rubbers are already silicone then just wipe them. If not better just replacing them with silicone ones.

Just a query, how does it damage the playfield - removing the protector? I’ll order the foam now thanks for linking it.

 

[Ant-H]

Just a query, how does it damage the playfield - removing the protector? I’ll order the foam now thanks for linking it.

If it’s Mylar then yes, it could cause some damage.
If it’s a standard playfield protector, which I’m guessing it is, it won’t do any damage to the playfield, as they literally just sit on the surface.

If you want to reuse it, then you have to remove some parts to get it off in one piece, like plastics etc.
However if you don’t want to put it back on, it’s easier and quicker to cut it off with a pair of scissors. Your still have to remove some parts to install a new one though

 

[RetroGamingBlog]

If it’s Mylar then yes, it could cause some damage.
If it’s a standard playfield protector, which I’m guessing it is, it won’t do any damage to the playfield, as they literally just sit on the surface.

If you want to reuse it, then you have to remove some parts to get it off in one piece, like plastics etc.
However if you don’t want to put it back on, it’s easier and quicker to cut it off with a pair of scissors. Your still have to remove some parts to install a new one though by

 

[RetroGamingBlog]

I’ve ordered a new playfield protector from Germany that sits on top, and I’m going to replace all the rubbers. It looks like the current one just sits on top so might be the same. It looks well worn so I wanted to replace it.

I’m a bit worried about taking bits off as it’s my first time, but I’m keen to get the machine in a great clean condition. Do I use the foam cleaner on the ramps and rails?

 

[PinIB]

Yep - I was talking mylar. If it just sits on top then all good.

 

[Ant-H]

I’ve ordered a new playfield protector from Germany that sits on top, and I’m going to replace all the rubbers. It looks like the current one just sits on top so might be the same. It looks well worn so I wanted to replace it.

I’m a bit worried about taking bits off as it’s my first time, but I’m keen to get the machine in a great clean condition. Do I use the foam cleaner on the ramps and rails?

Yes if you’ve ordered one of those, they just sit on the playfield.
I actually tried to order a PF protector from them a couple of months back for another game and they told me they weren’t shipping to the UK anymore. Did you have any problems ordering one?

I’ve currently got my LV stripped at the moment as my plan is to also give it a good clean and polish as well.
In regards to taking parts off, it’s not too difficult. Just take plenty of photos so you can see how to put it back together. It’s a great way to learn about the machine as well.

For the ramps, I’m guessing they have a lot of ball trails on them? As they are mirror polished, there’s not much you can do to removing them without machine polishing them again. Don’t try and use a metal polish on them like autosol, as it will leave loads of tiny scratches in them.

Personally I’m not keen on the mirror polished ramps on Alien, as they mark really easily unlike B/W era games. So I’ve powder coated mine.

 

[RetroGamingBlog]

Yes if you’ve ordered one of those, they just sit on the playfield.
I actually tried to order a PF protector from them a couple of months back for another game and they told me they weren’t shipping to the UK anymore. Did you have any problems ordering one?

I’ve currently got my LV stripped at the moment as my plan is to also give it a good clean and polish as well.
In regards to taking parts off, it’s not too difficult. Just take plenty of photos so you can see how to put it back together. It’s a great way to learn about the machine as well.

For the ramps, I’m guessing they have a lot of ball trails on them? As they are mirror polished, there’s not much you can do to removing them without machine polishing them again. Don’t try and use a metal polish on them like autosol, as it will leave loads of tiny scratches in them.

Personally I’m not keen on the mirror polished ramps on Alien, as they mark really easily unlike B/W era games. So I’ve powder coated mine.

That sounds cool. Do you have any pics of the powder coating? Would be great to see how that came out.

 

[Ant-H]

That sounds cool. Do you have any pics of the powder coating? Would be great to see how that came out.

I’m picking up all my stuff from the powder coaters this week. But it can be seen in the below video