DIY Lexan Playfield Protector

[Nedreud]

I was going to include this as a normal post in my GOLD BALL shop log, but I was so pleased with the result I thought I'd start a dedicated thread for discussion, comments, etc. For details of how I went about making the playfield protector from a plain sheet of 0.75mm Lexan polycarbonate start from this post in 1983 Bally GOLD BALL - Further Adventures in Budget Restoration.

But here's a video of the grand reveal! After 10 days measuring, marking, drilling, router, cuttting, sanding I finally peeled off the protective film from the top:

FYI: Not Safe For Work as I mutter the "F" word a couple of times due to pleasure and surprise! Just turn the sound off

And a bunch of hi-res photos so you can see clearly just how super shiny this stuff is:













No begins the process of cleaning and replacing all the hardware!

 

[BigIan]

As you say yourself.

That looks sweet...

 

[Spandangler]

It looks incredible mate.

 

[teachp8]

Looks amazing - very nicely done!

 

[replicas]

Does look amazing. Be very interested to see now it holds up once it's back together.

 

[Nedreud]

Be very interested to see now it holds up once it's back together.

Me too. The commercial playfield protectors I've seen seem to be pretty resilient. Yes you can see where the ball has been but that's the case in an uncovered PF. I suspect the secret to keeping it tip-top is the same as for not having one: keep the PF
clean, vacuum regularly and use fresh polished balls. Anything that starts to wear is shedding small particles of dirt or metal that forms a fine grinding grit.

Ultimately this protector is temporary as I'd like to do a full Pinside "Vid1900" style restore and clear coat one day. This PF would be a good starter as it's not too worn or damaged and the art is reasonably simple block colours.