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Stern playfield cleaning

S

Steve Arnold

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10 Years
Joined
Jul 26, 2011
Messages
578
Location
Bedfordshire
Ok son advice please. Time to shop my acdc and game of thrones.
What do you guys use to clean the playfields?
On Williams games I use milnwax.
Is that ok for stern games or can you suggest anything else?

Thanks
Steve
 
I too have millwax too put I never use it .I Personally use novus 2 cannot see any other reason not to use it on a stern playfield
 
Thanks for the replies. What’s a good alternative to mill wax. I when plenty of foam cleaner I can use first
 
@Steve Arnold depends how dirty your playfield is but I generally go with the following and just miss out which steps you don't need:
  1. Quick hoover to get any loose crap off the playfield
  2. Spray foam cleaner to get major crud lifted off so you can wipe it up
  3. If you need to get ground in dirt like ball swirls out (this is generally on older playfields) then I use a magic eraser with IPA (go easy with this step as you can cause damage)
  4. If you don't need to go to the magic eraser level but there is tough dirt then I use T-Cut (mainly on 90's playfields and newer). I used to use Novus 2 for this step but after @CHRIS B PINBALLS recommended I try T-Cut instead, I've not gone back to it. Again, be careful with this step as it's an abrasive.
  5. Give it a wipe down with a clean microfibre cloth and some IPA to get any residue off that the magic eraser or T-Cut might have left
  6. Few coats of the carnuba wax of your choice, I use Gerlitz No1 guitar wax.
I save my Novus 2 for plastics and ramps these days although still use Novus 1 sometimes to give a waxed playfield a quick wipedown. Chuck the Millwax in the bin, it's f*cking sh*t :D

I'm going to assume that both your AC/DC and GOT are reasonably clean already so Neil's suggestion of foam cleaner and then wax should be all good for your needs with maybe a little bit of spot cleaning with some T-Cut (or Novus 2 if you already have it) where required....but as I say, go easy with this step if you need to do it :thumbs:
 
Do you have any reccomendations for foam cleaner? It seems like a good idea to have some on hand for interim cleaning.
 
kev a said:
Do you have any reccomendations for foam cleaner? It seems like a good idea to have some on hand for interim cleaning.
Click to expand...
I quite like Ambersil stuff myself.
Be careful with T-Cut, that's a bit hash. Ditto with magic erasers, if you don't need to use them don't. Just take your time instead.

Gerlitz , Novus and microfibres though absolutely.
 
Dex-Jay said:
I quite like Ambersil stuff myself.
Be careful with T-Cut, that's a bit hash. Ditto with magic erasers, if you don't need to use them don't. Just take your time instead.

Gerlitz , Novus and microfibres though absolutely.
Click to expand...
Cool thanks

I haven't yet encountered any dirt bad enough to require anything harsher than novus 2, but seem like overkill to use it regularly.
 
@kev a the one that Phil sells:

www.pinball.co.uk

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 www.pinball.co.uk

Be careful with T-Cut, that's a bit hash. Ditto with magic erasers, if you don't need to use them don't. Just take your time instead.
Click to expand...
Depends how dirty your playfield is dude ;) I agree only use them if you need to but I've had some games that I had to hammer with the magic eraser to get it looking half decent :rofl:
 
Cool will pick some up thanks!

Has anyone ever experimented with Dodo Juice waxes?

I had some for the car and use that on the playfield, its a hard paste so leaves minimal residue, they sell little 30ml pots, ideal for pins.
 
kev a said:
Cool will pick some up thanks!

Has anyone ever experimented with Dodo Juice waxes?

I had some for the car and use that on the playfield, its a hard paste so leaves minimal residue, they sell little 30ml pots, ideal for pins.
Click to expand...

I use Dodo Juice, figured if it’s good enough for the cars, and I’m pretty impressed with it, then why not the pins? They play well after waxing. But which one to you use? I have a neutral one for light colours (silver car) and an orange one for warm colours (red car). I’ve only used the neutral one on the pins.

Chris.
 
taz turbo said:
I use Dodo Juice, figured if it’s good enough for the cars, and I’m pretty impressed with it, then why not the pins? They play well after waxing. But which one to you use? I have a neutral one for light colours (silver car) and an orange one for warm colours (red car). I’ve only used the neutral one on the pins.

Chris.
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Ive been using the green one, rainforest rub.

I think its universal for warm and cool colours, all my games are dark blues and blacks, looks good and smells nice too.

I did try hard candy (pink so I assume its for warm colours) looked fine but its a harder wax so was a little bit more effort to apply.
 
I’m not too Anal on my PFs anymore as I have learnt the hard way over the years while using abrasive cleaners like novus, Tcut and god forbid the power of the magic eraser 😱

For a mini shop like I am currently doing on SM (see shop logs) I remove everything off the PF bar posts and metal guides this includes mechs that have an impact on the top of the PF like bash toys ect and also inc flippers.
These are reworked or rebuilt before refitting and increase service and shop intervals so worth the effort.
I then hoover crud and foam clean 1-3 times with at least a day inbetween each clean.
Then onto Gerlitz No1 guitar wax to shine and protect the PF a little and reassemble not forgetting to installing a new set of balls.
 
ronsplooter said:
Depends how dirty your playfield is dude ;) I agree only use them if you need to but I've had some games that I had to hammer with the magic eraser to get it looking half decent :rofl:
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The one Pioneer EM I owned which needed a resto was looking more like a whitewood than a printed playfield! I think someone would have filled a ye-olde Hoover bag with the paint that came off BITD.
 
Thanks guys for all the replies. They are not too dirty so will go with foam cleaner and wax and see what results I get.

Thanks
Steve
 
Where is the best place to get the gurlitz wax from?
EBay,Amazon?

I always used to use milnwax but hear a lot of people not using it now as abrasive and isn’t good for playfield. Is that correct? I still have 2 full bottles of it here albeit a few years old now.
 
Foam cleaner gets the worst off.
Then novus 2.
Polish mop then with guitar cleaner for me.
Then I use this spray on wax which is amazing. For the lift of me I can not remember the name. If you are interested DM me and I will look in the workstop monday.
 
Dex-Jay said:
Be careful with T-Cut, that's a bit hash. Ditto with magic erasers, if you don't need to use them don't. Just take your time instead.
Click to expand...

This brings back slightly unpleasant memories of GSF Car Parts late forum. In a thread about care products, the advice was given "don't use t-cut, it's not good for the paint. There is loads other waxes and polishes". I pointed out that it isn't either of those, and was then told 'I know that, I wouldn't use it if you paid me'. If he'd been valeting my vehicle, he'd have used what I said to use.
 
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