Anybody spray paint the playfield?

[Mrtoad]

Hi,

Has anybody ever painted the playfield while restoring vs. adding a new vinyl background? I found a machine at a decent price that I want to restore for a gift for Christmas for my nephew but it's playfield looks to be very water stained and I cannot buy a new playfield due to the cost as it will put me way over my budget for him as I need to buy balls as well. I was thinking of removing the old playfield background and sanding and then spray painting with enamel paint. Has anybody done this? If so, how did it hold up? Any info or advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

[emmadog]

I've never heard of anyone doing it nor considered it myself. I think it would wear in spots over time no matter what kind of paint and clearcoat used. But that also depends on how much play it gets. I wouldn't suggest it though. Another option would be to find another machine in better shape perhaps.

[JACKSJE4]

I wouldn't consider doing that either, as the paint will eventually wear and track through the machine. I'm not sure what city you are in, but there are lots of decent vintage machines available on Craigslist every week. You can probably pick up one in better condition fairly cheap with a little negotiation.

[Mrtoad]

I've never heard of anyone doing it nor considered it myself. I think it would wear in spots over time no matter what kind of paint and clearcoat used. But that also depends on how much play it gets. I wouldn't suggest it though. Another option would be to find another machine in better shape perhaps.

Thanks. I wonder if painting and then putting on adhesive backed Mylar to cover it would work. I don't even know what the Mylar would cost though or where to get it.

[Mrtoad]

I wouldn't consider doing that either, as the paint will eventually wear and track through the machine. I'm not sure what city you are in, but there are lots of decent vintage machines available on Craigslist every week. You can probably pick up one in better condition fairly cheap with a little negotiation.

i am in northern NJ. I found one I can get for about $35 but no balls. My Xmas budget for hi is $50. I can go a little more but not much unfortunately.

[Moparformances]

if your going threw all the trouble at least head to a sign shop and get a single color hunk of vinyl.. it would be way better then paint... dont paint it...

[Mrtoad]

Grafix Dura-Lar Clear Adhesive-Backed Film - BLICK art materials I found this. I wonder if putting over painted surface would work. Thoughts?

thanks,
Mike

[Mrtoad]

if your going threw all the trouble at least head to a sign shop and get a single color hunk of vinyl.. it would be way better then paint... dont paint it...

Thanks, that was another idea I was thinking of. I have a vinyl cutter so have single colored vinyl. If painting a design and covering with Mylar won't work, I will go this route.

Thanks!

[Moparformances]

i dont se ya getting the paint down smooth enough to look great..

[Mrtoad]

i dont se ya getting the paint down smooth enough to look great..

Thanks for the input. I think then to be safe I will go with the single colored vinyl. I would prefer a design but concerned that cutting designs out of vinyl and putting over the top will be no good with the end of the designs (afraid they would pull up over time). Thanks again!

[emmadog]

Mopar's got a good point. To sand, use sanding sealer/primer and sand some more to get a smooth surface is possible but takes skill and a lot of work. If its painted and its rough or wood grain shows through it would look really crappy.
When I restore machines I always use auto vinyl and then cover that with mylar. Dura lar is a brand name and you want to get the adhesive kind. IIRC the thickness I use is 2mils(thousandths of an inch) but I may use the next thicker. Not sure but you can get it online or at craft stores. Also, a coupla members here sell new backgrounds so that's an option too.

[Mrtoad]

Mopar's got a good point. To sand, use sanding sealer/primer and sand some more to get a smooth surface is possible but takes skill and a lot of work. If its painted and its rough or wood grain shows through it would look really crappy.
When I restore machines I always use auto vinyl and then cover that with mylar. Dura lar is a brand name and you want to get the adhesive kind. IIRC the thickness I use is 2mils(thousandths of an inch) but I may use the next thicker. Not sure but you can get it online or at craft stores. Also, a coupla members here sell new backgrounds so that's an option too.

thanks for the advice. Crappy is not what I want ;-)

i will go the solid vinyl route. Do you think with solid vinyl since it has no ink on it needs the Mylar?

And yes, I am in the process of restoring my first machine now and purchased a background from one of the members here. I am very happy with it, I just cannot budget one for my nephew's gift unfortunately. I think with enough colorful playfield parts I will be ok with the single colored background. Now my biggest concern will be getting it done on time for him. I might need to put mine on hold for a bit so I can get his done. My wife is gonna shoot me when she sees I am starting another project with one in flight... I only know from experience. ;-)

[emmadog]

I think it'll be alright without mylar. Usually pachinkos like most other things, are used alot in the beginning and the when the novelty is gone are rarely used. Hence the huge surplus of them. Anyway wear likely wont be an issue but I still would go with mylar. I tend to overbuild things so for me its always mylar, new stainless hardware, etc.

[Mrtoad]

I think it'll be alright without mylar. Usually pachinkos like most other things, are used alot in the beginning and the when the novelty is gone are rarely used. Hence the huge surplus of them. Anyway wear likely wont be an issue but I still would go with mylar. I tend to overbuild things so for me its always mylar, new stainless hardware, etc.

Thanks, I need to decide. I definitely going with plain vinyl background, now on the Mylar...

[SteveFury]

I made a new graphic using Photoshop (most any graphic program will work) for my pachinko's and had it printed onto a 17X22 sheet of glossy paper and then laminated (all at the UPS store). I think it was around $20. That was over a year ago and it still looks great.

[mxfaiman]

Stick with vinyl. Don't bother painting it.

As for mylar. I always use it because the stuff is so darn cheap. Plus it is a nice added layer of protection. (I actually just recently purchased a roll of the stuff from Blick there.)

Also just FYI the backgrounds you see on various sites. Don't think we are marking them up. Because truthfully we aren't. We just add the shipping to the cost of getting the background itself printed. (each cost about $40 a pop to print.)

[Mrtoad]

Stick with vinyl. Don't bother painting it.

As for mylar. I always use it because the stuff is so darn cheap. Plus it is a nice added layer of protection. (I actually just recently purchased a roll of the stuff from Blick there.)

Also just FYI the backgrounds you see on various sites. Don't think we are marking them up. Because truthfully we aren't. We just add the shipping to the cost of getting the background itself printed. (each cost about $40 a pop to print.)

thanks I will look at blick again tomorrow. And nope I was not questioning the cost, I just cannot afford in this case to buy one due to our holiday budget. I think the prices are fair and I am happy with the one I purchased for my machine.