• THE OTHER PLAYFIELD CLEAR COATING RESTORATION COMPANIES?
The two other main playfield restoration companies (Bill Davis & PFR) both do great work.  There are a few small ones out there too.  I included the links below so you can also email them about their pricing and current turnaround times.  What makes all of them different is:  
  1. Quality of touchup work: Some do extreme quality complete playfield repainting, some do spot airbrushing, and the others do just simple brush touchups.  We at HSA do area repair airbrushing, we try to leave as much of the original artwork as possible.  
  2. Price:  Very wide range so email them all for price quotes.  We average $350-$500.
  3. Turnaround time:  Some are fast (2-6 months), some run a 12-16 months turnaround and one company even takes 24-36 months to complete a playfield.  HSA averages under 6 months.
  4. Quality of clear coat:  Some use a real automotive spray both, some use just their garage and others may just brush it on.  Some clear coats are air dry and some are heat baked.  Some of the smaller companies use generic low quality clear coats.  HSA uses premium BASF brand clear that is sprayed in a real automotive down-draft spray booth (cured by a baking cycle).
  5. Other services offered?  Mylar removal, insert repairs, wood repairs, new playfield drilling & dimpling, playfield hardware swaps, custom non-factory artwork, cabinet restoration, backglass painting, etc.  We at HSA do not do custom playfield artwork.  We believe in keeping a playfield factory original looking. 

So basically use the playfield restoration company that best fits your need.  

 

 

  • WHY SHOULD I CLEAR COAT MY PLAYFIELD?
A clear coated playfield keeps your playfield from wearing out.  The game will also play much better since the ball has a smooth surface to roll around on.  Playfields that require touch up and/or repairs need to be clear coated to lock in the touch-ups.

 

  • WHAT IS THE TURNAROUND TIME TO HAVE MY PLAYFIELD CLEAR COATED?
Our average turnaround time is 4-6 weeks for NOS playfields that require no repairs.  Playfields that require repairs and/or touchups usually add 2-4 months to the process depending on our current workload.  

 

  • WHAT TYPE OF CLEAR DO YOU USE?
We use only name brand high quality polyurethane automotive clear for our clear coating.  We use BASF brand clears.  These products (DuPont, BASF, Glasurit, Sikkens, etc.) are all high solids/low solvent based polyurethane clears.   What makes the REAL difference is how these clear coats are applied to your playfield.  We do our clear coating in a $40,000 heated down-draft, air-filtered professional spray booth.   Our employees wear full body suits (including gloves and hair nets) to keep your playfield clean.  Our virtually dust free environment gives your playfield a transparent, dust free finish.   We do not use DuPont Hyper-cure (DuPont 4700, 7600, G-2 type) air-dried clear coating.  We found that air-dried (non-spray booth baked) clear coats are too soft and do not hold up well (more ball dimpling and less durable).

 

  • HOW MANY COATS OF CLEAR DOES HSA USE ON A PLAYFIELD?
That depends on the condition of the playfield.  NOS ones will usually require less coats of clear.  Heavy worn ones will require additional coats of clear to level the playfield out.  Usually we spray three (3) coats of clear, wait about two weeks, sand flat and then re-clear coat with three (3) final coats of clear.  Heavy worn playfields may require additional stages of sanding flat and re-clear coating.   

 

  • DO I NEED TO STRIP BOTH SIDES OF MY PLAYFIELD IF HSA CLEAR COATS IT?
Usually - yes, but we do have exceptions (local customers, type of repairs, etc.)  Playfields that require extensive playfield repairs will need to be completely striped of all parts on both sides.  

 

  • HOW DO I CLEAN AND TAKE CARE OF MY CLEAR COATED PLAYFIELD?
A baked clear coated playfield takes over 90+ days to fully cure. Do not over tighten posts or lay objects on a freshly cleared playfield.  Clear coated playfields may show signs of ball tracks but these will buff out.  You can assemble your playfield right away when you get it back.  We do, however, recommend that you wait at least 90 days to play on your clear coated playfield.  The longer you wait to play on it the better.  Do not wax (glazes are ok) a clear coated playfield for the first 90 days since the clear coat needs to fully cure.  You may notice that the clear on your light inserts may settle down  as the clear coat cures.  This is normal and happens on all clear coated playfields (especially the ones that are non-baked cured using air-dry clear coats).  You can lightly sand and buff your inserts to flatten them out.  Polyurethane clear coats are flexible and very wear resistant.  

 

  • MYLAR REMOVAL?
It is best to clear coat a playfield without mylar on it.  We do prefer that all mylar is removed by the owner.  If you remove the mylar yourself, please remove all the mylar glue.  We have years of experience removing mylar, however, we will not be held responsible for any damage or additional work that must be done as a result from mylar damaging the playfield.  Please note that removing factory mylar on a playfield may damage the insert artwork and playfield paint.