F-14 mylar removal and PF touchup

[deadlander]

Thanks did you have to remove any residual lettering?  Did you do any surface prep before hand?  Sanding 2000 grit, magic eraser ect.  I have the stickers and just need to get some time.  Other than the lower inserts my playfield is in great shape.  Do you think clear coating is essential or will the sticker hold up in a home use environment with no marred pinballs?  Sorry for all the questions but wanted to learned as much as I could before I dive in.
thanks again,
Al

[tcrouch]

I had to scrape decal remnants from almost every insert. I used alcohol and Magic Eraser to get the glue residue off and to work on the semicircle of gray above the pop bumper where there was no mylar. I also made the mistake of going after some swirl marks that were only visible from 4" away. That made a little more touchup work. I went over the entire thing with ME then used a damp rag to get that residue off. I touched up the areas that were worn through by the ball and by the ME. Then I spread out into the badly swirl marked areas. I ended up redoing all but the finest lines and the lower area of blue where it is overlaid with a black screen for a "fade" effect. The decals would probably hold up pretty well. The touchup paint will not. It's also not as glossy as the original inks. The clear coat makes it shiny and will take the beating.
No worries about questions and comments. That what this forum is for.

[GeorgeB]

Beautiful job!

It looks great and with the clear coating it'll be beautiful for years.

[PinFever]

I used alcohol and Magic Eraser to get the glue residue off and to work on the semicircle of gray above the pop bumper where there was no mylar. I also made the mistake of going after some swirl marks that were only visible from 4" away. That made a little more touchup work

this is why i am no longer a fan of Magic eraser and alc.   But very well done

[tcrouch]

I used alcohol and Magic Eraser to get the glue residue off and to work on the semicircle of gray above the pop bumper where there was no mylar. I also made the mistake of going after some swirl marks that were only visible from 4" away. That made a little more touchup work

this is why i am no longer a fan of Magic eraser and alc.   But very well done

Me too, but I had to tell the story the way it happened.