Gottlieb Upgrade/Project Playfield restoration paints

[PGP]

Does anyone know where I can buy pre-mixed color paints for playfield restoration of mid-70's Gottlieb's? If not, I'm surprised nobody's come up with this yet.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

Does anyone know where I can buy pre-mixed color paints for playfield restoration of mid-70's Gottlieb's? If not, I'm surprised nobody's come up with this yet.

Just happened to spot this question, and did a little light research just now.

Evidently there's a greater range of answers than I suspected. As in, oil, acrylic, airbrush paint (which I guess is usually water or acrylic-based), etc.

The question of course is-- how good are those answers?


This guy seems to make some strong arguments for airbrush paint, that's for sure:

We NEVER use Sharpie pen, Paint Pen, or those little bottles of Testors enamel that you have left over from your Dungeons & Dragons days - EVER. All of the above will run into the final Clear Coat, making a smeary mess (for you or the poor sucker that buys the game after you and tries to have it restored).

We don't want to use those cheap $1 acrylics from the craft store, because they fade so quickly, making our repairs more apparent over the years.

We don't want to use cheap paints because they don't contain enough pigment to cover in a single coat (especially expensive pigments like Red). Add a little thinner so you can run it through the airbrush, and you find there is almost nothing there.

We don't want paints that dry substantially darker than they look when wet.

We don't want paints that become darker when they are clear coated.

We don't want a paint that permanently sets until heated. This gives us an "out" if we spill, mix the wrong color, or simply make a mistake.

So what paint can we use? Air brush colors ("Createx" for one)

1. It's already good to go in your airbrush, no thinning is necessary (unless you are doing shading)

2. It covers in a single coat.

3. No waiting for it to dry. If you like your work, you hit it with a heat gun (use a hair dryer if this is your first time - safer), and go on to the next color. Tape will not lift it. This saves you hours of time.

4. It does not react with auto clear coat.

5. It dries the color you mixed it.

6. It is almost the exact same shade when clearcoated.

7. The colors mix properly. Many cheap paints just turn brown when mixed (blue + yellow = brown).

8. It's fade resistant.

9. It sets so fast with heat that even when using white, old colors do not telegraph through the new paint.

I never touched up PF paint myself, so it's all still speculative to me.

 

[pinballdaveh]

Just happened to spot this question, and did a little light research just now.

Evidently there's a greater range of answers than I suspected. As in, oil, acrylic, airbrush paint (which I guess is usually water or acrylic-based), etc.

The question of course is-- how good are those answers?


This guy seems to make some strong arguments for airbrush paint, that's for sure:

I never touched up PF paint myself, so it's all still speculative to me.

When I did playfield paint touch ups we used the little testers bottles of paint. Then sometimes put mylar over the touch up. That’s if you’re not doing the clear coat.

 

[jurkenas]

I have a paint question. I want to touch up the playfield on my Riviera (Chicago Coin) pin game. The playfield has large areas of what looks like a "hot pink". Many Chicago Coin machines use the same "hot pink". I'm going nuts trying to match this color! Does anyone have any specific experiance with this impossib;e-to-match "hot pink" color ? I've tried everything! Please HHHEEELLLPPPP!!!

 

[AnonTet]

I've seen car manufacturers not being able to match their own colours unless they painted the whole car. Obviously i'm talking a more extreme paint fade examples since most cars are years under the sun but my point is, that paint is most likely not made anymore. Even if you find the correct colour code, just the way paints were made changed and that makes it, probably (i have no clue really), very hard to match the real thing.

I don't know what "everything" you did means since i have no clue about paint, painting and restoration so i can only suggest you eyeball it, mix your own and paint all pink areas the same instead of trying to match the damaged areas.

 

[jurkenas]

It is very hard to match colors exactly, however, usualy a little patience to mix paints works. When I say I've tried everything, when I found I coildn't come close blending paints, I tried using two differenr colorimeters. Both came up with different colors and neither remotely resembled the right color. I was hoping someone has run into this pink color. I just can't understand why I'm having such a hard time with this particular color. In any case, I thank you for your idea to repaint all pink areas.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

When I did playfield paint touch ups we used the little testers bottles of paint. Then sometimes put mylar over the touch up. That’s if you’re not doing the clear coat.

And model-paint, like you say... isn't that enamel?
Seriously, if there's a more badass, all-weather paint, isn't it enamel? (like what they paint cars with, etc)

Okay, my science is weak and old, just like my... oh shut it, Nic!
But IIRC, the reason why it works like that is similar to why epoxy works so well (particularly enhanced with H2O, did you know that?). It's because of molecular affinity.

Like, do you know what's even harder to extract yourself upon, more than a bad marriage, Dave?
Fucking MASSES of molecular-affinity molecules, cystalised in concert, all formed-up via the rules of nature. (so, no mad-ex alert, necessarily)

"Thank you, thank you, this has been my TED talk.
There's a slot machine you can play, near the exit."

 

[jurkenas]

.... I too have used Testor paints from time to time. The paint color I wrote about does not appear to have an RGB equivilent. It took me most of the day yesterday, but finally found an acrylic witches brew of neon pink, yellow, purple, and antique white resulted in a match when applied to a flat white primer. The resulting color is a pinkish orage/red that was used on many Chicago Coin pin games. Will post a photo when I finish this $&%&^*(&%E%& Riviera. In any event, I thank you for your advise, suggestions and time to write. Sincere thanks. Joe

 

[GeorgeH]

Paint can be tough to match. Paint fades with time and different lots of paint are different colors. Paint often dries darker than it applies. Amazingly, the guys at Sherwin Williams can exactly match any sample you bring in using a some sort of machine. It is too bad they don't sell paint for pinball. Still, you might try Sherwin Williams anyway because everyone uses the same pigments. They might be able to tell you what pigments to use. Most paint that comes out of artist tubes only has one pigment.

 

[jurkenas]

I gather that the reason there are no pinball paints are because of many reasons like ageing, fade, and batch variation. I'm not sure I know the difference between paint and inks, but playfields were / are silk screened. Should we all be looking at silk screen inks?

.... Regarding the Testor paints in those tiny square bottles, they are a good resource often times. If I understand correctly, Rustolum, Testor's parent company has announced it will discontinue this line of venerable Testor paints.

..... While my Chicago Coin Riviera is under control now, the best way to repair major playfield damage, as one reviewer has mentioned is to repaint the entire area of the color affected. An air brush works pretty well.

..... My skills are entirely electrical. What I know about cosmetic repair is limited to those that take the time to write.