Here is my Lethal Weapon 3 playfield... i cleaned it up a bit with Simple Green.

Can this playfield in this condition be buffable and clear coated? It has wood grain lines that go vertically down the playfield...







I took pics of the most obvious spots.... and help on restoring this would be great. I know lethal weapon isnt a main top player pinball machine.. but since its my first... i want to restore it.

This playfield is not that far gone look at this on i done a while ago
http://www.zapdbf.com/wiretodisk/?page_id=110

awesome.. thanks for the replys.. and ren i would love to see before and after pics if you got em. Also.. i wouldnt mind having that power supply since anything for this machine is hard to find.

I just bought the magic eraser and rubbing alcohol... read all over the internet thats the way to really clean it.. we'll see how that goes. I also ordered Treasure Cove Polishing Kit ... nice drill attachment should be perfect. Will post how that goes

just got done using the magic eraser and it looks good. Not that much of a difference to my simple green cleaning... maybe just a tad. I used Americana art paint to touchup some spots (GF already had the paint and colors matched). Its a hit and miss... the turquise, white, and black came out good. The yellow, red, and orange isnt very solid. Need multiple coats or lay it thick.

Now.. what should be the next step? sand the playfield at the painted areas? ( I have 2000 grit) or should i just use rubbing compound?

Yellow, Red and Orange acrylic tends to be very transparent. I usually put a coat of white acrylic down before several coats of these colors. I'm a professional illustrator, so I can usually predict paint and color characteristics before I put them on the surface. I discovered that paints mixed with Liquitex Cadmium Yellow(real Cadmium not the "Hue") don't play well with Varathane. All of my other colors were unaffected by the clear coat.

Sand very lightly. 2000 is probably too fine at this point. If the paint starts flaking off STOP sanding in that area. In that case you'll probably just have to spray the clear coat without sanding. Don't sand the areas you touched up with acrylic paint. Wipe the playfield down with Naptha to remove sanding residue, wax, etc. before clear coating. I also wiped down with Naptha when sanding between coats of clear. I sanded the Varathane with 600 grit after the first thinner coat then 400 grit between the rest of the coats. The final coat was sanded with 400, 600, 1500 and 2000 after three weeks. I finished polishing with Turtle Wax heavy compound(red/brown), Turtle Wax white polishing compound and Novus 2. The final step was a coat of Collinite 885 Fleetwax. I use it on my boat and it lasts a looooooooong time in the marine environment. Any automotive paste wax should work just fine.

• Make sure you use blue painter's tape and paper or trash bags to mask anything you don't want covered with clear coat. I covered the entire cabinet and backbox.
• Don't forget to tape off all holes through the playfield. Some are easier from the underside.
• #44 lamp base holes are easily covered with little plastic plugs found in the hardware section at ACE hardware (couldn't find them at Home Depot or Lowes). The plugs come in black or white nylon. I can't remember if the 5/16" or 3/8" fit. They come in sizes from 1/8" to 3/4" (?). They fit down very snug in the holes and sit almost flush with the playfield. I just sanded right over them without issue. They can be pried out of the holes with a nail, awl or small screwdriver.

Take your time and you will be amazed at the transformation of your playfield over the next few weeks. Resist the temptation to rush this process.

e-mail me your address so I can figure out what the postage will cost to mail the power board. I assume you have a Pay Pal account?

Good luck!

Ren