Official Luthiers Forum!

Howdy,

I haven't been around in awhile, but I couldn't think of a better group of people to ask this to.

My last guitar I used Zpoxy on the the soundboard. It had some "issues" I was trying to fill. I always thought the idea of using epoxy was crazy, but it worked great.

Now I've been into Pinball quite a bit lately and I got to talking with a pinhead about dimples in the playfields. He was mentioning having new playfields clear coated to to help eliminate dimples from air balls and such, but it only does so much, and will still dimple.

It's at this point I mentioned epoxy. So he looks at me like I'm crazy. Which is probably how I looked at whoever (Robbie?) told me about epoxy use on guitars.

Here's my questions:

-Will epoxy yellow over time?

-Will it flow and/or stick to plastic and painted wood the same as plain/bare wood?

-Do you think it would be harder than clear coat paint (the Zpoxy didn't seem that hard to me if I recall correctly)?

The rest I can figure out through experimentation if the answers above seem to justify smearing some on a Pinball machine. Like, will it be slick, take a nice wax, allow for "frictionless" ball movement, etc.

Thanks guys!

This is kinda off topic, but I will try to answer your questions.

First of all, z-poxy finishing resin is just meant to seal the pores and level the wood and should be applied as thin as possible. It hardens, but the finish isnt hard enough to withstand a bounding pinball.

You may actually be better with their gluing expoy, but this would be a guess too. It does get hard.

if it were me, I think I would go for some pourable polyurethane (the kind they use on bars that can add some depth to the work. It will self level and dries clear.

One more choice is marine epoxy paint. It comes in 2 parts that have to be mixed together and gets extremely hard. It can be brushed on and will self level. Takes a good while to completely cure though. That finish should easily stand up to pinballs. You can get it in a variety of colors also.

Hope this helps!

Ken

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Reguards,

Ken H

I prefer girltars to guirtars, but whatever gets you off is fine by me...

What do they use on bowling alleys? That'd probably work on a pinball machine.

bowling alleys use polyurethane and then they heavily coat the hard maple floor with mineral oil.

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Reguards,

Ken H

But they have Pin Ball Wizards...

Pourable polyurethane, that's the ticket!

And grr on me for the guir-tar.

will it yellow over time . Yes if applied so thick that you have a film thickness and it is exposed to UV radiation like sunlight.

There are may different types of Epoxy on the market. Many are specific use oriented. Finishing resin is designed to be a very light finishing film over fiberglass mat. So it is not very viscous compared to general adhesive epoxies. it is also a bit softer.

I gather you intent on the pinball playing field is to get a smooth, level surface. Polyurethane is probably the easiest way. Keep in mind what ever you use you will need to build a film thickness allow to cure fully, level and polish if you want to eliminate irregularities.

System three sells a epoxy coating for bartops. You pour it on and it self levels and dries hard. Something like this would be mor durable for a pinball machine.

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Guitars, guitars and more guitars.

I "Googled" Pin ball machines and parts and had lots of hits. Even a forum on one of them. I bet you could find something there if you poke around enough.

Not one video game out there compares to a good ole pinball. good luck.

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Horton, MI

[QUOTE=Kirt] .....Not one video game out there compares to a good ole pinball. good luck.[/QUOTE]

Amen

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

[QUOTE=FishtownMike] System three sells a epoxy coating for bartops. You pour it on and it self levels and dries hard. Something like this would be mor durable for a pinball machine.[/QUOTE]

I think thats their mirror coat product. Very hard, very durable from what they claim and from what one could assume from its intended use as a bar top.

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy