Mylar Removal

This page details the process of Mylar removal I performed on a 1977 Bally Eight Ball Playfield.

There are two main ways to remove Mylar:

Heat + Goo Gone/Goof Off - I've used this tried-and-true method of HEAT (Blow Dryer) and Goo Gone/Goof Off. This process has worked well for me. This process is well documented on numerous other websites - one of them is at TechVantage's website. This process is also well documented in the "This Old Pinball" Video Lost In The Zone - you can order it at TOP's website.
Cold Freeze Spray - this method has been gaining popularity on Rec.Games.Pinball since late 2001. I thought I'd give it shot, so this is the method this page will document.

The product I purchased is MG CHEMICALS SUPER COLD 134 PLUS. I got the 10oz size for $7 I purchased the product at a local electronics dealer, Peerless Electronics.

Per the label =>, "This product chills to -51C (-60F) for locating thermal intermittent electronic components, PCB cracks & cold solder joint. It protects heat sensitive component during soldering. Freezes gum and adhesives for easy removal."

Here's a picture showing the Pop Bumper Mylars

Here's a picture showing the Slingshot Mylars. The color is different between the 2 pictures because the one below was taken without a flash - the flash produced too much glare in this area for you to see the rack-of-balls and the slingshot mylars.

Pictures of Pop Bumper Mylars that were removed. Notice they are in tact, normal shape & flexible. Those that have removed Mylar using other methods s/b impressed at this point.

Pictures of the Slingshot Mylars that were removed. Notice they are in tact, normal shape & flexible. Those that have removed Mylar using other methods s/b impressed at this point.

Picture of the Pop Bumper area, sans the Mylar.

Not a great picture, but you can see how clean the Playfield area looks when the Mylar is removed.

Picture of the Sling Shots, sans the Mylar.

The difference in the green "felt" color show what color the Playfield SHOULD look like compared to what color the Playfield looks like after 25 years of game play.

Here's a picture of the products I used to remove the Mylars:

	MG Chemicals Super Cold 134 Plus
	Goof Off
	Goo Gone
	Novus #2
	My Finger :^)
	Towel

Here are the steps I used to remove the Mylar:

Just like any method of Mylar removal...

Work in small areas. Do a Slingshot. Do another Slingshot. Do a Pop Bumper. Do another Pop Bumper. Do a Kick-out hole. Do a section of the Playfield at a time.

Pick a corner to get started. Use of an Xacto-knife or other instrument to get a corner lifted is recommended.

It takes about 5% of the time to remove the Mylar and about 95% of the time to remove the glue.

Spray at the area to be lifted, apply lift pressure and the Mylar will pop right up (you really won't believe how EZ it is until you try it).

Spray with one hand, lift with the other hand and BANG, you'll be done in no time.

Spray at the area that you are lifting - you'll see the Mylar turn frosty white as it gets really cold. Do not spray your fingers. Once the spray has frosted, you're OK to touch it with your finger w/o getting "frost bite".

You should be able to do a "normal" Playfield with a 10 ounce can of Super Cold spray. For fully Mylared playfields, you may need 2 cans.

OK, now the Mylar is removed (the EZ & fun part) you gotta remove the glue (the boring & hard part).

The remaining Mylar glue actually looks & feels like Mylar. This threw me off for awhile. The glue is shiny & smooth, just like new Mylar.

Remove the glue in small sections, just like you removed the Mylar in sections.

I squirted GOOF OFF onto the Mylar glue. I rubbed the glue in with my finger using circular motion. You'll eventually feel the glue start to soften, actually feels like its "melting" - probably some chemical reaction taking place.

Wipe the Goof Off/glue mixture off the Playfield.

Repeat the last 2 steps until all of the "stickiness" is gone. With a desk magnifying glass, you can actually view the Playfield under magnification to determine (along with touch/feel) that you got all of the glue off.

When I thought I was done, I went over the area with Goo Gone - just to be sure.

Finally, I gave the area a good cleaning with Novus #2.

DONE! No Mylar on that Playfield, but ALL of the paint and graphics are still there - Awesome!

I removed the Mylar from a Pop Bumper and then I removed the Mylar glue before going onto the next area. You can do it that way OR remove all the Mylar first and then remove the Mylar glue - it will work either way.

As with any process, I would recommend YOU try it yourself on something small and if you screw it up you won't get too upset.

The BENEFITS of using this method are:

	Playfield paint is not removed
	Playfield Insert graphics are not removed
	One person can do the job
	You do not have to do the whole Playfield at one time
	You do not have to worry about the Mylar somehow getting re-stuck onto the Playfield
	You do not have to borrow your wife's hair dryer

WARNING - WARNING - WARNING

Per RGP, others have reported disastrous results with Goof Off. They feel Goff Off is way too aggressive a solvent and recommend using Naphtha instead

I would not disagree with them. However, I did use EXTREME CAUTION and recommend you do too. I did small parts of the PF at a time. I used my finger to work the Goof Off into the glue, so I could use tactile sensation to determine at what point to remove the Goof Off. DO NOT LEAVE GOOF OFF ON THE PLAYFIELD FOR OVER A MINUTE OR SO! If you use your finger to work in the Goof Off you'll understand what I'm describing. Also, toward the very end of getting the glue off I switched over to GOO GONE to finish up the removal.

Remember, most of the paint (and insert graphics) removed from the PF occurs during Mylar removal process as the paint sticks to the glue that is sticking to the Mylar as it is lifted. The PF paint is usually not removed during the process of taking the glue from the PF.

This page was last updated on 03/14/02