Playfield Arches and Hardware
Dennis Amero

Dennis says:

I sanded them down 'til they looked clean (using a custom-curved sanding block for the inside top arch). Any pits, seams, thumbtack or staple holes got filled with Zar Latex Wood Patch (Red Oak Color). This stuff I swear by. My hardwood floor guy turned me on to it. It dries quickly to a nice sandable surface, and the color just disappears.

After that, 3 or 4 spray coats of Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane, and it's done... but you gotta do a light sand between coats for it to come out right. Sadly, this step can take as long as four days if you're not living in the dry Arizona desert, which I'm definitely not. I personally like a semi-gloss look, though the high gloss would probably look more like Bally original.

I've tried gloss, and it looks too glossy to me. I actually prefer satin finish, though semi-gloss is fine too. My favorite is Varathane Diamond Elite water-based urethane. It dries fast and is easy to apply with a foam brush.

I don't know whether or not other people are nuts enough to do what I did with the hardware. All metal got steel-wooled and alcohol-soaked. This includes all pins, panel springs, rebound springs, post screws, chrome ball gate switch cover assembly, chrome rebound plate, etc. Plastic posts and light shields were individually washed in detergent.