HurryUpPinball - How to install Art Blades 

I have starting using painters tape to line up the art blades and then carefully apply it aplly half the art blade at a time. I have not used rapid tac for a while but it is still great for the first few times until you get more comfortable. JJP games can be a bit trickier since you can't easily remove the playfield. Those ones still stress me a little bit :)

Glad to hear it. I have been real busy with work but hope to have a few new videos up soon. Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it.

Happy to help. I still remove the playfield on sterns and it makes things really easy. I am a huge Dougie Fresh and Slick Rick fan too.

Thats what I am here for. Thanks for the feedback and the support!

Thank you for sharing the information. I have since moved to dry applications in the past year or two. Stern blades are easy with the air egress but there are a few out there that don’t offer that so just wanted to offer an option for people who have never done it before. Thanks again for the info and I may make an updated video at some point in my current process.

@@HurryUpPinball ​ yes, the main issue is a lot of people have no idea what vinyl they have. Sellers often don't even specify this information. When looking at the adhesive side of a "bubble free" vinyl there are micro channels within the glue that let the air escape so you know it has to be installed using a dry method. Might be good to add a disclaimer or text to the video at the rapid tac step "for regular vinyl only (not bubble free vinyl)".

The rapid tac is good to use the first few times but as long as you get them in place properly, you can skip the rapid tac. Since I started removing the playfields on sterns, I use painters tape to hang the blades in place, uncover a small portion of the blades, then stick it down. I then move to the other end and finish peeling off the backing. As long as they are lined up, it’s all good. JJP and older games are difficult to remove the playfield so you can try the rapid tac or position them correctly using painters tape then raise the playfield and do the two end method. The area where the standing playfield is can be a bit tricky. The art blades I installed were not sterns so I had to cut them out for the holes. The stern ones are super easy to line up and install because of the holes.

Since mirror blades are screwed into the cabinet, you shouldn’t need to remove the playfield. I would recommend a second set of hands to help line them up before installing the screws. I would also recommend the pinball universe cabinet protectors so you don’t scratch the mirror blades when raising and lowering the playfield. www.pinballlife.com/interior-cabinet-protector-blade-set.html

I have seen lots of different posts about things you can use but I prefer the rapid tack just because it’s simple and works really well. I get a little nervous about using something that may lessen the adhesion of the art blades. If you decide to use something other than RapidTac, just be sure to check the pinside forums and see what people recommend.

@@HurryUpPinball thanks for the reply. I installed my Ghostbusters art blades with no issues. I think any art blades that are thinner though will be a little more difficult and probably require some sort of wet application!

The Rapid Tac is not 100 percent necessary and I have recently starting installing art blades on games without the Rapid Tac. I can't speak to Windex being used in place of Rapid Tac but I have concerns it may dissolve the adhesive that holds on the art blades. I have started lining up the art blades using painters tape then removing a section of the backing in the back of the cabinet and sticking it in place then removing the rest of the backing and working out any air pockets back to front. I installed art blades on Wonka yesterday using this method since it is a lot of work to remove the playfield. If you have tight spaces and are not able to remove the playfield, I would recommend using the Rapid Tac until you get comfortable. It makes it easier to reposition the blades if they are not lined up correctly. Just use a very fine mist, don't soak them. I would highly recommend a set of cabinet protectors from Pinball Universe if you are going to install art blades - they are $35 at Pinballlife.com and will make sure you don't damage anything when raising and lowering the playfield. In terms of JP, it is a great game but I was the only one who really played it and I picked the last 15 games so I ended up selling it to purchase Wonka for the family. I am at a point where if I want something new, something has to go unfortunately. I'm sure people will give me heat for selling JP for Wonka but we are having a blast with it thus far.

@@HurryUpPinball Thanks for the great advice i bought rapid tac and hope to find time between hockey games to install them this weekend enjoy wonka , I haven't played wonka yet again thanks stay safe

That’s a tough one. I can ask around. I have used the freeze spray method to remove big sheets of mylar but no matter how careful you are, if it has been on for a long time, paint will usually lift. If it is peeling up, you will most likely end up with dirt and dust under it even if you put it back down. If it is a very small area, it might be worth it to use an exacting knife and try to remove that tiny area. Old mylar can be really tough to deal with and always makes me anxious when dealing with it in older games. I will ask around to see if anyone I know who restores games has advice on reattaching mylar.

@@HurryUpPinball thanks, I really appreciate it!

The decal solution will make it so you can reposition them as needed. One of the other methods I really like, once you remove the playfield, is to use painters tape and hang the art blades exactly where you wanna place them. I use 4 to 5 pieces of tape to hold them in place from the top and then I cut a small section of the art blade backing off and put that section down. If you’ve lined everything up properly with the painters tape, you can easily remove the other half of the backing, and the graphics should be exactly where you want them.

I really like mirror blades for games. I will typically put them on if I don’t find a set of art blades I really like. Then can help (a little) to brighten up the playfield on darker games. I think they look great on POTC and LOTR. They are a great option for a lot of games. I always look for art blades first and move over to mirror blades if I don’t find anything I like. They cost a little more than art blades but it is not drastically more expensive. If you get mirror blades or art blades, get cabinet protectors to keep them nice. It sucks when you scratch the mirror blades while moving the playfield.

@@HurryUpPinball Thanks for the advice man! Take care and keep up the great work on the vids!

I have heard of people using that but never tried it myself. If it is your first time installing art blades and you cannot remove the playfield, I would suggest rapid-tac. It will let you slide them around a bit. Regardless of what you use, just mist them lightly and don’t soak them. I have started installing them without rapid tac lately. I use painters tape to perfectly position the art blade then peel the back half, cut away the backing, and stick it on then repeat for the front. For games where you cannot remove the playfield, you can use this method but it can be tricky. For games where you can’t remove the playfield, rapid tac is the way to go if it is your first go at it.

@@HurryUpPinball mate thanks so so much for talking a rookie through. So nervous though and intimidated by the process, but I guess everyone gotta start somewhere.

I remember being really nervous about it too. Rapid tac allows you to reposition them and makes it much less stressful until you get the hang of it. Always test fit them with the backing on so you know how they should sit and be sure to take into account the hinge bolts one each side. If your art blades do not have a pre cut hole for the hinge bolt, be sure to remove the bolt before installing the art blade and then use an exacto knife to trim the circle out then replace the bolt. Also make sure the art blade is not so high that it interferes with the glass channeling. Just go slow and test fit the blade to look for any potential issues.

@@HurryUpPinball is there a cool site for affordable, but universal lights, switches etc. What's the 'goto' site for bits ?

@@GlennTwiddle1 For bolts, nuts, switches, and game specific parts, I usually order from Pinball Life, Marco Specialties, or Cointaker. For changing bulbs, I like to order from Comet Pinball. For art blades, I like tilt graphics if not going with factory art blades. There are a bunch of great sites out there and these are just a few. There are a ton of great mod makers out there and I usually just google the game title with “pinball mods” to see what is available.

When the issue arises, I have started removing the washer (if necessary) as opposed to cutting the art blade. It can depend on the manufacturer of the art blades as well regarding how low they go and if the barely touch the washer. Loosening it prior to install works too.

It all depends on the game really. It’s really easy to take out the new stern playfields. I find JJPs can be a bit tougher based on clearance but doable for sure. It really just depends on comfort level. For non-stern games, I use the method you mention.

Are cables long enough to do this on most machines ?