Fresh clear coat: cut it back around screw holes so it won't crack or lift
Before screwing or bolting parts back onto a playfield with new clear coat, remove the clear from around each screw hole so the screw head bears on wood, not on clear. Use a countersink or a brad point bit just larger than the screw threads, turned by hand or in a drill running in reverse, and stop as soon as you are through the clear. A clean cut ring stops any lifting around the screw from spreading across the playfield.
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Source: Pinball Repair help group!! (Facebook group)