The Aussie Pinball Arcade

Aussie Pinball Forums => Restorations => Topic started by: howzat on September 28, 2012, 05:43:17 PM

Title: Genie back from the dead
Post by: howzat on September 28, 2012, 05:43:17 PM
Hi all
After seeing Ninos  APR post  and seeing the list of games I couldnt help but to try and get Genie #*#

after lots of PMs   i got it     It was another game from my past I had to have    Thanks Nino

Some pics of the game being unpacked      The game was VERY well wrapped for its journey  ^^^
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: howzat on September 28, 2012, 05:44:58 PM
more
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: howzat on September 28, 2012, 05:56:25 PM
a few more  pics for now. Mitch has been doing the work on the boards and getting it up and running
He will add more info later.

Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Pintoxicated on September 28, 2012, 06:50:43 PM
Ooohhhh, looks pretty damn nice.  Another Sys 1 machine I would like to own one day. 

Congrats on the pickup.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Strangeways on September 28, 2012, 08:24:08 PM

Glad it made it to its new home safe and sound  ^^^

Cool game - Probably my favorite alongside Joker Poker. I think the Genie will look fantastic after Mitch weaves his magic.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Pintoxicated on September 28, 2012, 08:27:33 PM

Glad it made it to its new home safe and sound  ^^^

Cool game - Probably my favorite alongside Joker Poker. I think the Genie will look fantastic after Mitch weaves his magic.

They are the top 2 of my Sys 1 wishlist - Joker Poker and Genie. 
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on September 28, 2012, 10:50:45 PM

Glad it made it to its new home safe and sound  ^^^

Cool game - Probably my favorite alongside Joker Poker. I think the Genie will look fantastic after Mitch weaves his magic.

Cheers Nino, the work has started  *%*

First thing i suggested was that we get the game up and running first, as i always do to any pin i'm bringing back from the dead and restoring.

So the first thing i did was to remove all the boards and displays to take with me to check them over and repair as needed. The first few pics here show what i was confronted with when i lifted the p/f  for a look see... Hmmm...  Kenwood car speaker.. wouldn't have worried too much about that except for the fact its 4 ohms, and the LM380 in the sound board wants to see an 8 ohm speaker  *!@ this was replaced with a spare original system 1 speaker i had.
 
And 2nd pic; someone had gone to a lot of trouble putting spade connector terminals onto the fuse clips.. another pointless mod that i promptly removed and resoldered the wires back onto the fuse holders. I reckon these connector terminals would've been a pretty major source for problems if left.

And now... 3rd pic... someones attempt to replace the original bridge rectifiers!! WTF were they thinking  ^&^ using 1 amp diodes for f#$Ks sake  !!@
i think its pretty safe to say this is NOT Nino's work here !!

Needless to say this was all the first job i undertook to correct all this mess, in the last pic its all been redone. The line filter had also been disconnected so i assumed it had shorted at some stage in its life (i've seen it happen on a few sys 1 pins) so i replaced that as well. Another thing i do is to rewire the mains fuse holder BEFORE the line filter.. that way if the filter shorts again it'll blow the fuse rather than trip the house's circuit breaker. I also removed the useless US type service power outlet.

Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on September 28, 2012, 11:12:16 PM
After i had completed the bottom board repair work i brought the boards home to start on them.

All the main score displays worked fine on my test rig, a couple of the needed a little recharge..ie place a few extra volts across the filament pins of the display glass to get them nice n bright again (this function is built into my test rig to do this). The credit display on the other hand had to be replaced as it had the glass nipple broken off the glass so it was cactus. I had a spare one that i supplied to Ian for his game.

1st couple of pics, the driver board after repairing.. had to replace a couple of the ICs and a couple of the smaller transistors plus the big 2n3055 transistor to get it going, 1st pic shows the board running on my test rig.  

The sound board needed the D/A converter chip replacing, plus i changed the main filter cap for the 5 volt supply.

The power supply had no 5 volts when tested in the game, which i later found out was because the voltage was set too high and the protection circuit was cutting in. I replaced the main filter cap and the pin headers for the input and +5 and -12 volt output pins, plus checked and resoldered all joints as needed. Another thing i did here was to use a trick i had seen on one of the Tim Arnold Sys1 supershow DVDs, and space the board up off the aluminium heatsink with long screws, which should make for easier repairs in future if needed.

I also discovered that i couldn't adjust the +60 volts for the displays, they were seeing about 80 volts! I traced this back to Q4 (mpsa43) which i replaced.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on September 28, 2012, 11:32:20 PM
A couple of pics showing underneath the p/f. I didnt get a pic of it but on the top two flippers someone was too lazy to replace the wires to the EOS switches when they werent long enough to reach (must've changed them or the coils i'm guessing)  so they just used some screw terminals to join them  :lol i havent done anything with this as yet as the goal for now was just to make the game work, and i'll take care of that stuff later when i do the p/f restore.

And the Kickout hole coil plus its angled mounting bracket and screws were missing (2nd pic) so i supplied a new coil plus found a mounting bracket so the game could be played.
Prior to this being done, i had removed everything from the top of the p/f so Ian could do some cleaning while i was doing the board repairs etc. Ian wanted to be able to play the game for a while before doing a full on resto, but first i need to get started on his Stellar Wars p/f and b/g resto that he has already paid me for  :D
 I spent some time yesterday reassembling everyting after he had cleaned and polished the years of black crap off of the p/f, replacing globes and rubbers as i went.

Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on September 28, 2012, 11:35:07 PM
IT LIVES!!  $#$

After fitting the boards and replacing a couple of connectors we had it up and running  #*# well he has my spare Ni wumpf CPU board in it for testing until i can (hopefully) repair his original CPU, failing that i'll just sell him the Ni wumpf board cheap  *%* and buy myself another one later on.

Anyway after doing some work on the flippers and cleaning and adjusting a few switches we were playing Genie  #*# which was a treat for me as i had never played one before.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on September 28, 2012, 11:41:21 PM
Genie will be left as is for now, but in time it'll get the full resto treatment being one of Ians holy grail titles.

First though as i said i need to get started on his Stellar Wars p'f and bg, plus finish card whiz (resto thread coming soon) and repair and tidy up a Jurassic Park that was brought to me DOA a week ago... plus a lot of other jobs that are starting to pile up on me  ^&^ like guitar amps etc im being asked to fix.. oh well its all money i guess *%*

Ian and myself will add to this thread at a later date when the full resto starts  *%*
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: howzat on September 29, 2012, 12:51:11 PM
Hi All
Thanks Mr PInboligist for getting Gennie up and running 

As all ive been able to do is clean it with niffty  and then finish off with novis   It looks nice and shinny now but I wasnt able to remove some black swirls.   When its resto time magic erasor will be used and will take care of that.

   .All the plastics are in good nic and they all got washed in warm soapy water along with the post    The  screws and post were soaked  o/nite in niffty      so its looking great now     :lol

                                                                                  Howzat


                                                                                         
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: goodolddays on September 29, 2012, 05:58:48 PM
Nice one boys  ^^^
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: greenechidna on October 02, 2012, 03:57:48 AM
Had more than a few games on this yesterday, its shaping up to be a sweet machine.

Gotta say an arvo with the Port Maquarie  crew is exausting!....20 or so machines begging to be played....I am in actual physical pain today

Mitch and Ian are great hosts....the grand final didn't get much of a look in

Thanks again guys.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: ktm450 on October 06, 2012, 09:40:12 PM
Nice work guys  *%*
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: outbreak on October 12, 2012, 06:07:18 PM
great work I love the look of these machines!
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on February 10, 2013, 01:11:37 PM
Hi guys,

I'm sitting here not able to do much due to an eye injury i sustained a couple of days ago, went to the hospital yesterday and had a piece of metal dug out that they found!! i still havent worked out just how it got there!!

But im in recovery mode that the moment (even though i shouldn't really be at a computer screen, so if i make any typo errors you know why) :lol \
and just thought i'd add a few pics of Ian's Genie which we have been working on for the last week or so.

Anyway enough of my woes, the restoration of Genie has been started, so i thought i'd add a few progress pics..

Ian has been busy sanding the old paint off after we traced the stencilled art. I came in and did a few repairs as needed to the cab, nothing too major, had to tighten up a few loose joints with some glue and clamps (and a couple of screws for good measure, which i countersunk into the wood and filled so they were invisible). I used Builders Bog for the larger damaged areas and Poly Filla for the fine scratches.

After the repair work was done and the cab and backbox had been sanded back smooth i sprayed them in Dulux enamel undercoat.. After that was done i had to go back and fill a couple of small bits that got missed  @.@ These were sanded back smooth and i gave the whole thing another coat of undercoat.

Sorry i only have a undercoat pic of the backglass frame at this stage, Ian has more pics on his camera i think that i will add to this post later on.



Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on February 10, 2013, 01:14:43 PM
More pics.. basecoat done! and last pic a close up of the black speckle paint i added after the basecoat had dried.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on February 10, 2013, 01:22:14 PM
a few more pics for now... green being sprayed on!

Ian had this colour custom mixed at a local automotive paint shop for this game.
I'm using my usual cardboard stencil method same as most of the cab paints i've done.

This where we are up to at this moment, just one side of the cab done and the front.
If i get time through the week i hope to get some more stencilling done..

Stay tuned  :D
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Crashramp on February 10, 2013, 01:41:28 PM
Lovely work!  Great machine, Genie's one of the best looking pinballs around IMHO. Lots of fun to.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: howzat on February 10, 2013, 11:45:08 PM
Genie is coming up really well   It must be the largest cab made   apart from Hercules    its a lot of sanding but well worth the effort

I didn't get the paint specially mixed   the yellow or orange  as to do this its $   25 per can .   I just got the closest I could which im very happy with .

 We should be able to  finish it of soon and get it back up on its legs.  I must add that I really enjoy working on these games and I get a great scene of satisfaction

Im trying to get all my games looking new as they were  when I played them   1979--1980        Howzat 
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Strangeways on February 10, 2013, 11:50:06 PM

Mitch - Hope you make a full recovery with your injury  *%*

Interestingly enough, I'll be attempting ANOTHER Genie resto in the not too distant future, and I'm looking forward to playing it when done. I'll be skipping the stencils by ordering a set from Gavin  #@# #@#
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on February 11, 2013, 08:49:35 AM

Mitch - Hope you make a full recovery with your injury  *%*

Interestingly enough, I'll be attempting ANOTHER Genie resto in the not too distant future, and I'm looking forward to playing it when done. I'll be skipping the stencils by ordering a set from Gavin  #@# #@#

Cheers Nino, my eye is getting better  ^^^

As Ian said, we are using readily available colours for the yellow and orange, just the green he had matched and mixed by taking the cab into the paint shop.

We actually made a bit of a false start starting the stenciling on the backbox.. i thought i had a good matching orange but when sprayed it looked too red  @.@
That has since been sanded back and the basecoat redone, it is now ready to have the correct colour stenciled on, i found a much better matching colour  *%*

Looking forward to YOUR Genie resto  *%* What do u mean "attempting"  :D judging from your recent Dr Who and 8 ball restores,i'm sure it'll be stunning  ^^^
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Strangeways on February 11, 2013, 09:45:19 AM

Mitch - Hope you make a full recovery with your injury  *%*

Interestingly enough, I'll be attempting ANOTHER Genie resto in the not too distant future, and I'm looking forward to playing it when done. I'll be skipping the stencils by ordering a set from Gavin  #@# #@#

Cheers Nino, my eye is getting better  ^^^

As Ian said, we are using readily available colours for the yellow and orange, just the green he had matched and mixed by taking the cab into the paint shop.

We actually made a bit of a false start starting the stenciling on the backbox.. i thought i had a good matching orange but when sprayed it looked too red  @.@
That has since been sanded back and the basecoat redone, it is now ready to have the correct colour stenciled on, i found a much better matching colour  *%*

Looking forward to YOUR Genie resto  *%* What do u mean "attempting"  :D judging from your recent Dr Who and 8 ball restores,i'm sure it'll be stunning  ^^^

"attempting" - Wait until you see what I'm starting with  :D

I'm looking forward to your updates - great machine to play when 100%
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on February 21, 2013, 10:13:00 PM
Hi guys, a bit of an update

Stencilling is now finished  $#$ i got the last of it done today

Some progress pics.. Backbox;
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on February 21, 2013, 10:22:34 PM
Cabinet;

turned out pretty good in the end me thinks  :D

Playfield and backglass are next on my to do list!!
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Crashramp on February 21, 2013, 10:41:13 PM
Lovely work, looks great!  ^^^
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Retropin on February 21, 2013, 11:24:49 PM
Looks really good! Awesome results... your going to do me out of trade!
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Strangeways on February 22, 2013, 12:04:33 AM

Looks great  ^^^
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: goodolddays on February 22, 2013, 12:30:50 PM
Looks like your home made stencils worked a treat . Excellent result on the repaint  ^^^ ^^^
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: ktm450 on February 22, 2013, 01:27:48 PM
That looks great  ^^^
how do you make your cardboard stencils? Do you trace the original artwork onto clear or tracing paper then sit it onto your cardboard then cut through both?
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: goodolddays on February 22, 2013, 01:44:09 PM
What I do is trace original artwork onto tracing paper (or even oven baking paper is fine)
Then tape that to cardboard , go over the tracing with a pen to get an indentation on the cardboard , remove tracing paper , go over  indent with pencil/pen .
Then cut out shapes for 1 colour .

Rinse and repeat above to make stencil for second colour .
Also have alignment marks to be able to align correctly against cab .
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on February 22, 2013, 10:07:50 PM
What I do is trace original artwork onto tracing paper (or even oven baking paper is fine)
Then tape that to cardboard , go over the tracing with a pen to get an indentation on the cardboard , remove tracing paper , go over  indent with pencil/pen .
Then cut out shapes for 1 colour .

Rinse and repeat above to make stencil for second colour .
Also have alignment marks to be able to align correctly against cab .

Thats pretty much how i do it, except when i go over the tracings i have sheets of carbon paper under the tracing paper to transfer the tracings onto the cardboard.

Ktm450; In the past i have just cut through the tracing paper and into the cardboard (using separate tracings for each colour) but for this cab i traced BOTH colours onto one large sheet of tracing paper, (actually several sheets taped together).
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: ktm450 on February 23, 2013, 06:10:33 PM
Thanks for the info guys, I am interested as I have a cosmic princess I will have to do stencils for and I doubt Gav could be bothered making stencils for such a low production game
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 17, 2013, 12:15:20 AM
Time for a progress update;

The cabinet has been reassembled, side rails regrained and refitted with new twist nails from RTBB. On the same order i also got rebuild parts for the flippers, as i have started on the pf restore now.

The backglass has been put back in for the moment, i'll be doing some resto work on that later on.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 17, 2013, 12:18:10 AM
The playfield is back at my workshop to be restored..

Some before pics.. being dismantled.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 17, 2013, 12:21:28 AM
more pics.. after a quick clean with Nifti and cloth.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 17, 2013, 12:25:45 AM
Some pics showing the wear that needs to be repaired.
Quite a bit of ball swirl to be removed..
At least there was no mylar to remove.. only the non adhesive bumper mylars, that come off with the bumper assemblies.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 17, 2013, 12:36:25 AM
I started wit the wear at the top, above the top rollover lanes, kickout hole wear, yellow bumper areas and a small spot of wear beneath the spinner.. spraying them with some primer/filler.. building it up in several coats to fill the worn areas and level it out.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 17, 2013, 12:39:15 AM
Last pics for today.. i managed to get the yellow redone this evening above the top rollover lanes, after having block sanded the primer filler back smooth and level.

Tomorrow i'll redo the purple
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Crashramp on March 17, 2013, 12:55:47 AM
Great updates, it's coming together very nicely.  *%*
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Strangeways on March 17, 2013, 10:45:52 AM

Very good Mitch ! That playfield has a lot of ball swirl in yellow - but it should lift out with a bit of Magic Eraser  ^^^
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: pinball god on March 17, 2013, 01:33:22 PM
Looking good and fantastic to see what you did with the stencilling when there's nothing on the market. I am taking notes for my embryon
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 17, 2013, 05:57:40 PM

Very good Mitch ! That playfield has a lot of ball swirl in yellow - but it should lift out with a bit of Magic Eraser  ^^^

It did indeed Nino! i had started on removing the ball swirl a couple of days ago, its looking better but i still have a bit to do.. i took a break from it to work on the top section  :D

Today i repainted the yellow around the top bumpers, as well as redoing the purple around the yellow at the top rollover lanes, and the top right kickout hole.. i have pics, will add them later.

Can anyone with this title reading this help me out with a pic of the top rollover lane area, so i can recreate the missing text?? i need a good quality reasonably high resolution pic taken square on. Hoping someone can help me with this, as it'll save me a few headaches  ^&^ It can either be posted in this thread or emailed to me at   mrpinbol@tpg.com.au

Cheers
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 17, 2013, 10:59:09 PM
Another small update;

As mentioned in my last post, i have done the purple for the top rollover section, pics below.

I used the Trident airbrush paints for this, after spending time trying to mix the correct colour, this is as close as i could get it, the camera flash makes it look blue compared to the original colours, but it looks better in real life  :D

Also i'm using proper Frisket masking now as opposed to book contact that i've used in the past (bought a roll at the same time as i bought the Trident paints).
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 17, 2013, 11:03:02 PM
More pics, redoing the kickout hole area..

Just have to do some touchups to the text.. its on the 'to do' list  :D
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 17, 2013, 11:06:34 PM
Bumper area touchups being done.. did the yellow first, then the purple, followed by the black circles separating the colours.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 17, 2013, 11:11:36 PM
Last pic for now.. an overall pic of what's been done so far.

I started at the top and i'm basically working my way down.

With the top rollover section, i just have the text to do and the black key lines/circles.

As stated i need a pic of this area i order to do the text (will probably have to do a waterslide decal), so if anyone can supply a pic of this area of their pf (if any Genie owners read this) it would be greatly appreciated  @@^
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: howzat on March 18, 2013, 11:01:52 PM
Wow its looking great    What a fiddly job    Im glad you have the skill and patience required to resto Genie

Its interesting to see and who ever is going to take on similar repairs its properly is  good to take some notes


Great job    Im looking fwd to getting it back                 Howzat
     
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 19, 2013, 09:14:52 AM
Hi all, disregard my post for the pic of the upper of area, i managed to recreate the text from a pic off the net  #*#

It wasn't the best quality or resolution pic but i managed to make it work ok, printed off a waterslide decal and applied, then sealed with some clear.

Added the black key lines and borders last night, just have to re-install the inserts. Just a little more tidy up of this area to do and i'm done with it, and can move on to the next section.  #*#
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 20, 2013, 12:05:39 AM
Hi again, here are a few before and after pics of the ball swirl removal work done so far, using Magic Eraser with Isopropyl Alcohol.

I think this is about as good as i can get it without risking losing paint, looks a LOT better than it did thats for sure  *%*
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 20, 2013, 12:07:37 AM
More pics...
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 20, 2013, 12:17:27 AM
Last lot for now  :D Still a bit of ball swirl/ cracks to do, and i can PROBABLY do a bit more with some of what i have pictured here in these few posts, but im a little concerned about losing paint and creating more work for myself.

Last couple of pics showing the insert decals i'm doing to repair the sunken/dished in inserts as i remove them, and one insert done as a test run.
Same deal as the Stellar Wars pf i just did, these are waterslide laser printed decals, applied and a coat of clear acrylic to seal them.

I'm sanding the inserts flat of course before hand   *%* and they'll get a light sand with 800 grit wet/dry and windex and a polish with Novus before being refitted to the pf.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: femto on March 20, 2013, 07:57:12 PM
Looking good. Amazing what a good clean does.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: humpalot on March 20, 2013, 11:45:19 PM
Nice work, I'd love to add a Genie to the collection loved playing it back in the day.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: oldskool1969 on March 20, 2013, 11:47:18 PM
Very nice wide body and great resto thread.
Got to love a comfy ride  &&
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: big dog on March 21, 2013, 08:27:25 AM
looks good Mitch,lots of time and love of what your doing.travel time still looks as good as the day you finished her and genie will be the same. Great job
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 24, 2013, 11:32:36 PM
looks good Mitch,lots of time and love of what your doing.travel time still looks as good as the day you finished her and genie will be the same. Great job

Cheers stranger  :D Good to know you're happy with the work i did on Travel Time  ^^^
Now hurry up and get that shed done and get your games set up again #@# <.>
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 24, 2013, 11:43:11 PM
Time for another update; not much left to do now  #*#

As mentioned in a previous post i had been working on the inserts... removing, flattening and redoing text where needed and reinstalling.

Some pics..

1; inserts with 'when lit' text as removed, before..
2; the same inserts sanded flat. I placed a sheet of 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper onto a flat surface, and sanded the inserts flat using a little Windex as the wetting agent.
3; Inserts with the decals applied and sprayed with some acrylic clear to seal them.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 24, 2013, 11:45:09 PM
More pics, inserts installed.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 24, 2013, 11:59:40 PM
Okay, moving down the pf a bit, next to be repaired was the bonus inserts area, in particular the wear in the bonus multiplier area.

First i did the black, building it up in several coats to fill the wear, then block sanded it back level. I used automotive acrylic (spray can) for this.

Next I did the light blue/aqua colour. I used my Trident paints for this, mixed the colour as close as i could get it, masked off the circles with some Frisket and airbrushed the colour in.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 25, 2013, 12:06:57 AM
At this point in time i'm almost done  #*#

Just a few minor touchups to be done, in particular i need to check and redo the black around the inserts as needed to make sure the black isn't see through anywhere, i'll shine a light up from underneath to check this. If i dont check this now the inserts will look like SHIT when lit if the edges aren"t blacked out properly!

Once thats done the mylar can go on!
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: ktm450 on March 25, 2013, 10:46:48 AM
Great work on the touch ups  ^^^
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: howzat on March 25, 2013, 10:42:12 PM
Hi all
I went over to Mitches today to look at Genie      Its looking good and there sure is  some work in it   Its nice and flat  ( level )   so the ball wont catch on sunken inserts

Its such a classic old game and it will look as good as the day it was made     if not better #*#    Great work       Howzat       
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Crashramp on March 26, 2013, 08:14:49 AM
Hi all
I went over to Mitches today to look at Genie      Its looking good and there sure is  some work in it   Its nice and flat  ( level )   so the ball wont catch on sunken inserts

Its such a classic old game and it will look as good as the day it was made     if not better #*#    Great work       Howzat       

One of the best looking machines of its era IMO and a great player too. You must be looking forward to getting it back in the line up. Especially with all the work put in,  it just looks fantastic.
Me, jealous?.... Yes !@)  Well done though and enjoy @@*
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 29, 2013, 04:45:33 PM
Touchups are done and the mylar is on  #*#

some pics;
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 29, 2013, 04:48:57 PM
A few more for now..

Now i can start the reassembly  $#$

I have a heap of metal parts in the tumbler as i write this, but in the mean time i can start cutting the mylar where the posts etc screw down onto the pf surface
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Strangeways on March 30, 2013, 12:00:37 PM
Very nice finish Mitch.

How do you cut the circles around the posts ? I recall my Dad used a round "press" with a sharp tip. It was the exact diameter. This was pushed and turned to cut the mylar, and then the remaining circle was removed with an exacto. Always a "clean" circle.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: oldskool1969 on March 30, 2013, 12:07:53 PM
Really nice job  ^^^ Mylar cops a bagging by some people, I think it is great stuff as look at all the great games it has save over the years
Old mylar can be polished really nicely too!
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Strangeways on March 30, 2013, 12:11:49 PM
Really nice job  ^^^ Mylar cops a bagging by some people, I think it is great stuff as look at all the great games it has save over the years
Old mylar can be polished really nicely too!

I was one of those who used to give mylar a bagging ONLY because I hate removing it from machines ! But the HUGE advantage is that in many cases, a perfect playfield can be revealed ! I think there is a place for mylar on EMs and early SS machines. Clearcoats speed up the older games and they don't play right from some I've seen.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 30, 2013, 04:41:53 PM
Cheers guys  ^^^


Very nice finish Mitch.

How do you cut the circles around the posts ? I recall my Dad used a round "press" with a sharp tip. It was the exact diameter. This was pushed and turned to cut the mylar, and then the remaining circle was removed with an exacto. Always a "clean" circle.

Nino, i just use an exacto knife, i'll often screw a post down lightly and cut around the post approx 1mm bigger than the diameter of the post, then remove the post and then lift the circle of mylar. Sometimes though it can lift a little paint with it, which usually can be touched up with a fine brush and the correct colour no problem. I can usually cut the holes pretty neat, its a little time consuming to do though.
 
The cutter your dad used sounds like a much easier idea than the way i do it! I might have to see if i can devise something similar  *%*
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Retropin on March 30, 2013, 11:04:32 PM
Really nice job  ^^^ Mylar cops a bagging by some people, I think it is great stuff as look at all the great games it has save over the years
Old mylar can be polished really nicely too!

I was one of those who used to give mylar a bagging ONLY because I hate removing it from machines ! But the HUGE advantage is that in many cases, a perfect playfield can be revealed ! I think there is a place for mylar on EMs and early SS machines. Clearcoats speed up the older games and they don't play right from some I've seen.

Yep - have to agree on both counts. Ill be one of the first to bag out Mylar, but when i was looking at a game today i thought, thank god that bits covered in Mylar as it saved me a lot of work.
The removal can be an issue unless done correctly and very often, what the mylar saved is completely lost again with its removal.. a saviour and a killer in one.
The finish on that PF though looks really good and i like what i see.... the work youve done is top notch Mitch.. PF looks bloody great mate.. ^^^ ^^^
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: goodolddays on March 30, 2013, 11:52:19 PM
PF looks fantastic Mitch  ^^^ Great job !
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on March 31, 2013, 10:32:58 AM
Thanks for the kind words guys.. muchly appreciated  ^^^ especially from Gav and Nino coz i know they dont like mylar (or at least don't like removing it as you both stated.. neither do i really and i can totally understand what you both mean!), Im really glad there wasn't any to remove from this pf.

I'm actually thinking now of getting into clearcoating PFs since i'm buying a compressor and spraygun setup soon, will be a long ways off before i'll attempt a CC on a PF though so you will be seeing a few more mylared PFs from me (i'd be doing a LOT of trial runs first) *%* I'll be moving away from spraycans for cab repaints once i have the compressor.

As usual with this PF there are a couple of bits i'm not entirely happy with (i'm a perfectionist by nature and also my own worst critic!), only minor imperfections but enough to bug me a little bit that most people would never notice. Ian will love it i'm sure so that is all that matters!
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: ktm450 on March 31, 2013, 02:02:53 PM
Great job, looks very nice  ^^^
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on April 02, 2013, 12:32:50 AM
Reassembly has begun!!

While all of the screws, metal posts and guides were in the tumbler, i decided to repaint the top arch, as it had rust starting to form under the existing paint.
I stripped it back to bare metal then hit it with some primer/filler. After that had dried and had been wet sanded with 400 wet/dry, i wiped it down with Prepsol and cloth then sprayed with some yellow acrylic.

The paint used was Power Plus spray acrylic, i think the colour was called Vivid Yellow and was a pretty close match the original colour.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on April 02, 2013, 12:40:46 AM
The bumper mechs were stripped and cleaned and rebuilt ready to go back onto the pf when the time came. One of the diodes on the coils was cracked so all three were replaced.

All of the screws and posts, wire guides etc went thru the tumbler, 2nd pic shows the parts after they came out of the tumbler. The metal bumper brackets were tumble polished as well.

The stainless guides in the 3rd pic looked to  have been polished and not grained so i gave them a light wet sand with 800 grit wet/dry and Windex then polished them with Autosol.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on April 02, 2013, 12:46:27 AM
More reassembly pics; The spinner and targets were touched up as needed and mylared to protect them. They look much better in person, the camera flash shows up the touchups a bit on the bullseye target..  @.@ In normal light it looks fine.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on April 02, 2013, 12:58:46 AM
One last pic for now.. lower playfield.

Some of the plastics need to be flattened, hence why they aren't all fitted yet. The ones that i have on in these pics are nice n flat already so i decided to fit them.

This evening i removed and completely stripped the flipper mechs, cleaned off the tons of greasy crap that they were covered in!! and are in the tumbler as i type this.. they should be nice n shiney in the morning and ready to be rebuilt  *%*
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: howzat on April 02, 2013, 06:08:58 PM
Genie is getting the full treatment  $#$ It will be better than new       Im looking fwd to getting it back      Howzat
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on April 09, 2013, 11:19:48 PM
Hi all, time for a quick update.

I've been spending some time working on flipper mechs. The top flippers had some really crappy wiring done on the EOS switches, someone was too lazy to replace the wires so they just whacked in a few screw terminals to join the switches to the coils  *!@ *!@

Anyway i removed everything, cleaned and put all the pieces into the tumbler to polish them up a bit while i worked on lamp sockets etc.

1st couple of pics show the dodgey brothers wiring to the top flipper EOS switches  :lol
3rd pic, flippers reassembled, EOS wiring replaced, new coil sleeves, and new hand fabricated flipper linkages.
4th pic main flipper mechs being reassembled.

Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on April 09, 2013, 11:34:37 PM
A few more pics.. main flipper mechs reinstalled onto the pf.

Yesterday I received the last few parts i needed from RTBB to finish off the pf.. including new EOS switches for these mechs  #*#
The original setup has the extra set of contacts that operate the top flippers, so i used a set of NEW modified Gtb flipper button switches to replace the stuffed originals (2nd and 3rd pics).

Also the bumpers have been rebuilt.. again the brackets etc were polished in the tumbler, new coil sleeves and bumper skirts etc.

As part of the deal, Ian received what look like new bumper caps and replacement drop targets when he bought the game, the caps finish the bumpers off nicely, the bumper bodies are in pretty nice shape so they weren't replaced.

Next on the 'to do' list is the drop target rebuild, finish repairing the lamp sockets and to flatten the rest of the plastics.. wont be too much longer and Ian can have the pf back!!  *%*
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on April 17, 2013, 12:06:21 AM
Well finally the Genie pf is COMPLETE  $#$ $#$

Over the weekend i got all of the lamp sockets repaired, then started on the drop target banks rebuild.. starting with the 4 bank of yellow targets

1st pic the rebuilt 4 target mech.. didnt get any before pics but you can get an idea of how it looked before by looking at the 7 target bank before pic  :D

They were completely dismantled, the parts soaked in Windex then scrubbed with a toothbrush. Most of the smaller pieces were polished in the tumbler, the larger pieces, backing plates etc were hand polished with a little a Autosol and cloth before being reassembled. The targets were replaced with the spare ones Ian was given with the game when he bought it, i picked the best looking ones to install, touched up the markings as needed and applied mylar over the target faces to protect them from wear.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on April 17, 2013, 12:17:59 AM
More pics;

The apron was in really nice shape luckily, but i did repaint the top edge where the ball runs, as it had a few wear marks from when the ball drains thru the outlanes. I had some yellow auto acrylic on hand which matched the apron colour really well, so that is what i used...

3rd pic, the ball trough components polished and reinstalled..

And finally a pic of the completed playfield with all of the plastics that i flattened, polished and refitted tonight  #*# The metal acorn nuts were polished in the tumbler when i did the rest of the pf screws etc.. i just had to pick the corncob out of them before i could screw them on  @.@

Its now loaded into my car and is on its way back to Ian's tomorrow  *%*
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on April 17, 2013, 12:24:13 AM
Some more pics.. i havent fitted the apron as yet, as the pf was still in the jig when i loaded it into the car, and the clamps were in the way so it'll be fitted tomorrow when the pf goes back into the cabinet.

I still have to print some new instruction cards too  *%* *%*

Will add some more pics probably tomorrow after the pf is back in the cab!!
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Strangeways on April 17, 2013, 12:29:48 AM

Looking great, Mitch. A lot of work goes into this title, but it is a GREAT player when done  ^^^
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: goodolddays on April 17, 2013, 03:48:06 PM
Great job Mitch ! Lots of attention to detail
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: ralph67 on April 18, 2013, 01:11:44 AM
Nice Job Looks better than new . Im sure the owner will be happy, Did you clearcoat playfield or waxed? One other thing the target banks and other metal parts came up beautiful, I must get a tumbler, What size would you recommend?
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: howzat on April 22, 2013, 10:44:47 PM
Hey Guys   Ive got Genie back and its beautiful ^^^   As you look through the thread you can see the great work Mitch has done

The Mylar will protect the P/F for ever and it makes it shine     With everthing working 100% its a classic old game

Mitch is going to do the B/g and im sure he will post pics    it will complete the game      I carnt wait  $#$       Howzat
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Crashramp on April 22, 2013, 10:58:09 PM
Hey Guys   Ive got Genie back and its beautiful ^^^   As you look through the thread you can see the great work Mitch has done

The Mylar will protect the P/F for ever and it makes it shine     With everthing working 100% its a classic old game

Mitch is going to do the B/g and im sure he will post pics    it will complete the game      I carnt wait  $#$       Howzat

That's great to hear, its a fantastic game and I imagine a great addition to your collection, it's a classic for sure!  The pictures have looked excellent and I bet you've been hanging out to get it back.
Well done to you and great work Mitch.  ^^^
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on April 23, 2013, 12:26:30 PM
Thanks guys  ^^^

Yeah it came up pretty nice, just a couple of minor switch adjustments to do, and i have to make some instruction cards and its done  *%*

One other thing i need to do, the game currently has my spare Ni wumph MPU in it, thats supposed to be going into my Pinball Pool. I need to either try to repair his original MPU (might not be possible, don't know til i can get a decent look at it) or i might just sell him this one and get myself a new one come Pinball Pool resto time.
Title: Re: Genie back from the dead
Post by: ktm450 on May 08, 2013, 10:07:37 AM
Great work, came up very nice  ^^^