The Aussie Pinball Arcade
Aussie Pinball Forums => Restorations => Topic started by: Brettski on March 14, 2015, 11:19:00 PM
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Hi All,
I recently completed a Strikes and Spares restoration and created a website outlining the process.
I thought I would share it here amongst people who can appreciate what is involved in this type of project.
It's not greatly detailed but if anyone has questions please ask. Enjoy!
You can view it here
http://www.strikesandspares.com.au
Regards: Brettski... :)
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Great work Brett and welcome.
I love the way you documented on the web with some nice photos.
Your Strikes and Spares looks so sexy.
NICE!
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Ok doing a restoration of that quality is one thing.
But shrinking your self is just down right amazing &&
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Well done. Next you can produce a book called wheres Brettski. Hours of fun trying to find you in a pinball photo
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$.$ Brett! and %)%
Nice to meet you yesterday. Your machine looks sweet!!!
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$.$ Brett and %)% to AP. Great work on the Strikes and Spares.
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Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and the comments on my machine, much appreciated.
Yes Dan I enjoyed our catch up the other day, need to get some more practice on that Indiana Jones, that was a great machine to play and I was impressed with the work you have put into them. I look forward to another game sometime.
Brettski... :)
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Just read your restore thread Brett .
Your game came up looking great ^^^
You are the 1st guy I can think of who has used cans of clear to spray the playfield .. I had been wondering about trying that myself at some stage .
Your site inspires me to get back to work on my Playboy .. can't wait to get her finished and playing again soon.
Cheers
Dave
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Yes Dan I enjoyed our catch up the other day, need to get some more practice on that Indiana Jones, that was a great machine to play and I was impressed with the work you have put into them. I look forward to another game sometime.
Thanks mate, You are welcome anytime.
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Very nice - thanks for sharing. Brought back some memories of when hobbyists used to document restorations on their own websites (Reminds me of Wotto's site - for those that can remember).
you will need to register a domain for each future restoration #@#
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Well done Brett. The game and your site looks great.
Ok doing a restoration of that quality is one thing.
But shrinking your self is just down right amazing &&
I like this too!
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Thanks again for your comments.. :)
Dave, I researched a lot to see what would be good to spray clear on the playfield but all along it was a gamble, the Americans have used a product called Krylon and it comes in a Crystal Clear Acrylic and also have one they call triple thick which is recommended for preserving backglasses. I found White Knight Crystal Clear Acrylic at Bunnings and decided to try it as I expected it to be similar to the Krylon just different brand.
The idea here was to restore it without going over what it is worth, I could have bought a CPR Playfield and I could have looked at professional clear coating but decided to give the cans a go.
Using a satin instead of high gloss made it look more true to the original, that was another experiment I took a gamble on! :)
The only issue I have seen so far is in the yellow area between the flippers where the bonus score lights are, this is the area I had to fully redo and I have spotted some slight crazing appear but only in this particular spot, I may have to repair this spot again in a few years but it is minimal and doesn't seem to be developing further so it may have been a curing thing (playing on it too soon). This machine is meant to be played so over all I am very happy with it.
I also have a full size graphic of the playfield in colour separated layers Photoshop PSD file so as a last resort if the home clear job didn't work out I could have had an overlay printed and gone down that path.. or ultimately a CPR reproduction.
That's all well and good but now I have technical problems, when it turns on it only shows the GI lights and nothing else happens. The MPU LED didn't flash at all so I bought a new Alltek Ultimate MPU board, replaced the capacitors (large ones) on the Solenoid board and re-crimped all the MPU and Solenoid Board connectors and still no go! :(
At least it looks good! :)
Don't think I will be registering too many domain names somehow! LOL ;)
Cheers: Brettski...
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Hi Brett
Time to grab the a multimeter. I think you need to start from the start as it were. Unplug J3 on the A2 bridge rectifier. Then try checking test point 3 (TP3) on the A2 rectifier board. Best to check to the +5 REG return which is pin 17 of J3 which you have unplugged. You should get around 12VDC by the schematic. Once confirmed plug J3 back in and move to the driver board. Test from TP 5 to an earth which you find on the board as you may have a bad earth. You should also get around 12VDC. Let us know how you go. This will check if the unregulated voltage is reaching the 5 volt regulator.
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Thanks Dan,
I did exactly that, I removed all connections and started with the rectifier, all good there! connected the solenoid board and checked the voltages and all came up ok there so I plugged it all back in and Bingo!!
I reckon it was the connections from the rectifier, they were quite fresh meaning they had been repinned recently by a previous owner so they are in good condition but after removing them and then connecting again seemed to do it. I must say I have learned a lot from this exercise and at the very least performed some preventative maintenance, especially with a new mpu board, capacitors on the solenoid board and the repinning all the connectors. That Molex Crimper I borrowed from Nigel was a gem! It's the ratchet type and basically fool proof, made easy work of a tedious job.
Thanks so much for your advice, if you are ever up the northern end you must stop by for a game of retro pinball!
Cheers: Brettski... :)
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Great to hear. ^^^ Sounds like a bad connection. Just remember that refitting the plugs can sometimes only be a temporary fix. If the fault returns try leaving everything plugged in and do the same tests to try and determine which connector/header is faulty. You may have a cold or cracked solder joint somewhere.
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Great looking machine you have now....thanks for the link. Gives me hope that one day I might try the same...
nah, probably not %.%
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Great looking machine you have now....thanks for the link. Gives me hope that one day I might try the same...
Just Do It!! &&
I hit obstacles for eight years, all sorts of reasons were getting in the way until I just said stuff it, I am buying a pinball machine!
A lot of satisfaction from restoring it yourself #*#
Cheers: Brettski... :)
nah, probably not %.%
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Nice Dude
how is the White Knight acrylic lear holding up?
good vids too ^^^
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Nice Dude
how is the White Knight acrylic lear holding up?
good vids too ^^^
The White Knight Crystal Clear Acrylic is holding up extremely well, as I reported in a previous post there is some crazing appearing in the yellow area between the flippers, this is the area that I had to completely redo and is the only place in the playfield this has occurred.. Everywhere else is perfect so it is not because of the Acrylic, I would say it is because I rushed it, this spot had the most work and possibly a little bit more clear and not being left long enough to cure (A) The paint underneath and (B) The Crystal Clear...
The machine has had a few hundred games played on it now and the area mentioned above has not gotten any worse so it makes me believe it has stabilized and confirms my theory.
Based on this perspective I would have no problem using it again at this stage just leave longer to cure..
As for long term we are still yet to see but I am quite optimistic here.
Cheers: Brettski... :)
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for peoples reference.my son mildflame was restoring a playfield using acrlyic paint from an airbrush.
he tried to seal inbetween coats with the same white night product.it was a total disaster.he had to redo the work to his dissapointment.I have had success doing the same with the airbrush sealing with an airbrush acrlyic clear.the result was perfect.
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Well it was a gamble for me! I did seal areas between coats such as the area between the flippers as I replaced the worn numbers and circles with waterslide decals and sprayed the area first with White Knight, once set I applied the decals then more coats of clear, I still think the slight crazing that I can see is from a curing point of view, also it's very slight as I am the only one who has noticed it :)
Studley67,
Did he have a reaction to the paint after applying the clear?
Brettski... :)
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yes even after a nights rest.but with the clear out the airbrush you could re-apply colour after an hour.
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Looks really nice . I love those late 70s pinnies. I have a Strikes and Spares in storage. Need to make some room and get it home.
Your web page is fantastic . I like your design and use of colours. Really Nice tribute to the game.
Well done.
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Looks really nice . I love those late 70s pinnies. I have a Strikes and Spares in storage. Need to make some room and get it home.
Your web page is fantastic . I like your design and use of colours. Really Nice tribute to the game.
Well done.
Thank you!
If you decide to make a start on your Strikes and Spares and there is anything I can help with let me know. :)
Cheers: Brettski... :)
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Looks really nice . I love those late 70s pinnies. I have a Strikes and Spares in storage. Need to make some room and get it home.
Your web page is fantastic . I like your design and use of colours. Really Nice tribute to the game.
Well done.
Thank you!
If you decide to make a start on your Strikes and Spares and there is anything I can help with let me know. :)
Cheers: Brettski... :)
Brett, thats for the offer.
From memory the machine was working . Just needed the chimes sorted out. Not chiming properly.
I have cpr plastics and repo bumper caps for it.
Dan
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Nice classic Bally
I always like seeing restorations @@*
credit to you
Brettski ^^^
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Studley67 an update on the clear coat..
I found a product called Cabbots Cabothane which is a polyurethane clear and is the equivalent to the Americans "Varathane"
I used this on my next project and worked extremely well, this time I wiped it on with a foam brush.
Recommend taking a look at it, Bunnings have it, I used the waterbased as it does not have linseed oil and is supposed to not yellow.
I will be using this on all my resto's in the future..
Cheers: Brettski... :)
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Update on the Clear Coat!
I have found that KBS Diamomd Finish to be an extremely good product to use after discovering it here on the forums, great to work with, self leveling and excellent finish.
A bit too shiny for the older machines from a purists point of view and I can only imagine it is going to speed the game up somewhat!
It really makes the colours pop, just used it on Cleopatra but it will be a while before I know what it plays like.
Much easier to use than Polyurethane but the poly is more true to the original look and feel of the earlier machines. This stuff makes it look like the finish on the newer playfields, a deeper wet look.
I might post a review comparing the three products I have used so far..
Cheers: Brettski... :)
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Update on the Clear Coat!
I have found that KBS Diamomd Finish to be an extremely good product to use after discovering it here on the forums, great to work with, self leveling and excellent finish.
A bit too shiny for the older machines from a purists point of view and I can only imagine it is going to speed the game up somewhat!
It really makes the colours pop, just used it on Cleopatra but it will be a while before I know what it plays like.
Much easier to use than Polyurethane but the poly is more true to the original look and feel of the earlier machines. This stuff makes it look like the finish on the newer playfields, a deeper wet look.
I might post a review comparing the three products I have used so far..
Cheers: Brettski... :)
Come on Brett stop teasing, where are the photos?
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Update on the Clear Coat!
I have found that KBS Diamomd Finish to be an extremely good product to use after discovering it here on the forums, great to work with, self leveling and excellent finish.
A bit too shiny for the older machines from a purists point of view and I can only imagine it is going to speed the game up somewhat!
It really makes the colours pop, just used it on Cleopatra but it will be a while before I know what it plays like.
Much easier to use than Polyurethane but the poly is more true to the original look and feel of the earlier machines. This stuff makes it look like the finish on the newer playfields, a deeper wet look.
I might post a review comparing the three products I have used so far..
Cheers: Brettski... :)
Come on Brett stop teasing, where are the photos?
LOL I will post some pics in my Cleopatra thread, bloody hard to shoot with all the glare and reflection though.. :)
Brettski... :)