The Aussie Pinball Arcade

Aussie Pinball Forums => Restorations => Topic started by: Brettski on January 31, 2016, 01:21:54 PM

Title: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on January 31, 2016, 01:21:54 PM
On to my next project Charlies Angels, an old favourite I picked up the other day that wasn't exactly a bargain but still worth it due to it's potential. I spent a small fortune on Cleopatra but this one won't cost anywhere near as much. First thing is repining connectors and a new board from Pascal Jamin.

The machine isn't in too bad condition, complete with nothing missing except one odd pop bumper cap.

backglass - needs works but looks achievable,
cabinet - ok needs a clean, maybe a repair and repaint at a later time.
playfield - artwork really good, mylar covered which I will remove and clear coat, some inserts are loose and raised.
plastics - quite good, useable, need flattening
targets - need fresh decals
apron - need repaint and fresh decal
boards - mpu faulty, needs new 4 in 1
connectors - all need repining
side rails - one side damaged and glass guide missing, needs replacing

Then top it off with a new piece of glass.
This one will be done in stages and over a longer period, starting with electronics then playfield and backglass, later on the cabinet.

Here are some pics.

Cheers: Brettski... :)

Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Pop Bumper Pete on January 31, 2016, 04:15:31 PM
Played this game alot when it came out

nice pickup
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Crashramp on January 31, 2016, 04:20:03 PM
Great pickup, fun game and nice art too.
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Strangeways on January 31, 2016, 09:38:57 PM
Underrated game. I have one without a backglass. Cabinet is rubbish, but playfield nice.

Will follow this thread with interest.  #*#
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: The pinballist formally known as Dean Morgan on February 02, 2016, 09:13:55 PM
I also have this game in my collection and look forward to your updates
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 07, 2016, 12:43:20 AM
I haven't rushed into this one and had a good close look and think about what to do here.
The playfield upon close inspection is in fantastic condition, the mylar has preserved it beautifully with no worn areas at all. If I can remove the mylar without any damage to the paint this may not need clear coating, just cleaning and polishing as I won't have to do any artwork touch ups. I may repaint the white under the plastics and brush some KBS over those sections but I will see how it comes up after the mylar removal.

A lot of the inserts are loose and raised, should be easy to get out due to the fact they move when you push on them is promising, the writing on them is still all intact but they have domed in slightly so I might try the boiling water and dowel method to even them out again then re-seat them. If anyone has any good suggestions for flattening these inserts feel free to chime in. :) I would normally just fill them with a bit of clear but I don't want to clear coat this one.

Apron and target decals have arrived so that is taken care of, just saving up for a 4 in 1 board to get the electronics good but in the meantime I will re-pin the connectors.

Here are some playfield pics, you can see the raised inserts.

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 07, 2016, 12:50:08 AM
Here is a shot of my games room, very small and out of room. Time to clean out the office! :)

Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Strangeways on February 10, 2016, 10:38:06 AM
Nice to see a mugshot of the man behind all that hard work !

Mylar - you will find it is most likely contact, rather than mylar and it should come off easy.
Inserts - If one is loose, then do all of them. You can level them out .

Keep the playfield clean and waxed and it will look just as good as the day it rolled off the assembly line.
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: riverinapinball on February 11, 2016, 03:25:12 PM
Nice!
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 14, 2016, 03:15:23 AM
Thanks for the advice Nino! once again you were spot on, mylar (contact) came off easy with the hair dryer and Isopropyl alcohol and a plastic scraper for the adhesive. I cleaned the dirt in the grain out with a magic eraser then reset the inserts. For the black outlines I used a acrylic paint pen then brushed around each one with Cabothane clear to lock in the paint. Worked a treat.

Here are some pics of the playfield in clean up mode.

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 14, 2016, 03:24:11 AM
Here are some pics of the final polished playfield..

Wow I am impressed with how this came up! :)

Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: pinball god on February 14, 2016, 12:53:08 PM
Looks mighty fine and proves that you don't have to go as far as cc to get a great result.
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 14, 2016, 02:38:15 PM
Looks mighty fine and proves that you don't have to go as far as cc to get a great result.

Thanks for the comment, I have cleaned up the Apron and re installed it but I have a fresh decal for it.
Should I keep the apron original or should I freshen it up with a the new decal? not sure which way to go!

Maybe I could find an old apron and paint it and apply the decal then I either have a spare or I can use it, just thinking out loud here but any opinions appreciated.

Basically everything is original, the only things replaced so far are the star decals on the targets and the white posts.!

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: pinball god on February 14, 2016, 04:39:08 PM
Quick response and advise I give myself, do what will make you happy. If the new decal will improve the look and stop your eye from gravitating to the worn areas when looking at the game, I'd decal and stuff the purists. Your call mate.
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: DSB on February 14, 2016, 07:58:02 PM
 :D Nice looking playfield mate. Looks like you may need a bigger house!
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 14, 2016, 08:42:48 PM
:D Nice looking playfield mate. Looks like you may need a bigger house!

Well I just lost my job, company gone in to Voluntary Administration. So I might have to sell one! Wish I could make an income from this... !@#

Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: DSB on February 14, 2016, 09:05:43 PM
Sorry to hear that Brett. Stay positive mate and hopefully something good comes out of it. Would be a shame to have to sell a machine after all the work gone into them.
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: goodolddays on February 17, 2016, 11:18:08 AM
Great work so far ! That playfield looks fantastic .

I played one of these last year for the 1st time in about 30 years and it was great fun .

Will be watching your progress with interest .

I have to repin all connectors on my Playboy too.

Hard to believe these games are turning 40 the year after next. Where has that time gone?
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: pinball god on February 17, 2016, 03:09:30 PM
Sorry to hear about your job
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 18, 2016, 12:41:22 AM
Thanks guy's appreciate it!

Ok now I have a serious problem, I connected the boards back up in the back box after having it removed for playfield work and She Blew Up!! ^&^

First thing as I powered it up it seemed not all lights were on and the right flipper coil locked on. I turned it off and turned it back on and all seemed good, I started a game and the right flipper didn't work. Then tried the pop bumpers and they were locking on. Turned off and checked switches under the playfield for the pop bumpers and all seemed good, turned it back on and Boom, it blew the 5amp Primary Fuse and the circuit breaker went on the house. So now I am not sure where to start, what is likely to be the culprit here and where should I start?

This machine does not have the ground mods done yet, is it possible this has something to do with it?

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: riverinapinball on February 18, 2016, 07:59:57 AM
I would say you have multiple problems,
Pop bumpers on system 1 s are only activated via pop bumper switches.
Flipper is activated by the side flipper switch.
Check side flipper switches for damage or broken wires.

Also double check you have the connectors on the right way round, at the board end.

Lights out gi or controlled
You may have a short circuit between the lamps and solenoid wiring

Donot power on til you double check all these.
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 18, 2016, 10:02:35 PM
I would say you have multiple problems,
Pop bumpers on system 1 s are only activated via pop bumper switches.
Flipper is activated by the side flipper switch.
Check side flipper switches for damage or broken wires.

Also double check you have the connectors on the right way round, at the board end.

Lights out gi or controlled
You may have a short circuit between the lamps and solenoid wiring

Donot power on til you double check all these.

Ok it looks like I had not insulated the lamp holder in one of the pop bumpers well enough and it has shorted against the bracket. I will tidy this up first give everything a thorough inspection and try again.

Thanks Riverina! :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 19, 2016, 12:34:27 AM
Ok that seemed to do it except when you start a game the ball kicker kicks the ball out but when it drains it doesn't seem to register. Obviously the coil is working but I have checked the switch and cleaned it but still nothing. Any ideas here? I must admit the board is cactus and I am just limping it along at the moment until I get a new one but it was working. Once I was satisfied everything is ok I plan on installing the 4 in 1 board that I have in Cleopatra to try it out. Any ideas on the kicker much appreciated.
Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 19, 2016, 02:34:04 AM
Well I wriggled some wires and it all came good, just bad connectors it seems which I will sort out.

Ok time to move forward on this project!. :)

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 25, 2016, 10:59:31 PM
I have been re pining all the connectors and have come across some greeny bluey gunk in some of the connectors that I can only assume is corrosion from the battery leak that it no doubt had at some stage. This is ok  to clean up while re pinning but at least one of the wires seems to have it a fair way through it. I have traced it to one of the bonus lights and it doesn't appear at the other end but I am thinking I might as well replace the whole wire. Here is a pic of a connector with the greeny gunk. What are your thoughts / experiences in this situation.

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Crashramp on February 25, 2016, 11:16:18 PM
I've had this before on quite a few connectors I've redone. Can't remember exactly what it is but it's not corrosion. I think it was used to aid the connection of a suspect connector pin? Hopefully someone who knows better than me will chime in with exactly what this substance is but the important thing is there no need to replace the whole wire. Just repin as you're doing with the rest of the wires.   ^^^
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Strangeways on February 26, 2016, 10:15:55 AM
It does not look like corrosion. Corrosion is dry, not wet. That looks like some sort of cleaner ?

Maybe repin the entire connector, use the isoprophyl alcohol from Jaycar - the one in the compressed cans - they work really well to clean up connectors.
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Boots on February 26, 2016, 11:17:32 AM
I've had this before on quite a few connectors I've redone. Can't remember exactly what it is but it's not corrosion. I think it was used to aid the connection of a suspect connector pin? Hopefully someone who knows better than me will chime in with exactly what this substance is but the important thing is there no need to replace the whole wire. Just repin as you're doing with the rest of the wires.   ^^^

I have seen that stuff too and I think it is exactly what you said, a type of anti-corrosion and pro-conductivity fluid
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 26, 2016, 06:52:04 PM
Thanks guy's much appreciated!

Now for my next Trick!... I re pinned all the connectors and now when I turn it on All the CPU controlled Solenoids lock on. I have checked over all the connectors and compared with my pics I took and all looks good. I am about to go over the connectors again but thought I would put it out there in case someone could point me in the right direction. The CPU board is faulty but operational. everything works but displays are garbled but was ok for testing with (well I thought). I will be replacing it with a Pascal board but just wanted to get everything working first.
Is this likely to be a connector issue or is it likely to be in a board?

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: DSB on February 26, 2016, 07:46:18 PM
Hi Brett

I have seen this goo oozing from electrical PVC control cables from the 80's. This is what I have found on the subject. I like how they put the cancer bit at the end!

"The Electrical Safety Office has investigated the possible safety issues of a green oily substance exuded by some thermoplastic insulated and sheathed cables. The results were that:
- The affected cables are V60 and V75 type PVC insulated and sheathed cables.

- The substance is a plasticiser used in the manufacture of the cable.

-The release of the substance is initiated and exacerbated by high ambient temperatures such as can be found in ceiling spaces and in hotter climates.

- The substance is not conductive and therefore not liable to electrical tracking.

- The presence of the substance will not alter the flame propagation characteristics of the cable.

- The presence of the substance does not necessitate replacement of the cable.

-Cables should be assessed for replacement only when insulation tests reveal failure or when cracking of the insulation becomes apparent.

- The green exudate is mildly toxic and can cause burning and irritation, especially to mucous membranes such as in the eyes, nose and mouth.

- There has been no epidemiological link established with cancer in humans."

Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 27, 2016, 09:11:55 PM
I checked and re checked the connections and all is good so I replaced the power supply board with a spare I had and bingo! it worked again (no coils locking). So I do the ground mod on the power supply and all cpu coils lock on again! Any idea what might be going on here?

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Boots on February 27, 2016, 11:42:41 PM
I checked and re checked the connections and all is good so I replaced the power supply board with a spare I had and bingo! it worked again (no coils locking). So I do the ground mod on the power supply and all cpu coils lock on again! Any idea what might be going on here?

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Are all the voltages there?
Do you join the two grounds on the power supply?
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on February 28, 2016, 07:56:54 PM
Thanks Chris, I decided that because I know the MPU is faulty and I plan to put a Pascal 4 in 1 board in it, why bother with this faulty crap so I ripped everything out of the backbox and installed the 4 in 1 board I have in my Cleopatra. Now all is good except I have 3 dodgy displays that I need to replace, some artwork repair on the backglass then finally the cabinet.

It looks like the tricky technical stuff is out of the way now, just have to wait til I pick up more work before I can buy a board and displays but moving forward now and can play the machine with some borrowed displays from Cleopatra.

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on March 05, 2016, 11:07:16 PM
Update!

Now that the playfield is spot on and all the electronic issues taken care of I have started on the backglass.
The worst areas are the translucent paint on Cheryl Ladd's hair which has cracked, the main Charlie's Angels logo between score 1 and 2 and the Shoot Again at the top which is badly destroyed. The rest is just opaque patches that need careful colour matching. Lucky the mirror reflective pieces have not been damaged.

Cheryl's hair is a mess that I don't even think Pantene would fix but it is contained to the hair area only so I made a cutout from thin cardboard in the shape of the hair and placed it behind which now disguises it and doesn't draw the eye to the bad area. It's a reasonable temporary fix at the very least.

As for the Charlies main logo I have currently removed the light bulbs but plan on scraping out the orange paint in the letters and then airbrush over it.

The Shoot Again text is an issue so the best thing to do that I can think of is maybe scrape away the remainder then print a waterslide decal, apply it and then carefully paint the opaque area back in around it.

Here are some before and after pics of the block on Cheryl's hair.

Cheers: Brettski... :)

Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: pinball god on March 06, 2016, 01:00:01 AM
She's turned into a brunette. Gotta get onto that asap.

As a kid I always wanted to mess up Cheryl's hair and anything else I could get my hands on. She was my fave by far.
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on March 07, 2016, 12:31:44 AM
She's turned into a brunette. Gotta get onto that asap.

As a kid I always wanted to mess up Cheryl's hair and anything else I could get my hands on. She was my fave by far.

Yeah Cheryl did it for me too! wasn't much of a Farrah fan! the "brunette tone" is only temporary until I get some more bleach.. LOL

I have been working on the cabinet stencil artwork and really happy with how it is coming along although I must say it is not a hard stencil to re create.

Pics so far..

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Crashramp on March 07, 2016, 08:59:16 PM
Cool, pictures are looking good.  ^^^
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: pinnies4me on March 07, 2016, 09:26:21 PM
Looking good, especially Cheryl as a brunette!
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on March 10, 2016, 06:14:09 PM
I am want to add a mod to this game, I want to have mp3 sound bytes triggered using a Raspberry Pi. The sound bytes from the tv show will be used. This was done in a Visual Pinball version of Charlies Angels and I kind of liked it and thought it would be a good novelty to add to this machine. I have the Raspberry Pi and currently programming it to be capable of doing what I want. The question I have for anyone who understands electronics out there is can I use the current score trigger switches on the playfield to also connect to the Raspberry Pi computer without any problems to either system (Pi or Pascal MPU). I am assuming there is voltage going through those switches and I may have to run a parallel switch separate from the game but triggered by the ball at the same time. Any input on this is much appreciated.

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on March 19, 2016, 02:13:10 AM
I found a wav trigger device that will be easier than the Raspberry Pi for this project and also realised that I cannot use the existing switches due to current running through them so I just need to work out some type of secondary switch where I want the sounds to trigger. I am sure I will work something out there so I will keep you updated. Here is a link to the Wav Trigger Device.. https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13660

Still working on the backglass and finishing of the stencils ready to restore the cabinet.
In the meantime I have given the inside of the coin door a once over which came up great, here are some before and after pics.. 

Cheers: Brettski... :)

Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Boots on March 19, 2016, 10:26:25 AM
Can you use the triggers for the original sound board?
Not quite sure how this one works or if the sound triggers are multiplexed???
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on March 29, 2016, 11:27:22 PM
I have completed the backglass artwork repair, it is not perfect but is certainly not obvious and will do to have the game in the games room ready to play.
Cabinet and legs are next, really happy with how this is coming along.


Here is a video of the backglass and playfield artwork plus a before pic of the backglass



Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Crashramp on March 29, 2016, 11:53:30 PM
Great job and nice little video. The backglass repairs are not noticeable at all and that playfield looks fantastic also. You should be very proud of the way this game has come up.  ^^^
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on March 30, 2016, 12:24:42 AM
Great job and nice little video. The backglass repairs are not noticeable at all and that playfield looks fantastic also. You should be very proud of the way this game has come up.  ^^^

Thanks Crash, much appreciated. I had to take the bulbs out behind the main Charlie's Angels text as the cracks show badly but there are 4 more on the artwork so I didn't think it would matter. Yes very happy with it so far.. :) Here is a pic of behind the backglass, it's very messy but it works! ;)

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on March 30, 2016, 12:31:39 AM
And here is a shot of the front :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on April 18, 2016, 10:20:03 PM
Set up a Zinc Plating system to refresh and rust proof brackets and other pieces and the results are better than I expected.

I have found that soaking screws/bolts/nuts etc in vinegar over night  then into the vibrator/polisher works a treat to remove rust and shine things good again, everything else that is rusty or corroded gets the vinegar soak, cleaned then zinc plated and polished.

This should add a new dimension to my restorations.

The cabinet will be stripped down this week to prepare for paint and stencils.

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: ddstoys on April 18, 2016, 11:02:00 PM
Nice good to see the plating kits in action I'll get one one day
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on April 18, 2016, 11:48:36 PM
Nice good to see the plating kits in action I'll get one one day

Hey Gav, this is a home brew kit

I had the power supply already but the rest cost about $30 - $40 I also bought gloves for using the Acid which you use to clean it with prior to electroplating

Bucket - Bunnings
Copper Wire (stripped it out of some scrap inner wall power cable)
Thin copper wire for hooks
Hydroclauric Acid - Bunnings
6 litres White Vinegar - Aldi (cheap)
1 kg Epsom salts
1 kg white sugar
Zinc Anodes - (free from local electroplating place)

If anyone is interested I can post the process, the results are fantastic once polished. I will post some pics tomorrow.

Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Boots on April 19, 2016, 12:22:07 AM
Nice work Brett
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on May 21, 2016, 04:31:52 PM
Update!

It has been a slow process due to limited finances this year but finally have the cabinet painted. Very happy with my budget stencils although they were a little tedious to setup perseverance paid off. I was unable to get the paint I wanted as my supplier changed brands and had to pick the closest I could, I used Ironlak on the Cleopatra and I was really happy with the colours. This time I used Loops and the colours were different, looks better in the pics than real life as the orange looks slightly brown out of the sun. Overall I am really happy with how it is turning out. I have also ordered a Pascal 4 in 1 board which should arrive any day, all I need are some new displays and to tidy up the legs to finish it and to stencil the back box.

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on May 21, 2016, 04:34:57 PM
Here is what a Brand New one looked like.. :)

Brettski
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on May 21, 2016, 10:09:29 PM
Found this while researching cabinet artwork..

http://www.danielrolnikgallery.com/kilduffs-cavern/pinball-machine-by-john-kilduff

Well I haven't laughed so hard in a long time..

Here is the pic, but check out the link, the price will get you.. :)

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: robm on May 21, 2016, 10:14:35 PM
Nice good to see the plating kits in action I'll get one one day

Hey Gav, this is a home brew kit

I had the power supply already but the rest cost about $30 - $40 I also bought gloves for using the Acid which you use to clean it with prior to electroplating

Bucket - Bunnings
Copper Wire (stripped it out of some scrap inner wall power cable)
Thin copper wire for hooks
Hydroclauric Acid - Bunnings
6 litres White Vinegar - Aldi (cheap)
1 kg Epsom salts
1 kg white sugar
Zinc Anodes - (free from local electroplating place)

If anyone is interested I can post the process, the results are fantastic once polished. I will post some pics tomorrow.

Brettski... :)
Project is looking great mate. Would definitely be interested in more info on your home brew plating!

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on May 21, 2016, 11:26:32 PM
Nice good to see the plating kits in action I'll get one one day

Hey Gav, this is a home brew kit

I had the power supply already but the rest cost about $30 - $40 I also bought gloves for using the Acid which you use to clean it with prior to electroplating

Bucket - Bunnings
Copper Wire (stripped it out of some scrap inner wall power cable)
Thin copper wire for hooks
Hydroclauric Acid - Bunnings
6 litres White Vinegar - Aldi (cheap)
1 kg Epsom salts
1 kg white sugar
Zinc Anodes - (free from local electroplating place)

If anyone is interested I can post the process, the results are fantastic once polished. I will post some pics tomorrow.

Brettski... :)
Project is looking great mate. Would definitely be interested in more info on your home brew plating!

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Here is the recipe and method I use for my Zinc Plating..

Home Zinc Plating Instructions..
 

9 - 11 Litre plastic bucket

Zinc anodes... I got a handfull of zinc balls from a local elecrtroplater.

1kg of Epsom salts

6 - 8 litres of white vinegar...Aldi $1.19 ltr

1.5kg of white sugar to be used as a brightener.

Thick copper wire for the anodes, I used some stripped back inner wall electrical cable.

A few strands of light guage copper wire for hanging parts.

1 piece of copper water pipe or use the thick copper wire cable tied to a piece of wood for the cathode hanger

Multi Power Supply, I have one that has 2v, 4v, 6v, 8v, 10v, 12v, I only use the two volts mostly and for bigger parts 4v (slower adhesion at lower voltages but better quality)

200ml of hydrochloric acid to be used as an acid dip before plating... you can get this at Bunnings.

Fine grade steel wool.

 

Method

Electrolyte

Mix Vinegar, Epsom salts and sugar together until dissolved in the bucket.

Drill a small hole in two zinc balls, then attach reasonable lengths of the heavier gauge copper wire to them with screws and place them in the bucket at equal spacing, do not let the screws touch the water then bend the wire over the edge of the bucket to support them in place and wire them in such a way that they are both connected and there is some bare wire to connect your power to. (See pic)


Next get your copper pipe and flatten the ends the same width as the bucket so it doesn't roll and while doing this squash a piece of heavy gauge wire in one end... this will be your cathode hanger. Or use thick copper wire cable tied to a piece of wood.

Place this on top of the bucket and make sure it is not touching any of your anode wiring or it will short out.

Attach the positive to the anode (Zinc) wiring and the negative to the cathode wire (copper pipe).... turn on power and your almost ready to start.

Now before plating your good parts you need to plate out the electrolyte... this sets up the solution for complete surface coating.... this means you have to get zinc ions in the solution for it to plate quickly and evenly.

To do this you need roughly a square piece of metal about 50mm square that has been wire brushed of all contaminates and dipped in the hydrochloric solution (read about hydrochloric solution below) and hang this submerged in your electrolyte with the power on. You should see a slight fizzing going on....this needs to run like this overnight if possible. I also placed an extra zinc ball into the water which just sat on the bottom during this process.

 

Hydrochloric solution.

1 litre of water to 200ml of acid mixed well.....wear gloves and glasses as this stuff burns like nothing else so be very carefull.

This will be your parts dip..... keep another bucket of plain water handy to rinse parts after dipping.

 

Parts cleaning and plating

Clean all dirt and grease of the parts before doing anything else, I use dish washing detergent and water.

Then hang your parts in the hydrochloric solution... you may see some fizzing going on, this will be the previous zinc coating being dissolved by the acid and this will also remove surface rust.

After the fizzing has stopped rinse the part thoroughly in fresh water and dry off with a rag.

Next you need to wire wheel the part back to bright steel.

Once that is done dip your part into the hydrochloric acid quickly and then rinse and very quickly hang in the zinc bucket submerged, if you wait to long to hang it, it will flash rust and you will have to start again.

Now that it is in the zinc bucket you can leave it to do it's thing, you will see some fizzing and that's good, it is now being plated with zinc. Leave it in the zinc bucket for 30  minutes or until completely plated evenly

When you pull the part out it will have a dull grey appearance but should be completely coated in zinc.

 

Brightening up the part.


You can clean the part up with some fine grade steel wool or buff it on a polishing wheel to get a chrome like appearance.

You can also use a week solution of aluminium cleaner (chemtech BLITZ) available at Supercheap mixed with water.

Dip your parts in this one at a time and using a stainless parts cleaning brush brush the parts to a bright shine then finish of with fine steel wool.... when satisfied rinse off with water and dry. ( wear gloves and glasses when doing this.)

You can replate at this stage if you want a heavier coating of zinc then repeat the cleaning procedure.

The attached picture should help with the instructions.

Hope this helps..

Cheers: Brettski... :)
 
 
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: pinnies4me on May 22, 2016, 09:08:37 AM
Found this while researching cabinet artwork..

http://www.danielrolnikgallery.com/kilduffs-cavern/pinball-machine-by-john-kilduff

Well I haven't laughed so hard in a long time..

Here is the pic, but check out the link, the price will get you.. :)

Cheers: Brettski... :)

Good grief, my girls could do a better job than that!


Thanks for the electro plating info.
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on May 22, 2016, 01:11:46 PM
Found this while researching cabinet artwork..

http://www.danielrolnikgallery.com/kilduffs-cavern/pinball-machine-by-john-kilduff

Well I haven't laughed so hard in a long time..

Here is the pic, but check out the link, the price will get you.. :)

Cheers: Brettski... :)

The funny thing is he wants more for his cardboard job than an actual real machine! I love the Internet.. :) $#$

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Good grief, my girls could do a better job than that!


Thanks for the electro plating info.
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on May 28, 2016, 08:33:43 PM
Finally completed Charlie's Angels..

Really happy with how this came up, here is a pic.. will post some more pics and a video tomorrow.

Thanks for everyone's support and advice.

Here is a tip for anyone wanting to make budget stencils..

Prepare the artwork outlines in Photoshop at the correct dimensions, you can either trace or scan the artwork from your cabinet first. Then save the images and print out using a program like Poster Printer ( http://www.ronyasoft.com/products/proposter/ )
Stick all the pieces together and then cut out your shapes with scissors.
Get some plain white vinyl from a local sign printer and overlay your paper stencils and using a marker pen trace the outlines onto the vinyl.
Using a scalpel cut out your shapes in the vinyl and you now have your stencil ready to go.
Get a can of spray adhesive and spray one side of your vinyl stencil, let it sit for a few minutes then position on your cabinet. (Do Not Peel the Backing from the Vinyl)
Run your finger around all the edges of the stencil then spray paint it, immediately after spraying remove the stencil. Make sure you mask up everything properly. :) If you let the paint dry properly on the stencil after removing it you can flip it and use re use it on the other side.

Graffiti / Mural  artists use a particular paint for their artwork which is high pigmented and covers really well and works brilliantly on stencils and looks great on Pinball Machines.. Look for Ironlak or Loops, these two are the best brands to get. Only $8.00 a can and you can get a range of nozzles to suit your work.

If anyone has any questions regarding my techniques or products I use please ask..

Now that is done what am I going to do now? Looks like it's time to look for another project machine, would really love a close encounters if I am to do another system 1 but would really like to do an EM, something like Jetspin, Golden Arrow, Eldorado, Buccaneer or similar.. :)

Cheers: Brettski... :)

Title: Re:
Post by: robm on May 28, 2016, 09:17:23 PM
Looks fantastic!

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on May 28, 2016, 09:30:26 PM
Nice job Brettski.. looks sweet as  ^^^ ^^^
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on May 30, 2016, 06:00:00 PM
Thanks guy's appreciate it!..

Here is a pic! I just couldn't resist this!!!!!  LOL

Cheers: Brettski... :)
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: DSB on May 30, 2016, 06:08:29 PM
Twins!!!!  :D
Title: Re: Charlies Angels Restoration
Post by: Brettski on June 01, 2016, 12:24:57 AM
Twins!!!!  :D

Haha yeah it looks like it Dan! As I said I couldn't resist doing this shot! :)

Here is a short video showing the whole thing inside and out!



Cheers: Brettski... :)