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Aussie Pinball Forums => Restorations => Topic started by: Mr Pinbologist on June 08, 2013, 09:39:01 PM

Title: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on June 08, 2013, 09:39:01 PM
G'day all, Just thought i'd share a few pics of the BG i'm tidying up for Andy, (AP member greenechidna)

This is from his Outer Space that he bought a while ago. He has asked me to redo the reds that are faded (as the reds usually are!) plus the white around the score reel areas which had been brush touched up by someone at some stage of the game's life.

Since this title was a holy grail for Andy, i'm going to try to do as much repair as i can do to make the glass as best as i can for him... which means i'll redo as many or the faded reds as i'm able to, plus some of the sponge marks that have leeched thru to the front of the glass.

My apologies that i didnt get any pics before i started  @.@ but i did manage a few during the removal of the faded red in the game name, plus the '1st player' and '2nd player' back lit text i was asked to repair.

Last pic shows the first section prepped and ready for new paint.
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on June 08, 2013, 09:41:38 PM
More pics.. red applied

The white diffusing layer of paint went on after the red had dried to brighten the colour and make it 'pop'  :D
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on June 08, 2013, 09:57:45 PM
Next was the text above the score reel areas..

This ended up being a pretty big pain to do  ^&^
the only practical way to do this was to try something i have not done before on a BG.. waterslide decals!

Trying to colour match the red i had just sprayed was practically impossible, and it took me several goes to get it to the stage you will see later on in the next post which i thought was acceptable. Two layers were needed (one decal applied over the other) to get some depth to the red when backlit so as to not look washed out. Lining up the 2nd decal over the first was tricky but i got there in the end  *%*

1st pic shows my decals printed, sealed with clear acrylic and ready to be cut out and applied
2nd & 3rd pics, the glass scraped clean, triple thicked and ready for decal application
4th pic decals applied and ready for the white diffusing paint to be sprayed on
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on June 08, 2013, 10:08:39 PM
Front view before white backing and after!

Colour is as close as i can get it without spending DAYS trying to get it better  ^&^

As i said i had tried several times to get this right.. it would look fine printed out but once applied to the glass and the white was sprayed on would look 'too red'. In the end after doing some trial runs i found i could get it to match better (more orange looking) by spraying an off white/beige colour on the back of the decal(s) followed by the flat white.

Not a perfect match but it DOES look a lot better in the flesh, the camera flash makes it look worse than it is.
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on June 08, 2013, 10:19:27 PM
Next i decided to have a go at repairing the rather nasty looking sponge mark in the light blue at the top of the glass. I used my Trident airbrush acrylic paints for this. After a few goes at matching the colour i managed to get it pretty close!

I brushed this colour on rather than spraying with the airbrush since it is an unlit section. It has been locked in with silver/grey paint behind the glass.
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Boots on June 09, 2013, 12:23:29 AM
nice work, came up a treat
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: oldpins on June 09, 2013, 10:56:05 AM
Well done ! Looks a lot better ! @@*
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Strangeways on June 09, 2013, 11:46:04 AM
Nice work - looks great  ^^^
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Slash on June 09, 2013, 03:46:54 PM
Very impressive job, the owner would no dout be very happy with the result!
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on June 09, 2013, 11:11:02 PM
Thanks for the kind words guys  ^^^

Very impressive job, the owner would no dout be very happy with the result!
Andy hasn't been online since i started this thread, so it should hopefully be a nice surprise for him next time he logs in and checks the restorations #@#
 
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on June 10, 2013, 12:02:32 AM
Just a small update;

Had a bit more progress today, i redid the white around the score reels

1st pic shows what i had to remove and why i was redoing these sections, it looked ok from the front unlit, but looked rather ordinary when backlit, showing up the brushed on touchups someone had done  ::)

2nd and 3rd pics cleaned glass ready for masking off the score reel windows

4th pic, masked off and acrylic flat white applied (actually white primer).

After a failed attempt at this using masking tape (the edges weren't as clean as i would've liked), i ended up using frisket as the masking material which gave much better results!
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on June 10, 2013, 12:06:55 AM
A few more pics for now,

removing the masking and the a few pics of the final results!

I also did a lot of small touchups to a few sections of black and light blue this afternoon.

I'm just about at the point where i could seal my work with the silver/grey paint and give Andy the glass back, but me being me, i'll most likely keep finding more areas that i'll want to improve.. being the pedantic fussy bastard i am!!
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on June 10, 2013, 12:26:52 AM
One thing i forgot to point out, the last two pics in reply#10 the large spots of black paint were already there when i received the glass (put there by a previous owner). these are still letting light thru so they need doing again! they will be painted over with silver/grey when i'm finished with the touchups, so should look much nicer from the back *%*

Another thing, the piece of red vinyl (or cellaphane)? stuck over the 'ball #5'  light, im not sure now if Andy said he put that there  !@# i'm undecided if i'll touch that or not  !@# It actually looks ok lit, so i'm leaning towards leaving it, as it might be risky removing it!
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: howzat on June 10, 2013, 10:07:46 AM

Looken good Mitch     The blue is a nice match and now there s no sponge mark   Im sure Andy will be impressed          Howzat
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: goodolddays on June 10, 2013, 11:02:03 AM
Fantastic result again Mitch  ^^^.

Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: pinnies4me on June 10, 2013, 11:08:43 AM

Great work, love seeing backglasses being done, something I have never had the nerve to try, well done!!
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Ford Fairlane on June 10, 2013, 12:35:34 PM
must be nerve wracking working on a backglass. great job though!  $#$
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on June 10, 2013, 08:30:40 PM
Cheers guys glad you like  ^^^ i still don't know yet if Andy has seen this thread, but i expect he will soon enough, so long as he's happy with the final outcome then happy days!


Great work, love seeing backglasses being done, something I have never had the nerve to try, well done!!

you'll be seeing a few more BG restores from me in the near future  #@#  still have to do Ian's Genie BG for him which should be next cab off the rank  *%* plus a few of my own.. Pinball Pool and Hot Hand in particular need extensive work!

must be nerve wracking working on a backglass. great job though!  $#$

Yepp it can be at times, its real easy to mess up if you're not careful! especially when cutting/scraping the old paint back to the black keylines without chipping the paint. I sometimes need to fix these up before i paint the colours in. i used to use sharpie pens to fix the black keylines but i've been using paint and a fine brush lately, sharpie ink bleeds back thru any paint that is applied over it, not a big problem in itsself, it just looks rough from the back of the glass.

And with this new jig i no longer have to worry about clipping the edge of the glass and shattering it everytime i flip it to check my work.. i still take every precaution though just the same!
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: big dog on June 10, 2013, 09:04:30 PM
great job, Mitch. Can not believe how good it's coming up. @@*
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: greenechidna on June 11, 2013, 12:03:10 AM
Hi All
Just saw this now...what a job  $#$
As someone who owns lots of stuff worked on by Mitch, it's no suprise the job is 1st rate

Fantastic result mate

Outer Space will be my 1st resto but will have to wait for a while due to renovations/$$/time etc. Currently works ok though its very dirty and has been "restored" by some kid with a spray can, a bottle of thinners and a texta. Ive picked up a passable set of plastics, new bumpers, chimebox kit.

When the p/f is out Mitch will do the detailing. It's not bad but needs the inserts levelled and some mylar.

This is a great start and will motivate me to bring the rest of the machine up to this high standard

Once again, hats off to Mr P
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on June 11, 2013, 12:50:03 AM
Hi All
Just saw this now...what a job  $#$
As someone who owns lots of stuff worked on by Mitch, it's no suprise the job is 1st rate

Fantastic result mate

Outer Space will be my 1st resto but will have to wait for a while due to renovations/$$/time etc. Currently works ok though its very dirty and has been "restored" by some kid with a spray can, a bottle of thinners and a texta. Ive picked up a passable set of plastics, new bumpers, chimebox kit.

When the p/f is out Mitch will do the detailing. It's not bad but needs the inserts levelled and some mylar.

This is a great start and will motivate me to bring the rest of the machine up to this high standard

Once again, hats off to Mr P

Cheers Andy  ^^^ glad you like what you see
Shouldn't be too much longer before you can have it back.. not much left to do now!
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: ktm450 on June 17, 2013, 10:28:26 PM
Amazing work Mitch, well done  ^^^
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: pinball god on July 06, 2013, 12:26:00 AM
I need to do something on my embryon bg but don't have the nerve. Might be in contact in the next year or two for some advise. I think it might be beyond me. Nice work there mate
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on July 07, 2013, 11:18:42 PM
Time for another small update;

Progress has been a bit slow lately due to other work commitments and cold weather holding up painting progress.

2nd and 3rd pics showing the area i have been working on.. redoing the reds in the text in the word 'players'. This was a section that i wasn't originally going to do, but me being me (a fussy bastard) i had to do it  :D I ALWAYS get the major damaged sections done, then think.. hmm what else can i do to this glass/playfield etc to make it look better? @.@

Removing the faded red in this text was VERY time consuming and difficult to do, but i think Andy will appreciate the extra effort  *%* I removed the old paint as close to the black edges as i dared, with out accidentally chipping out more than i wanted to and creating more work for myself. So some of the faded paint IS still there close to the black keylines as a result, a bit of a compromise so as to lower the risk of doing unwanted damage to the surrounding paint.

After i had cleaned the old paint, the glass was gently cleaned with a bit of paper towel moistened with Windex, i masked off the area and sprayed on some acrylic clear to seal and prevent any red paint from bleeding under the surrounding art. After that had dried the red was applied.
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on July 07, 2013, 11:30:58 PM
A few more pics for now.. rest of the text being done.

This was even smaller and more fiddly to do  ^&^ had a couple of little stuffups that i had to fix as i went (black keylines chipping)  ^.^ but i got there in the end!! Once the red was done here i sprayed on the flat white backing. This was not needed for light diffusing as this text wasnt backlit (silver masked, hence why it was difficult to remove in the first place). I used the white to brighten the red paint slightly.

I didnt get a pic of it but this section has had the silver/grey paint applied, so the touchups are sealed in for good now.

This was about the hardest part of doing this BG, so i'm glad i finally have this bit done  #*#
Just a few more small touchups to do and the glass is finished, and Andy can have it back  *%*


Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: goodolddays on July 08, 2013, 10:35:40 AM
Sweet work as usual Mitch .  ^^^
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: greenechidna on July 08, 2013, 11:40:40 PM
Wow...huge improvement Mitch....the reds were letting this otherwise clean glass down in a major way.

Sorry I missed minipinfest on saturday...i have been painting and treating decking and skirting for 5 days straight with no end in sight. Everything hurts and i think the fumes have knocked me off a little  &^&

In other news, the new plastics arrived for Abra Ca Dabra today from Lee in Brissy. Top quality stuff. Think factory original.
Klondike plastics will be here later on in the year

Anyway, back to the rennos ^&^ &^& ^&^o's
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on July 08, 2013, 11:52:22 PM
Wow...huge improvement Mitch....the reds were letting this otherwise clean glass down in a major way.

Sorry I missed minipinfest on saturday...i have been painting and treating decking and skirting for 5 days straight with no end in sight. Everything hurts and i think the fumes have knocked me off a little  &^&

In other news, the new plastics arrived for Abra Ca Dabra today from Lee in Brissy. Top quality stuff. Think factory original.
Klondike plastics will be here later on in the year

Anyway, back to the rennos ^&^ &^& ^&^o's

Cheers Andy, glad you like what you see  ^^^ wait til ya get the bill  <.> nah dont worry, wont be too drastic  *.*

No worries about the pin meet you missed out on, there'll be plenty of others, next time you're here most of the pins will have been moved up into the house  *%* *%*

Your BG should be finished in the next day or so!!
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on July 10, 2013, 03:47:19 PM
Been busy for the last couple of days so time for another update;

Been doing the final touchups to the reds and some of the yellows..

I didnt get a pic of it but the yellow has had the white diffusing layer of paint applied prior to taking the last pic.
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on July 10, 2013, 03:52:07 PM
More pics, last faded areas of red being done.

pic 1, colour applied to the cleaned glass
pic 2,followed by the white to make the red 'pop'
pic 3, final result

last of all i sprayed on some silver/grey paint over the touchups so the glass looks a bit tidier from the back  :D
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Mr Pinbologist on July 10, 2013, 04:04:35 PM
Pics of the finished glass!!

pic 1 &2, with and without camera flash respectively

And finally a pic of the glass backlit, just with a clip on desk lamp clamped to the jig.

Same as most of the BGs i've worked on there are a couple of bits i havent done, only very minor flaws, that either are not that noticeable or just too hard to try to repair. Anything i havent touched up, has been sealed with TT if its backlit. the rest is sealed with the silver paint.
I think there comes a point where you have to draw the line as to how far you can go with doing this kind of thing, as well as a limit to how much i can charge for doing this work. Suffice to say, a LOT of hours went into this backglass  :D

Anyway i'm confident Andy will be happy with the work i've done, if it was one of my BGs i'd be quite happy to have it how it currently is  *%* *%*

Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: ktm450 on July 13, 2013, 08:56:19 PM
Awesome result  ^^^
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: pinball god on July 13, 2013, 11:01:56 PM
Well done, I think its a major improvement and would be very happy with the result. I wish you were closer to me I have an embryon bg that needs some attention down the bottom. I should take a photo to get your opinion and advise
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: skywalker on July 14, 2013, 10:28:33 PM
Brand New  ^^^
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: greenechidna on July 14, 2013, 11:11:44 PM
I'm stoked...simple as that.

I'll let Mitch at the playfield next and then I'll start on the easier polishing and bogging up. Cabinet design is geometric for the most part so I'll give it a go down the track. This is a dirty battered old thing...not as bad as a lot of the outright back from the tip stuff Ive seen here but still a lot of work.

P.S. This is a great bit of Gordon Morrison artwork....heaps going on, weird electro-gizmos everywhere, a funky rocketship, mum and dad from Lost in Space and the coolest looking tilt light in pinball. Find a big pic and check out all the action.
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: dealers choice on April 11, 2015, 11:25:03 AM
What an awesome result  ^^^
Title: Re: Gtb Outer Space backglass restore
Post by: Crashramp on April 11, 2015, 11:52:27 AM
Good bump, glass came up beautifully!