The Aussie Pinball Arcade

Aussie Pinball Forums => Restorations => Topic started by: goodolddays on September 29, 2017, 10:34:11 AM

Title: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on September 29, 2017, 10:34:11 AM
Gday all . About time I posted a new resto thread here .


I have made a start on the Space Odyssey that I picked up recently. [/size]I have kept an eye out for one of these for a few years now .. I am a sucker for Space themes LOLI always start a resto by sealing the Backglass so that is what I did yesterday .I use Markseal for this but had run out so had to wait for my order which turned up earlier this week.Here are a few pics to give you an idea of condition .. most of the red has gone so will be trying to touch that up plus a few other bits and pieces where the paint has flaked off . I did consider buying a CPR BG but I think this original will turn out OK .The 1st pic shows where I started cleaning along the edge before sealing , using cotton balls and Shellite . Only lost a tiny bit of paint in the process [/color]
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on September 29, 2017, 10:35:35 AM
I have ordered some Jo Sonja paints so I can have a go at airbrushing the red back into this glass .
Both CPR and BGResto have done this one but I really can't justify forking out the $$ for a new glass right now.
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on September 29, 2017, 10:38:11 AM
I broke my own rule with this game and bought it sight unseen so I did not know the chime unit was missing . Seller had bought this game from the original OP but says he had never done any work on it (and it doesn't look like he did) so he was surprised to hear it was missing too . Will probably purchase a new one from chimeunit.com .Anyway, the bigger decision now is which playfield to use (game came with a spare) but both have issues .Playfield one is nice and clean underneath but has delamination around the POP Bumper area (I have never seen this before) so that could be a challenge to repair plus most inserts are sunken so will need to come out and be relevelled after removing mylar on the lower half of the PF.It also has a thin metallic layer that seems to be glued on the shooter lane and ball arch areas (I have never seen this before either) which would need to somehow be removed. Here are a few pics of Playfield one which is the original one in the cab.
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on September 29, 2017, 10:39:52 AM
Here are a couple of pics of PF 2. Some idiot cut the wiring loom on this one so if I end up using it will need to do a full swap . All the underside is rusted plus some timber delamination underneath.. some damaged areas that would need repairs, all inserts are sunken so need remove/re level plus remove mylar from bottom half first .
I have never tried mylar removal before .. luckily I now have 2 playfields to practice that on
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on September 29, 2017, 10:46:55 AM
Cab is in good shape .. might repaint it down the track .. dunno yet
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: Strangeways on October 02, 2017, 02:39:56 PM
It is very common for Exported machines into Europe to have the Chime Unit removed. Is the plug on the baseboard ? It is usually a six jones plug next to the knocker.

See how you go with the touch ups. Take your time and experiment.
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on October 02, 2017, 03:33:47 PM
It is very common for Exported machines into Europe to have the Chime Unit removed. Is the plug on the baseboard ? It is usually a six jones plug next to the knocker.

See how you go with the touch ups. Take your time and experiment.

Yes I know about Euro machines Nino . This one is an Aussie import , I am only the 3rd owner. Seller purchased it from the original Operator but did nothing to it, so it is a surprise the chime unit is missing
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on October 02, 2017, 03:37:41 PM
I have decided to use PF 2 so am now in the process of stripping it top and bottom . Will reuse the parts from PF1 as most of the underside of PF2 is too far gone due to rust
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on October 12, 2017, 10:16:47 PM

Have stripped the PF and today successfully completed my first ever attempt at mylar removal with minimal paint loss (mainly a bit of the red at the bottom of the bonus area) .


Have started cleaning the dirt and crud off with Euclayptus oil and magic eraser starting at the bottom of the PF before removing and relevelling inserts and doing some filling and touchups as needed.
A couple of pics showing where I am at now .. 
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: pinnies4me on November 03, 2017, 03:25:54 PM
Really love these Apollo era games, and the contrast between the tech that was in use to achieve the spacecraft compared to the EM "computers" in the games. I recall this as a pretty good player too.
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: pinoffski on November 04, 2017, 07:31:08 PM
Nice one Dave ...
i am sure it will come up well ...

it is just one step at a time . ()
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on November 07, 2017, 06:34:23 AM
Update .. playfield has cleaned up better than expected.I am having trouble with colour matching .. out of practice does not help.I thought the Blue looked ok when I did it a few days ago but really its too dark . Not entirely happy with my amateur looking touchup of the lettering either . Yellow took 5 attempts  ::)


Also working on a new PBR order so I can get the parts before Xmas :)










Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: ddstoys on November 07, 2017, 07:09:34 PM
Great to see another old girl getting some love.    I may have a nice Backglass buried away from when I had mine but can’t remember if the glasses where space odyssey or space mission


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Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: Strangeways on November 08, 2017, 10:25:47 PM
What can help is a coat of primer on the timber to bind the paint and also help match the paint as the primer can be white. Gav taught me this old trick on the "Aces High" restoration. Are you using acrylics or enamels ? Are you planning to clear or mylar ?

Don't be discouraged or overwhelmed. You need to try different things and make mistakes - although one good tip - ask the missus to colour match - they are usually spot on !
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on November 11, 2017, 11:24:47 AM
What can help is a coat of primer on the timber to bind the paint and also help match the paint as the primer can be white. Gav taught me this old trick on the "Aces High" restoration. Are you using acrylics or enamels ? Are you planning to clear or mylar ?

Don't be discouraged or overwhelmed. You need to try different things and make mistakes - although one good tip - ask the missus to colour match - they are usually spot on !

Gday Nino . I am using Jo Sonja Acrylics . Not planning to clear at this stage . Maybe Mylar .. will see .
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on November 11, 2017, 11:28:05 AM
Got a bit more done yesterday .
The underside of the playfield was suffering badly from delamination, particularly the top end .
I had previously glued it down but decided to fill and repaint as otherwise it would annoy me that I had not done it every time I lifted the PF .
Luckily I remembered to take a before pic shortly after I started with the filler .


Respray will be next, then reinstal the braid and labels
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on November 12, 2017, 08:38:15 AM
New chime unit turned up yesterday so at least this game will have sounds when I am finally ready to fire it up  #*#






Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: Strangeways on November 18, 2017, 11:36:48 AM
What can help is a coat of primer on the timber to bind the paint and also help match the paint as the primer can be white. Gav taught me this old trick on the "Aces High" restoration. Are you using acrylics or enamels ? Are you planning to clear or mylar ?

Don't be discouraged or overwhelmed. You need to try different things and make mistakes - although one good tip - ask the missus to colour match - they are usually spot on !

Gday Nino . I am using Jo Sonja Acrylics . Not planning to clear at this stage . Maybe Mylar .. will see .

Great choice. I use Jo-Sonjas and they are very easy to work with.
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on November 22, 2017, 07:49:04 AM
Finally got the PF underside repainted and braid back on .. a small but important step forward.
Looks much better than before I started and was worth doing IMO.
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: Strangeways on November 23, 2017, 09:53:48 AM
Finally got the PF underside repainted and braid back on .. a small but important step forward.
Looks much better than before I started and was worth doing IMO.

Almost mandatory. Rare to find an EM that has all the sockets in good order. The game pops more once this time consuming task is completed !
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on December 23, 2017, 12:19:57 PM
Onto the badly cupped inserts . I removed them all and tried filling them with super glue.
Unfortunately this did not work too well as a lot of them did not dry clear so onto plan B which is to sand them flat .
This is very time consuming and tedious work but they look a lot better compared to the one I had not done yet in the 2nd pic . They are just sitting in top of the holes in this pic, not glued back in yet


I have 9 left to go now .. hooray .
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: Strangeways on December 23, 2017, 03:48:40 PM
With sanding of the inserts - Find a piece of timber the same size as a sanding block, wrap the sandpaper around the sides of the block and then place it in a vice. Then use a bit of water and slide the insert back and forth. Keep doing this through the grades, starting at 240 ish and moving up 400, 600, 800, 1000 then 2000. Then clean it with Novus 3 and then Novus 2.
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on December 29, 2017, 06:53:30 PM
I have been plugging away at this resto this week and have finally finished sanding and reinstalling all the PF inserts .  $#$


Still need to redo the black keylines around them .
Today I have labelled everything on the underside of both playfields and moved all the screws across.Hopefully tomorrow (time permitting) I will move the harness across (and everything attached to it)
This is my first playfield swap and now I can truly appreciate what a hell of a lot of work it is !  *%* 
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: pinoffski on December 29, 2017, 09:16:48 PM
I is looking good dave ,
Just asking what glue did you use ?

I also have to reglue some inserts and i have purchased Tarzans grip (general purpose)
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: Strangeways on December 29, 2017, 09:46:36 PM
I is looking good dave ,
Just asking what glue did you use ?

I also have to reglue some inserts and i have purchased Tarzans grip (general purpose)

Super Glue - Locktite Gel. The gel is good as it allows you to tap in the insert, and if you need to pop it up, you can.
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on December 29, 2017, 10:16:26 PM
I is looking good dave ,
Just asking what glue did you use ?

I also have to reglue some inserts and i have purchased Tarzans grip (general purpose)

Hi Dave.
 I used wood glue. Have done so previously with no issues.
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: pinoffski on December 30, 2017, 12:06:57 AM
I is looking good dave ,
Just asking what glue did you use ?

I also have to reglue some inserts and i have purchased Tarzans grip (general purpose)

Super Glue - Locktite Gel. The gel is good as it allows you to tap in the insert, and if you need to pop it up, you can.
I is looking good dave ,
Just asking what glue did you use ?

I also have to reglue some inserts and i have purchased Tarzans grip (general purpose)

Hi Dave.
 I used wood glue. Have done so previously with no issues.

Thanks Guys as i have never re-glued a insert ..

Just saying the Glue on the inserts that i have take out was rubbery like silicone
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on January 30, 2018, 01:25:33 PM
Update :
 After doing a bit here and there I have finally finished the underside of the playfield .  ^^^
 I learned a couple of important lessons ...
 1) don't do a playfield swap in Summer !!! 2) Try and transfer harness directly from old to new playfield to minimise chances of the loom getting tangled (untangling the loom is a bitch)   @.@
 
 I have overhauled both the steppers on the underside (one was almost seized) and installed new coil sleeves and stops and new spring kits
 
 Tested about 15 switches so far and found about 30% not working (either out of adjustment or needing a clean) so will go through them all before installing the playfield back in the cab.
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: ddstoys on January 31, 2018, 09:01:33 AM
Getting there mate


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Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: Strangeways on January 31, 2018, 09:45:06 AM
A Lot of work goes into restoring EMs, but what you learn and the finished result is worth it. Keep at it - and remember to enjoy the process !
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on January 31, 2018, 03:36:21 PM
Agree Nino. I think this is my 6th EM resto ???

A Lot of work goes into restoring EMs, but what you learn and the finished result is worth it. Keep at it - and remember to enjoy the process !
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on January 31, 2018, 03:37:16 PM
Yep .. the hardest work is behind me now Daniel .
Getting there mate


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Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: pinoffski on February 02, 2018, 07:38:18 PM
Progressing well there Dave lots of work to transfer all the parts over ...OMG

and then the fine tuning ..

   
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on February 08, 2018, 02:51:19 PM
Hooray .
 After 4 months the playfield is finally back in the cab ! I call that a milestone (https://www.aussiearcade.com/images/smilies/standard/biggrin.gif)
 Have started replacing the old playfield plastics but will probably do the baseboard overhaul next to get that out of the way
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on February 11, 2018, 08:45:32 PM
Playboard done .. just need to test the switches


Backbox next
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on February 19, 2018, 09:47:49 PM
Have finished overhauling Player 1 score reels .. swapping coil stops from Player 2 reels to Player 1 reels as I go.First EM I have owned that has every label still intact .Amazing to think this is probably the first service this machine has had in 43 years !
Sadly nothing is made as robust as an EM any more and hasn't been for a long time .
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: Strangeways on February 21, 2018, 09:40:48 AM
Have finished overhauling Player 1 score reels .. swapping coil stops from Player 2 reels to Player 1 reels as I go.First EM I have owned that has every label still intact .Amazing to think this is probably the first service this machine has had in 43 years !
Sadly nothing is made as robust as an EM any more and hasn't been for a long time .

That's why I love working on EMs. The old saying is true "They don't make them like they used to.."
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on April 07, 2018, 04:16:35 PM
A bit of an update .
 
 I finally finished overhauling the back box last week after struggling with both time and motivation to get it done.
 
 I then repainted the black keylines around the inserts freehand after debating for a while on how to do it .. never had to worry about this much in the past. I then used my Stanley knife to tidy them up a bit by simply scraping away any excess.  #*#

Today I reassembled about 90% of the top of the play field so won't be too long now till I can fire this game up and start playing it  ()

Still need to instal the spinner, the Pop bumper globes , the ball eject coil, the new chime unit , flippers and new flipper kit (I forgot to buy new cabinet switches .. DOH!!!!)
 
 Also will need to have a crack at restoring the backglass and at some stage will probably repaint the cab
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: Strangeways on April 08, 2018, 11:57:23 AM
Great result. Looks very nice  ^^^
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on April 12, 2018, 10:00:33 PM
Thanks  a lot Nino.
I just need to find where I put the flipper rebuild kit I found 9 months ago .
Cheers
Dave
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on April 16, 2018, 07:28:12 PM
For those still following this thread .. I still can't find my flipper rebuild kit so have reused the old plunger and links and put in new coil sleeves and stops..
Have wired up new chime unit so maybe an hour's work left and hopefully I fire this game up for the first time on Wednesday this week
Must have been popular back in the day when it was new because the original OP left a tag on one of the flipper EOS saying full new flipper kit fitted in June '77
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on April 24, 2018, 08:54:14 AM
Got this game running on Sunday . It plays pretty well . ()
Found 1000's relay was continually held on because switch D on Player relay was out of adjustment (closed for player 1 instead of open) Also had a couple of playfield switches not working because I had somehow missed screwing them in after the playfield swap.
Neither POP bumper was working due to badly pitted spoon switches which needed some major filing .
Still have a couple of gremlins to iron out .. 100,000 light for player 2 is always on and about 1 in 20 games nothing happens when hitting the start button (suspect game over relay not latching due to a mechanical issue)
Now I will need to have a stab at touching up the back glass .
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: Crashramp on April 28, 2018, 11:08:45 AM
Got this game running on Sunday . It plays pretty well . ()
Found 1000's relay was continually held on because switch D on Player relay was out of adjustment (closed for player 1 instead of open) Also had a couple of playfield switches not working because I had somehow missed screwing them in after the playfield swap.
Neither POP bumper was working due to badly pitted spoon switches which needed some major filing .
Still have a couple of gremlins to iron out .. 100,000 light for player 2 is always on and about 1 in 20 games nothing happens when hitting the start button (suspect game over relay not latching due to a mechanical issue)
Now I will need to have a stab at touching up the back glass .

Good to hear you’ve got it playing again. I played a Space Odyssey for the first time recently amongst a very large selection of games and it really stood out as one I enjoyed playing the most.
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: pinnies4me on April 28, 2018, 12:01:55 PM
Been enjoying this one, particularly like these spaceflight ones - please do a video of some gameplay when done!
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on August 19, 2018, 12:47:00 PM
I finally got around to having a go at airbrushing some Red onto the backglass .
This is my first attempt at doing this and although not perfect i am pretty happy with it .
Before I painted it I cut out all the old faded red paint from the lettering (I had just started doing that when I took the before pic.)
Will have a stab at doing the score windows etc at a later date .
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: Strangeways on August 21, 2018, 10:08:43 AM
Huge Difference !
 @@*
Title: Space Odyssey
Post by: Maycle on February 06, 2019, 12:52:38 AM
Sounds like back off to me. Not back off from space but, they did draw a pretty big line in the sand.
Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: plong on February 07, 2019, 10:32:09 PM
Bg looks great , what paint did you use as I have a top card that needs doing .(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190207/bd597c55ee7a177bf187c661c57c698a.jpg)

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Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: goodolddays on February 13, 2019, 10:17:38 PM
Bg looks great , what paint did you use as I have a top card that needs doing .(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190207/bd597c55ee7a177bf187c661c57c698a.jpg)

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Hi Mate . I used Jo Sonja paint with Jo Sonja thinner to be able to air brush it on


Title: Re: Space Odyssey
Post by: plong on February 13, 2019, 11:48:58 PM
Thanks goodolddays

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