Hi guys - Its been almost 3 months since the last update on this Space Invaders restore so here goes.....
The new Pinball Pro speaker has been installed
A pic of the completed undercarriage of the playfield. Everything cleaned and re-tied
One thing that I did notice about some pieces of metal that I had cleaned with Ranex, is that some minor surface rust was beginning to reappear. I wanted to know what i could do to stop / delay the onset of this. After doing some reading I was left with the option of electroplating these items (was not going to do that on this machine) or go down the path of treating them with a metal conditioner after re-cleaning the offending items. Quite a few people on the net were raving about a product called Penetrol. This product is just brushed on and it dries and forms an airtight seal (apparently), which prevents the formation of rust as the key ingredient (oxygen is removed). So I popped down to Bunnings and purchased a small tin, re-cleaned the metal pieces by giving them a light sand to remove the surface rust, and then I gave them a very light coat of Penetrol. It dried clear overnight and looks great thus far. I guess if I have any dramas in the future, I can just strip it off, but the word is that its works very well. Wondering if anyone else has used this product??
Here are some pics of the new Siderails that I purchased from JPD and installed a few days ago. I decided to remove the original rails and went with the nail-less version. They look awesome and definitely worth the $$
I also decided to hit the coin box with some Ranex as it was quite rusted and looking worse for wear. Its come up quite well I think
Here are some pics of the apron. I had completely stripped this using paint stripper, gave it a light sand and I gave it 3 coats of White Knight Super Primer, followed by 3 coats of White Knight Satin Black. I had ordered the apron decal from Classic Arcades in the US and I installed it and finished it off with 4 coats of White Knight Gloss Acrylic. I was a little disappointed with the decal as its not a perfect fit around the ball entrance / gutter region. I had to use my scalpel to cut a little there. Here's a pic of the final product before installation. I also printed some new instruction cards. It looks great
I also hit the Lockdown Bar with some Ranex. It was quite rusty on the underside. Here are some pics taken after cleaning it up. I also gave the topside a light sand and it removed some slight scratches. Its come up really nice. I still have to install the beerseal.
There are just a few very minor things I need to do to this machine before its completed. I have installed all of the repro plastics set from CPR and will have to also install the custom Topper. I have new black legs from PBR, a few things to do to the door. All leds have been installed and will take some more pics soon of those in action (makes a huge difference especially to the backbox).
Once this machine is completed, I will finish off the other Spacies as well - not allot to do on that one as I've been working away at it and its been given pretty much the same treatment as this machine.
Stay posted.....
