RFM resto

[pinball god]

I've finally got most bits or know they are coming to start. I've cleaned the playfield but will probably shop it again and do some minor touch ups, so will take photos instead of video of the last. I find video a little easier to work with.

What is planned

1. Shop playfield and install SOL protector
2. Replace damaged apron and re-decal - done
3. Re-decal cabinet - have decals ready
4. Do any mods if I think of any
5. Replace playfield glass - coming
6. Make SOL plastic to replace broken - Already hand cut a piece
7. Anything else I can think of

I starting with what I did today on my new apron and sorry for th ei-phone shots but need to get another memory card for my camera. So next shots will be crisper

[pinball god]

decal in place & overall apron. The original apron the decals were stuffed and it was cracked. I also added a little colour to the martians (claws and corn shoulders). I have spares that I may attempt the LED mod??

[ddstoys]

HOLY SHIT how long did you spend polishing that apron before you added the new decal that looks awsome

[Strangeways]

That apron looks new !

[pinball god]

HOLY SHIT how long did you spend polishing that apron before you added the new decal that looks awsome

no more than a playfield. The stickers weren't too bad but had slight bubbling and not positioned accurately. So if it wasn't for my stupid habit of wanting things perfect I reckon I could have left it as is. But I'm happy with the result. I'll post my ToM cabinet re-decal that worked out nice. For once I have pix of it

[MartyJ]

Nice looking machine.  Most of the RFM's I've seen have been very very dirty and worn.  Great work on the apron.

[pinball god]

Started to do the decals today. All I've done is removed one headbox decal via the hairdryer treatment. It softens the decal and makes it less suseptable to breaking and ripping. So much larger pieces are removed in one hit. The RFM decals don't have a sticky side so nearly one piece removal is possible, although in this first attempt I had lots of breaks intially as I did it without a dryer.

On P2000 it looks like they spray white paint onto the wood, and then spray an adhesive to that and then apply the decals. So once the decal is removed, you're left with a side of goo.

I used shellite and a credit card to remove the bulk of the glue. Boy what a messy, sticky, crap job that was. I still have a bit of tackiness on the white wood and will apply more shellite and endeavour to get rid of all the glue during the week. I have taken some photos and will post when I'm more into the job.

I plan to do the headbox first while in place so I can still play the game. Obviously the main cab means the game will be out of action.

[markc]

looking good

well done


decals are fun too ....

mark

[MartyJ]

Great stuff.  Your playfield looks like new!

[ajlaird]

Started to do the decals today. All I've done is removed one headbox decal via the hairdryer treatment. It softens the decal and makes it less suseptable to breaking and ripping. So much larger pieces are removed in one hit. The RFM decals don't have a sticky side so nearly one piece removal is possible, although in this first attempt I had lots of breaks intially as I did it without a dryer.

On P2000 it looks like they spray white paint onto the wood, and then spray an adhesive to that and then apply the decals. So once the decal is removed, you're left with a side of goo.

I used shellite and a credit card to remove the bulk of the glue. Boy what a messy, sticky, crap job that was. I still have a bit of tackiness on the white wood and will apply more shellite and endeavour to get rid of all the glue during the week. I have taken some photos and will post when I'm more into the job.

I plan to do the headbox first while in place so I can still play the game. Obviously the main cab means the game will be out of action.

Silly question, but wouldn't it be easier just to sand the decal off?

[pinball god]

Sanding may be an option, never tried it. My last decal removal, the decal and glue pretty much came off in one. I didn't know the P2000 decal  application is different. The decals don't have adhesive on them. The actualy glue is applied to the cabinet. Whereas my replacements have the glue on the decal.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated as I've only done the RHS headbox to see what I'm up against.

Another thought I am considering is leaving the glue and applying the decals via wet method as I noticed the glue on the cabinet is somewhat uniform even after decal removal. I just don't know if spots that may not have any glue will show up on the decal once in place.

BTW my cabinet seems in real nice condition and the decals had scratches rather than deep gouges so no bogging required. I could have probably left the decals as is but I'm fussy to the extreme

[Chuck]

Sanding may be an option, never tried it. My last decal removal, the decal and glue pretty much came off in one. I didn't know the P2000 decal  application is different. The decals don't have adhesive on them. The actualy glue is applied to the cabinet. Whereas my replacements have the glue on the decal.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated as I've only done the RHS headbox to see what I'm up against.

Another thought I am considering is leaving the glue and applying the decals via wet method as I noticed the glue on the cabinet is somewhat uniform even after decal removal. I just don't know if spots that may not have any glue will show up on the decal once in place.

BTW my cabinet seems in real nice condition and the decals had scratches rather than deep gouges so no bogging required. I could have probably left the decals as is but I'm fussy to the extreme

I removed the decals from my RFM head with a heat gun (see very hot) and they were very easy to get off with little residue. In my situation the head was covered in a white vinyl, I believe, and the decals had adhesive on them. Actually removing the decals from my rfm was easier than any other pin ive done.

[pinball god]

Thanks Chuck, I used a hair dryer and the top decal just peeled off. However the white underlay remains intact with pretty much all the glue. I have cleaned all the glue off the white. I can't make out whether its paint or another decal. I think on mine its just paint. What do you think at a guess?

[pinball god]

The following is my attempt at re-decalling the machine. Pix are of the headbox attempt. In the process of the main cabinet but the same procedure is used.

First 3 pix are of some of the original damage

[pinball god]

The next 4 pix are of the decal removal. Using a hairdryer to heat the decal which makes peeling it off a little easier and also aids in the a fair bit of the gum coming off with the decal instead of staying on the wood.

You'll notice underneath the decal the wood is painted white