Bally 1965 Aces High Restoration

[Strangeways]

 In hindsight, I should have clearcoated the entire playfield, but that's ok - I'm happy to have learnt what I have - so far ! I'm really keen on playing a game when it is finished, but to be honest, the artwork and the condition of the playfield is something to just "look at". There's something about 60's Ballys that intrigues me.

Thanks for the comments guys - this restore has dragged on a bit !

I'm surprised you would be thinking of clearcoating a 60's EM ..

Not a traditional "clearcoat" that we find on DMD machines. EMs and SS games had a varnish which is far less gloss (and product) than an automotive clear. I would never clear an EM or SS with an Automotive clear, but thanks to Gavin's trial and error with his EM clearcoating, there is an alternative that is consistent with the factory finish. I was able to blend in the clear with the original varnish on the Buccaneer.

[goodolddays]

Very interesting Nino .
 I haven't  heard (or read) about that before. (or maybe I forgot  )

[Strangeways]

Very interesting Nino .
 I haven't  heard (or read) about that before. (or maybe I forgot  )

It's something that I've been interested in for a while. I've seen some Youtube Vids where hobbyists are auto clearing EM playfields and there's more spray in the air than the playfield, plus, the gloss is too high. Looks GREAT on a DMD, but it  does not look right on SS or EMs. CPR clear their SS playfields with too much gloss as well. It looks ok, but it is not the factory finish. They should be more of a satin finish. I'm trying to replicate the satin finish on EMs that are closer to the original factory varnish.

[Strangeways]

Back on track for this restoration. To complete the playfield repairs, I needed the final set of stencils off Gavin. They arrived and I quickly got back to work. There are three stencils - One for the BLUE area, one for the outline and one for the writing. Should be straight forward !




Put the mask down so we only allow BLUE paint to be applied to the playfield.








Do the same for the black lines





Here's the blue section and the Black lines. I'll have to thicken the lower arrow section later.





Here's the mask for the white writing. You can see how small the area to paint is.





A couple of areas didn't work out as planned, but I'll touch that up with a fine brush.





Writing corrected and I've also repainted some black lines.





Ready for Clearcoat !

[Strangeways]

This is where I came from to get to this point

[goodolddays]

Looks much better Nino . So your not redoing the black circles around the inserts then ?

[Strangeways]

Looks much better Nino . So your not redoing the black circles around the inserts then ?

I looked at that last night and thought that it would be a great idea to have a mask for that area and do all the black circles. I will re do them with a Sharpie. I can't spend more time on this game as I've put in 200 hours and I have to draw the line somewhere. A lot of the playfield work has been a learning curve for me, and if I had my time again, I would have clearcoated the entire playfield.

[Strangeways]

Time for the clearcoat for the lower section of the playfield. Next time I do this type of work, I'll be clearing the entire playfield, not just sections.

Masking off the areas with Frisket cut to size around the areas I don't want to clean. The sections that I've NOT touched up need to have penetrol applied with a rag and left to dry. Here's a picture just prior to clearcoat.





Here's the section after removing the mask. I've also tidied up the inserts. I'll leave it to dry and sand level with 2000 grit wet / dry and polish. The clear adds depth and slightly darkens the paint. Still, it is much better than when I started.





Now I wait and then re assemble.

[Pinfan]

Look great niño ! Nice work !

[Strangeways]

Reassembled section.




The game is currently being tested. A few stuck switches and misadjusted switches, but it plays. The more I play it, the more I appreciate how cool these old 60's EMs are to play.

[ktm450]

Very nice, I love how, back then, they had to state "flipper buttons on sides of cabinet" 

[The pinballist formally known as Dean Morgan]

Nino, love it. Can't wait to get stuck into my 1965' Ice Revue after seeing this 

[Retropin]

Dean.....

Ive started!!!!

[The pinballist formally known as Dean Morgan]

Dean.....

Ive started!!!!

cool can't wait.  What's the black photo?

[Retropin]

What black photo?