Author Topic: Creature From the Black Lagoon of decay  (Read 8043 times)

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Offline Strangeways

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Re: Re: Creature From the Black Lagoon of decay
« Reply #15 on: October 17, 2016, 10:03:48 PM »
The KBS isn't thin enough and so any trapped air wont rise up through the coat and leave a smooth surface. My guess is that you used a roller?
Yep. Although for the 2nd coat i used a fine brush thingy call a shur line from bunnings. Not sure if this is better? Would you suggest brushing over rolling?

I have basic spray gear i use for painting the cabs, just not sure i have the confidence with clear and spraying! If i did, what size tip would you recommend?

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Rob, just my  :2cents:

Your workmanship is at a professional level. There are some aspects of High End Restos that you need to consider passing on to professionals. I arrived at this conclusion 4-5 years ago, that no matter if you are a home professional or in the industry, there are simply some things that no matter how hard to try, you can't achieve a playfield that will match the hard work around it.

I don't even blink at the idea of sending a playfield to HRP for restoration. No one in the industry is even in the same galaxy. I'm no expert, but that playfield needs have areas sanded back as the factory clear appears to have burn marks from the globes over time. You don't just clear over it. Your climate is unsuitable unless you have a booth.

The expense of having a playfield cleared is in stripping and re populating. You have done the hard work. There is this stigmata that playfield restorations cost millions of dollars. Trust me, you would be shocked at the price VS finished results.

I've been painting cabinets for 15 years, and I'm still learning, but playfield restoration on these playfields is something I've attempted in small doses, but I've always been concerned about 5 - 10 years from now. Will it hold up ?

Home restorers can use what they like when they like, but your games are right up there with the best. If you need a playfield box, I'll give you one. Shipping is dead easy.

Thanks Nino, appreciate the feedback.  Its probably the stubborn part of me that just wants to be able to do everything myself, to not only learn some new skills, but also for personal satisfaction in something that i have done myself.

Agree wholeheartedly about your comments that the price of clearing, while it costs something, is not overly cost prohibitive.  And that the stripping is the time consuming part. I guess the positive out of all this, is it gives me plenty of time to muck around with all the mechanisms, ramps and wiring harness to really tidy them up.  Box for playfield is all sorted - was actually quite fun building that out of some thin ply with our 6 year old son!

I know EXACTLY what you mean regarding being Stubborn - I'm exactly the same. But what convinced me to leave clearcoating to the professionals is that I know the work "I" do will last 10 years. The only unknown is the clearcoat. I used a varnish on the "Aces High" - 5 years ago. I can't bring myself to sell it as I want to see how the varnish holds up. It is fine, but I just don't want that call in the future "The clear is flaking" or something similar. I found that working with Tim and Stu, I have absolute confidence in guaranteeing THEIR work on APR playfields is 100%. Even my other clearcoat guy is an absolute perfectionist. I put in countless hours of touch up work and have complete confidence that my work is protected for YEARS.

On the flip-side, APR does electronic repairs for Tim and Stu for their High End Restorations. We lever off each others strengths.

Don't for a minute think you HAVE to do every aspect of a restoration - no one does that "at this level".  ^^^
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