Bank a ball - The WHAT HAVE I DONE? stage

[Retropin]

The PF on this looked good, but actually had some cracking and flaking on it. The main area can be seen below



This HAS to be rectified. Only way to do this is rub it back by hand to smooth. The aim with this is to rub it back so a gradual fade through can be seen from the top colour coat then the primer underneath and then the wood if its that far gone.
Rubbing it back will show the true extent of the damage - youll be surprised how much paint just peels away once you start, even the thin cracks expand out dramatically.
But by the end, the PF should feel smooth to the touch - thats when you know when to stop.
I call this stage the HOLY CRAP..WHAT HAVE I DONE? stage



Next step - putting it back again!

[Strangeways]

I know what I would have done...

Crapped my pants  " WTF HAVE I DONE "...

[Retropin]

LOl- Done this many times and i STILL cannot stop the feeling that ive made things worse!
Problem is that what you can see is only part of the damage - you get a better idea by running your fingers over the PF, if its not smooth - its lifting

[Retropin]

Just a quick update on this restore.
Ive been flipping from one machine to the next and concentrating on rebuilding the mechanics in the header for this game> ive gone as far as i can with the mechanics and can go no further till my armatures are CNC routed.
So its time to start putting some of the artwork back onto the PF. This is done one colour at a time, with a minimum of 24hrs between colours to allow the paints to fully cure.
I started with the main colour on this - the yellow.
What you saw in the previous pictures is nothing like the original yellow, underneath the ball guide rails was a very vibrant and bright yellow, not the mustardy colour it had turned to.
It was this original colour that i decided to match. Now my original intention was not to do a major restore on this, but more of a touch up. problem with this though is that the yellow was  different shades throughout the PF, so what shade do i choose?
Only choice is to restore to original throughout.
Its hard to imagine, but when you see a 40 year old pin, its nicely yellowed etc and has that warmth about it. But when these games came out they would have been as bright as possible to attract players. This machine will now be going back to that same vibrancy of 43 years ago.

Anyway - enough waffle, heres the yellow restored after a nights work. This also means though that i now have to redo every other colour, but i guess itll keep the thread going for a bit!

[stuba]

i'd take my hat off to you if i wore one. geez you do nice work. will this be clear coated when you finish? i've said it before but i have dibs on this machine if you ever decide to sell it!!

[Strangeways]

That's Crazy...

What did you use to "mask off" the areas you don't want to paint ?

did you Airbrush ?

[Retropin]

Yes, this will need to be clear coated afterwards.

Stu.. i promise, if she comes up for sale, ill contact you first. But you know where she will be, so if  you need a beer and to thrash 5 balls on her........

[Retropin]

Mask is a clear mask and as usual i airbrushed - allows me greater control - can go lighter and heavier where needed, also gives a dead flat finish. Took about 3hrs to do all the yellow, only approx 20 mins of that is applying the colour and half of that 20 mins is the constant adjustment of the airbrush!

[Strangeways]

So do you simply lay the mask and then use an exacto knife to cut out the area you want the paint to pass ?

[Chuck]

So do you simply lay the mask and then use an exacto knife to cut out the area you want the paint to pass ?

Yup.  It really is the best way I've found to mask playfields.  The mask is fairly expensive but so is a good playfield.  On long curves or straight areas I rough-cut the mask and use pinstriping tape (very thin width masking tape.)  I've found the two make easy work of large areas.

[Retropin]

Exactly,

Gotta be careful not to push down hard on the knife, its also got to be super sharp.
This works for large areas like this,
 But when i come to do the blue parts with the lettering inside, its a much longer process done over several applications.
Your paint thickness has to be spot on also - too thin and large amounts of leeching occur, too thick and it wont atomize properly.

Also taking off the mask, needs to be done at just the right point of the colours setting. No hard rules here, depends on climate you are working in and also your mix of paints. i find a combination of white spirit and thinners works best.

Im always in 2 minds when i restore a PF - id rather not do it, original is always best. But with the amount of loose and flaking paint on this, the machine would pretty much be unplayable without slowly destroying the PF artwork.
 I see no point in having all original scuffed up museum pieces in the collection that cant be played, so sometimes the choice to restore is made. So long as the job is done well, it wont detract from the value of the machine.
Ive got machines in my collection that have had "professional"restores on them - i look at the work and just shake my head knowing it could have been done much better. Thats my opinion.
 But then again, im a bit anal about this type of thing and like to do ALL the work myself