(Topic ID: 163782)

BoP: Father and Son's First Restoration [COMPLETE]

By jsa

7 years ago


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  • 450 posts
  • 52 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 7 years ago by MajorHavoc
  • Topic is favorited by 76 Pinsiders

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You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider chosen_s.
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#36 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

I can't decide what I love more right now, the Bondo or the fiberglass resin. I'll never fix things with duct tape again.

Don't tell that to the U.S. Navy, hehe, they love duct tape and zip ties

Following along! So glad to have another few members of the bop club...

I have seen a few guys paint the floor of the cabinet white or tan, it looks great that way if you needed a suggestion to get away from black.

Which decals for the cabinet are yall using? I've seen purple and black... Or are you guys doing something custom??

Ben

#38 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

We ordered decals from Bay Area Amusements. To be honest, we haven't opened them yet, figuring they are probably somewhat fragile and we should avoid it until we're ready. I'd assume they are purple, which was stock. The only black ones I've seen were after market or custom, though there is some beautiful art in the BoP and BoP 2.0 threads.

Right on, I'm for purple all the way. It just looks right!

I have read using rapid tac is really good for installing large decals like these...

I personally apply decals dry, but if you aren't installing vinyl or decals on a regular basis it helps to have all the advantages you can get...

https://www.amazon.com/RAPID-Application-Decals-Stickers-Sprayer/dp/B006RMC8J6

Oh... If your planning to use a squeegee, you may want to find one with felt on its edge. Every time I apply a decal with one with a plastic or rubber edge it leaves micro scratches.

Ok, I'll shut up for now ... Just too many problems I'd like to help yall avoid.

The cab is looking great!

#40 7 years ago
Quoted from MustangPaul:

You should use steel not plastic.

What about using some washers?

#44 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

Clearly I failed to read the tutorial on applying cabinet decals! Why wet vs. dry?

The wet method allows you to be able to reset the decal if placement is off, also if done properly you can wash the specs of dust from the cab... Kind of like window tinting...

The dry method is quick, precise and depending on the decal; doesn't allow for many mistakes

These are good example vids

#45 7 years ago

#53 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

My son is into the Bondo. We've been a little obsessed with making it right.

He likes doing the hard work. He'll sweat on this for an hour, why not do the dishes? I do not understand.

This is the sort of thing we spend too much time on. On many BoPs this little spot just beneath the backbox tends to be worn and chipped. We rebuilt it with Bondo.

Almost finished with the outside!

Now we'll take a weekend off to attend the California Extreme show in sunny Santa Clara, California. My wife is scared I'll come home with another machine. I'm just here to play!

Nice! Good to take a break, and ce will be strong motivation for your project...

I went to TPF this year, came home with 3 machines, the wife was not thrilled

One more thing... Why no electric sander? Bondo takes forever to sand off by hand

#57 7 years ago

Fine job sir

#61 7 years ago
Quoted from Bryan_Kelly:

Maybe it's just me, but I prefer the original unpainted look.

Me too, unless there's damage that has to be repaired... But these guys are going it right

#73 7 years ago

The playfield becomes a cinch when you take a TON of Pictures of everything for reference, take a few notes from beezelboob, he labels everything, even the pinballs

(you most likely don't need to replace switches unless they are broken, they may just need a good cleaning. the flippers, yes; they need to have an overhaul with a flipper rebuild kit. and maybe new flipper button switches... All this info is coming a little too early, so I'll wait to chime in more on this until you get to this stage)

The 3d part is pretty cool, good job!

2 weeks later
#102 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

My son and I finished off the taping and masking of the cabinet today, and managed to prime the backbox. Here's my son reaching into the cabinet. We learned that the Harbor Freight lift table is also useful for raising the height of a helper so he can reach the inside of the cabinet:

Here's what I learned priming my backbox today:
I chose a Neiko 2.0mm HVLP spray gun. The gun's specs are about 4.5cfm for nominal operation at 40psi. The compressor I have is a pancake compressor that does about 3.5cfm at 40psi. This is not ideal. Don't do this. I think for the cabinet I'll rent a larger compressor.
The nozzle size was fine spraying Kilz Original, but I had to thin it about 20% with thinner. I honestly don't think this matters much, though spraying this took a really long time (partially because I had to keep waiting for my compressor to catch up).
Here's the final product, after three hyper thin coats of Kilz:

My poor man's spray booth was not adequately ventilated. I had a good respirator but really folks, don't do this, get proper ventilation if you're going to use a HVLP gun, it gets everywhere. I looked at myself in the mirror after and thought I aged, and realized that a fine mist of white Kilz was in my hair. I guess I should have worn hair protection!
As far as the finish is concerned, it's hard to say if it's orange peel or just my inconsistent sanding, but I think it looks pretty good. I experimented using Kilz from a spray rattle can for part of it and there is no question the atomization of the HVLP gun was superior to the rattle can. The trouble is that you can't get the HVLP gun into small areas, so using both isn't crazy if you're careful with the rattle can.
Anyway, next stop...priming the cabinet, and matching the purple decal color at a paint store.

Looks good from here! If the orange peel is concerning... I'm sure you're going to do this, but; sand, paint, sand, paint, sand, paint... it will come out so smooth it will feel like butter rubbed on chrome.

curious, are you going to paint the whole cab purple, or do the black and purple combo?

#104 7 years ago

If it were my cab... I'd do 220 grit then paint the color. One coat of primer should be good...

These are my steps, but everyone has different ideals...

Prime, sand 150, sand 220. Paint color, sand 220 if smooth, sand 150 if too much orange peel, sand 220, sand 320, paint color.

I find that if the surface is too smooth , the paint has more chance to sag...

Keep your gun clean, and paint at a consistent thinness.

This sounds weird, but for my satin black (inside the backbox), I love the krylon rattle can. (With the adjustable nozzle) It is really nice and consistent , it covers smoothly and is tough paint, easy to clean after dry (you know, later when dust settles in the game room)

#109 7 years ago

Nice Documentation, not many restorations get such treatment !

#132 7 years ago

Fun times! Lookin good!

3 weeks later
#173 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

After traveling for a week, we're almost finished painting. I'll post some final photos of the paint work soon. Meanwhile, does anyone here have a good photo of the ground braid behind the pcb panel in the backbox? I failed to take a good photo.

Sorry, I don't have a good pic, but I look forward to the paint job!

here's a shameless link to my current project, I used Krylon rattle cans, I think it turned out ok, but i wasn't going for restoration perfection

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/gamatron-scratch-build/page/3#post-3334379

#177 7 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

Just peeked at your work, great job buddy! Don't sell yourself short!

Thanks guys!

Still want to see that paint job, lol

1 week later
#207 7 years ago

I just decaled a guns n roses today, came out great

Chose the cleanest room in the house to do the job, cleaned cab, decal, and backing before every decal to avoid dust

2 people, one to pull decal from backing, one to hold backing, then both people to set decal

Did all 5 decals on flat surfaces (all surfaces of the cab were facing up when applying)

I used rapid tac on the cab and decal (had a third person spray decal liberally after removing decal from backing)

It allowed movement of positioning the decal for perfect placement

Left the entire decal whole, didn't trim until after it was laid and squeedged (this came in handy because of some mis positioning that allowed the bleed area to have enough room for error)

Trimmed edges to the edge of the cab, then took a straight edge to trim decal 1/8" into cab all the way around

Used a hobby knife to cut out holes
Used a single edged razor blade to trim edges
Used a felt squeegee to get out bubbles (use a new one so scratches don't appear)

Sitting to dry until the owner decides to start placing everything back on cab

Hope all this helps

#208 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

Dos the fluid really hurt anything? It's just soapy water, right?

Nope, wiped right up,

We had a 3rd person help in cleaning, spraying rapid tack, and wiping liquid drips, really helped out a lot compared to me usually doing it all by myself

1 month later
#288 7 years ago

Hot Damn this is looking good! Great Job Dad & Son!

2 months later
#386 7 years ago

Beautiful work!!! I've been away for a bit, glad to see all the great progress!

I use gray compound from ace to get stainless to mirror shine.

The eye and mouth black plastic parts you made... do you see their outline when lights light up the face from behind? Just curious

#397 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

It appears my helmet is mounted identically on the right side, as you can see here:

Something must be off in the way I mounted the left ramp. The left red lens pushes into the bend of the ramp.

You need to remount the red flasher dome in the helmet, it's poking out too far, the mounting spacers are in the wrong succession. I've done this myself

#399 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

Spacers! Of course. I have no mounting spacers between the lenses and the helmet. Thank you!

welcome!

#401 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

Ok, the game has been pretty solidly working. Almost ready to declare victory. When you folk adjust leaf switches, such as stand up targets or slingshot switches, do you remove them from the playfield first or adjust with them in place? Right now, this appears to be our biggest challenge in ironing out the little bugs. That, and identifying what is supposed to be "normal behavior" and making necessary changes to accomplish that. It's remarkable to me how much variation the ramps have from the original ramps (thickness), which definitely creates its own set of challenges. I've also installed Cliffy protectors. Clearly, these are 100% required, as the ramp entrances are completely destroyed on our original set.
We installed plastic protectors as well. The challenge here is that now that everything is installed, we can see how certain gates, the spinner, and other hardware can get caught on the protectors. I have no problem adjusting them... Would you folks think there would be any problem shaving them down "in place" with a dremel? Removing plastics that are under ramps can be... frustrating.
Some additional thoughts about the reassembly process:
-Photo context is everything. I've found a good technique is to place the end of a post or screwed in object next to the hole it belongs in during teardown for the photo...making sure to have a wide enough angle that you can see the context of the location.
-Existing restoration photos reveal there is some artistic license involved in this process. What one restorer choses to do in a location is different than another. Furthermore, the restorers before you may actually have a better solution than the original game had, so take that into account as well.
-Tumbling screws can remove their magnetic plating. If I could do one thing differently, I would have audited each screw type during teardown and bought 100 of each type. Finding screws in a tumbling batch royally sucks, and losing magnetic capability will make you want to poke your eyeballs out with a fork.
-Repro playfield screw holes are just markers. They aren't big enough to be pilot holes for a #6 screw. Best investment I made was a hand crank drill for this purpose. It keeps you from over-shooting and is great for protecting your playfield.
-Repro playfield screw holes are about 99% accurate. Pretty close to 100%. I had to move a couple but they were marginal and clearly visible from the playfield art (hole not quite inside a circle, etc).
-I ended up with parts, mostly screws, that have no place to be installed. How is that possible? The answer is that when you don't find a screw you need, you don't have time to go through every screw in the batch, so you grab a new one.
-Doing this project with my son was the most rewarding thing we've ever done together. Playing this game with him was just plain amazing. The challenges with this have to do with what is largely one person jobs (screwing in a screw), so it was easier to involve him in the cabinet work than the playfield work. That being said, even having him around during the playfield work was a complete joy.
I will post some photos soon.

Totally stoked for you guys!

I adjust leaf switches in the game with a leaf adjusting tool, or long thin flat head driver

Dremel stuff in the game!?! Lay covers on everything, even have a vacuum going to suck up the slag/dust while you are dremeling... if you must do it in the game, I hate the thought of you having to do that with everything all together finally....

Once I pulled the castle out of my medieval madness, which requires removing rails and ramps, I had everything together when I was finished, then only to realize I forgot something that was under the castle... I had to remove it all over again, sometimes it just happens, and you have to pull stuff off a few times

#403 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

She's alive!

I'll get some in daylight tomorrow.

Looks totally amazing! Oh that chrome, wowza!!!

#411 7 years ago

I'm going to miss the updates, kudos to you guys, you'll love the pinduino, it really does add a lot to the game... of course 2.0 does too, but there's something really special to add lighting in that give the visuals more depth

1 week later
#425 7 years ago

Super Cool!

One more thing to add! Rock Custom under cab interactive LED Strips, $100 well spent. I do wander if it works with the Bop2.0 though??

#427 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

Interesting. What triggers them? If it's run of an existing light, it should work fine.

Yes they do, I have them on three of my machines, and I plan to put them on the rest of them because the interactive lights makes the game that much better

#429 7 years ago

I think Marco or pinlife has the leaf adjustment tool, I use it almost exclusively since someone told me about it

#432 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

I've got the tool, and mostly know how to use it. The challenge is figuring out how to adjust it while installed, so I can test different gaps. If I pull it out, adjust it, and re-install it, it's this awkward process that takes forever.

I pull off the sling plastic depending on the game and adjust it from the top, bending the leafs just a little at a time until I get the sweet spot, sometimes I have to adjust from underneath with the switch still installed... yes its a pain. I have the gap distance burned into my brain as to the way I like them so as Im putting the game back together I adjust them before the sling plastics and anything else gets attached

3 weeks later
#440 7 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

I think he could, but I think he wouldn't. My son tends to get distracted pretty easily, so having me as structure to bring him back into the project every few days (which he didn't mind) was part of why it worked so well. For that reason, I think we should work together on another project. He wants to restore our Theatre of Magic but it's in such great shape I really don't want to mess with it. Instead, I think we'll find something a bit older. Maybe a Future Spa?! LOL.

man a classic bally will be a breeze compared to bop, I recommend a paragon to future spa if your going for widebody, parts are a plenty, the stencils for the paint are by pinball pimp and are supposedly really great. and I think its just more fun and for me has more staying power, just imo. Honestly, I just want to see you document another project, I think the wife and cat should be more involved though, well, at least the cat if the wife doesn't want to get her hands dirty

#443 7 years ago
Quoted from northerndude:

Stumbled upon this thread today, I am in wow of your patience, hard work, learning on the fly, teamwork, etc, etc, etc.
I have 3 pins, done my own mediocre "shopping" of all three and still learning what some parts even are as I go. I would like to think I could try this, but like I said your first virtue of patience isn't built in me and I might pull the pin early in the process. Congratulations on the hard work and dedication.

Stuff like this is just done one step at a time, not fully focusing on the final goal, but rather in the small victories. And like my dad always told me, "you eat an elephant one bite at a time"

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