Or sanding and filling. Plasti-kote semi gloss black is a pretty good match.

Taylor, I use Painters Touch White Primer. Good stuff. Seals wood and shows any imperfections for additional filling. I use Painters Touch Semi Gloss Black for final coats. Wally

Taylor, seems like all of my paint problems went away when I started to do a couple of simple things. First, using the same manufacturer for the primer and final coats. Also, using primer on bare wood just makes sense to me. That's what it is designed for.
Second, I have been adhering to the application tips on the can. Temp range and humidity max. Second coat within minutes or wait 24 hrs. 220 light sanding between 24 hr coats.
Wally

That a whole discussion on its own. Me I like it wet ,less stressful

I use featherfill automotive primer and it's awesome. Decals almost always dry but as has been mentioned, there are advantages to both. I'm in stafford if you ever need a hand.

I apply decals by the wet method, using Rapid Tac. It is used by a lot of Pros in the sign business. More margin for error with nearly the same adhesive quality as dry. I use the soft plastic Bondo applicator as a squeegee. If you properly prime and paint there is little chance of solution soaking into wood. The only clear advantage that I can see to the dry method is that you can put legs on and be done quicker. (I like to let them set for a day before doing the opposite side and for a week before putting the legs on) I believe that Stern still uses the wet method.
I really like the cabinet metal protectors available from PBL http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=2711 Great product.
Maybe if I get real good at applying decals someday, I'll try the dry method.
Wally

I also use the "Bryan Kelly Spacer" for the coin door decal install. Install the coin door decal before the sides.
Wally

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I used polycrylic on outside of cab before wet application and it came out fantastic. Covers easier than paint and sands out beautifully.

You are correct , If the cabinet is not sealed/painted correctly the wet method can compromise the finished product.

What is that for exactly? That method is new to me.

Fills coin door hole making it easier to install front decal.

I am doing my first full decal set soon. I guess I will realize why this is a good idea after I screw up without using one.

You might take a look at BK's Indiana Jones restore thread.

I am a professional decal installer. That is what i do for a living. I install decals from tiny in size to thousands of sq ft in size. The only way i do it is dry unless it is a window film type of application. Doing a wet installation, while seemingly easier can cause a lot of different issues. The best way to install them is to tape the decal in place and then do what we call a "tape hinge " which is to run a length of tape right across the decal about 10 percent (for the inexperienced) in from the edge. Peel back the decal, cut the liner back and apply with a good squeegee. Then remove the hinge and have someone hold the other end while you slowly peel back the liner and lay down the rest. Apply some felt to the squeegee to prevent it from scratching the graphic . I know how expensive the decals are so even though dry is by far the best way to go, it might not be worth the risk for someone with zero experience in doing this. Ill try to put a video together if i can to show how its best done. Im sure there are lots online though.

This would be nice!

Any suggestions on how best to make the floor on the inside of the cabinet look nice and clean? I am going to spray the inside walls black, but I wanted to keep the floor bare wood. Sanding it would be pretty difficult without pulling out the entire floor.

You can spray it brown, or just replace it with nice, new 1/4" plywood.

That is what the pros around here say. DRY is so easy and fast . I can stick a side cabinet decal in less than 5 minutes per side.

Practice makes perfect, so you might as well practice dry.

Please don't do it this way. It'll look like shit. The only way to restore the bottom is by sanding. Yeah, it's a pain in the ass but if done right, it'll look original.

Many of the games I have are textured MDF, and really can't be sanded, lol.

I've got MDF brown paint mixed that is an excellent match in both color and sheen, but if the bottom is bowed or otherwise crappy, out it comes, and in goes a nice piece of 1/4" Baltic Birch ply.

Thanks for the advice Vid!

I have one game with a brick pattern on the floor of the cab!

Williams would use the most shitty materials......

Most of the others of mine are smooth, but I've got a few that have like a mini-diamond embossing?

I've seen games like Seawitch and Firepower with that stuff.

So cheesy, but it was not just Williams.

My firepower is like that .

Was this a typo, or is that really how thick the cabinet bottoms are? I was thinking 1/2" at least

Usually just 1/4" fiberboard. They often reinforce the speaker hole and the switch hole so it looks thicker.

That is why you see "Ghetto Plate" on the bottom of pins; to keep thieves from just tearing through the bottom and taking the coin box.

I was joking with HEP about chroming the Ghetto Plate on his HG restoration......

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You just need to always squeegee away from the center towards the edges, always keeping your squeegee on an angle that will allow the air to be pushed out and not pushed back under the decal. It does take some practice.

Is there a cheap way to practice? Some sort of cheap roll of blank decal we could try applying ?

Any local sign shop should have some misprinted junk for cheap (free?)

Other than cutting stencils for inhouse use, what else can you do with fudged sticker stock?

Exactly. Just find a local sign shop and they will always have leftover material that they can give you for free to practice with.

So whats the trick to cutting the decal at the corners of the cabinet. How do you get a perfectly, straight even cut?

How about cutting around the start button, etc?

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ij-restoration-started

It's in here somewhere.

I cut about 3/8" before the corner, otherwise the decal will be chewed up in a hurry.

You can use a piece of 3/8" clear plastic corner molding as a guide.

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Vid has a great idea for cutting the circles. Cutting the edge just takes some practice. Use a small Olfa type knife but the trick is to use a super sharp blade and dont put a lot of pressure on it . Let the blade do the cutting and not your hand or wrist. Again, try getting some waste material and just practice on an old wood box to get the feel.
For me i do it all by hand as i have done it for almost 30 years.

Ok Vid, do tell.... when using a circle guide like that, how the heck do you manage to do it without accidentally cutting the guide??

I've tried that a few times for cutting circles, but even the tiniest nick in the guide makes it useless. This last weekend I got all frustrated and went into town and started buying large flat washers, so I had something to use as a guide that wasn't going to get all cut up by my blade. Took my plastic circle guide in and used that to help find a set of washers with the most common inner-diameter hole sizes. Haven't tried them yet, but I'll find out when I get back from vacation with the family in a few weeks, and manage to get back into the pins here...

I have several re-decal projects to do.

It's just a matter of finding the time.