(Topic ID: 169818)

Jurassic Park Restoration

By Lonzo

7 years ago


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#1 7 years ago

Well, its finally time to start my next restoration. Its been a little while since I finished Fire and I am ready for another one. Moved into a house that we had built a couple of weeks before TPF this year and have been busy with new house stuff for a while and my Dad has been in the Hospital for 3 months and my wife had knee surgery. It was supposed to be a one week recovery but things didn't go as planned and she was non weight bearing for 6 weeks. I also traded some pinball work for some electrical work on my pool. I did a restoration of a Blackout for my electrician and delivered it to him a couple of weeks ago. I am also finishing up a Galaga Hyperspin. So I've have had a pretty full plate but looking forward to this project. I got this pin probably 4 years ago and got it working mechanically and then put in in the "que".

My goal for this project is to have it ready by TPF but that will all depend on my schedule etc. The good news is that I already have all the cabinet artwork done.

For those of you that followed my BTTF and Fire restorations, Welcome back I hope you enjoy this one.

I hope maybe you can use some information to help you out sometime. And if you see something that I can do better or you have done differently and it worked for you, let me know, I am always wanting to learn new techniques.

I also have the new T-Rex, Topper and Gate mod so this thing should be sweet. I also have a few custom ideas.

Here we go.

The cabinet will be a full restore sanded down to bare wood and rebuilt.
cab front (resized).jpgcab front (resized).jpgcab right (resized).jpgcab right (resized).jpgcab left (resized).jpgcab left (resized).jpgbackbox right (resized).jpgbackbox right (resized).jpgbackboc left (resized).jpgbackboc left (resized).jpg

Planking and flaking paint.
cab plank (resized).jpgcab plank (resized).jpg

A little water damage on the backbox.
backbox back (resized).jpgbackbox back (resized).jpg

The playfield is not to bad. At least its not like Fire
playfield (resized).jpgplayfield (resized).jpg

A little shooter lane wear
playfield shooter wear 1 (resized).jpgplayfield shooter wear 1 (resized).jpgplayfield shooter wear 2 (resized).jpgplayfield shooter wear 2 (resized).jpg

This ramp bracket was fabricated and not correct.
playfield ramp bracket (resized).jpgplayfield ramp bracket (resized).jpg

Scoop wear. I have Cliffys but the damage extends outside the bracket so it will have to be fixed and them air brushed. You can also see the fade between the pop bumpers. It should be more of an orange but the half tones are faded. After looking at several machines on the internet it seems that this is pretty common but I will try and fix that. The flash washed it out a bit but the interesting thing is the area that was under the mylar faded more than the unprotected area.
playfield left scoop (resized).jpgplayfield left scoop (resized).jpgplayfield upper scoop wear (resized).jpgplayfield upper scoop wear (resized).jpg

Helicopter insert damaged. Several inserts are sunk a little bit. This was the only one that showed real damage.
playfield insert damage (resized).jpgplayfield insert damage (resized).jpg

More fade. The yellow "lane" extending from Mr Hammond through the T-Rex is supposed to be more orange.
playfield fade (resized).jpgplayfield fade (resized).jpg

Broken lane guide plastic. Nice tape job.
playfield broken lane plastic (resized).jpgplayfield broken lane plastic (resized).jpg

This one creaked me up. The Amber was missing and they just put a piece of tinted plexi in its place. I have a replacement Amber.
playfield amber (resized).jpgplayfield amber (resized).jpg

I am guessing that this thing was dropped in the cab a few times. Both rear corner plastics were broken on the corner and the right side actually damaged the wood.
broken corner 2 (resized).jpgbroken corner 2 (resized).jpgbroken corner 1 (resized).jpgbroken corner 1 (resized).jpg

If anyone that makes plastics is reading this thread. For the sake of humanity, please make JP plastics.

#2 7 years ago

I got the playfield out. Man, the DE wire harnesses are so much fun. lol
wire harness.jpgwire harness.jpg

Lower cab doesn't look too bad just dirty. I will take everything out and clean it up real good and do some woodwork and paint.
lower cab dirty.jpglower cab dirty.jpg

Got all the boards out. It is so clean, you cant even tell where they were.
Kinda interesting. On the power supply, you can see some of the traces.
no boards.jpgno boards.jpg

Got the backbox off. One of the brackets was bent so will probably just get some new ones.
head removed.jpghead removed.jpg

#10 7 years ago

Got some more work done. Not going to bore you with many pictures of the tear down except to show condition or challenges. Got the upper and lower cabinets completely empty except for the grounding straps.

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empty upper (resized).jpgempty upper (resized).jpg

There is a little more damage on the front. The upper right and left corners that would normally be covered by the lockdown bar have some delaminating.
front damage 1 (resized).jpgfront damage 1 (resized).jpgfront damage 2 (resized).jpgfront damage 2 (resized).jpg

The hole in the wood to access the backbox lock has been abused. I mean how hard is it to stick a wrench in a hole.
I already have the instruction decal ready from when I did my BTTF.
back damage (resized).jpgback damage (resized).jpg

nothing major on the playfield yet. I will have to look at some pictures but I think I have an extra post that was put in because of a broken plastic. One of the pop bumper mounts had a corner broke off.
pop (resized).jpgpop (resized).jpg

I have some pretty good warping of a few plastics. These were the worst two.
plastic 1 (resized).jpgplastic 1 (resized).jpg
plastic 2 (resized).jpgplastic 2 (resized).jpg

So here is where I am at right now. Another couple of hours and I should have everything off the playfield.
playfield (resized).jpgplayfield (resized).jpg

I think my biggest concern with the restoration is the plastics. I am not worried about that cabinet. I am pretty sure I can make it look new. The playfield should turn out really nice not to mention the mods. I am just worried that the plastics will not live up to the rest of the restoration. I cant believe that these are not made yet.

I know JP plastics are unobtanium but if anyone has some and wants to help out with a restoration, please let me know. Even if you only have one plastic, I am interested.

#12 7 years ago

Thanks for the information. I am checking on shipping to the US etc. I haven't seen this site before.

#15 7 years ago

I forgot to upload this picture yesterday. These are the decals I will either clean up or reproduce for the cabinet.
decals (resized).jpgdecals (resized).jpg

I finished up stripping the playfield tonight.

Another warped plastic.
plastic (resized).jpgplastic (resized).jpg

Here is the metal piece that is right in front of the T-Rex. I turned it over and it doesn't look "original".
It appears to have the "scotch tape hand cut plastic spacer mod"
metal plate (resized).jpgmetal plate (resized).jpgmetal mod (resized).jpgmetal mod (resized).jpg

Here is the playfield ready for a good cleaning.
playfield (resized).jpgplayfield (resized).jpg

#17 7 years ago
Quoted from markp99:

If you reproduce the backbox locking decals, can you make an extra set? Mine were in pretty rough shape (I removed them).
The remainder of my decals and cards are fine, except for "Install 6 Balls" strcker, which I think I can handle.

Yeah. Just remind me when I get to that point. Lol

#20 7 years ago

Well. We are gonna find out how good those plastics are because I ordered a set.

#22 7 years ago
Quoted from Billc479:

Just curious - In the backbox picture, upper left quadrant, there are several black spots that look like arcing to me. What's your take on it?
On my machine, I saw the same thing. To me, it looks like the heat sink on some of the transistors arc over to the back plane, so I insulated that area behind that board, and since then, I have not blown any of those transistors.
You have quite a project on your hands - I understand the excitement of doing stuff like this. Remember that we do this for fun!

I cleaned off the area that you were referring to. It cleaned very easily with no marks on the metal. I am no expert on this but I wonder if the different areas of different temperatures cause the dirt to accumulate at different rates. Someone else might be able to give a better opinion. I still may put a couple of washers between the board and the back to give it a little more room.
back (resized).jpgback (resized).jpg

It is fun. I really enjoy doing this. Of course there are times where you want to pull your hair out.

#25 7 years ago

Got a little work done in the last couple days. I cut some ply and reinforced the front where it was delaminating. I glued it all back together.
cab (resized).jpgcab (resized).jpg

I also came across the decals I bought a couple of years ago.
decals (resized).jpgdecals (resized).jpg

I am always looking to try new things and I had an idea. I do not take everything off the bottom of the playfield when I restore a game. The only time I plan on that is when I replace my Waterworld playfield with a NOS playfield. I have no desire to do this on a regular basis. Normally I tape up all the holes from the underside so when I clear, nothing gets on anything. This works but makes it harder to keep the opening clean when you are sanding and wet sanding. There is normally a lot of cleaning before you clear again so you don't "lock in" any residue with the next layer of clear. Also at the end when you take the tape up there is usually build up where the tape meets the wood that has to be filed off and sanded etc. I decided to try something new on this one. If it works, it should save time later and make things a lot easier. If it doesn't, then crap.

I bought several sizes of PVC and cut them to 5 inch lengths.
pipe (resized).jpgpipe (resized).jpg

I carefully tied up all the mechanisms and switches on the underside of the playfield so they would not be close to a hole if possible. I then started mounting the PVC to the playfield. This should create a channel that clear spray can sink and pass all the stuff under the playfield and fall to the floor. I used 3 inch PVC for the pop bumpers and secured them with home made brackets and existing screw holes.
mount (resized).jpgmount (resized).jpg

The rest of the pipes were mounted using a little dab of silicone on a couple spots and left overnight. The next day I tested one to see how "stuck" it was and it was pretty firm and should not come off during the restoration. I went ahead and broke one loose just to make sure the silicone would have no adverse affects on the playfield and will clean off easy and it did. So I reattached it an left it to dry overnight again.

Then I needed to close off the big T-Rex hole. I got an 8 inch section of vent pipe and cut it up into 5 inch sections with a little extra to bend over for tabs. I then bent it into shape and attached it to the playfield.
pipe 3 (resized).jpgpipe 3 (resized).jpg

I then used the metal to "wall off' a few areas. One I made a Z bend piece next to the pop bumpers that isolated several holes and then another to shield from the trough. The cut out on the outer pop bumper pipe is to allow for mounting to my work box.
pipe 1 (resized).jpgpipe 1 (resized).jpgpipe 2 (resized).jpgpipe 2 (resized).jpg

Here are a few shots from the top.
top 2 (resized).jpgtop 2 (resized).jpgtop 1 (resized).jpgtop 1 (resized).jpgtop 3 (resized).jpgtop 3 (resized).jpg

The rest of the holes don't have anything near them. Just as an extra layer of protection, I put bags around several switches etc. I also put the entire wiring harness in a trashbag so any clear residue cannot get on any plugs.

The playfield is now ready for some real work. I like this part of the restoration because the teardown is done and now you actually feel like you are making progress toward the final product.

playfield (resized).jpgplayfield (resized).jpg

#28 7 years ago

Brown Chicken Brown Cow...

Got the playfield cleaned off today and have a lot better idea where I stand. Overall, not bad. A few wear spots and of course the scoops. Since I have a replacement decal for the grass around the T-Rex Eat hole, or whatever you call it , I went ahead and took it off since mine had some slight wear and a couple of bubbles.
lower (resized).jpglower (resized).jpg
mid (resized).jpgmid (resized).jpg
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There is a little wear area above the raptor head on the kickback. I will probably not fix this since it is actually under the bracket for the kickback. I wonder if they had a change during the process because the upper raptor head it mostly under the coil.
yellow (resized).jpgyellow (resized).jpg

Ugly scoop. I will have to repaint the entire yellow outline once I rebuild the hole.
scoop (resized).jpgscoop (resized).jpg

I have an interesting area to the left of the big T-Rex in the center section. It looks like a printing error as it almost looks like it has halftones around the edge. It does not appear to be normal wear. I will try and match the blue and paint the entire area that it is in and hope that the area that isolates it from the rest of the blue will allow it to blend and not be noticed.
error (resized).jpgerror (resized).jpg

Here you can see the fade on the yellow area around Mr. Hammonds legs. You can see where the upper flipper was. The area is supposed to be an orange color and it actually fluoresces under a black light. That might be why it is so common for this area to be faded yellow. The area is supposed to be orange with graduated red halftones.
fade (resized).jpgfade (resized).jpg

Got the entire playfield scanned. Then I scanned some of the problem areas with a higher resolution just in case I need it.
scan (resized).jpgscan (resized).jpg

Now that its all scanned, I tried one of the Mylar patches to see how easy it came off. So far I have had pretty good luck with Mylar on DE games. I use freeze spray and then removed the glue. Here is what it looked like before I started.
mylar (resized).jpgmylar (resized).jpg

Here it is with the Mylar removed leaving the glue. Looks about the same.
glue (resized).jpgglue (resized).jpg

The glue came off pretty easy.
clean (resized).jpgclean (resized).jpg

Here is my shop dog helping. Any I use the word "helping" very loosely.
dog (resized).jpgdog (resized).jpg

I hope to get the rest of the Mylar off tomorrow.

#29 7 years ago

Got all the Mylar off. It was the easiest Mylar that I have ever removed. The playfield looks so much better without the Mylar.
mylar (resized).JPGmylar (resized).JPG

There is one area around the VUK hole where the wire ramp connects to the playfield that has some wood damage. You can see that the wood is chipped.
damage (resized).JPGdamage (resized).JPG

Glued and clamped.
glue (resized).JPGglue (resized).JPG

#30 7 years ago

I thought I would break out the black light out and show you how the orange/yellow fluoresces.
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I have not read anything about why they used this paint. Its kinda interesting because normally white fluoresces but the white paint on the playfield does not.

I got the playfield lightly sanded and ready for the first layer of clear. Probably be a week or so before I can do that so when I have time I will start working on the cabinet. I documented all the locations of the cab graphics so it is ready to be sanded.

#32 7 years ago
Quoted from radium:

That's crazy, I never heard of the fluorescing paint on JP. Wonder if anyone knows the backstory on that... Probably just did it to give it some pop?
What do you plan to do to fix the faded half-tones? Keeping the fluroescent paint?

I have a set of fluorescent paint and my plan is to keep with the original and use it. The orange that I have is probably a little dark so will have to try and mix which I have not done with fluorescents. I will water slide the half tones on once it is painted.

I think it is a cool throwback to the 70's where a lot of games use fluorescent paint. I have several.

I have some ideas how I can maybe incorporate it into the game.

#36 7 years ago

Nothing really to show but I have been doing a lot of work on the computer. I have all the graphics done that will allow me to cut vinyl and masks for painting. I hope to get the first layer of clear on the playfield early next week so I can start working on the playfield.

#40 7 years ago
Quoted from Meloyelo51:

While you have everything apart, could you possibly scan the speaker grills? Mine should be arriving next week, and I guess the speaker grills have been replaced as they are plain back. My OCD requires the dino logos, and I think if I can make a stencil, my friend could air brush it. I can't seem to find anybody even parting out the grills.

I don't have the speaker grills apart yet but I will take a look and get you a scan. PM me your email address.

#41 7 years ago
Quoted from radium:

Curious what you use for doing the vector art. I've used Illustrator for a few small projects, but had a tough time getting proficient with it enough to do anything complex.

I have been using Paint Shop Pro for 15+ years but I am transitioning to Photoshop. I know it is a lot more powerful than PSP but It's not as user friendly. I am slowly learning.
I also use CorelDRAW to prepare some images to be cut with my vinyl cutter.

#43 7 years ago

Just an update on the plastics I ordered. I got mine in and they look great except for one problem. Two are missing. The ring that goes around the TRex and the upper left corner plastic. I am working with them right now. It appears they did not know the set was not complete. They were apologetic and asked if I could send scans. I sent them scans of the two plastics and I hope they add them to the set and send them to me when they finish cleaning up the art.

My TRex ring is in pretty good shape. I used a heat gut to flatten it and it looks almost new. I really need that corner piece though, so I hope they come through for me. Those were not cheap when you add the shipping.

#45 7 years ago
Quoted from bballfan:

Interested is selling the old plastics?
I would like to replace the large raptor plastic and middle scoop plastic.

The middle scoop plastic was in pieces so it is not usable. I have a buddy that is restoring a JP so he has first dibs but I might post what is available when I am done.

1 week later
#49 7 years ago

Sorry for the lack of updates. Long story short, they had to replace the entire wood floor in our new house and also fix some Sheetrock. The shop became a storage area so haven't been able to work. If the stars line up I hope to get the first layer of clear on next week.

#52 7 years ago

Actually, the floor just didn't stick. Luckily, the gameroom has carpet in it.

#54 7 years ago
Quoted from happyhour:

Hi, I just started my JP restoration today. Only doing the board right now, got it all taken apart today. Like most Jurassic parks the C and A out holes are tore up. What are you going to use to build the damaged areas back up? I'm going to add the stainless steel protectors but still want to build it back up.
I have a new set of plastics I bought years ago when I got the machine, and most of the ones on the machine are still in good shape. Let me know if they send you two you are missing. if you don't get them I can send you my old ones
Joe

Thanks for the offer on the plastics. I confirmed yesterday that they are working on the two plastics but if it doesn't work out, I will let you know.

I will document the fix for the holes but my plan is to put a couple small screws in the damaged area that will provide and anchor for the epoxy putty that I will use to reform the hole. Then I will air brush the art back on and cover with the cliffys.

#55 7 years ago

Well, they are finally getting done with the house. Had some painting issues. Since workers have been in and out of the house, I really didn't want to clear the playfield. The last thing I need is for someone to have a question while I am all suited up and ready to shoot. lol

I took this opportunity to finish up my Galaga. I had a 60-1 board in it for years but there are so many good games missing and for someone that grew up in the arcade in the 80's, I wanted to change it. I made it a 2 player with button joysticks, a spinner and trackball. I used a 21 inch 4:3 LCD. This allowed me to play the vertical games at almost normal size and then play the horizontal games full screen. I made a custom bezel based on the original art. I also added lighted buttons. It runs Hyperspin and includes classic games, Laser disc games and some 90's games. Really happy with the result. Only thing left to do is add an amp for the speaker. Sorry, the picture is not the greatest.

Dscf5225 (resized).jpgDscf5225 (resized).jpg

I am on call for work for the next 5 days so I will probably not clear until next week. I don't want to clear and then get called out for a few days and not be able to sand when I want. I will probably start working on the cabinet in the next few days if I am around.

#56 7 years ago

Got the booth all ready in preparation for spraying on Wednesday morning.

clear (resized).jpgclear (resized).jpg

#58 7 years ago
Quoted from Darscot:

I used an artificial wood filler on mine and it worked really well. I can't remember the name of it. It's like play dough, tan on the outside with white in the middle. You mix it together to activate it. It soft enough to work it into the blown out holes and it hardens just like wood. Even after its set you can slice it with a razor just like wood. I liked it because I didn't have to try and sand it down and risk scratching the playfield. Experts may have a better solution but it was quick, easy and carved perfect for under a cliffy. I did mine probably a year ago and so far held up perfectly.

Yep. That is the exact stuff I will be using. Plan I doing that after the first layer of clear.

#60 7 years ago

I was actually thinking about taping off the areas that I will be working on and then clearing. That way, the epoxy will be on the wood but the clear will be protecting the playfield as I level the top.

#64 7 years ago

I have decided to go ahead and clear the playfield with tape over the areas that will be fixed. This will allow me to adhere the epoxy to the wood but allow me to work the top more due to the clear. There will be several more layers of clear on the playfield by the time it is done.

scoop (resized).jpgscoop (resized).jpg scoop2 (resized).jpgscoop2 (resized).jpg

#65 7 years ago

Got the playfield cleared yesterday. Pretty typical first application. Had very good adhesion with no fisheyes or anything. The one thing about the first application, it really shows you what work you have to do. Any imperfection in the playfield surface shows up. A lot of this is fixed by sanding and re-clearing. I had several insert seams suck the clear in but this is normally fixed during subsequent applications. overall, pretty happy with the results and the scoop repair areas are nice bare wood. I hope to sand this evening or tomorrow and get to work on the scoop repair.

#66 7 years ago

got the playfield sanded. Once I got the surface block sanded you could see the inserts that have issues. In the following pictures, you can see the gloss on the areas that are lower than the playfield.

The Helicopter insert is one of the worst. It actually has some wear on the playfield above the insert.
shine 1 (resized).JPGshine 1 (resized).JPG

The other two pictures are just some examples of several inserts that either sucked up the clear on the seams or are slightly recessed.
shine 2 (resized).JPGshine 2 (resized).JPGshine 3 (resized).JPGshine 3 (resized).JPG

I then sanded all the problem areas because they have to be roughed up before the next clear. Now the playfield has a more uniform dull finish.
shine 4 (resized).JPGshine 4 (resized).JPG

Since I wet sanded some, I will let the bare wood areas dry a bit before I start working on the scoop repair.

#68 7 years ago

Worked on the scoop holes tonight. This is the first time I have had to fix a scoop so nothing you are about to see may be correct.
I decided to drill a couple of holes in each wear area in hopes that the epoxy might have some extra grabbing power. I also put a staple in the biggest wear area.
hole 2 (resized).JPGhole 2 (resized).JPGhole 1 (resized).JPGhole 1 (resized).JPGhole 3 (resized).JPGhole 3 (resized).JPG

Here is the epoxy I used.
wood (resized).JPGwood (resized).JPG

I tried to mold it as close as I could so less finishing work will have to be done. I made sure the edges were very slightly raised as to allow for a flat finish after I sand.
clay 1 (resized).JPGclay 1 (resized).JPGclay 2 (resized).JPGclay 2 (resized).JPGclay 3 (resized).JPGclay 3 (resized).JPG

My T-rex pickup is not too bad, I have definitely seen a lot worse. I decided to go ahead and make it look a little better.
trex (resized).JPGtrex (resized).JPG

#70 7 years ago

Worked on the scoops today. For the first time fixing scoop holes, I am pretty happy with the results. I learned a few things to improve next time. I started by block sanding to blend with the playfield. Then I sanded the inside of the hole. Finally I worked on the bevel on the edge. Each hole was slightly different so just tried to match to each end of the scoop that was not worn.
A hole (resized).JPGA hole (resized).JPGC hole (resized).JPGC hole (resized).JPG

The wear area on the Control Room crossed over into the stand up target area. Here is a shot of the fix from the target side.
target (resized).JPGtarget (resized).JPG

On the power shed, the wear on the inside broke through to the ramp area. I built this area up and then shaped it like original.
ramp (resized).JPGramp (resized).JPGs hole (resized).JPGs hole (resized).JPG

Pretty happy about the Trex pickup.
t rex (resized).JPGt rex (resized).JPG

Forgot to fix the shooter lane so I applied the epoxy to it.
shooter (resized).JPGshooter (resized).JPG

#71 7 years ago

I sanded the shooter lane epoxy and also sanded the groove out to get rid of the rough areas.
shooter (resized).JPGshooter (resized).JPG

I started playing with paint colors for the playfield work that will need to be done. Luckily the red, yellow and darker wood areas are good right out of the bottle. The green, blue and light wood colors had to be mixed and after a lot of tweaking, I got them matched.
paint (resized).JPGpaint (resized).JPG

Here is the light wood color that will be used to fix the wood areas around the scoop holes.
wood paint (resized).JPGwood paint (resized).JPG

Then I started working on the Fluorescent orange. I was lucky and one of the orange colors was a perfect match. Here are a couple of test matches.

Here it is on the protected flipper area.
orange (resized).JPGorange (resized).JPG

Lit up.
orange F (resized).JPGorange F (resized).JPG

The spot behind Laura Derns shoulder was interesting. It seemed to be a little transparent. I used this area as a test because I wanted to see how it matched because I plan on painting in front of her all the way to the flipper. I wanted to make sure there would not be a big color change from behind her to in front of her. When I painted it appeared to be a perfect match. What was interesting is that the red half tones showed through. It would be awesome if I could get the orange back without having to do the half tones but we'll find out when I spray it and see how it lays down.
orange 2 (resized).JPGorange 2 (resized).JPG

Lit uporange f2 (resized).JPGorange f2 (resized).JPG

Then I did a little experimenting.
I have an idea that I am thinking about doing so I tried some Fluorescent green and it was a perfect match for the green on the playfield. More on that if I decide to proceed with the idea.
green (resized).JPGgreen (resized).JPG

Here is it lit up.
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Time to break out the vinyl cutter and cut some of the stencils for painting. I will paint a few areas before I clear again.

#73 7 years ago
Quoted from lb1:

Your thread motivated me to start playing with epoxy wood putty on a Waterworld playfield that I bought to practice on.
There wasn't much scoop repair I needed to do but I found the putty needed to be really pressed into the wood for it to feel like it was sticking. That leaves me wondering how strong the repairs are going to be. I'm thinking maybe I could have added a thin layer of 2 part epoxy
glue with a small acid brush to the wood prior to putting the putty in.

I know what you mean. I kinda press the putty at an angle back and forth sliding my finger along the playfield and the inside of the scoop. I put a staple in the largest hole to give a little strength. I also drilled too holes in the sides. Before I sanded, I really out some pressure on all of them and they were solid. I think it adheres during the drying process. I have heard some people use dowels to help attach it but I have never seen exactly how that's done.

#78 7 years ago

Interesting about the Cliffys. I bought a set when I picked up this machine several years ago and planned on using them. I had not heard about the problems with JP. I guess I will make that decision when I am done with the playfield.

#83 7 years ago

I worked on the artwork last night and hope to get some of the stencils cut tonight.

I got the cabinet sanded today. The T-Rex didn't go without a fight.
trex (resized).JPGtrex (resized).JPG

Will have to do some work on most of the corners and glue some of the wood back down. I sanded all the water marks out of the back of the backbox.
back back (resized).JPGback back (resized).JPGback side (resized).JPGback side (resized).JPGcab front (resized).JPGcab front (resized).JPGcab side (resized).JPGcab side (resized).JPG

#85 7 years ago

Worked on the cab a little more tonight. Several of the corners will need glued but I will have to go to my dads to get some pipe clamps. Until then, I went ahead and glued a couple of things and then put some epoxy putty on some of the bigger areas that had chunks missing. Most of these areas will have to be further finished with wood filler but this will be the base for the fix. I also put some wood filler on the areas that I could.
back 1 (resized).JPGback 1 (resized).JPGback 2 (resized).JPGback 2 (resized).JPGcab inside (resized).JPGcab inside (resized).JPGcab back (resized).JPGcab back (resized).JPG

Here is a corner I could glue with some creative engineering.
cab front (resized).JPGcab front (resized).JPG

The backbox hinge lock access hole was blown out pretty bad. I applied putty and will reform the hole.
lock hole (resized).JPGlock hole (resized).JPGlock hole putty (resized).JPGlock hole putty (resized).JPG

#86 7 years ago

Cutter hard a work today.
cutter (resized).JPGcutter (resized).JPG

Here is the first batch of paint masks. Not all will be used on this painting session before I clear again. I just wanted to go ahead and cut the ones that were ready. This is most of them besides insert rings.
mask (resized).JPGmask (resized).JPG

#88 7 years ago

Got the Pipe clamps so glued some more. Also applied more Epoxy putty and wood filler. I forgot how much fun it was to restore a cabinet. This is probably the worst one I have worked on.

cab (resized).JPGcab (resized).JPGcab back (resized).JPGcab back (resized).JPGback (resized).JPGback (resized).JPG

#90 7 years ago
Quoted from eh97ac:

Are you replacing the bottom of the cab, sanding it, painting it...do tell?

Not planning on doing anything with the bottom of the cabinet. It's in pretty good physical shape and nobody sees it anyways. Lol

#91 7 years ago

Sanded what I had done so far on the cabinet. I am pretty happy with the results. I will still have to use wood filler on the spots again to do a final blend. I also have one more place on the backbox that will need glued and I have to build up the places with putty that I couldn't get too because of the clamps.

Nice new corners.
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Front will need some more work.
Dscf5310 (resized).jpgDscf5310 (resized).jpg

The bottom of the front is not level so will probably have to build it up and sand to the shape it needs to be.
Dscf5311 (resized).jpgDscf5311 (resized).jpg

The backbox hinge hole is filled. I will shape the hole later.
Dscf5312 (resized).jpgDscf5312 (resized).jpg

Some shots of the backbox.
Dscf5314 (resized).jpgDscf5314 (resized).jpgDscf5313 (resized).jpgDscf5313 (resized).jpg

I thought about doing some painting but decided to go ahead and clear the playfield again. I couldn't paint all of one color so I decided to clear and have a good solid canvas to start the touchups. I sprayed a little thicker than normal to help the inserts level. I am very happy with the finish. After I sprayed, I dropped some clear in a couple of the inserts that were still not level.

Dscf5317 (resized).jpgDscf5317 (resized).jpg

Here are a couple of shots of the shine.
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The Epoxy repair areas took the clear perfect.
Dscf5318 (resized).jpgDscf5318 (resized).jpg
Dscf5320 (resized).jpgDscf5320 (resized).jpgDscf5319 (resized).jpgDscf5319 (resized).jpg

My plan is to let the playfield cure until probably Tuesday and then block sand and get ready to paint.

#92 7 years ago

Did some more Epoxy work and wood filler on the cab and glued another part of the cab. My dads pipe clamps were not long enough to go from the front of the cab to the back. I went to Harbor Freight and found a 60 inch clamp with padded ends for $15. I also picked up a 30 inch clamp for $7. This should allow me to fix anything on the cab.

The 30 inch clamp is on the table.
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#93 7 years ago

Got the playfield sanded. Most of the crack seams of the inserts leveled out really nice. There was one insert and just a couple of spots that needed drops of clear. I put the drops of clear on yesterday and will let them settle for a few days and then sand them level.

a very nice uniform level dull finish.
Dscf5329 (resized).jpgDscf5329 (resized).jpg

An interesting thing I noticed was at some time in the past, somebody put a center post between the flippers. It was removed before I got the game and I never noticed it until I was sanding yesterday. Because the post was not supposed to be there, I am sure it wasn't installed correctly and it raised the wood around the hole. The original wear which you can see in some of the previous photos is a little bit smaller and rougher looking. On the first clear coat sanding I sanded through and it took off the rough edges that you can see below.
Dscf5324 (resized).jpgDscf5324 (resized).jpg

I want to restore this to normal so I filled the hole with Epoxy putty.
Dscf5327 (resized).jpgDscf5327 (resized).jpg

Today I sanded it down and but a drop of clear on it.
Dscf5328 (resized).jpgDscf5328 (resized).jpg

Should be a pretty easy paint job as it will just be while and black. Luckily it didn't go into the half tone area.

I hope to sand the cabinet for a second time tomorrow.

#94 7 years ago

Got the cabinet sanded for the second time. I was hoping I would be at a spot to go ahead and prime it to see where I was at but I found some spots that needed attention so I am going to wood fill and sand again. Then hopefully its ready for primer.

I did decide to sand the bottom of the inside of the cabinet. It was filthy even after I cleaned it so I sanded it down.
Here is a picture showing how it looked right after I started. What a difference.
Dscf5330 (resized).jpgDscf5330 (resized).jpg

Here is it all sanded and cleaned up.
Dscf5331 (resized).jpgDscf5331 (resized).jpg

I hope to get the clear drops on the playfield sanded tomorrow and then its ready for some airbrushing.

1 week later
#95 7 years ago

Got another set of masks cut.
Dscf5332 (resized).jpgDscf5332 (resized).jpg

I had to cut twice due to a needle issue so I ended up with a couple of extra masks. I decided to test fit one of the masks and it fit perfectly. I test fit the wood color mask.
Dscf5333 (resized).jpgDscf5333 (resized).jpgDscf5335 (resized).jpgDscf5335 (resized).jpg

If the stars line up tomorrow, I should be able to paint a little.

#96 7 years ago

Well the stars lined up enough to get one color painted. Got the wood color on the scoop holes today. Here it is ready to paint.
Dscf5336 (resized).jpgDscf5336 (resized).jpg

Kinda cool when you get the masks on and you can see what will be painted.
Dscf5337 (resized).jpgDscf5337 (resized).jpgDscf5339 (resized).jpgDscf5339 (resized).jpgDscf5340 (resized).jpgDscf5340 (resized).jpg

Got it painted and I forgot to take a picture before I started taking the paper off.
Dscf5341 (resized).jpgDscf5341 (resized).jpg

Really happy with the results.
Dscf5342 (resized).jpgDscf5342 (resized).jpg
Dscf5343 (resized).jpgDscf5343 (resized).jpgDscf5345 (resized).jpgDscf5345 (resized).jpg

I think I am gonna use the inner scoop protectors instead of the Cliffys. Even though most of the inside will be covered, I wanted to paint the inside of the holes as well to have a more finished look.
Dscf5348 (resized).jpgDscf5348 (resized).jpg

#98 7 years ago

Painted the wood area by the TRex. I have seen so many color variations for this area that its kinda hard to judge what is "right". Mine was kinda dark. I guess it was a lower ply layer that was a darker color. I have seen some that are light color. In the end, I decided to try and match the upper ridge color. It is darker than the scoops but lighter than the lower area. I am not sure about the color yet. I like it but not sure if I could do a better job. The good thing is that I can repaint it at anytime so I am going to keep working on the rest and see how it all flows towards the end. The sticker that goes there covers up much of that area so it will look better once the sticker is applied no matter what color it is. The bare wood is different colors on every part of this playfield. I still have to decide how to paint the wood area on the shooter lane too.

My original plan, was to paint the area a hunter green to go along with the sticker. After thinking about it, I decided not to do that because it the area ever started wearing again, then the wood color would start showing through and that would not look good.

My masks take into account all the little imperfections from the hand draw art. I am, however, fixing some of the screen printing issues. You can see the white bleed trough in the picture below indicated with the arrow.
Dscf5351 (resized).jpgDscf5351 (resized).jpg
Dscf5353 (resized).jpgDscf5353 (resized).jpg

White areas gone.
Dscf5354 (resized).jpgDscf5354 (resized).jpg

Here is the old sticker for reference.
Dscf5355 (resized).jpgDscf5355 (resized).jpg

#100 7 years ago
Quoted from CaptainNeo:

damn that was a rough starting game. Hope you got that one cheap. Like $500 cheap. this is going to be a huge project. Nice work so far.

Thanks.
And yeah, I got it pretty cheap.
Did a little trading with a guy that I have gotten a couple projects from.

#101 7 years ago

Ok, I know I said I was gonna wait on the Trex hole color but Mr. OCD showed up today and he wasn't feeling it so I sanded it all off and started again. I am always looking for something a little different. I was looking at paint today and I saw some Createx Pearl paint. This paint works best when painted on a white or black background depending on what look you are going for. I decided to go with the white. I printed up some more masks and went to work.

Dscf5356 (resized).jpgDscf5356 (resized).jpg

Then, the pearl paint was applied.
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Dscf5358 (resized).jpgDscf5358 (resized).jpg

Dscf5359 (resized).jpgDscf5359 (resized).jpg

I am kinda liking it. I think the color is more in line than the first one. I can always change it.

1 week later
#104 7 years ago

Lots going on today. My goal was to get the fluorescent orange painted. It was the most complicated color to paint so I wanted to knock it out. Here is a shot of the playfield before the paint. All the orange is faded badly. In a previous post I showed the area under the upper flipper that shows the original color. You can also see it in the picture below.
before (resized).jpgbefore (resized).jpg

I will say that these colored dots are from the devil.
They make the painting more complicated. I was not able to mask every one of them so some will have to be added back later.
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Ready to paint.
Dscf5365 (resized).jpgDscf5365 (resized).jpg

The fluorescent paint has its pros and cons. The pro is that it is a transparent paint. This allows it to darken the area but also allows the red halftones to show through so I will not have to redo those. The con is that it is transparent so it wont cover anything up.
Because of this, any dark areas will show through. So the insert ring cracks and the wear area on the shooter lane have to be fixed. I had to paint both areas white to make the base uniform before applying the orange.
Dscf5366 (resized).jpgDscf5366 (resized).jpg

Can anyone see the area I forgot to paint white? I remembered as soon as I shot the first layer of orange. The scoop area that was repaired extended into the orange so it has to be painted white as well.
Dscf5367 (resized).jpgDscf5367 (resized).jpg

White applied.
Dscf5369 (resized).jpgDscf5369 (resized).jpg

I covered the spot that was under the upper flipper so I could use it for a reference to match the color I was painting.
After a few coats it was a pretty good match.
Dscf5370 (resized).jpgDscf5370 (resized).jpg

Since the area under the flippers was probably still a little faded, I shot a couple more coats to finish it off and blend everything.
Dscf5372 (resized).jpgDscf5372 (resized).jpg

Now the fun part of taking all the masks off. I think I did to much at once on this one. It took me a while to get all the masks on and everything covered. This caused the masks to be stuck more than I like by the time I was done. Next time I will not do this much at one time. Here is the playfield with all the masks removed.
As a note, the camera does not really pick up the true color of the orange. It is much more vibrant than the pictures show.
Dscf5373 (resized).jpgDscf5373 (resized).jpg

Here is where the day that was going so well, took a bit of a turn. As with any restoration, things pop up from time to time and you just have to roll with it. At this point in the process, I had not noticed the problem yet. Some of you detail types may have seen it in the previous picture. Here are a few shots of the orange areas up close (along with the problem).

Insert ring and Smart missile ring.
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Left lane. Remember how it was faded under the mylar?
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Shooter lane, dino scales and the shirt in the Explorer.
Dscf5378 (resized).jpgDscf5378 (resized).jpg

Center lane. Mr. Hammond is much more visible with the background orange instead of washed out yellow. All the flames and details are back. And the red halftones are still present (The camera is not picking them up very well but they are there and look great)
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Well, If you haven't noticed it by now, the left pointing jackpot arrow is ghosting on the tip. You can tell by the pics that the ghosting was not present in the picture of the payfiled painted with all the masks on. I was very careful taking the masks off and I even remember taking the mask off that arrow and there was nothing there. Sometime between the time I took the mask off and took that overview picture of the playfield, the insert delaminated. You can tell by the picture that the delamination occurred between the plastic insert and the factory clear. You can tell because the black insert line is perfect and that was screened over the plastic.
Dscf5380 (resized).jpgDscf5380 (resized).jpg

The best option was to cut the clear off the entire insert. The top area came off really easy so there was definitely a problem from the factory. I just hope it is isolated to this one insert. The lower part was stuck better which makes me feel better. You can see in the following picture that I trimmed into the wood area on the bottom of the insert and the clear was very hard to remove from that area so the clear is adhering to the playfield very well.
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It stinks that this happened but it can be fixed and I am glad it happened now instead of after it was finished. I do not want to risk messing up any of the orange paint so I am going to clear again before I do any more work to the playfield. I have done several colors and its time to seal them in. My target is to clear on Monday.

#105 7 years ago

I forgot to take a picture earlier of the new paint with the black light.
She really glows now.

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#106 7 years ago

I was not happy with the orange insert by Nedry's head. The ring was just slightly smaller that in should be so I was not happy with how it butted up next to the black. There was also a flake of paint missing, Probably from taking the mask off due to the extra layers of paint because I shot orange first. I just figured I would start over on that one. That left the center of the playfield with no paint on it so I was able to paint another section without getting anywhere near the orange. The stampede computer insert had a seam that went up into the brown area above it near where Mr Hammond has his arm. Went ahead and fixed that.
Dscf5384 (resized).jpgDscf5384 (resized).jpgDscf5385 (resized).jpgDscf5385 (resized).jpg

In this picture, you can also see where I sanded off the orange insert.
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#109 7 years ago

This is my first big air brush project. I used a quick change on my Fire project but it was pretty cheap and was really only good for one project. I am now using a "real" air Brush. I am actually using a Harbor freight brush and it is working very well and I am happy with it. At some point, I might upgrade but I am happy with the results so far. Biggest thing is making sure the paint is thin enough or it clogs. I actually have two and that comes in handy when I had to paint the white and then a color.

#111 7 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

Is the reservoir on top or botttom?

Bottom

#112 7 years ago

I decided not to clear yet. There is not much paint on the lower playfield so I wanted to do more painting before the next clear.

I had to repair and calibrate my cutter yesterday. All the larger masks I have already cut, will have to be re cut as they are to large by a miniscule amount but when you are mask painting, it makes a difference. I cut some new masks last night and got to work.

I did not like the way the switch cutout looked like on the Raptor pit lane. It looks sloppy with a darker yellow and its very non uniform. My buddy's is the same way so it is a factory issue but I don't like it.
Dscf5390 (resized).jpgDscf5390 (resized).jpgDscf5391 (resized).jpgDscf5391 (resized).jpg

Finished. All nice and bright. Much better.
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Black is one of the colors that you can SOMETIMES get away with painting just the spot that need fixed and not the entire area. Here is one of the inserts on the top left of the playfield that will need fixed.
Dscf5393 (resized).jpgDscf5393 (resized).jpg

Here it is with the paint applied. You can see it now, but wiping Naphtha on it gives you a true color of what it will look like when cleared.
Dscf5394 (resized).jpgDscf5394 (resized).jpg
In this case you cannot see the paint when you do that so I am hoping that I can do that and not have to do the entire ring. Also there are several areas in the center of the playfield that I hope I don't have to paint larger areas, You can see them in some of the pictures below.

Next, I fixed the insert cracks that are in the blue area. I only did one area first just incase I was not happy with the color. Less I have to take off.

Insert crack
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Finished.
Dscf5397 (resized).jpgDscf5397 (resized).jpg

I was very happy with the color match. I did the Naphtha test and it looked perfect to me. I went ahead and fixed two more spots.

Here is the one that had the screen printing issue with a few white half-tones showing up.
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Here is another insert crack. I cheated a little bit on this mask. Normally you have to paint an entire area to a border so the color is uniform. I had no desire to paint around all the dots so in this case, I stopped the mask at the dinos ear. This is such a small spot, that a paint seem should not show up.
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Finished.
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There is one more blue insert crack to fix by the TRex but that is one of the larger masks that had the sizing error so I will have to recut it tonight and then paint.

#115 7 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

Very nice indeed. Have you cleared over any color yet?

I did a base clear but have not cleared any paint yet. Have just a bit more and I will clear again. After that I will do more painting.

#119 7 years ago

Yes. I got them from pinball center. They look awesome but was kind of a fiasco to get. They were missing two plastics so I sent them scans of mine and they made new ones to send me. They tried to charge me for them but I called them on it. Still had to pay shipping though. The last time I looked they still had not included them in the set.

#120 7 years ago

Got some more masks cut last night. I finished up the last blue section.

Crack
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I started over with the Arrow insert below the raptor pit. Pretty big mark on the upper right side.
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This time I took another approach. The yellow was not covering the black crack up very well so I decided to put a layer of white down first to soften up the dark areas.
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This allowed me to use much less yellow paint and provided a much better result than the first attempt using just the yellow.
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Dscf5410 (resized).jpgDscf5410 (resized).jpg

Now its back to the Fluorescent orange insert that I sanded off.
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The white marks on the inserts make things more difficult. I was not happy with painting the color in segments. I now am going to paint the ring the solid base color and then add the segments after I clear. I think this will make the insert look much sharper than painting it all in segments. As discussed earlier, the Fluorescent orange is transparent so the white layer is needed to cover the crack marks before applying the orange.
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Next I painted the shooter lane. This had a repair so I had to do something to it.
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I decided to try and match the darker color of wood that was on the lane.
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It covered the repair very well. If you look real close, you can see a hint of the grain showing through which is fine. My goal is to use some transparent browns to add some of the grain back in after I clear. I have never attempted that so I guess we are gonna find out if I am actually an artist.
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As a side note, I picked these pointed q-tip looking things at Hobby Lobby. The tips are very rigid and are awesome for removing adhesive or paint from a very confined space. The make two different sizes.
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Just a couple more things to paint and then ready to clear.

#122 7 years ago
Quoted from Meloyelo51:

Yeah it doesn't look like the bunker is in there

Post a picture of it. Not sure exactly which one you are talking about.

#124 7 years ago
Quoted from jorro:

do you mean the one at the popbumpers?
i believe they have it but its listed as t-rex plastic

It was included in my set.

#125 7 years ago

the black paint that is under the Apron was rubbed off by the apron so I used Friskit to create the mask to paint it.
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Took me a while buy got a good match on the blue paint for the rings. I did the upper blue ship ring first to try it out. There are two others in the center that I might go ahead and do before I clear.
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I will put the white on after the next clear.

#126 7 years ago

Got the last couple of things done before the next clear. White is a very hard color to match. The Cretatex White is too white so after some mixing I think I got a pretty close match. I decided to go ahead and paint all three solid white areas.
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I decided not to do the two blue rings now. You waste a lot of paint when you transfer paint to your airbrush jar. I am a little afraid that If I split up the paint sessions for the blue, I might not have enough paint and I don't want to have to mix more. I would rather paint them all at once.

Went ahead and set up for clearing.
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Now I just have to find the time.

#129 7 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

Looking forward for the clear, what stuff are you using?

I use SW Finish One 2 part auto clear. I have been using it for a few years and I have been pretty happy with it. I don't have any experience with other clears so I can't compare them.

#131 7 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

How do you cover any larger holes/slots to prevent clear to spray on the underside? Tape?
Also, about the box you made, does it have any support in the middle to keep the playfield flat for clearcoating?

I document larger holes earlier in this thread. I use tape on some when needed. The box is open on the bottom and I use saw horses so any clear that makes it through a hole should continue down to the floor. I try and fix any switch etc away from any hole and if needed, I will put a plastic bag around them. I don't mind if a mist of clear gets on a wire though.

As far as the box is concerned. The playfield is supported full length on both sides which is more support than it had in a game so I don't consider that to be an issue.

#132 7 years ago

Got the playfield cleared today. On the inserts that I had to cut the clear off of, I dropped clear to fill them up. I will sand all that flat after it cures. Pretty happy with the results but as of now, I will let it sit for a week or so. I might lightly sand the dropped inserts tomorrow.
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1 week later
#135 7 years ago
Quoted from TxJay:

Any updates?

Thanks for checking. Been very busy at work. Just got home yesterday from 11 out of 15 days on the road. Finally have some time off and plan on working on it. Sucks when work gets in the way of fun stuff. Oh wait, work pays for the fun stuff.

#136 7 years ago

Got the playfield sanded today and overall, I am really happy with the progress to this point. A few minor issues I had to take care off but all are fixed now and ready to continue. I am really happy with how all the orange turned out. Of course since it has been sanded, the pics do not show the colors all that well.
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Really happy with the blue match.
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Also, The inserts that I had to cut out due to ghosting are all filled and sanded flat again. I also cut all three clear flasher inserts out that are between the pop bumpers because of just a hint of ghosting that wasn't really visible unless you really looked but I didn't want to take a chance. I forgot to document those before I cleared. I am also really happy with the light blue insert ring color.
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Its always feels good to get the playfield sanded. Kinda feels like you got a new slate to work on since everything is locked in.

#139 7 years ago

If I know I am clearing again and I need to level stuff then I block sand with 320-400. During my finishing phase I use an orbital sander starting with about 600 and working up and in the past, I have done that wet. I haven't tried an orbital dry yet. The finest orbital paper I can find is 320 and that makes me a little nervous to use dry.

#140 7 years ago

Painted the yellow lines today. I have to sat that I am not a fan of the create yellow. It is about as opaque as my pee. I also noticed that not all the yellow is the same color. I am not sure if that is normal or maybe is have a couple areas that might have a hint of fade.

Just as a base, Here are the scoops with the epoxy patches.

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Started with the left two. the paint on these matched near perfect. Sorry, I guess I didn't get an after pic.
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Next did the shooter lane and right scoop.
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Had to use white to cover the bad areas and then yellow, and I guess I didn't get a shot of the yellow either. Im a slacker today.
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Paint was a pretty good match but Not perfect.
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I decided to tweak the paint just a hair and redo the upper scoop and also take the right yellow line up to behind the flipper.
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Overview of the playfield. I plan on doing the rings next. I will wait to put the black outlines around the yellow until after I clear again.
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#142 7 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

Do you clear after each color pass or is it safe to apply frisket/mask over a recently painted area?

I try and plan to where I can do as many touch ups as possible without having to put a mask or frisket over fresh paint. That being said, normally frisket does not remove paint. The blue mask has a different type of adhesive and I put it down wet so it can be perfectly placed. The combination of this risks paint removal.

I don't like to paint two areas that are touching without clearing for two reasons. One, the edge that has been painted is not perfectly flat with the playfield so there is a risk of not sealing perfect with the frisket so you might get a bleed. Two, if you do make a mistake or it bleeds, you can't clean it off the new paint and you will have to take the paint off and paint the original area again. That is why I will wait to do the black lines on the yellow until after I clear again.

Keep in mind that I am not a professional and I have learned these techniques as I restore machines. There may be others that have a different opinion and do things completely different that I do. Lol

#143 7 years ago

Started working on the Red. I switched to Wicked colors by Createx. I have been using black for a while but decided to try the red. It was a better match and sprays right out of the bottle. Wicked seems to have more pigment than the standard which I hope will help my yellow issues. The only downside is that if you make a mistake it is much harder to take it off. That little tidbit of information will be important later. lol

Here are the first three rings.
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Really happy with the color.

I didn't have any other red ring masks ready so I decided to do the shooter lane. I was a little concerned about using the blue mask for this due to the rounded out part. The inside of the red is right at the edge of the flat area. I was 50/50 that it would work.
You can see the wear areas that need to be fixed.
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It worked for the first few coats of paint. Then the seal on the center part let loose in a couple areas and water blew out and ruined the paint. So I had to take the mask off and clean the paint off the area. Remember earlier when I said it was harder to take the paint off? With the standard Createx paint, you can pretty much wipe it off. I had to actually sand this paint off. I guess that's good since it adheres better but its not fun to clean off. I was not real happy so I didn't take any pictures of the mask.

After I got things cleaned up, I used Frisket and traced everything out.
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Really happy with the coverage. You may see that the area to the left is slightly different color. This is just because of the sanding. If you put Naphtha on it, the colors match and that is what it will look like when cleared. I will put the Halftones and black outlines on after clearing.

I also was able to get the Cabinet sanded. Just have a couple of small areas to wood fill and should be able to sand again tomorrow and it will be ready for primer.

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#145 7 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

How long waiting before taking off the mask after spraying colors.
Thanks for the info btw! Taking in as much as I can before starting on my Pinbot. I just sent it for a base CC.

You use a heat source to cure Createx paint. You have to be more careful with the blue mask as the heat will constrict it and it will pull loose. I use a heat gun on the "cool down" setting and for some reason there is just a hint of heat. It's just enough to cure the paint but not mess up the mask.

I get the mask off as soon as I cure the paint. Frisket always comes off nice but the blue mask sticks more the longer it's on the playfield. If you wait too long to take it off, then it will leave adhesive on the playfield. The water helps with that as well. I can tell when I don't use enough water as the stuff really sticks.

#146 7 years ago

Got a lot done. Finished the red rings.

Center cluster
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Left Target Bank
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Right Target Bank
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Moved on to the light blue.

Helicopter.
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Pop Bumper area
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Then I moved to the smaller light blue inserts.
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I was having trouble with the center insert mask. As I stated earlier, the Mask can leave adhesive behind and that is very hard to remove without damaging the new paint. Also I have damaged the paint with my Xacto knife and had to repaint them. I decided to try something and it worked on all the inserts in this post so I will use the technique on all inserts. I will explain the process on the last blue insert.

First, I put a small piece of Frisket in the center of the insert.
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The Frisket is thin enough that it doesn't not prevent the mask from sticking and making a good seal. You can see the very slightly raised area on the mask
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Mask and paint.
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After removing the outer mask, You remove the inner mask. The Frisket not only keeps the blue mask from sticking in the center, it also provides a little "barrier" that protects the insert as I use my tweezers to grab the mask. The center mask came off easy every time, with no adhesive left, using this method.
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Finished.
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Once again, i am getting a lot of paint on the playfield. I may wait to do the green inserts until after I clear again. The only big area that I can work on is the lower computer screen area. I plan on working on it and adding the text to the inserts that I cut out and then I will probably clear again.

#148 7 years ago
Quoted from ThePinballCo-op:

I am following this thread rather closely. Thank you for being so thorough in your explanations. Something so minor as the frisket would have fooled me.
I own a JP and am looking to do some touch up stuff here and there. I'll be patient and wait until you work on it first. I feel like I could learn a lot here.

I have learned a lot from several people on this forum and while I don't pretend to know everything, maybe something I do can help others. And in some cases show them what not to do. Lol

When you tackle your JP, let me know if I can answer any questions.

#150 7 years ago
Quoted from Chitownpinball:

So are you going to paint in those white lines on all the inserts eventually or what?

Yes. All the white "tick" marks will be added after the next clear. Except the green insert tick marks will be added later since they won't be painted until the next clear.

#153 7 years ago
Quoted from Chitownpinball:

Whats the advantage to painting in layers like that instead of painting EVERYTHING and then clearing?

The more you put masks and water over paint you run the risk of damaging the paint. Also, then you have a mask edge that is the same as a fresh paint area (like a mask for a black outline of a place you just painted) the mask may not seal because of the paint edge.

There are others that say that you should always have clear above and below a paint area so the tension from the clear is the same above and below the repair. If you paint over paint then there is a chance that the tension from the paint-paint area will be different than the clear-paint area and risk delaminating over time. This information is from somebody I respect in the industry also I try and follow it.

I hope that makes sense. I try and do as much as possible between clears.

#154 7 years ago
Quoted from dudah:

Incredible work! Before you clear it, you should autograph it under the apron!

I have a little something planned.

#157 7 years ago

Did a little work last night. I wanted to fix the insert cracks around the two larger dino inserts on each side of the main playfield area. I already fixed the blue areas as documented earlier. I cut some masks in hopes of airbrushing those. When I got them cut, I saw that it was going to be nearly impossible to spray the areas. The detail and small size makes it almost impossible to cut that detail. The only way to do this is to leave most of the black detail out and then add all the black lines back and I don't really want to do that. I also did some testing and any paint that is on the inside of the cracks will affect the inserts illumination. I matched some paint and started doing a little hand painting. I really wasn't planning on being able to hand paint that area so I didn't take any before pictures. I just kept on working and after a couple of hours, I had what I think is a very nice result. Of course, I wont have a final decision on it until after I clear. I still will have to airbrush the arm with the crack in it after I clear.
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Now I moved to the other side, Here is the before shot of the cracking in the trex face.
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Here id the finished Trex.
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#158 7 years ago

I decided to chance it and paint the green rings. I used frisket to protect areas that were close to the rings and it all turned out great. I was kinda in a hurry to get this done so I forgot to take a few pictures along the way.

Started with the top rings. I didn't get many pictures of this one but what I learned as soon as I sprayed was that the green paint is very much like the yellow so after I sprayed the first coat of green, I knew I was gonna have to use white to get the coverage and then follow with the green. Since I already painted a layer of green, I just left it and put the white on top of it and then followed it up with the final green coats. Leaving the first layer of green will come in handy later. Forgot to take the finished picture.
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I then moved down to the set of targets below the targets. This time I started with the white layer.
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On this one, I got a hint of bleed under the mask from the white that I had to very delicately clean up. That got me thinking, I didn't get any bleed at all on the first one where I left the first layer of green on. Maybe the first layer of color seals up the mask and prevents the white from "wicking" under the mask. I am not sure why, but white is the only color that I have ever had do this. For the rest of the rings I sprayed the green on first and then the white and they turned out perfect. I will use this technique in the future when a white base is needed.

The two center green rings.
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The right target green ring. I forgot to take a picture of the white and final green. I know, I suck
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Here is an overview of all the rings done.
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Just have the computer stack and the black rings around the inserts that I cut out the clear last time to do. Then I plan on clearing. Then my plan is to finish everything else and then clear a final time.

#159 7 years ago

Started working on some of the black areas today. I started off with the dinosaur between the flippers.
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This is a challenging area because there are no real good lines to separate the paint and it is too detailed to cut a full mask. I am not really a true artist so I don't really want to paint it solid black and then hand paint all the "texture". I decided to just paint the worn area and blend the best I can. This might work because black is the easiest color to do this with.

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First attempt at black. I thought it was going to be a good match because I used it to hand paint some details earlier and it blended perfectly. I guess when your hand painting and blending, you tend to put the paint on thinner so its "full" color doesn't come through.
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I don't have an after picture but when I took the mask off, it was obvious is was too dark. It was jet black and when I put Naphtha on it, it still stuck out like a sore thumb so I took the paint off. I worked mixing a couple drops of white with it to knock the edge off and I got a really good match. Here is the second attempt, you can see that it is not a jet black as the above picture.
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Here is the finished product. I took a paint brush and did some blending on the edges. You can still see the patch in the picture but remember the surrounding area is sanded which makes it appear washed out.
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Putting Naphtha on gives you what it will look like when cleared. I tried to capture this by swiping it with Naphtha in one hand and taking a picture in the other. It blends very well and the only reason you see it is because the white lines are not carried into the center black area. After I clear, I will take a needle and make some white lines into the center area to finish off the detail. If I am not happy then I will get a scan from my buddy and just make a new decal for the entire dinosaur.
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You can also see from the picture that there is a green leave with a small gouge out of it that I had not noticed until I was working closely with this area. I will have to address this area.
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Next was the upper right arrow insert that I had to scrape off due to ghosting.
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On inserts, I use a light under the playfield to make sure I get good coverage on the paint to block out the light.
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Finished and the vinyl text will be put in before I clear.
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Next was the two big red arrows in the center. The left one I had to cut out due to ghosting and the right one just looked like crap.
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couldn't get the light to show on the left much but the right one had enough showing to give me guidance since I will paint them the same.
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Nice and sharp.
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Crap Crap Crap. I thought I had all the inserts done.

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#161 7 years ago

Got a little more work done. I got that red ring I missed earlier.

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Next up was the DANGER insert. You can see all the cracking and missing paint around the insert. The cracks were outside the edge so a light did not need to be used.
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Once again, it looks darger than the surrounding black but when you do the Naphtha test, it blends perfectly.
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Finally, I did the Shoot Again insert. Same issues with the cracking except these cracks were in the light stream.
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As much as I love doing this, I have had enough for one day.

#162 7 years ago

Got the cabinet sanded and ready for primer.

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#164 7 years ago
Quoted from TxJay:

Looking great! What are your plans for the bottom of the cabinet? Are you just sanding it down or do you plan on painting it?

If you are talking about the inside bottom then I sanded it down and plan on leaving it that way. If you are talking about the underside, I am not doing anything to it. It's pretty ugly and if your not laying on the floor then you don't see it.

#165 7 years ago

I got the first coat of primer on the cabinet and I am pretty happy with it. I ran out of primer and got distracted by a couple of Back to the Future mods I have been working on.

I will get some more primer tomorrow and hopefully finish it up. I don't see any major problems and black hides a lot of flaws anyways.

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#166 7 years ago

White shows every little problem. Makes them easy to find. Had a few areas on the backbox and one on the front of the main cab where the wood was delaminating just a bit. No real way to fix this when its in the middle of a panel. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is take a screwdriver to it and dig out the wood that is not attached anymore. just work it until the surrounding wood is firmly attached and then fill with epoxy putty.

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#168 7 years ago

The cabinet is primed and ready to paint. My last two projects have been full cabinet restores and this one was in the worst shape. I have learned that wood working is not my favorite thing to do but I am getting better. I might change my future restore order so I don't have to do another full cabinet next.

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#171 7 years ago

I was planning on painting the cabinet tomorrow but when I was setting it up, the lighting revealed a few areas that needed to be fixed so I worked on those today. I hope to have it finished tomorrow. That is one of the problems when you deal with a cabinet that was in as bad a shape as this one was. I was able to put the vinyl on the two inserts.

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#172 7 years ago

I think I have the cabinet ready to paint. Not sure if I will be able to get to it tomorrow.

Since I finished with the cabinet, I tried to finish up most of what I was doing on the playfield before I clear again. First of all, Gray color is from the Devil. For me it is one of the hardest colors to match. You look at two colors of gray and have not idea what color to mix to get the result you want. I feel I have a pretty close match and if it doesn't look good after clear then I will do it again.

Started with the center gray ring on the left side. It is really the only one that has major cracking issues and I think I am going to leave the other two alone. The cracking they have is very subtle and you have to be close and looking for it to see it. I really don't want to get into the text that is on the gray area of those two either.
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Next was the center computer stack. I started with the right side.
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First I put the micro masks on to cover the little details on the screens. There are some details like the 4 little black lines in the lowet screen that are just too hard to mask so I will paint those on later.
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Then I put the rest of the mask on.
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After the paint it is easy to see all the little masks.
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Left side.
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I decided to go ahead and hand touch up the black on the inserts in the stack. with black you can sometimes get away with this so I am going to try it. If it doesn't work then I will mask the entire area and paint the black after I clear. When I wipe naphtha over it the black touchups are invisible so I will see how it looks after clear. There is no harm in trying it because if it.
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#175 7 years ago
Quoted from comment23:

Could you go over a bit on the tools/paints/frisket that you are using for your PF resotration?

You bet. The frisket is from Hobby lobby. Great stuff but it's challenging to cut precisely with the Xacto knife. Takes some practice but works very well when used.

Most of my painting is done using a mask cut with a vinyl cutter. I scan the entire playfield before I start work with a HP 4670 see through scanner and then fix the graphics to create the mask and then cut it out of Oracle 813 mask film.

For paint I use Createx airbrush paints. I also use Wicked colors by Createx. Sometimes the paint is thin enough to shoot but sometimes you have to mix it with W100 reducer. All this can be found in the model section of Hobby Lobby.

My airbrush is a $20 one from Harbor Freight. It works very well and as long as you keep the paint thin enough and have a jar of water to shoot between each section then it works really well.

Naphtha helps remove any residue from the playfield before painting and also help get any sticky stuff left from the masks.

The clear I use is Finish One by Sherwin Williams. If you don't know anything about auto clear, please educate yourself and the stuff will kill you. I use a fresh air respiration system and I even go overkill and where an organic charcoal mask under my fresh air hood. I also wear a full suit. I am always in my gear when I go outside to turn the air pump off. I keep joking that someday the cops are gonna show up because someone saw me and thinks I have a meth lab going.

That's kinda the playfield in a nut shell. I would be happy to answer anymore specific questions if you have them.

#178 7 years ago
Quoted from lb1:

Amazing work, great info and fun thread to follow. The attention to detail is remarkable.
How to you remove the insert decals?

You're on your way to having one of the nicest JP's around. I see a game that looks that nice, the first thing I do is get closer to look at details and then look underneath.

Thanks. I appreciate that. As far as the insert decals, there are a couple of ways to do it. If the clear is really attached (like my Fire) you use a chisel vertically to scrape it off. On JP I was able to just use an Xacto knife to trace and peel off.

If you see it, please don't look underneath.

#179 7 years ago

Did some preliminary painting of all the cutouts that don't paint easily with a gun. Since I don't really care about the bottom of the head and I cant paint every side at the same time. I sprayed the bottom so I will be able to sit it on the bottom and spray the rest of the head. Dscf5574 (resized).jpgDscf5574 (resized).jpgDscf5573 (resized).jpgDscf5573 (resized).jpgDscf5572 (resized).jpgDscf5572 (resized).jpgDscf5570 (resized).jpgDscf5570 (resized).jpgDscf5571 (resized).jpgDscf5571 (resized).jpg

#180 7 years ago

The last area that I will work on before clear was the damaged area at the very bottom. This was one of those times I just used Frisket instead of a cut mask.
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Had to use a white layer due to the wear area.
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I will add the black outlines and details after I clear.
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I will check the paint I added to the cabinet holes tomorrow and if it looks good and does not need another coat, then I hope to spray black tomorrow. Got mu stuff ready.
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#182 7 years ago
Quoted from TheCapn:

TPF is just around the corner, better get your ass in gear!

I know, I know. Lol

#183 7 years ago

Got the cabinet painted today. I painted the cutouts one more time before I sprayed.
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Overall I was real happy with how the paint sprayed. The backbox may not have to be painted again. Once the paint dries, I will pull it out and look at it in normal light and see if I need to shoot it again.
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I let the air get a little low when I was painting the right side of the lower cabinet so I will probably go ahead and shoot the lower cab again tomorrow. Paint is a little thin on the right side. It looks solid from a color standpoint but just not enough paint on it to give it a smooth looking finish. I want to have a good uniform look before I clear the cabinet.
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So the plan is to scuff up the lower cab and shoot it again tomorrow. I will take a look at the upper cab and decide tonight.

#184 7 years ago

Repainted the entire cabinet today and am really happy with the results. I have a very nice uniform finish that will clear very nicely. I used a Satin paint. I tried to get some pictures with the light to show how nice the finish is. My plan is to clear the playfield tomorrow. I will need to let the cab dry a few days before I clear so if my schedule works out I will try and clear it on Monday.Dscf5589 (resized).jpgDscf5589 (resized).jpg
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#187 7 years ago
Quoted from bflagg:

Are you stenciling the cab or using decals? Looking great so far!

Thanks. I will be cutting vinyl to make the artwork for the sides. This is the same method I used on my Fire if you followed that thread. I really like the way it looks. It's much sharper of a look than the original. Just my opinion.

Quoted from lb1:

Are you clearing before putting the decals on?

Yes. I will clear the cabinet and then apply the graphics and then do a final clear.

#189 7 years ago
Quoted from bflagg:

Didn't see the Fire! Thread but I did see and play it and your BTTF at TPF last year. Fine work.

Thanks. They both should be back this year and BTTF has a few surprises added.

My plan is to bring this if I can get it done.

#190 7 years ago

I watched JP on the big screen last night for inspiration as I finished up the masks that will be used to finish the playfield.

Got the playfield cleared today. Very happy with the results. Will let it dry for a few days then sand and do the last few things. I will try and get some better shots of the finish after it cures today. Its nice to see it cleared. You spend so much time looking at a sanded dull playfield that it is nice to see those rich colors pop when you clear it.

Clear coat Selfie, its all the rage.

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Not much I can do until the cab is cleared and the playfield is ready so I am back to the BTTF mod/extra I have been working on.

#193 7 years ago
Quoted from Mayboyz:

Nice work
May I ask where you got,new cabinet art from. I'm in need of a set
Thanks

I'll be making it myself. I will be documenting that process in a week or so.

#194 7 years ago

Couple of pictures of the playfield. My camera doesnt do this thing justice. It really pops. The orange is much more vibrant than in the pictures.

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#197 7 years ago
Quoted from flakeloaf:

One thing I've noticed on my own table is that a number of decals, especially the ones over the lamps, are a touch higher than the rest of the playfield. You can really see the D-shaped one in front of the left kicker running through the #2 on the 2-Ball mode light / through Grant's weapon, and the reflection shows the one over the Bone Busting lamp perfectly. Will the clear coat find its own level, or will I need to take some extra steps here? I'd rather build up than sand down.

I feel your pain on the insert issue. I have several DE games with raised insert. The best I can say is to use heat and a big clamp and try and press them down. I use a big acrylic block so I don't damage the playfield. Then you would have to try and glue them underneath to keep them in place. The best option is to remove the inserts and re-glue them but with most DE inserts, they have full artwork on them which will just damage more when you take them out.

You cant sand them down without taking off the artwork. So unless you want to redo all that, don't do it. The other option is to clear then sand very carefully because you want to take as much clear off the inserts as you can to level with the rest of the playfield. When you blow through the clear, you will take art pretty fast, it sneaks up on you. You might have to do this a couple of times to get everything even. Of course if the inserts are raised too far then this becomes a problem because you will end up with too much clear on the playfield.

#198 7 years ago

Been on a trip so couldn't do any work over the last 4 days. U had a couple small runs. one on the front and one on the side of the backbox. Got those sanded and primed. Then taped off the rest and shot them again today. Hope to clear the cab in a couple of days. The art is ready to cut so I might do that tonight or tomorrow and the playfield is also ready to sand.
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#199 7 years ago

Paint for cabinet turned out great. I hope that is the last of painting. I don't enjoy painting cabinets. lol
I hope to clear it on Monday.
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Got a start on sanding the playfield but didn't have a whole lot of time. I concentrated on leveling the insert decals I put on. It is a delicate procedure to sand down the clear off the letters until it is level with the surrounding clear. You have to be careful because normally the vinyl is about at the right level so if you are not careful, you will take all the clear off and start removing vinyl. Sometimes it takes two clear sessions to get it perfectly flat. I was able to get it flat on this clear, so I hope that I only have to clear one more time but I may have to shoot a final coat. I will just have to make that decision after I shoot again. I hope to sand the rest of the playfield tomorrow.
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#200 7 years ago

Got the rest of the playfield sanded and ready to get back to work.
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#201 7 years ago

Cabinet is set up for clear tomorrow.

Got the cabinet decals cut tonight. I will weed them later.
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1 week later
#203 7 years ago

Been a little bit since I updated. I did clear the cabinet last week. I had an issue with the backbox. I have been trying to get this machine done for TPF and it was a tight timeline. I started not doing things like I normally do and started cutting corners on setup for clear etc. It bit me. Instead of taking the time to build a pivot to attach the backbox to, I threw together a temporary solution that I thought would be ok. After I was don't clearing the backbox, I was moving it out of the light so I could finish the lower cab and somehow it started to fall off. Of course I gotta catch it so it doesn't hit the floor. Luckily I only chipped a corner but as you can probably guess, I had all kinds of hand prints on the backbox in the wet clear. Needles to say, I was not a happy camper. I threw another layer of clear on it and waited to see the damage after it dried.

I was able to sand it today and most of the "prints" sanded out and it is all nice and smooth. The problem is that I must have had some dust on my gloves as there are a couple of places that has dust in the clear. It probably goes down to the paint so I don't want to sand that far. My plan is to airbrush some black on it and then I will clear the entire cabinet again after decals so it should be fine. Its on the back so I am not all that concerned. There a few places where the paint was sanded off an edge since I had to sand more aggressively than normal. Overall is could have been a lot worse.

I decided to take a step back from this project last week because of this. The timeline was taking some of the fun out of it. I am no longer trying to get it ready for Texas. I am going back to doing things like they should be done and when the project is finished, It will be finished.

The lower cabinet is sanded and ready for the graphics.
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Here is an example of an edge where the paint was removed. This should be easily touched up and when cleared, should blend right in.
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Here is the little chip that was glued back on. A little touch up and it should be good to go.
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Here are those two "finger prints" on the back. I will do a little airbrushing and then clear when finished.
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#205 7 years ago
Quoted from TheCapn:

damn, dude. I was hoping to play this at TPF too. I'm bringing 4 games this year.

Yeah, I was really hoping to have it done but I want it done right and there just isn't enough time especially with the custom things I am going to build. Just finishing up all the stuff I did to BTTF and will also be bringing Fire and I am planning on bringing Congo. If I have enough room in the trailer I might throw another one in there.

#206 7 years ago

Got the graphics weeded out and ready.
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#208 7 years ago

You work on a project ling enough and you get to a point that you seem to work and work and it doesn't feel like your making much progress. Then you have a day where you really feel progress. Today was one of those days. I started putting the graphics on the cabinet today.

I previously filled the playfield mounting holes with silicone to protect them from water but I also put some Frisket over them to add another layer of protection since I will be putting on the vinyl wet. You don't want fluid to get into the exposed hole and cause swelling etc.
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Using the measurements I took before I sanded the cabinet, I placed tape on the cabinet to help line up the first graphic. The first one is the most important to get right since most of the rest will line up with the first graphic.
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Yellow ready to apply.
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Aligned with the marks.
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Finished.
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Marks for the white.
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Applied wet.
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White finished.
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I had to divide the red into two sections because my medium tac application tape was not wide enough to do both.

Trex wet.
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Here is the Trex dry and the red letter accents applied wet.
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Main side finished.
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First color to be put on the side is the main red color minus the red letter inserts. Here are the measurements for the red.
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Red wet.
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Red dry
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white wet.
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White dry
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I decided to cut the yellow into two sections. I put the bottom section on first.
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Top yellow
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Finally the red letter inserts.
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Here are both finished.
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I have had enough for one day.
I will let these cure and tackle the other sides next week when I get back from my trip.

#212 7 years ago
Quoted from Rondogg:

Slow moving but one of my favorite threads on Pinside.

Thanks. Darn Job and new house getting in the way of my hobbies. Lol

#213 7 years ago

Got the other side done. Same process so no need to show it again.
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Then went on to the front of the main cab.

Left side marked for the yellow boxes.
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Right side marked
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Yellow finished
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Next did the white.
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On the right side, I didn't have a good reference for the "FIRE!" text so I put the box on first.
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Then added the red text accents and all is finished.
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I will let it sit for a week or so to let the adhesive really cure and then I will do a final clear to the cabinet.

#215 7 years ago
Quoted from TxJay:

Great job! I am really enjoying your work. Looking forward to playing your BTTF and Fire again at TPF.

Thank you. BTTF has been improved and a few things added. I plan on bringing a Congo since this won't be finished. See you there.

#216 7 years ago

I got the backbox mount done. So no more backbox accidents. The main base is an extension of my pinball lift. It has a boat seat swivel with a piece of ply on it that is slightly smaller than the base of the backbox. The ply has blind nuts in it. Sit the box on and use the two pieces of wood and bolts to secure the box. I can now spin the box in any direction to have the best light to paint with.
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1 week later
#219 7 years ago

Sorry for no updates. Been busy getting my machines ready for TPF. Hope to get back to work after I get back.

#220 7 years ago

Got the backbox cleared today.
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The main cab is ready to shoot tomorrow.
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#222 7 years ago

Yes. Restored. Here is a thread that documented my restoration of it. I will actually update it tomorrow with the changes I have made and things I have added to it since last year.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/back-to-the-future-restoration

#223 7 years ago

Main cabinet is cleared. Dscf5653 (resized).jpgDscf5653 (resized).jpg

1 week later
#225 7 years ago
Quoted from TxJay:

Looking forward to seeing this next year at TPF. Looking great! You do amazing work. Good to meet you this year at TPF.

Thanks. It was great meeting you at TPF and seeing your work on LW3. I am worn out but already looking forward to TPF 2018.

1 month later
#226 6 years ago

Sorry its been so long since an update. I have busy with a couple of big projects around the house since TPF and haven't had time to touch my JP. Since I am not trying to meet a deadline anymore, I am going to take the restoration in another direction and do a few more things than I had originally planned. Basically, I am going to turn it up a notch.

One of the things I am gong to do is make the cabinet a gloss finish. I got a lot of compliments on my BTTF cabinet so I decided to do the same thing to my JP. Of course it makes more work for me but who cares.

So the cabinet WAS done but now it is not. I was able to squeeze a little time in and get the cabinet sanded so I can shoot it again. This time I will shoot it flat like a playfield so it will take three sessions to get it finished. Depending on how the finish is, I may only have to do this once. If there is too much texture from the art then I will have to sand and shoot it again.

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I hope to be finished with the landscape/pool work in a couple of weeks so I can get back to work on this project. I am really looking forward to the rest of this restoration.

#228 6 years ago

Waiting for the rain to quit so I can get back outside. But in the meantime I am messing around in the shop a little. The back of the backbox is just plain black so I started playing around with an idea. I know the three claw marks are the symbol from JP3 but I am just using them for what they are, claw marks.

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1 week later
#231 6 years ago
Quoted from radium:

I love this thread. Can't wait to see what custom stuff you've got planned. Thanks for the details, I always learn a lot from your threads.

Thanks. I appreciate that. I really hope to finish this project soon and get back to work on JP.

#234 6 years ago

I haven't had time to revisit that issue since I posted that picture so I haven't made a decision yet.

2 months later
#236 6 years ago

Holy Crap, I am back lol
Sorry for the delays. Its been a busy summer but hopefully all is calming down and I can get back to work. Got back to the playfield today.

First thing was to take care of Alan arm. It had a insert crack running through it.
Here is the crack, I had already put the Friskit down.
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I fixed the leaf that was part of the post hole that was filled and fixed. It is the sold green one in the first pic. The second pic shows the fixed outline and center black line.
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Then I worked on some of the black outlines for the scoop holes. Black is about the only color that you can patch paint and get away with it as I described when I filed the dinosaur that had the extra post between the flippers. I figure I will have to spray this playfield 2 more times so I am going to attempt to just patch paint the lines. If I am not happy with the results after I clear, then I will paint the entire lines before the last clear. Since the area is so thin, I am not straying these. I will use Friskit and then lay a smoth line down with a brush.
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Paint with Friskit.
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Finished. When wiped with Naphtha, it all blends well so it should look good when cleared. If not, I can always redo it later.
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The other scoops were fixed using the same technique.
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I also fixed the pointer arrow at the base of the orange area. The black line between the red and yellow should be fixed when I put the halftones on the shooter lane.

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#239 6 years ago

Did a little more work on the black insert rings in the pop bumper area.
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Then I experimented with paint color for the white tick marks on the colored insert rings. I cut a mask and did the ship insert first.
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The paint was close but just a tad darker than the original. But I was not happy with the level of detail with the marks. With such a small area being but on the mask, the corners were not perfect squares. Also as previously mentioned, it takes more paint to get good coverage with white so when pulling the mask off, the marks were just not clean enough for me. So I decided to go another route and try vinyl.

Here is the cut for the same insert.
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Here us the final product.
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I like the sharp look much better. The white is probably just a hair whiter than what is on there but when you put Naphtha on it, they look pretty close. I will use a variation of this for the final version. I ordered some thinner vinyl and will complete when I get it in.

#240 6 years ago

I just ordered the ColorDMD for JP. I can't wait to get this thing back together.

#242 6 years ago
Quoted from Rondogg:

I have zero idea what you did here. Did you change the color of the outline of the boat? Vinyl? What?

It's a little harder to see in the pic because of the blue but I am talking about the little white marks that are on the colored part of the insert rings.

#244 6 years ago
Quoted from Rondogg:

You did ALL THAT because of the color of the tiny little white marks on the boat insert?!?!
(can you please come over and work on my machines?)

I have made a few house calls but I'm not normally up in your area.

#246 6 years ago

Got the new vinyl in so I got to work on the white tick marks. I decided to edit my graphics and make the marks taller then they should be. This will allow the sides to be sharp lines. Then I will trim the top and bottom. This will give the marks very nice corners. I used flat vinyl so it has a little texture to it which should also help with clear adhesion. When I use gloss vinyl, I sand it before I clear.

Here is the first batch of marks.
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Here is the left set of targets with the marks applied.
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I used both a circle template and a straight edge to trim the marks.
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Another set using the same technique
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I had hoped to finish the marks tomorrow but I have to go out of town for 3 days so I hope to be able to finish all the marks on Friday.

2 weeks later
#248 6 years ago

Got all of the white tick marks done except for the large helicopter up by the T-Rex. I need to repaint the black ring around it before I add the white marks. The picture is washed out due to the lights behind it and that its been sanded.

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1 week later
#249 6 years ago

One of the things that drives me crazy is reflections on the playfield glass. The biggest problems are the DMD and the backbox lighting. Some games are worse than others. I have seen the PDI/Stern glass at TPF and I just wasn't impressed. In the Jurassic park club thread I saw several post talking about how bad the backbox reflection is on JP. Some people even take some of the lights out to make it not as bright. That got me thinking about designing a mod that will shut the backbox off during game play but it will illuminate between balls and when the game is in attract mode. The flashers that are in the backbox are not affected and work normally during play.

I finally got some time tonight to work on it. Since I have a DE Star Wars, I decided to prototype it and install it in the SW to see how it works. I designed it to be plug and play so its easy to install. I fired it up and I love it. I have a bent plastic DMD guard so now during game play, there is nothing at all reflecting on the glass so I have an unobstructed view of the entire playfield. I will definitely be adding this to JP and will probably add it to all my games eventually. Of course each system (WPC, System 11, Stern) will all be a little different so slight changes will have to be made to each one.

#251 6 years ago

Only a couple of things to do before the next clear. One of them is to add the half tones to the shooter lane. The surface has to be perfectly smooth and polished for the decal to adhere properly. There was a couple of areas on the shooter lane that were scuffed a little from the normal work and sanding that has gone on.

You can see the scuff marks in this photo. The areas have been wet sanded and ready to buff. I start with heavy cut and work towards swirl remover.
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Buffed and polished to a silky smooth and shiny surface.
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I should have the decal ready to apply shortly.

I have never done the inside of the cabinet on any of my restores because since nobody ever sees it, I didn't care to spend the time. I also planned on not doing much to this one as well. Well, a couple of you guys are making me look bad so I decided to clean this one up a bit. (You know who you are ) To late to paint the bottom or anything like that but I will try and fix it up. I removed all the grounding braids and will install new ones.

Here is all the black overspray on the bottom of the cabinet.
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Got the bottom all sanded and back to the "stock" look. I will detail the components in the cabinet when I install them so it should look pretty nice once put back together.
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I am starting to get everything together to send to powder coat.

#254 6 years ago

I know these updates are small, but I am just grabbing the little time I have had to work lately and trying to get stuff done. I got the halftones printed on high quality clear decal paper using Laser Ink. My original plan was to take the decal all the way up to the end of the red lane but I did not have decal paper big enough for this. So I just took it to the end of the halftones and then rounded the edges so there are no sharp points. I had to rotate the image just to get it to fit on the paper.

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Shooter lane ready to go.
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I cut each side so I ended up with 2 long decals. I cleaned the shooter lane and then applied some decal setting solution and applied the left decal first.

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Then the right.
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Really happy with the results and will let it dry overnight and make sure there are no delamination issues. You may notice that the black is a slightly different color on the decal and the halftone area to the left. This is because the left area has been sanded which washes out the color and also the ink on the decal is more of a satin color. After clear they will all be rich black color.

You might be able to tell from the picture where the decal ends because the black outline towards the end of the shooter lane was slightly thicker on the decal than on the lane. The thickness on the decal is what it should be. The black line on the playfield became a little thinner due to the painting of the red area. After the next clear, I will mask off and make the rest of the lane match.

#256 6 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

Very nice detailed work man.

Thank you.

#259 6 years ago

The big helicopter by the T-rex had some significant wear due to the insert being slightly recessed. All that is fixed now so I have to fix the black around it.

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Here is the finished product. Once again, the black will all blend when cleared. I will let it cure for a day and then put the white tick marks on.

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#260 6 years ago

I don't really have anything to do on the playfield this evening so I am gonna start taking care of some odds and ends to get ready for the re-assembly. I started with the speaker panel. I may upgrade to Flipper Fidelity or something like that since I am putting in a Pinsound board but for now I will put the speakers back in until I decide.
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Its amazing how you think something doesn't look that dirty until you spray your cleaner on it and as it sits for a bit, the white foam turns yellow. This thing was nasty. but all cleaned up now.
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Put the speakers back in and my OCD said, "something doesn't look right"
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Ok, fixed it, that's better.
You can see how bad the DMD cover looks. I will get some lexan and make a new cover.
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I am leaving the original DMD out but I am not mounting the Color DMD yet because it is in my Star Wars until this thing is ready. I wrapped it in plastic so it will stay nice and clean until I need it.
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Ok, now on to the metal backbox circuit board mount. Yuk.
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Last thing on the agenda for the night is the backbox light panel. This thing is nasty. And I don't know German so I have no idea what that sticker is warning me. The white area in the center is where I did a test clean when I took the game apart.
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Just to show the change.
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Finished and looking much better. Mine didn't have any 455 bulbs in it but I have them so I will add when I put it back together. I will LED the machine but I do not use LEDs in the backbox. I prefer the natural color of the art and LEDs tend to be brighter and make the reflections on the playfield glass worse. (Refer to the post above.)
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#261 6 years ago

Did some more of the glamorous stuff involved in a restoration.

Cleaned all the wire holders for the backbox. You can see the before and after.
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Cleaned the three vent guards. These things were dirty.
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I sprayed my cleaner on them to wipe them down. There was so much on them and in the holes that you can see what was left when I picked them up. I actually had to clean them several times before they would stop leaving marks on the towels.
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Created a new DMD cover out of Lexan. I will leave the coating on until I install the ColorDMD.
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I decided to go ahead and put the claw marks on the backbox. I set up some marks to place it where I wanted it with blue tape.
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#262 6 years ago

Here is a question if anyone cares to answer. What are your thoughts on colored legs? I have seen some machines where the trim is colored but the legs are black and I have seen some machines that have matching colored legs. I am going to go with Red trim with black backbox hinges. I have not decided if I am going to do red or black legs yet. Some machines with colored legs are a little "too much" for me but then there are some that I like the color. Any thoughts?

#265 6 years ago
Quoted from Darscot:

Achtung actually means attention. I have never liked the colored legs on JP. Yellow seems the common color and it just seems distracting or overbearing to me but to each their own.

I was not a fan of yellow either. I don't think I have seen a yellow trim that I like.

#266 6 years ago

Applied the white tick marks to the helicopter insert.
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You guys almost let me miss the tick marks on the big blue insert in the pop lane.

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Got them applied.
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#269 6 years ago
Quoted from TheCapn:

Yea, you better make the inside of that cabinet clean! I'm gonna check it out at pinfest to make sure! lol. Dude, that shooter lane is stupid clean. Now I gotta put some effort into mine... Also, there is a "show off your powder coat" forum somewhere on this site. I think I saw a JP in there somewhere. Either way, you can skim through and get some ideas.

I forgot about that thread. I will skim through it. My plan is to try and airbrush some wood texture on that shooter lane after my next clear. If it doesn't work then it will just have to stay as it is.

#270 6 years ago

With everything I am doing to this machine, I just couldn't leave the inside of the cabinet with a sloppy finish. I just decided to finish painting it all black.

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I have most of my stuff ready for powder coating. I have to wait on a few ne parts to get here and then I will send it all off.
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#274 6 years ago

I think in the future I will probably paint the entire side panels and then paint the bottom a wood tone color. Since I was already past the original painting it was easier to do the black and I think with the details I am doing in the cabinet, the black will make it pop.

#276 6 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

I initially wanted to do a contrasting color for the bottom as well but could not think of any that would look better than black...

Yeah. I think black is about the only color that I think I would do the whole thing in. I'm not sure I would like the inside of my Star Wars all blue. That might be blue overload. Lol
Good thing about it is you can always redo it if it doesn't work out.

#278 6 years ago

Did the last bit of airbrushing today.....Famous last words.

There were two more inserts in the center computer stack that were cracked through the paint.
This one did not show up as bad as it is in the picture.

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Here is the other one.
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I had tried to fix these a couple months ago and I couldn't get a good match on the paint so I skipped it. I not have what I think is a good match so I fixed them both.

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I will add the black "vent" lines after I clear.

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I will redo the black lines where the insert is cracked through after I clear.

Then I decided to do something I had said I wasn't going to do. The orange sunburst on the CHAOS inserts was faded. I originally wasn't going to paint this but decided to do it. I knew I wouldn't be happy if I skipped it.
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Here are the masks cut to give you an idea of what I am painting.
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Here is the OS
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CHA
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For some reason, the orange on the playfield is not as vibrant and rich in the pictures as it really is.

I will look after I clear to see if any of the black lines need to be gone over in the orange area. I think it will be good but I will evaluate it after I clear.

Well. I think I am ready to clear both the playfield and the cabinet so I will try and work that in as soon as I can.

#282 6 years ago
Quoted from Jenniebear:

Did you scan the decals? I need some can't find any. I need the ones from the T-Rex box, mouth and the green leaves from the play field. Bay Area Amusements did sell them but not in stock in months. I just got the plastic set from them. The blue is very dark almost purple. The set of plastics you got from Pinball center what does the blue look like?

I was able to get those decals from Bay Area a couple of years ago. I might have a few decals to sell since I have the new T-Rex so I don't think I will be using the mouth decals. The plastics I got are pretty darn close on the colors. So I ended up paying more for them but I am glad I did. When I put it back together I will do some side by side pictures with the plastics. I don't want to take any of the protective coatings off right now.

#284 6 years ago

I fixed the black lines on the tip of the shooter lane where the ball rolls through.
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The rest of the day was building a new spray room and building a stand.

If you are going for a gloss finish on a cabinet, it is a whole lot easier to do when praying the surface flat rather than vertical. I never liked the idea of laying a finished cleared side on a stand or on the floor. Just too many chances to scratch it up. I had an idea and I ran across this at Harbor Freight and with my 20% off coupon, I decided to give it a shot.
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Wheels Wheels Wheels. I gotta have wheels.
Almost everything in my shop is on wheels. I like having the ability to move stuff around easily. when spraying something as big as a cabinet, its great to have the ability to turn it 5 or 10 degrees to get the perfect light reflection as you spray. And also just moving it in and out of the booth. So I added some wheels.
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Finished. I will take the handle off when I spray. The tire trays were installed upside down to give a little height and to provide a good area to hold the game. I also placed rubber pads on top of the part that touches the game even though it holds the game under the payfield level. So its not touching the game in an area that would be seen when the game is assembled.
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I was able to load the cabinet by myself. Obviously it would be easier with another person to help but very doable alone.
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Here you can see the clearance underneath. Also the top of the bottom rail wants to rest against the base of the arm so I have a little padding there. It works out perfect because you can move the cab forwards and backwards and the part against the arm stays fixes so you can level it perfectly.
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I decided to take down my old spray booth system and build one like the one I had in my other house. I liked the one I used here but I was having some ventilation issues so I decided to build a new one. It is in the same area as the other one. Having the canopy, helps with garagedoor operation. You can also see that I taped up the vents on top.
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One of the "upgrades" I did was to cut 2x4s and place them at the base of the wall. I then pulled the plastic tight and got rid of any areas that the plastic bunched up. This should help seal up the floor to keep the fumes inside until they are vented and also keep any contamination out. I will pull the extra plastic as far towards the center as possible. I will then put a tarp down over it that will cover the entire spray area. The combination of the wood edges and overlap of the plastic and tarp should keep things sealed.
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The canopy is 10x10. The plastic I use is 25 feet long. When you start at the corner, you will have a 5 foot overlap on two corners. I seal one up and use the other as my door. I cut the 2x4 along the "door" wall 2 feet short to allow me to pull the inside plastic back a bit so I can then slide to the side out the door. This overlap means that there is never a full open door to the outside of the booth when I enter or exit. When I exit, I putt the inside plastic behind me and attach it to the bottom of the canopy leg creating a full inside wall again and then I tape the outside wall closed. So any mist that comes out when I exit is mainly from drift and it has to go through the five foot slide with me. I think that is better than just opening an area to the outside.
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Filters installed sealed and ready to go. There will be an exhaust fan placed on the outside when the garage is raised 2 feet when I spray.
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I really hope to spray the playfield tomorrow.

#287 6 years ago
Quoted from ypurchn:

So... you've restored 2 of the pins that I own. Wanna do mine?!? very nice work. Going to be jealous when it's done. Wait I'm already jealous

Thanks, but I have to finish all mine first.

Did most of the prep work tonight and got all my stuff ready for tomorrow. Just some final cleaning tomorrow and its ready to shoot.

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#288 6 years ago

Playfield is cleared. I will let it clear for 5 or 6 days and then sand it down. You get so used to seeing the faded colors because of the sanding so its nice to see those colors pop again.
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I may try and get the cabinet cleared next week.

#290 6 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

Good job. Any issues?

Turned out really nice. Except for the area that my hood touched the apron area.

Easily fixed but just one of those "Iwasn't paying close enough attention" when I was looking at other things. After the next clear it won't be visible so it's all good.

I did a preliminary light sand last night to take the top surface off and to open it up for curing. Also since the clear is still "softer" it allowed me to take some of the "bumps" off where the white tick marks are. They are almost flat already. I will let it cure for another 3-4 days and then give it a good sanding.

I'm going out of town for work for 4 days so not much will happen this week. I am hoping to get some of the cabinet cleared next.

#293 6 years ago

Nothing real exciting but I was able to get the playfield sanded and I am really happy with how it turned out. I was able to get all the white insert marks sanded completely flat without breaking through the clear. I will do a few more touchups and then I will be ready for the final clear.

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#294 6 years ago

Ok, I couldn't take it anymore. The bottom of the cabinet was the only thing that wasn't "finished" so instead of clearing today I decided to go ahead and paint it.

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#298 6 years ago
Quoted from Chalkey:

When you say the white insert marks sanded flat do you mean from around the inserts where they raised the original clear?

Yes, the white vinyl causes small ridges due to the thickness even though it's super thin. Block sand and it will take more off the bumps than the surrounding area. Just have to be careful not to go to far and start sanding the vinyl down.

#299 6 years ago

Got one side of the cabinet and the back of the backbox cleared today. Had to leave town this afternoon and get back Thursday night so I hope to get the other side of the main cabinet and one side of the backbox cleared Friday if the stars line up.

Super shiny.
These were taken with my phone because I was running out of time but you get the idea.

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#301 6 years ago

Got the other side of the main cabinet and one side of the backbox cleared.
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I am targeting next Thursday or Friday for the final clear to the cabinet.

#303 6 years ago

I took all the black vinyl covering off all the side rails. I will fill and sand back to new. Then I will have to decide if I cover them again in black vinyl or paint them. I haven't decided yet. IMG_3925 (resized).JPGIMG_3925 (resized).JPG

I also cleaned up the wiring. Man that stuff was dirty.

#306 6 years ago
Quoted from pinheadpierre:

I would paint them black and clearcoat them. I feel like vinyl wrapping was a cheapo manufacturing shortcut that does not deserve to be reproduced in a fine restoration/upgrade like yours. Look at older a.m. games. They had real oak rails. Later games had pine or some other lesser species of wood wrapped in a vinyl printed with an oak pattern. Colors and black vinyl were just more of the same. Plus, based on your excellent cabinet work, it will look SO much better painted and cleared.

That is probably what I will do. I will just need to fix a few areas with wood epoxy amd the decide what finish of black I want to use.

#309 6 years ago
Quoted from woody24:

The original side rails are vinyl wrapped? I never noticed. I thought they were powder-coated?

I guess I should have said playfield side rails. These are the ones that are attached to the playfield.
The cabinet side rails are powder coated.

#311 6 years ago

Got the rest of the cabinet cleared today. Already picked up part of my powder coated parts and should get the rest in a couple of days.
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#314 6 years ago
Quoted from ypurchn:

Soooo what's the deposit needed to reserve my place in line for my JP and/or BTTF resto

Lol.
Maybe some day I will do other people's games but I have too many of my own waiting right now.

#317 6 years ago

I picked up the rest of my powder coated parts today.

I also got distracted by a new toy today that I hope will come in handy in the future.

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#318 6 years ago

Did a few odds and ends today. I went with a dark grey for the transformer.
I sanded down the exterior to get all the grime off.
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All the vent screens will be red facing the outside and normal color on the inside.
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I had the metal backbox panel powder coated red. the pictures make it look a little orange but it is red.
I put screws and washers in all the mounting holes so powder would not get on them.
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I took them all out to reveal a nice clean metal area for good grounding.
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I also got the CPU out and reflowed a few spots and tested a few things. I plan on doing all my initial testing with the original code and when everything looks like its good to go I will change to Chads code.

#320 6 years ago

Ok, I have to talk about how much fun I am having with this 3D printer. Did some experimenting with lithographs and I am amazed. To tie this all to Jurassic Park, I took an image of the backglass and converted it to a lithograph and printed it out.
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Now you take that piece of plastic and hold it up to some backlighting and it turns into a black and white photograph.
Freaking cool
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Now I have it printing an actual part for this machine. More on that later.

#321 6 years ago

Finished up the cabinet today. I sanded a few imperfections and then buffed it to a high shine.
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I also started prototyping some stuff. Here is the first print of the East Dock sign. I am going to make some changes before I do a final print but just working out the details now.
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And I just had to make one of these for my gameroom. The vials should be here tomorrow and I just have to modify a Barbasol can. Oh, and it works too
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#326 6 years ago
Quoted from bflagg:

Cabinet is looking sick! Going to bring this to TPF?

Thanks

Yes. This will be at TPF.

#327 6 years ago
Quoted from Chalkey:

Also you should probably make a few extra dock signs or even barbasol cans for your fellow pin heads to buy.

Thanks for the kind words. That is one of the reasons I got the printer was to do some things like this. Once I get things situated, I plan on making stuff that will be available.

#330 6 years ago

I didn't have a lot of time today but I was able to get a few things done. Started by laying out some of the powder coating and matching what hardware goes to what piece.
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Then I used my brass wire wheel to clean up the black bolts for the playfield supports, lockdown bar receiver and the side rails. Then painted with a gloss enamel. These will be ready to install tomorrow.
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Then I replaced the original leg bolt brackets with the new and improved version. You can see by the following picture why its easy to strip these out.
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I mounted the metal backboard in the backbox along with the vent grill. I painted the grill on the outside but no the inside. I wanted it to be dark in the inside. I did the same with the main cab grills as well.
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Got a few more things installed in the main cab.
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#331 6 years ago

The backbox lock had some rust on it so I soaked it in Apple Cider vinegar.
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The used a wire brush on it and it turned out pretty nice for a normal machine but I am gonna send it out for powder.
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I forgot to clean the powder off the metal backbox panel for grounding. I took it off and fixed that. I am mounting the grounds on the backside instead of the front for a cleaner look.
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I got MOST of the new grounding braid installed. I say most because 15 feet is not enough to do a machine.
I guess I should have done a little more research on that.

Some of the braids had connecters on them so I had some connectors that I modified to add to the new braid.
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Here are some shots of the rest of the cabinet. I will run the long braid from the power plug to the front when I get some more braid.
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The braids that are hanging on the sides will be mounted when the playfield supports are attached.
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#332 6 years ago

Got a few more things done this evening.

Nothing like something spilled on the inside of a machine.
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Got the metal back installed in the backbox with the grounding points attached.
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Here are a couple of shots of the main cab with a few more things installed. The flash kinda washed out some of the red but you get the idea.
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#334 6 years ago
Quoted from Ben1981:

Steady progress always nice to see the before and after pics, awesome work!

Thanks. Its kinda funny because I have to use my original pictures as a guide to put it back together. Im looking at those pictures now and thinking to myself. "What the heck was I thinking?"

I got a few things done today. I cleaned up the cable mounts and mounted "big blue' and his friends.
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Spent the rest of my time working with the 3D printer and running several test prints of some mods I am going to develop to get the best setting for the highest quality. Even working with some transparent orange plastic. Hmmm.

#336 6 years ago
Quoted from C65Mustang:

Dang your JP is going to put mine to same at the TPF. I better add more mods LOL. Your cabinet and powder coated parts looks great!

Thanks.
TPF is a blast. Hope to talk to you there.

#338 6 years ago
Quoted from TxJay:

Yeah, thanks a lot Lonny! My JP will have to stay home now...

Come on man. Most of this is your fault for guilting me into going all in on this one by looking at your LW3.

#339 6 years ago

Got the static prototype of the East Dock sign done. I will be making several improvements and will make it interactive with my machine. I will probably make the pole a little more beefy and the actual east dock sign is painted black on the edges in this version but will be printed in black for the final version. I will also be making a custom mount so it will be mounted to an existing screw/post.

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#342 6 years ago
Quoted from woody24:

Are you going to get a "frustrated Nedry" character that spins the arrow?

Still working out the details.

#343 6 years ago

Got back to the playfield and finished a few things. I had to add the black outline and effects to the pop pumper lane.
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When the red was painted on the shooter lane the black inner lines were covered slightly so after the decal was put on, they were a little thinner than original.
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Added the friskit and used a new Xacto blade to cut the new lines.
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There is only one thing left to do and that is the wood grain on the shooter lane. I have never done that before so I am not sure how this will work out. I am going to practice on paper and if it doesn't work out then I just wont do it because I think it looks ok now.

After that its to the point where I just sit and stare at the playfield and see if I can find anything to do. I want to get the last layer on so it can cure while I finish the cabinet.

#345 6 years ago

The last big thing with the playfield is the wood grain in the shooter lane. I have never attempted this before so I was not confident in the results but I figured I would give it a shot since I can always sand it off.

This was my second attempt this because I wasn't happy with the first try but I learned a little that helped me do it again. I started off by brushing on some Transparent Createx Wicked colors paint. Hang with me here because it doesn't look good at the start.
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Then when the paint is dry, I took a wet sponge and wiped from the top to the bottom. I also used my glove covered finger to blend the areas and soften them up.
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Close up of this area.
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I felt like it needed something else and to be a little more of a rich color.
I put Friskit on the lane and trimmed it out to paint the center.

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Then I took the same brown transparent paint and did some airbrushing. I did some soft outlines around the existing brown that I brushed earlier. Then I put a soft full coat of the transparent on the entire lane to richen up the color and help blend the wood grain.
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For a first attempt I think I just lucked out.

I might do a few more very minor things on the playfield and my plan is to do the final clear tomorrow.

#348 6 years ago

Thanks everyone.

I decided to take care of a couple things that I originally was not going to do. That OCD thing again.

I added the fluorescent orange to the T-Rex head.
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Then I decided to fix the damage on the right up-kicker/ramp mount. I originally wasn't going to do this because this area is hidden by plastics. But I thought about what if someone was standing to the side and watching someone play? They could probably look down and see that damage. I couldn't spend this much time on this and then leave that to be possibly seen by someone so I decided to fix it. I filled in the damage area with clear back on the first layer so the area is completely smooth, it just doesn't look that good. I worked a while and mixed a paint that matched the white. If this area was on the playfield I would paint the entire area but since it is mostly covered, I decided to Frisket the area bidder than what I needed and smaller then the entire area. I also used screws and post mounts as a dividing area. This will allow me to feather the paint out and not have to paint the entire area.
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Added the black before I took the picture.
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Unless something jumps out at me tomorrow before I clear, the playfield is done. And to tell you the truth, I am glad. And I bet most of you are too.
Sorry it has taken me so long. I am ready to move on to the next phase which is probably my favorite part. Due to unforeseen family medical issues over the last year and a half, this has taken way longer than it should have but the important thing is Dad is doing better so that makes the delay worth it.

The plan is to clear tomorrow and then get back to work on the cabinet.

#350 6 years ago
Quoted from Mike_J:

Are you going to install the TRex mod that actually looks like the TRex from the movie? I always thought that looked really nice, but have never seen one in person.

Absolutely. I have Seial number #8 trying to eat his way out of the box. Many mods along with some custom stuff will be going on this machine.

#352 6 years ago

Playfield is DONE.

I'm not sure what is wrong with my camera but I just cant get the colors as vibrant as they are on the playfield. Especially the Orange. This thing really pops.

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I will let it sit for 2 or 3 weeks and then I will sand it to get it perfect and then buff to a mirror shine.

I will now get back to working on the cabinet while the clear cures.

#356 6 years ago
Quoted from bflagg:

Hey Lon, I have this sticker if you need it. It's new, don't have a JP anymore. Let me know and I'll mail it to you.

I appreciate the offer. I was able to pick up all but 2 new decals a couple of years ago and the apron was one of them. I am having new ones printed for the couple that I don't have (the grass on the upper TRex shelf) but thanks for offering. That's one of the things that makes this hobby so good is people offering to help each other out.

#357 6 years ago

I went through the boards and reflowed the solder and checked connections. There were a couple of questionable repairs so I checked all that and mounted the boards. That Pinsound loks pretty good in there.
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The red start button and smart missile button were dull from use. I decided to see if I could fix the start button because new ones are available if needed. I like the soda that was spilled as mentioned above.
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Dull
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I used the same technique as when I clear. I wet sanded the surface up to 5000 grit and then buffed with medium/light/swirl remover. Then added a coat of wax.
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Did the same with the smart Missile button.
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Sorry, the picture is a little blurry but you can see the shine.
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#358 6 years ago

Got the new backbox ground wires installed. The old ones looked like crap so I decided to use green ground wire instead of the braid. I know I don't need to use the plastic sleeve anymore because the wire is no longer exposed but I installed new plastic tube to keep with the look of the original and dress it up a bit.
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Got the power box installed. The game is a re-import from Germany and had a foreign aux plug on it.
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I got rid of it and bought a plug to install on the metal box
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The game also had two fuses since it was using 220 volt originally. I did not want to leave an empty hole so I decided to rewire and put the aux plug on a fuse even though it normally is not fused. Re wired everything and tested it all out and also installed the power cord and harness in the cabinet. I still have to run the ground braid on that side when it comes in.
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#361 6 years ago
Quoted from Meloyelo51:

Do you actually have more pics inside the powersupply / wiring? Mine too is German and I want to put the proper service plug and replace the power cord as it's been cut at some point and ground pin cut off. Been too busy to start poking around myself.

No. I didn't take any of the wiring. I guess I just didn't think it was that exciting. Lol. I have to pull the box off to run that ground braid so I will try and take some pictures. Basically I did white as common for the RF modulator and the aux plug. Then daisy chained the black to each fuse and then attached the RF modulator to one fuse and the aux plug to the other fuse.

#362 6 years ago

Installed the backbox locking mechanism.
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installed the backbox light board latch with a black bolt.
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I don't go crazy on the side rail tape. I have taken enough of those off that I don't create more work for myself in the future if I have to take them off.
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Side rails and lockdown installed. Also installed the coin door frame with black bolts. The coin door is black. Also installed leg protectors.
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Got almost all of the cabinet wiring installed. I will wait on the front right of the machine until I get the ground braid installed. The flipper board will not be installed until the playfield is in. I do not want to take a change of damaging it. Knocker will be installed tomorrow.
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#364 6 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

I'm usually not a fan of bright color armor but this thing looks good!

Thanks. Normally I am doing black on games that had stainless etc. I am not a fan of black on black and I really like contrast so I thought I would give this one a shot since red is my favorite color. Lol

Cool thing about it is that nothing is permanent so i figured it was worth it to try it. Of course then I just lost control and did all the little parts on the inside.

#365 6 years ago

I feel like I just mated the wings to the fuselage of a new airplane.

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Finally starting to look like a pinball machine.

#368 6 years ago
Quoted from bflagg:

Best 90's @ TPF 2018 if not best of show. Calling it now.

Thanks for the kind words. Be happy to show you the details personally if you contact me. TPF is a blast.

#370 6 years ago
Quoted from bflagg:

That would be cool. I checked your games in either last year or the year before I forget.

Cool. I remember talking to you. I don't know what most people's pinside name is. Lol

#373 6 years ago

Made a few enhancements to the cabinet. All cosmetic just to make it look sharper. I was not happy with how the wire bundle just laid sloppily behind the coin box so I added some wire holders to make it a little nicer.
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Since I don't have the backbox hinges on yet, I had to use the backbox bolts to secure the head. When I was a Lowes today, I found these and they work perfect. Very easy to use and look nice.
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The original coin door was an absolute mess and the wiring was butchered. The right coin chute wires were cut off at the top and there were even some red electrical tape fixes. I decided to order a new coin door rather than have to do metal hammering.
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Coin door is ready to be installed.
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I'm not sure how I missed this when I took this apart, but something doesn't look right.
I will replace the entire plug later.
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Finished and installed. I planned on replacing the yellow coin insert slots with red but the new ones are smaller that the old ones. I will wait and see what it looks like when I power it up. Since yellow is in the theme, it might look good anyways. The old coin door frame was in good shape so that is actually what I had powder coated red. I have the new black one as well so I have the option to change it too all black after the machine is done.
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Instead of going with a ready made speaker upgrade, I ordered my own upgraded speakers. I might add a undercab powered sub as well. I will see how it sounds and decide when the machine is done.

#374 6 years ago

I added the 12v transformer that will power any mod requiring 12 volts. I do not take power from the boards if at all possible. I also added the red split loom around the wire bundles. This will replace all the black split loom.
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Started experimenting with lighting options for the "When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth" sign. This illuminated it really well but had too much side reflection so I will experiment with some other options. I also might fabricate a bracket to attach to the top of the backboard. If I use an illuminated clear backboard then I might have to come up with another solution.
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#377 6 years ago
Quoted from bflagg:

When I had a JP years ago, I made a box out of abs plastic to house an led strip. Used double stick tape to mount the plastic to it and it bolted into place. Worked great with no bleed or unwanted reflection. The pic has some bleed that was before the tape was on it.

Very nice. I was thinking something along those lines. I can't decide if I want to light up the front of the back panel or replace the wood with acrylic and light it from behind. If I do the acrylic, then I would definitly do a setup similar to yours. If you light the backmpanel from the front then I could probably just use one light. I just want to cut out the reflections off the side for sure.

#378 6 years ago

I got the power wiring installed and fired up the power supply to test the voltages. Everything looked good so I installed the rest of the power wires in and booted up the main board. Houston we have a problem. Before I tore down the machine, I was getting an adjustment switch problem. At random times, the machine will go into the adjustment menu and continuously scroll through the adjustments. It was like the switch was being held down. I was hoping that after I went through everything, the problem would be solved but I am still having the problem. I pulled out the board and put it on my test rig and I am still having the problem so I know it is an issue with the board and there is nothing hooked up but the power and DMD. I will have to do some research and see if it might be a chip or something else. I have a few ideas and hope to test later.

A couple of years ago I built 2 test rigs, one for System 11 and one for WPC. I can test a DE board in the System 11 rig but normally I use F14 roms so I can display it on the system 11 displays. In this situation, I really wanted to see the DMD so I thought outside the box a little and decided to use the machine to power the DMD and the rig to power the board.

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#379 6 years ago

Time for a speaker upgrade.
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Everything installed.
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I ended up having to put some vinyl spacers in because the center dome sticks out farther out than the rim. You can also see the green ground wires instead of the ugly braids.
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Here is the cabinet speaker.
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Finally got the grill in and painted. Should be ready to install tomorrow.
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Cant test the sound board until I get the playfield in since the speaker connections are in that wire bundle.

Got the backbox hinges installed. Instead of going with red which is what most people do, I decided to go with gloss black so the side rails have a nice "trim" look without having the extra color at the end. Used red bolts for some contrast.
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Also did red washers between the hinge and the cabinet.
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#382 6 years ago
Quoted from lb1:

No speaker lighting?

I thought about it and it's still a possibilily but I do not like them when I play. I hate stuff reflecting off the glass. I forgot to mention that I put a polarized filter on the DMD so it does not show up on the playfield glass. I will also modify the backbox GI lights to shut off during gameplay. Flashers will still work.

For me, the only option for this game is white/warm white for the speakers because I do not like how colored lighting changes the color of artwork. That is why I use nothing but warm white for playfield GI, I like to see the art. I think the colored speaker lights look good on games with black speakers/covers. Also, if I added them I would cut them off during gameplay.

#384 6 years ago
Quoted from PACMAN:

Spectacular work all around. Its nice to see other people as crazy as me working on these things
My JP cabinet could use some sprucing up. Would you sell me a set of your cabinet stencil decals?

Well, I am all about contributing to the hobby but I don't want to make people mad by doing something that I am not supposed to do. I don't really want to talk to a Lawyer. They are not stencils but multi piece vinyl decals. The main sides are pretty easy because all the art is larger but due to the complicity of the backbox tree area and the micro red lettering on the front of the cabinet, they are not really "plug and play" if you will. I have the ability to cut a decal multiple times if a piece doesn't transfer correctly. The same problem occurs with my Fire artwork. Just a ton of small pieces that are difficult to get right.

Quoted from Meloyelo51:

Do you actually have more pics inside the powersupply / wiring? Mine too is German and I want to put the proper service plug and replace the power cord as it's been cut at some point and ground pin cut off. Been too busy to start poking around myself.

I hope this picture is clear enough to see what you need to see.
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I got the ground braid installed on the right side of the cabinet so I can finish the wiring on that side.
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Got the main cabinet speaker installed.
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I rewired the auxiliary power supply to 14 gauge color matching wire and also put a fuse in the line. I have 2 power distribution blocks on the way that will allow me to easily connect multiple things to this power supply and keep track of everything.
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I got the lights installed for the flipper buttons.
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#391 6 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

These are going to be fine, but next time, try to find something with better sensitivity, up to 96 db per watt. I did not pay attention to that when I ordered mine as well.
The game audio output is very low so it makes the most of it.

I have a buddy that got these for his VP and liked them and the reviews were pretty good so I figured I would try them. I figured that Pin sounds are not all that high def so I figure it has to be an improvement. lol

If I am not happy with them, then I will just put them in one of my other pins and get different ones.

#392 6 years ago

I tested out the new topper. The pictures don't really show the colors correctly. The Letters are red and the rest is yellow. It looks really cool.
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Installed the relays that will control the Backbox GI and will shut them off during gameplay.
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I got my new wiring in today so I hope to be able to finish the cabinet wiring up.

#394 6 years ago

Just finishing up some wiring and waiting for my connectors to get here.

I designed and printed my first pinball parts with my printer. These are brackets that will hold the undercab flash LED strips.
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1 week later
#397 6 years ago

Got my connectors in so I finished up the wiring for the Backbox GI control.
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Here is the kinda crap you come up with when your wife has major knee surgery and you are helping take care of her and you are watching a Hallmark movie with her while on the computer.

Cut some vinyl and printed a T-Rex emblem.
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Blank Speaker - Boring
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You can see part of my 12v power distribution set up for mods but I forgot to take some pictures so I will show that later.

#401 6 years ago

Here is the 12v power distribution set up. I do not like to take power from any of the boards if at all possible. Since most of the things I add use 12v, I added a 12v power supply. On previous games I might have 2 or 3 things hooked into the power supply with one terminal. On this one I found these distribution blocks that matched the colors of the interior. I have 120v off the transformer plug routed through a fuse and then to the 12v power supply. From the 12v power supply, I have a fuse and then the 12v block. All 12v mods will hook to these blocks.
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Once finished, these covers will go on that will hide the connections and make things look a little neater.
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I finished the connectors for the lighted flipper buttons and changed out the coin door plug for the right size.
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The power supplies on DE have an issue with the transformer plug. The upper pins will get hot and damage as seen by this picture.
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I replaced both the transformer attach pins and the grounding pins above them. I also changed out all the 5 volt components just due to age. I replaced the 4 4700uf capacitors and the voltage regulator. All hooked back up with perfect voltages.
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As of now, the cabinet is finished up except for the mods I will add as time progresses. I wont put the under cab flasher on until she is off the lift. I haven't finished designing my surprise backbox mod yet so it will probably be one of the last things added when the machine is done.

I will probably be heading out of town for 4-5 days so my goal is to do a final sand and buff of the playfield and get to work on it next week.

#403 6 years ago

Worked on the playfield today. When you use multiple layers of clear, it fills up the holes even though you are sanding a lot of the clear off the playfield. You have to get the clear out of the holes or when you put a screw in, it will pull the clear off the playfield and you will have a whole new set of problems and a sick feeling in your gut.

Using a regular drill bit risks pulling up the clear so you must use a Brad tip drill bits. Most sets start with 1/8 inch but you need a 3/32 to clean out the holes for the wire form lane guides. This set on eBay has all of them and they are really sharp. I was real happy with how they worked. I can control the speed of my drill so I just go really slow. These are sharp enough you can do it by hand as well.
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Here is what the holes look like before they are cleaned. I guess I could clean them every time I spray but normally I just wait until the end.
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Nice clean hole.
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Using one of the bigger bits for the big plastic lane guides so they will fit flush in the recessed areas.
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Playfield is ready to wet sand. I hope to sand and buff tomorrow.
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#405 6 years ago

Milestone................PLAYFIELD IS DONE

I wet sanded today with an air orbital sander. I hand sanded a few weeks ago with 800 so today I used 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 and then 3000 and 5000 foam pads. Most people stop with 2000 or 2500 but I like to take it to 5000. As you can see from the picture, there is a nice shine after the sanding.
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Since used 5000 sanding, I skipped the heavy cuts and started with medium. I put it on the playfield and then wet the pad.
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Its amazing the transformation with just a couple minutes buffing. Remember that the light in the reflection is behind a sheet of hazy plastic so that is why it doesn't look crystal clear
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Better shot at the reflection.
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Did two more cuts of Fine and Swirl Remover. Will put a light coat of wax on and she is ready to go.
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I also got my Reese Rails today

#406 6 years ago

I took the paint booth down since I wont need it for a few months and its nice to have the other half of my shop back. Its a lot brighter in here now.
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Here are a couple more gloss shots now that the plastic is down.
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Started working on a light box for the "When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth" sign. I am planning on enclosing the sign so no light bleeds down below to the playfield. I am doing it for two reasons. One is that I don't want to flood the area too much because I don't want to wash out the lighted Amber block. Also I am going to try and do the lighted plexi back panel which will give me the lighted plastic but not light up the whole area. I designed a box and printed it out so you can see what I am planning. I didn't have any black so I might have to throw some paint on the edges so it remains invisible. I might buy some black filament and print it again as this was a prototype test anyways. If I decide I need additional light on the back part of the playfield, then I can make holes in the bottom of the light box to let as much light out as I want.
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Opened up the Reese Rails and they are really nice. I originally planned to do the rails myself but I just didn't feel like doing a bunch of wood work and painting. I am ready to move this project along and didn't really want to wait.

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#411 6 years ago

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I kinda got carried away with this one. Lol

#412 6 years ago

Lets get this party started.
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First things first. Installed the Rails to give the playfield some strength.
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Went through and cleaned all the sockets with a socket cleaner in the drill.
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Installed all the GI bulbs to check for any major problems. It is alive.
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Time to remove all the stuff I installed for the clearing.
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Holy Batcrap, I forgot how dirty the underside is. Of course I haven't seen the underside in over a year.
I am gonna have to do a lot of cleaning for this thing to go in that cabinet.
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Cleaned this corner just to see how it cleaned up.
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#414 6 years ago

L

Quoted from Marcdaddy:Lonzo I was wondering if you can point me in the right direction, I just picked up a JP for a really good deal with one exception. Inside the backbox the lights/Panel was completely missing, for now its just a static light in there. Is the only route custom Fab on it at this point? I havnt found the part listed anywhere refurb or used, not sure why the previous owners pitched it.

You could probably use any DE light backboard if you could find it. The wiring should be similar with the only difference being the flashers. You could modify it to work for you. The light holes would not be in the right places but it probably wouldn't be that noticable.

The other option would be to make one from scratch using photos of an original one.

Or you could get a transformer and put some LED strips in there as well.

#415 6 years ago

I removed the light boards in the center of the playfield and man, those things are dirty. I will leave them out until the underside is mostly done just to make it easier to work on.
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The white egg target was pretty scratched up so I replaced it.
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The foam on the back support was completely gone. For those of you air balls off switches, check this foam. If it is missing, the switch flexes back too far and launches the ball.
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Nice new pad.
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Next, I took the old target off and riveted a new one on. I use a squeeze riveter that make things like this easy.
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Here is the target completed and installed. Also the red guide rails.
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The only other thing I was able to do is polish up some of the lane switches and install them.

#420 6 years ago

Thank you guys for the kind words. And to even be mentioned in the same company as HEP is Humbling. I have the utmost respect for Chris at HEP and his documentation has taught me lot. While I have never met Chris, I have spoke with him several times via email and he has been very helpful with information and is second to none at what he does. And he has the cutest shop dog around.

I had originally planned to have this at TPF last year and when I didn't have is finished, I decided to just go all out with it since I had another year. It definitely is a labor of love for sure.

Chris, I really appreciate the support.

#421 6 years ago

Started working on one of the 3 target switch banks. They looked pretty banged up.
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They actually cleaned up pretty nice but still had a shadow of where the ball would strike the targets.
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Some were actually bent forward. Sorry, the focus picked up on the playfield.
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I filed down the rivet on the back of the target. I did it very carefully because the targets are in good enough shape to replace targets on a "shopped" machine. I needed to "pop" the face off and that normally sends the rivet washer flying so I put some tape over to catch it.
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Tada......For my next trick.....
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There was no foam on these targets either so the back part of the switch was also bent back.
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Back all put back together, adjusted and gapped.
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These bigger wire guides are pretty ugly. I got a vibration cleaner and gonna see how it works.
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#423 6 years ago
Quoted from bflagg:

Did you add anything to the tumbler? I use some flitz metal polish and the parts turn out great, the guide rails looked new.

I used a polish but I can't remember what brand it was.

#424 6 years ago

Not much "photo worthy" but cleaned a lot of inserts and got two more targets done. Kinda sucks when you cant find any deep target faces so you have to buy complete targets just so you can take the face off and take the old one apart and swap faces. Doubles the time to do a target. The new ones were not the same so I couldn't just solder the new one in.

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#426 6 years ago

Welcome to the club. Hope you enjoy getting it up and running.

#427 6 years ago

Lots of work done over the last 2 days. I got all the switches finished and installed. All the parts left over to bring you all new switch faces.
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Mine did not have the metal playfield rods that sit behind the flippers. I got some new ones and installed them.
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Then I rebuilt the pop bumpers. These things were nasty.
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I took all the parts off and scrubbed the blue mount.
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Here are the rest of the parts cleaned up.
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After I assembled it and installed it I realized that it was all a waste of time because I don't see a difference.
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The last bumper was easier to rebuild because all I had to do was open the new blue mount.
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Next I rebuilt the flippers. Once again, they were very dirty.
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The upper flipper was missing the spring bracket that is supposed to be attached to the flipper mech. You can see that they just hooked the spring to the hex bolt.
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After looking at the other two flippers, they brackets on those looked pretty bad so I am just going to replace all of them.
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Here is the flipper rebuild kit.
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One of the spring attach brackets is cracked so it will have to be replaced.
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Flippers finished. Those with a sharp eye will notice that there are no switches. (more on that in the next post.) There are also a couple of screws that were missing that I will have to buy and replace.
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All of the lights and sockets have also been cleaned and a list of bulbs that I need has been made. I am going to order my LEDs individually instead of a kit so I can get exactly what I want.

It may not look like a lot of work has been done but it is becoming much more organized.
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Here is a top shot. All the targets are installed and most of the smaller ball guides.
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I did some experimenting. The original pops had white skirts. I had some extra laying around so I tried a red one just to see how it looked. I also had a new set of the metal bumper rings so I had the old ones powder coated red. I tried a couple of combinations. I wasn't thinking about the red showing though the cap when I had the idea. Not sure which one I like better.
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#428 6 years ago

I have a flipper question. Some documentation I have says there are supposed to be switches on the main flippers. The manual references a switch on the left main flipper but not the right. I believe this is due to the raptor kickback. Mine does not have any switches on them. The picture on IPDB shoes switches on both lower flippers.

So here is my question. Do you have switches on both flippers?
If so, what wire combination is hooked to each, because I am not seeing it in the switch matrix. It may be a direct switch and if so, I can probably find it in the schematics but I haven't looked yet. I do have a couple of suspicious wires that are twist tied together which would simulated the EOS never being triggered. Gotta love a hacked up game.

Just kinda weird that the switches are totally gone. You would think if the switch broke, they would have just tied the wires together and left the switch. lol

Thanks

#433 6 years ago
Quoted from waldo34:

I did yellow skirts, turned out pretty nice.

I had thought about yellow but didn't have any.

#435 6 years ago
Quoted from ypurchn:

No idea if it’s right or wrong but it’s what I’ve got.

Thanks for the pictures and that is what I suspected. I did some research and the switch wires come from the flipper board so that's why they are not In the matrix. Those do indeed look like the wires that are tied together and that matches the colors coming from the board so it all makes sense now and I will add the switches.

#437 6 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

Superb work Lonzo!
I prefer white over red but either way looks great man!

Thanks. Of the two I think I will go with white. They are cheap enough that I may order some yellow to throw on there and check out.

1 week later
#441 6 years ago
Quoted from tbutler6:

Looks amazing Lonzo! What are you going to use for playfield support brackets? Anyone got a good part number for some slide brackets that work well for this game?

I am just using the standard brackets that it came with. They suck but I don't feel like doing any engineering right now.

#442 6 years ago
Quoted from Neal_W:

There was an EOS switch board mod for JP, since they were always a bit fussy.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jurassic-park-club/page/80#post-4140092

I saw that the other day. I will have to look at my flipper board to see what I have.

#443 6 years ago

Added the switches to the lower flippers. It also appears that I will have to do the modification to the flipper board because I have the old one.
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I rebuilt both sling shots. They were dirty but in pretty good shape.
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I replaced the blue link in both. There was play in it and you can see some of the wear.
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Both installed.
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The boat dock eject hole was originally yellow but I decided to replace it with a new red one.
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I want to make sure everything that is seen on the top of the playfield is nice and pretty no matter how small it is so I polished the end of the switch that is in the center of the eject plastic.
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Here it is all cleaned up and installed. I will add a light later that lights up the hole.
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Then I cleaned up the light boards are re-installed them. I also reflowed all the solder joints on the connector pins.
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The I ran into a problem. I was going to install the T-Rex ejector hole and mechanism and realized that it was cracked.
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My original Idea was to use a clear one lit up with a green light since it is in a "grassy" area. Everywhere I checked was out of stock on those and I have never seen a green one for sale so I was going to use the original.

it appears pinballlife now has them in stock so I will pick up a few.

1 week later
#445 6 years ago

finally got a good day to get a lot of work done. Not much of it is "photo" worthy but a lot of cleaning coils, brackets, wiring etc. I did get my Comet LED order in so all the insert bulbs have been installed.

From the early pictures you might remember that shooter lane was really chewed up. I think I found the reason. The metal plate on the ball trough that holds the coil was bent. I think what it was doing is firing the ball a little more vertically than normal which I think caused it to bounce down more than across the shooter lane. I think it was coming down before it got out of the coil mech. You can see from this picture that the ball pounded a nice "U" shape in the lip. If you look close you can see the edge actually rolled to the outside. Sorry, I don't have a better picture of it as I already filed and polished it as good as it can get. I also sent it to powder coating. I also bent everything back the way it should be.
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Next I got my clear eject holes in but as I mentioned before, they have the little tabs in them which I assume would interfere with the T-Rex mouth.
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First step is to carefully cut the tabs as close as possible to the surface without messing up the surface because that just causes more work when you sand.
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Next you wet sand with 1000 grit until the surface is smooth.
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Then you move up to 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000 and 5000. It will look pretty good after this but not quit clear. Then I take and buff it with fine cut and then with swirl remover and you have a nice polished finish and you cant see any evidence of the tabs.
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Nice eating my T-Rex. I will light it up with green and if I don't like it I will change to the red.
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I decided to try the yellow skirts. I think it compliments the yellow ring around the bumpers and well as the caps. If I dint like it I can change to white later.
I also got all the wiring hooked back up for the pops.
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Current picture of the bottom. Installed the VOK bracket but one piece is still at the powder coaters so will finish it next week.
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#447 6 years ago

Ran into an issue with the shooter coil. First of all someone really jacked up this connection. Looks like something went wrong and then they unwrapped the coil and hooked it back up.
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The continuity wasn't solid so I was going to repair it and then I realized it was the wrong coil. Its supposed to be a 23-800.
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I went ahead and cleaned it up and set it aside until I replace the coil. I will put connectors on all the coils that I had to cut wires to remove.
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Now to the scoop holes. I want to protect the scoop edges now that they are repaired. I originally bought Cliffys to put on bit I read several things about the cliffys making the holes harder to hit because the ball will jump the hole. I am going to try something else. I am going to use the Mantis protectors. I am also going to mylar the edges in hopes that it will give it some extra protection. If I see any wear developing then I will throw the Cliffys on.

First thing was to cut out custom designed mylar pieces. Its actually not mylar. It was made by another pinball company that I don't think it in business anymore. I like it because it removes easier than mylar. I have had some on other machines for several years and it still looks good.
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I put strips on the sides off all the scoops with half inside and half outside the edge. Its a little hard to see in the pics. But I guess that's good.
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Next, I installed the Mantis protectors. The protectors cover the mylar on the inside of the scoop. The only problem I have with them in that one of the "A" scoop protector's mooting tabs sits under the scoop mechanism so it wont fit flush with the playfield. I will end up modifying the mech to fit like its supposed to.
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Seems like on all DE games, the larger wire guides always look like crap. I cleaned them up using a wire wheel and then a lot of elbow grease with some Never Dull and I think they look pretty good.
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#448 6 years ago

Got the metal rails installed.
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#450 6 years ago

Worked on the scoop mechanism. I think something was spilled down this thing. Somebody must have been working on it and spilled their Dr. Pepper.
You can also see that the top part of the scoops were not at the same angle. That is also probably the reason the plastic behind the right one was broken. you can also see the ball marks on the metal.
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Yummy
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One problem I ran into was the mantis protector had one of the tabs in the way. The mech would not sit level with the bottom of the playfield.
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So what I did was mark where the tab was on the mounting bracket.
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Then I cut out a notch. Even if I take the protectors off, this notch will not be a factor.
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I cleaned up all the metal and then sanded the scoops with 2000 grit sand paper with fine cut cleaner and then 2500 grit with swirl remover. It polished them up pretty nice and removed the ball marks. Also found a crack in the metal on the back of the right scoop. I drilled a small hole at the end of the crack. This should relive the stress on the crack and hopefully stop it from progressing. The hole is low enough in the scoop that I don't think it will be visible from the normal player position. I will look around and see if I can find a new one but I doubt they are available. You can also see that the ball marks are gone. I didn't bother sanding the lower half because you cant see it.
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All cleaned up and reassembled.
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Installed and you can see how it sits over the mantis mounting tab.
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Of course I got it all mounted and then I realized I did not install the smart scoop light mod. So I took it back out and installed the lights.
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The mod calls for using alligator clips to hook up the lights. I don't use alligator clips so I soldered two wires where the clips were supposed to go and then put a connector on them to install the mod. This way I can unhook the mod if needed and I don't have to worry about clips coming off or touching something they shouldn't.
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The board for the left scoop mounts nicely on the bracket with some adhesive foam.
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Once again, used a connector for the center scoop.
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The board for the center is supposed to be stuck to the underside of the playfield. I just don't trust sticky tape with a 25 year old piece of wood that was filty and cleaned. So I used a zip tie with a screw mount and then screwed it to the playfield.
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#451 6 years ago

Kind of aggravating today. I had to end up rewiring the scoop lighting mod that I installed. All the wires were breaking off at the attach points on the boards. I decided to replace all the wires with larger/stronger wires. Took several hours to get it all done but it is bullet proof now.

I also installed various "easy" parts on the playfield including the black gloss ball guides for the Raptor lane. The black post rubbers are just place holders until my colored ones get here.
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#453 6 years ago
Quoted from outcida:

Sorry to slow your progress down Lonzo. The early versions used stranded copper wire which were fragile even after I tinned them. I solved that issue by going to tinned copper wire and a beefier gauge. Keep up the great work!

No worries at all. Things like that happen. You make great stuff and keep the ideas flowing.

#455 6 years ago

I got the new coil in for the shooter lane. Installed the diode and cleaned up the wiring and added the plug.

Next to the T-Rex mech.
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The yellow from the coil is supposed to have a shield on it to protect it so this will be added when I rebuild it.
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Got it all tore apart and cleaned on panel for comparison.
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Base parts are cleaned and ready for rebuild.
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Installed the motor for the Up/Down function. The switch wiring was really messed up on this so I fixed it and I put a clear plastic tube around the outside to keep the wires together and protect them. I also added the plug to the end.
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On the playfield side, the wiring was poorly soldered. There are two wires on the playfield side that will connect with a single wire on the mech side. To make the connections easier, I combined the two wires into a single that is then put in the connector. I don't have all the correct wires for a machine so I try and make the colors make sense. So for the white/red wire I used a red wire, for the white/brown wire I used brown and for the green/grey wire I used green. These wire were then put in the plug.
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Upon inspecting the hole in the lower jaw, it has been wore out pretty good. Instead of being round, it is more square.
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The link is also showing some wear. I had to hold it up against a piece of paper to show the details.
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I guess I am going to go ahead and order a new jaw and link. I figure If I am going this far I shouldn't cheap out now.

#456 6 years ago

The wires were about ready to break off the coil and because it wasn't wired with the original wires, I just decided to re-wire the whole thing.
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The original wires are black and white with a grey sheath around them. I think this adds protection for the bend up around the neck as I have seen a lot of pictures of wiring messed up there. You can see that mine was fixed there as well. I also think maybe the gray helps the wire "blend" in with the surroundings when the T-Rex bends over to pick up the ball. The black and white wires connect to red and green wires via a connector under the playfied. Since I was re-wiring, I figured I would change the wires to match the connector. I replaced the black and white wires with red and green. I then covered the entire upper wire area with back heat shrink tubing and I doubled it up where it makes the 180 degree turn.
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I added the wire tie mounts and made it look nice and tight. I also wire tied all the wires on the right side to keep it all out of the way.
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#457 6 years ago

Only thing left on the T-Rex is the jaw. I ordered the link and the Jaw today so it should be here in a few days. I decided to test fit the new T-Rex. I had to adjust one of the wire ties because the fit is much tighter and there is not as much room for wiring with the new T-Rex. Got it all fitted. For course he doesn't have his lower dentures in.
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#460 6 years ago
Quoted from Plumonium:

Looks nice Lonzo! Aren't you putting new coil wrappers?

No. I am not doing it on this one. I might create them for my next one.

#461 6 years ago
Quoted from ypurchn:

Hey lonzo any chance you could give a quick walk through of how to get to the Trex left right motor without pulling the entire assembly and putting it on the bench? Started doing mine, got about 45 minutes in and ended up giving up and putting it back together cause guests were arriving in an hour...

The motor is easy. Just two screws and the motor will drop out. Now if your talking a about the gearbox then that is more difficult. You can only reach three of the four screws from the top without completely removing the dinosaur/coil mount mech. I personally would rather remove the entire thing to work on it then try and do it in the machine.

#464 6 years ago
Quoted from Chitownpinball:

Can you still buy that washer for the bottom flap of the chest plate? Yours looks a-nice.

I'm not sure. Mine was in pretty good shape so I cleaned it up.

#466 6 years ago

Cleaned up the steel ball guides. I wet sanded them down starting with 600 grit and working my way up to 5000 grit. Here is a comparison with one that has not been cleaned yet.
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Got them all done and installed. The shooter lane had more of a groove in it and I didn't get it totally out but it looks a lot better than before.
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#467 6 years ago

@Plumonium, These pictures should make you proud.

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I also got the parts in for the T-Rex jaw so I hope to get to that tomorrow.

#469 6 years ago

Ok, got back to the T-Rex Jaw. I ordered a new Jaw from Marco and when I looked at it, something just didn't seem right. I got the original jaw out and compared them and discovered that the new one is not the same as the original one. The front of the jaw is narrower than the original one. For people just replacing the jaw using the original T-Rex, this is probably not an issue but with the new T-Rex, this creates some problems. The lower silicone teeth are held in place by the metal jaw pressing up against the teeth and holding them tight against the outer shell. With the new jaw, there is a gap now that it is narrower so this didn't work. I decided to bent the sides out a little bit along with the front metal "teeth" and it seemed to hold the teeth firm. Only playing the game will tell if other glue etc. will have to be added. I didn't take any pictures of the jaw before I bent it but if you look at the lower flat part, you can see the difference.
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There is also an issue for some people with the ball getting stuck on the new screw that is used to mount the new T-Rex jaw. Some people build a "ramp" with an epoxy type substance but I decided to countersink the hole to make the screw fit flat with the lower surface.
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Here is the finished jaw with the decal installed. I went ahead and put the screw hole cut cutout part of the decal on the screw. I have no idea if it will be string enough to stay there.
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I will wait until I get the decal put on the T-Rex feeding area before I mount the T-Rex mech, just to give me more room to work.

#470 6 years ago

On to a couple odds and ends under the playfield. I got the upper scoop piece back from powder so I mounted it with the LED for the lighted scoop mod.
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I also got the ball trough finished and ready to mount. I have to make a modification to my rotisserie before I can mount this so I don't scratch the powder.
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I replaced all of the Z connectors under the playfield. I have had issues with old ones on other games and also one in the backbox of this game so I replaced them all.
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#471 6 years ago

I got the parts in to finish the flippers (Or so I thought)

I needed to replace the spring attach points on both main flippers.
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Got one all fixed up and adjusted.
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The other flipper is the one that had the cracked switch mount. I got the new one and when I took it out of the package.....Wrong part. What they sent was the spring mount that is used on the upper flipper. It was also not zinc coated like the original. Now here is the interesting thing. I accidentally ordered the spring mount instead of the switch mount on my last order. When I got it, I got a spring mount just like the one they sent me this time except it had the zinc coating on it like it is supposed to. To sum it up, I order the spring mount and I get a spring mount with zinc coating. When I order a switch mount, I get a spring mount with no zinc coating. This concerns me because maybe they don't have the correct part at all. I will find out when I call them Monday. Very frustrating because I am trying to get the underside done and move on to the topside.

You can see the sticker shows the correct picture. You can also see the crack in the old one.
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#473 6 years ago

No internet at the house for 2 days. Lots of work done. Hope to update soon.

#474 6 years ago

The internet is back on. WOOHOO

I installed the new jaw and jaw link. The tab on the jaw link was a little to big for the new jaw hole. With a little work I was able to get it to fit and it works great.
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I ran into an issue when working with the flippers. I noticed that every other picture I have seen of the bottom of the playfield showed green labeled flippers (090-5020-30). I looked at mine and I have different coils. I have 090-5032-00 on both my mail flippers. I read all the service bulletins and found no reference to a modification or update to the flipper coils (like F-14). I guess at some point someone replaced them with what they had around. I find it interesting that both coils match. Normally if someone replaces something then its just one and they don't match.
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The coils that are installed now are actually weaker than the originals so I will replace them with new ones.

#475 6 years ago

While I was reading the Service Bulletins I saw one about the switch that is in the bottom of the center scoop. I guess when the ball enters, it slams down on the floor of the scoop. The switch is mounted under that area and the vibration will eventually break the diode off the switch. I decided to look at mine and I bound something very interesting. The switch has the diode on it but there was also a "remote" diode that was mounted on the playfield. This remote diode is inline with this switch.
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The theory is that now that the diode is on the playfield, the vibration is eliminated and the diode will not break. Sounds great except for when the switch was replaced, they wired it like it was originally so there is a diode on it.
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The problem with this is that since the diode is on the switch, then when it breaks, the switch will still not work. The solution is to take the diode off and move the wire to the other side. Now the signal goes through the remote diode and then directly to the switch.
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#476 6 years ago

I decided to try the Comet Matrix post lights. I like the idea of the modular system. I got everything ready to go and ran into a problem. The lights are to big to fit in the post.
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I contacted them and they verified that they tried several posts in the office and had the same issue. They are working with the manufacturer and will have a fix but it will be 2-3 months before they have new ones out, That was not an option since TPF is in 2 months. They are taking care of me and the people at Comet are great. I found a way to make it work so I am keeping them. Here you can see the difference with another brand.
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What id did was take the post and carve out the base with a new X-Acto knife.
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Here is a comparison of and unaltered post on the left and one that was modified to fit the lights. the area that was cut out is not quite as clear as the original. It at the very base so it shouldn't change the lighting pattern.
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First thing that I added the lights to was the sling area. I placed the lights and carefully threaded the wires behind the switches so any movement of the switches will not touch the wires.
NOTE: This picture was taken before I placed the wires behind the switches
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I tried to place the light pads in positions that will not be visible to the player.
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Under the playfield I used a 3 way splitter to attach the lights together and then soldered them to a GI line. I attached the wires to a wire support and there is enough tension on the line to make sure the wires stay in the back part of the hole and not risk unplugging.
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#477 6 years ago

Got the trough installed.
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I cringe every time I install or remove the DMD so I lined the entire edge with felt to protect the cabinet when moving the panel.
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If things work out, I will have a tutorial coming up on how I reproduced these original decals and why I did it.
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#478 6 years ago

Since I have never done the post lights before, I wanted to power up the GI to see how they worked before I spent all the time to install the rest of them. I decided since I was going to hook the GI up I might as well hook it all up and teat everything to see where I am at. I also wanted to load up the Pinsound and check it out. After I got it all wired, I just stood and looked at it for a minute feeling the fear of flipping the switch. I didn't want to see any magic smoke.
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Here Goes................................
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That's a relief. After spending a couple of hours going through every little thing. All lights work. I only had two switches that were not registering and fixed them both. All coils and flashers work. Of course I couldn't test any lights or switches that are on ramps. backboard or on top the playfield. Overall I was very happy with everything.

I noticed one insert that had a little bleed around the edge. I guess I missed the edge or the paint was not thick enough in that area.
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I put some black paint along the edge and it helped but the light is traveling through the plastic and still showing a little. I came up with a fix. This is only tested with Comet LEDs. I have no idea if it will fit on any other brand of bulb. I have used light shield before to keep light from bleeding over to adjacent inserts. The lower playfield on CONGO has a problem with this. I have used small PVC in the past, but this will not work in this case because the light is in a light board. I just happened to have a coil sleeve sitting on my bench and I had an idea. I slid the coil sleeve over the LED and it fit perfect and snug. I took the sleeve and cut it several different lengths. Tested several and then decided I only needed to control the light on the one side so I cut the side out of it and mounted it.
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Here it is installed and the bleed is gone.
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Oh, and the Pinsound is freaking awesome. It combined with the new speakers and the updated sounds are amazing.

The scoop light mod is great as well.

#479 6 years ago

Next came the out lane plastics. These were yellow and the top one was not really clear. I had a really nice set on my SW and since it has not been fully restored yet, I decided to swap them out. Here you can see the difference.
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Both installed. Of course after I took this picture I realized I forgot to put the plastic protectors on.
Took them off and fixed them. The other sling post and lights are also installed. I leave plastics that don't have to be on the playfield off to protect them.
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The front play field supports use one of the screws from the out lanes. Now I can install them. I bought the upgraded ones that have a bigger base and two more screw holes.
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#482 6 years ago

I got the flipper switch bracket in so I was able to finish that.

When I was installing the left sling posts yesterday I ran into a problem. Two of the post studs were a little short. With the plastic protectors installed the short posts will not grab the T nuts under the playfield. I only had one new one on hand. I had to think outside the box a little to get this to work but I have a good solution until I get some new ones in. It is perfectly fine the way I am doing it and doesn't "Have" to be changed. Here is a pic of the posts along with a 2 inch screw.
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I had hoped to use the 2 inch screw but the posts studs do not screw in flush with the playfied so the two inch screw was too short. I took a 3 inch screw and installed it from the top of the playfield. Next, I took my level out and leveled the playfield and then measured the top of the lower post stud and adjusted the new screw until the bottom of the head was level with the other post top.
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This left the screw extending out the bottom of the playfield.
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I took blue tapa and marked where it came out of the playfield.
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Then I screwed it all the way in and got a piece of metal to protect the wiring as I used my mini tool to cut it off.
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I shaped the end and ran it under a wire wheel to make it look like a post stud end.
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Then I took the screw out and installed it from under the playfield.
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I then checked the height again. It was just a smidgen tall so I added a washer underneath the playfield and then it was a perfect height.
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Install the post and thread a nut down on top of the post and tighten it down. Now the post is secure to the playfield just like a post stud. You can add your nut for the plastic and nobody will ever know (unless you read this thread)
I will probably replace it when I get some new posts but its there for now.
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#483 6 years ago

When I had the power on and testing the T-Rex, I was not happy with the movement left and right. It seemed like it was struggling and making a lot of noise. I took the motor off and test ran it and it seemed to run pretty smooth so I decided to take apart the gearbox and see how it looked after 25 years. I drilled out the rivets and took the cover off.
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The grease was not dry but it looked thick and dirty and the gear teeth looked dirty. I will post pictures of taking each gear off for those that want to see what it looks like.
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I got the parts all cleaned up and inspected the gears and they all looked good.
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All put back together with some white Lithium grease.
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T-Rex put back together with the serviced gearbox. I also did some ball eating tests with the new T-Rex and I did not bend the lower metal teeth out far enough. He was chomping right in the middle of the ball so I also adjusted those and mounted the jaw again.
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I hooked the motor up with my 5 volt power supply and this thing really moves now. Its also really smooth and doesn't seem to struggle anymore. I am actually surprised that it made that much difference since the grease was not actually dry but I guess the thickness of the grease was bogging it down.

#484 6 years ago

The other thing I noticed when I was doing the power on tests was that the solenoids that I am using to shut of the backbox during gameplay acted like there was a connection problem a couple of times. They would cycle on and off intermittently when they shouldn't. I thought maybe there was something wrong with the connector I made to piggyback off the solenoid plug. I didn't like the way the pins would move so I just decided to make a now connector. I wired a new connecter piggyback that is wire correct for the flippers to help when plugging the solenoids in. The old plug is to the left. It tuned out that the old plug was just fine but I didn't find that out until later and I am going to use the new plug anyway. The black wire coming off carries the ground signal for the flippers and sends it to the solenoids.
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I then checked the plug for the solenoids and I didn't like one of the wire connections so I took them out to inspect them. When I was messing with the wires, one of the white wires came straight out of the factory plug. THAT was the problem. The wire was barely in there and making intermittent contact.
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I was able push out the connector and it was obvious it wasn't crimped enough when it was made to hold the wire in. I was able to re insert the wire and crimp it down and then I added some solder to it solidify the connection.
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This made me wonder about the other yellow wire on the other side. A light tug and it came right out too. Did the same to fix it. I pushed the same wires out of the other connector to check them and they actually seemed like they were done right but I went ahead and added the solder to them. I guess the guy building the first connector was just having a bad day. I tugged pretty hard on the big wires and they seemed tight and I could actually see the connection inside and they looked fine. Installed the solenoids and new piggy back in the backbox.
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I think I am finished fixing/improving things I found during testing and ready to move forward again.

#486 6 years ago

Cleaned up the Gun parts and put it together. The gun is powder coated with a texture black.
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I tried to put the gun on the cabinet and the top right bolt would not go through. I pulled it back out and looked at the hole and something I remembered when I was taking the machine apart. Here is a photo of the cabinet and you can see that the top right bolt is missing. Man that cab is ugly.
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You can see that someone had put a big nail in the side of the cabinet that goes through that hole so that is why the bolt was missing. Sorry, the close ups are a little blurry.
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I took my mini tool and carefully grinded it down. I left the end of the nail in place since it is not in the way.
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Got it mounted with all the bolts now.
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#487 6 years ago

I got the T-Rex mounted.
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I did some testing with the jaw and made a few teeth adjustments and now it picks up the ball with very little resistance in the jaw coil.
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The "up" switch activated a little early so that was also adjusted so the T-Rex is fully upright when the motor stops.

#488 6 years ago

I was installing all the posts that go under the big raptor plastic and I was missing one gray posts and one was to too short. As I was looking at the playfield I had an idea. Many people complain that the back of the playfield is dark. There are also no GI lights under the left half of the big raptor plastic. I decided to put post lights on the two back posts that I hope will brighten the back of the playfield and light up that plastic a little better.
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As I was test fitting the plastic I noticed that they didn't drill one of the mounting holes in the new plastic.
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With the short gray post I mentioned above, the old plastic was resting on the raptor coil and had a lot of damage.
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When plastic protectors are not used, I normally place a washer on the post before I put the plastic on, this protects the hole and more evenly distributes the force on the plastic to minimize damage. When I tested the new plastic, it was not touching the coil but it was a very thin margin. I decided to put two washers on each post to get a little more clearance.
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Here you can see how much clearance I have now.
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#489 6 years ago

Next I will address the Amber. This is what I had in my machine.
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Looks just like it doesn't it. Maybe it was a Mod.

When I got this machine a few years ago, I was able to find a new on from a place in Australia.
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everything was pretty dingy.
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Took it all apart to clean it up.
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Ran in to another interesting wiring issue. Kind of like the switch modification in the scoop, I am not sure if this has been modified or if the lights are from another machine. The sockets are all cleaned up but you can see that there is a second wire on all four tabs. It looks like they were daisy chained at some point. This made look at the wiring diagrams to see if I was missing something but I believe I have everything.
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I looked at the bottom of the playfield. The wires leading to the upper playfield lights run through a distribution block like the pop bumpers. This makes me wonder if there are versions of the game that have a daisy chain and no distribution block under the playfield and ones that have this. Or this could be just something someone did to my machine. Curious if you guys have different wiring. This block is normally screwed to the playfield but I took it off to get a better picture.
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The new amber block just about gave me a heart attack. I think the block is made out of a harder material than the original. When I tried to put a screw into the pre-drilled holes, I could hear it cracking. I immediately stopped. I couldn't use a smaller screw because it wouldn't bite. I drilled the hole out a little more and then held my breath and tried the screw again and it worked. If this would not have worked, I would have had to just drill a hole all the way through and deal with it so I'm glad it worked.
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One thing I hat about the Amber block is the bracket that holds it sis wider than the amber. I think this just looks sloppy.
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I marked the edges so I could cut the vertical part off.
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I got sockets riveted back on to the bracket and connectors added.
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I put the pins in a configuration where they can not be plugged into the wrong one.
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Finished and ready to mount. You will still be able to see the flat part of the mounting bracket but at least you wont see the ugly vertical part of the bracket.
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