Jacksonville, FL
Quoted from ShaunoftheDead:damn, thats pretty....
Thanks... I'm really pleased with the way everything turned out. Too bad you never see the bottom of the playfield 
(Topic ID: 82361)
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Fathom
Bally, 1981
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Sydney, Oz
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Laval, QC
Quoted from PinballMikeD:Got my first batch of powdered parts back today. I decided to go with a 2 stage metallic blue (w/ clear top coat) for all the coil and drop target assemblies.
Here's a close up; it's had to see the pearl in the photos:
I never said I was a purest
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I love this thread - thanks for all the detailed documentation!
Did you get the powdercoating done locally or did you send them out? If they weren't local, I'd love to know who you used.
Keep up the great work!
Quoted from radium:Whoa I never thought about playing lane guides like that. That's amazing. Think it will hold up well?
They were plated originally, so should hold up well.
Quoted from Gov:Mind sharing what that might run?
I'd prefer not to discuss what Mike charged me, let's just say you get what you pay for. Give Chestnut a call; I'm sure he can give you an idea of price based on what you are looking for.
Quoted from bayoubilly70:I love this thread - thanks for all the detailed documentation!
Did you get the powdercoating done locally or did you send them out? If they weren't local, I'd love to know who you used.
Keep up the great work!
Powder work was done locally. You should be able to find a good shop local to you.
I've often been asked, "Why do you spend the extra money to have a brand new playfield re-clear coated? Is it really worth it?" The answer is - YES!
As previously mentioned in this thread, my playfield was one of CPR's better examples from their 2nd run. However, it did have some issues/flaws I wanted addressed. So, I shipped my playfeild to Ron Kruzman; his work is among the best within the pinball community.
Here are some before and after pictures to illustrate what was done:
Before - Shooter Lane (dirt under the clear coat):
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Before - Text (faded in areas):
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After - Text (all touched up):
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Before - Insert Boarders (hair line cracks in the black boarders):
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After - Insert Boarders:
Screen Shot 2014-07-01 at 8.39.30 PM.png
Before - Star Roll Over Boarders (registration issue):
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After - Star Roll Over Boarders (solid black boarders):
Screen Shot 2014-07-01 at 8.40.15 PM.png
Here is a picture of the original playfield; even Bally had the artwork off at the roll overs (so, CPR did in fact reproduce the playfields accurately. But, why not fix Bally's mistake?):
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Before - Clear Coat (wavy):
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After - Clear Coat:
Screen Shot 2014-07-01 at 8.38.57 PM.png
I kid i kid Very nice job! Curious what level was this playfield? Looking for a donor machine and having no luck!
Here's what you want in a professional clear coat job:
Notice how the palm trees are reflected, no waves or distortions. The clear was sanded level and buffed to a mirror like finish. Perfectly smooth to the touch with no discernible difference between the inserts and the wood.
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4.pngQuoted from wcbrandes:i see a spot of blue inside the rollover channel did not want to remove? I kid i kid Very nice job! Curious what level was this playfield? Looking for a donor machine and having no luck!
This was a CPR playfield.
Quoted from wcbrandes:yes, wondering did it start gold silver or bronze? Im still looking for a donor machine but have the playfield What did this cost to get so smooth?
I’m not sure about the rating (gold, silver, etc.) as I bought the playfield from another collector. I will say it's one of the nicer CPR playfields I've seen, so not too much touch up work was required. As a rule of thumb, I try not to openly discuss what contractors charge me for services rendered. I'm sure Ron would be happy to quote anything for you, just drop him a line.
I was looking at the images of the playfield you just posted, and I just noticed a mistake (I think) that Bally made with the playfield.
The blue inline drop targets have "1 BLUE BONUS ADV & 10,000", "2 BLUE BONUS ADV & 20,000", and "3 BLUE BONUS ADV & 30,000". I would have expected the green inline drop targets to have the corresponding labels ie. - "1 GREEN BONUS ADV & 10,000", "2 GREEN BONUS ADV & 20,000", and "3 GREEN BONUS ADV & 30,000".
Looking at my Fathom (original PF) the green inlines have "GREEN BONUS ADV & 10,000", "GREEN BONUS ADV & 20,000", and "3 GREEN BONUS ADV & 30,000". Seems Bally forgot to correctly label the 1st and 2nd green inline drop targets. I confirmed the 2nd green inline does award 2 green bonus advances and the 20,000 points.
Quoted from wcbrandes:yes, wondering did it start gold silver or bronze? Im still looking for a donor machine but have the playfield What did this cost to get so smooth?
I believe the reproduction runs of the fathom playfields were both small, so no gold/silver/bronze levels...
Quoted from PinballMikeD:Here's what you want in a professional clear coat job:
Notice how the palm trees are reflected, no waves or distortions. The clear was sanded level and buffed to a mirror like finish. Perfectly smooth to the touch with no discernible difference between the inserts and the wood.
Same as i do I currently have 7 playfields sitting in waiting before they can be retouched and cleared again. they cure and shrink a bit faster if you let then sit say 3 months then sand them with 220 and wait another 3-6 months.
CPR playfields are beautiful; but unfortunately as mike pointed out they do get dodgy in the awhile.
the wood dosn't fully settle down for about a year after they are produced and develop flaws or inserts rings crack like in the picture.
Quoted from IdahoRealtor:Wow! The world's nicest Fathom is coming along very nicely. I bet the final bill will be enough to choke a donkey, even with you doing most of the work yourself. Worth every penny though. Most beautiful pin ever.
Unfortunately, this hobby can be very expensive 
I enjoy it though, so I guess that makes it a worth endeavor 
Ok, it's time to get back on the back box.
At this point I've sanded it down using 220 grit paper, so now it's pretty smooth and ready for another coat of primer. However, I'd first like to address the gap where the exterior trim pieces meet the back box top and sides. I've elected to use a high quality printable caulk for this application. First, I'll tape off the back box:
The old tape trick is something I learned when installing base boards and crown molding. The main thing to remember here is that you only want the calk in the actual crack itself.
I just use my finger to work the bead of caulk into the crack and then remove the tape, peeling it away as shown below (you don't want to lift the caulk out of the crack):
As you can see, it doesn't take much. Here's an after picture:
Quoted from PinballMikeD:Unfortunately, this hobby can be very expensive
I enjoy it though, so I guess that makes it a worth endeavor
The world wouldn't be very interesting without crazy, focused perfectionists.
If everything were about money, this hobby wouldn't be as interesting!
Your "no compromises" style of restoration is admirable.
Quoted from mot:I could never do a restoration that I could be totally satisfied with, because it could never be as nice as yours.
I too get a little intimidated when I watch this thread or HEP's, but I'm wondering if the best use of our brains could instead be to focus on the same thing good athletes focus on: (doing your best)
"I'm going to do the best restoration I can." And the next time I do a restoration, I'll do my best yet again... Then I'll do my best to reflect on my work, and ask, "Did I do my best?" and YES should continue feel really good time and time again. I think it's more when I rush things and con myself into taking short cuts, that I nitpick my work more...
On my High Speed project, I'm doing my best. I'm taking it really slow, I'm asking lots of questions, I'm listening for good ideas from the more experienced. That's the best I can do for my first ever playfield swap.
I guess the logic is for example, that if everyone in the NBA compared themselves to Jordan and "didn't play" unless they felt they matched up, then we'd have an empty league.
-mof
Quoted from mot:I could never do a restoration that I could be totally satisfied with, because it could never be as nice as yours.
I'm never 100% satisfied with any of my projects either.
I just continue to learn and have fun, that's all that matters
Quoted from mof:I too get a little intimidated when I watch this thread or HEP's, but I'm wondering if the best use of our brains could instead be to focus on the same thing good athletes focus on: (doing your best)
"I'm going to do the best restoration I can." And the next time I do a restoration, I'll do my best yet again... Then I'll do my best to reflect on my work, and ask, "Did I do my best?" and YES should continue feel really good time and time again. I think it's more when I rush things and con myself into taking short cuts, that I nitpick my work more...
On my High Speed project, I'm doing my best.-mof
Bingo....
That's all I try to do. First and foremost this is a hobby and it should be fun. Don't let this thread (or any other) intimidate you or keep you from having fun.
Here are some pictures of the transformer and it's associated hardware:
The mounting plate was powder coated in a metallic silver with clear top coat. I really like this particular color I'll typically use it for all of the galvanized metal parts in a machine. Heat tape is used in locations where braided wire is installed and all of the mounting holes are re-tapped for proper grounding (See below).
Few more finished product pictures:
You're putting me to shame. I'll have to up my game when I get around to my Flash Gordon restoration.
That chrome work looks awesome. Its making me want to chrome out the Funhouse I am restoring. Mike, I love the idea of plating the ball guides. Its very hard to get a perfect piece of mirrored metal with sanding and polishing. My question is though, will chrome flake off of the ball guides if they are bent out of form or can they be reformed without flaking?
This thread inspired me to finally sell my CPR Fathom playfield to a friend who will use it immediately, instead of having it sit in my closet for another 3 years. Now I can focus all of my energy on my Whirlwind swap (which should be much easier!).
You *chromed* the mounting brackets on the transformer? That's just a whoie new level! I love it!
Just stunning attention to detail. Kudos!
Zemst
Quoted from Pinballmike217:You're putting me to shame. I'll have to up my game when I get around to my Flash Gordon restoration.
You’re just being modest Mike. That Wizard you did awhile back was a real beauty
Quoted from Squeakman:That chrome work looks awesome. Its making me want to chrome out the Funhouse I am restoring. Mike, I love the idea of plating the ball guides. Its very hard to get a perfect piece of mirrored metal with sanding and polishing. My question is though, will chrome flake off of the ball guides if they are bent out of form or can they be reformed without flaking?
These rails were originally chromed, so I think they’ll hold up. Of course I spent 30 minutes grinding out the ball tracks before I hit the copper base coat underneath. Then I decided to put a magnet on the rails and sure enough they weren’t stainless steel. FYI – I don’t think Chestnut will chrome the guide rails used on WPC/WPC95 machines (too large), but you’d have to ask him to verify that.
Quoted from swampfire:This thread inspired me to finally sell my CPR Fathom playfield to a friend who will use it immediately, instead of having it sit in my closet for another 3 years. Now I can focus all of my energy on my Whirlwind swap (which should be much easier!).
The coin door will be anyway
Quoted from RobertWinter:You *chromed* the mounting brackets on the transformer? That's just a whoie new level! I love it!
Just stunning attention to detail. Kudos!
I got that idea from Joe Grenuk (think it was on a WH2O he did). Anyway, it's a minimal cost for that extra touch.
Quoted from thierryv:Do I see some dirt on the blue wire coming out on the transformer No seriously, this is awsome !
My fathom in progress...
Nice. Tumbled or buffed?
Quoted from mot:Once you complete a restoration of this caliber, what do you do to keep it nice? Every game was brand new someday, but even without being abused they all get dirty and worn out? Are there any secrets that aren't obvious?
Actually, one point worth noting. I did install reinforced targets on TOTAN...without them, you tend to get air balls that damage the Genie bottle and surrounding plastics. I did this for my TZ as well. Highly recommend them...about $15 @ marco. Great improvement.
Quoted from mot:Once you complete a restoration of this caliber, what do you do to keep it nice? Every game was brand new someday, but even without being abused they all get dirty and worn out? Are there any secrets that aren't obvious?
Just play and enjoy the fruits of your labor. I guess at some point you'd get to do it all over again, but that would be years down the road.
Quoted from PinballMikeD:Just play and enjoy the fruits of your labor. I guess at some point you'd get to do it all over again, but that would be years down the road.
Yep...my previous post was a bit out of place...some of the text was somehow removed.
What I said was I bought your TOTAN restoration and it looks like the day it arrived. If you clean/wax a professionally cleared PF regularly, it's hard to imagine you'll ever have any wear (especially if it is used exclusively in the home).
Even for non-cleared pins, it's hard to imagine much wear when used in a home as well.
Quoted from PinballMikeD:Then I decided to put a magnet on the rails and sure enough they weren’t stainless steel.
Some stainless is magnetic.
Ferritic stainless steels are usually magnetic and austenitic stainless steels are not.
Very Impressive....
Every day this hobby reminds me more and more of the "Hot Rodding" and "Classic Car" communities. You have your guys/gals who search for that car they have wanted since they were a kid. When they find it, they take a specific course of action depending on the person, the car, the available resources and the intended end results.
You have the "I want to drive it" folks who live to tinker on it and keep it drivable. They tend to steer away form certain levels of restoration because it would mean they would have to stop driving the car for a while. For them it doesn't need to be perfect and they are OK with that.
On the other end of that spectrum you have the folks who do the "show class" "High End" "Better than Original" restorations. That's where this restoration is and it's beautiful. I mean - just look at that power board. it's magnificent, better that original, it's a work of art. I think that's amazing, great job!
Personally, it's very encouraging for me to be able to hop on this forum (and others) and see all the varying levels of restoration and customization. It's great that this hobby is still growing and gaining momentum every day. Just my two cents worth....
Thanks for posting this restoration and again, great job!
Quoted from PinballMikeD:Here are some pictures of the transformer and it's associated hardware:
Before:After:
The mounting plate was powder coated in a metallic silver with clear top coat. I really like this particular color I'll typically use it for all of the galvanized metal parts in a machine. Heat tape is used in locations where braided wire is installed and all of the mounting holes are re-tapped for proper grounding (See below).
Few more finished product pictures:
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Do you put a specific kind of paint on the transformer? I guess it doesn't really matter what's on the outside of it since it interacts with what's inside? Does it get hot?
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