Redondo Beach, CA
Looking good. Is that oil or water based paint? I’m getting ready to do a Seawitch also. I like the oil based paints but have to leave my state to get them. 
Might be looking for alternatives.
(Topic ID: 231017)
Linked Games
Earthshaker
Williams, 1989-
Fathom
Bally, 1981
-
Judge Dredd
Bally, 1993
-
Paragon
Bally, 1979
-
Seawitch
Stern Electronics, 1980
-
Taxi
Williams, 1988
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Quoted from Mad_Dog_Coin_Op:Looking good. Is that oil or water based paint?
Sherwin Williams offers a Latex option (what I used) as well as an oil base enamel. Does California allow you to ship an oil base in? (probably not 
). The latex enamel is 58% water on the Environmental Data Sheet but I'm not sure if CA considers any of the other components off limits. One pint was enough to cover both the upper and lower cabinets and I still have some to spare.
I ended up buying two cans/pints (not knowing how much I'd need of the light blue) -- Mad_Dog_Coin_Op I'd be happy to mail you my second can if you think you can use it/would like to try it. If Cali will let me that is.
A link and a picture -- I'm not sure if I used the deep base, regular base, white, etc. -- I'd have to go home and look at the can.
https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/products/all-surface-enamel-latex/650902729
pasted_image (resized).pngQuoted from TractorDoc:Sherwin Williams offers a Latex option (what I used) as well as an oil base enamel. Does California allow you to ship an oil base in? (probably not ). The latex enamel is 58% water on the Environmental Data Sheet but I'm not sure if CA considers any of the other components off limits. One pint was enough to cover both the upper and lower cabinets and I still have some to spare.
I ended up buying two cans/pints (not knowing how much I'd need of the light blue) -- mad_dog_coin_op I'd be happy to mail you my second can if you think you can use it/would like to try it. If Cali will let me that is.
A link and a picture -- I'm not sure if I used the deep base, regular base, white, etc. -- I'd have to go home and look at the can.
https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/products/all-surface-enamel-latex/650902729[quoted image]
I appreciate the offer but I should be ok. I frequent Las Vegas and that is where I usually purchase my paint. I’ll likely get the oil based version since it is tougher and easier to sand. Does that light blue have a name?
Quoted from Mad_Dog_Coin_Op:Does that light blue have a name?
It may have a name, but I tried matching the original to a color sample and this is what I thought looked best.. If it helps here is a pic of the can labels/mix ratios. The light blue is on the left (Rushing Stream? -- When/if I retire I want a part time job as the guy that comes up with names for colors).
KIMG0930 (resized).JPGQuoted from TractorDoc:It may have a name, but I tried matching the original to a color sample and this is what I thought looked best.. If it helps here is a pic of the can labels/mix ratios. The light blue is on the left (Rushing Stream? -- When/if I retire I want a part time job as the guy that comes up with names for colors). [quoted image]
That will work. Thanks 
While waiting for stencils I thought I'd work on some of the cabinet innards.
I noticed something was off when it came to the transformer while taking the "before" pictures. Closer examination reveals that the Stern 16B-6 Transformer had been replaced with a Bally 122-125. Makes me regret selling the extra Stern 16B-6 that I had!
When I played the game I did not have any reason to think there was an issue. My main concern would be the 43V/Coils due to the extra flippers but the game was not lacking for power while playing before disassembly. The Bally unit will likely get the job done.
Even so, I've posted a Want Ad for the correct Stern Transformer in the market place -- if you have one to sell I'm interested!
Working with what I have I cleaned up the Bally Transformer and gave the exterior a cleaning plus coat of paint. My friend with a laser cutter made me a wood stencil to replicate the Bally number on top.
Easy to read the model number now!
I cleaned up the mounting board, applied some stain/polyurethane, then plunked on the transformer with newly attached rectifier. I added in a new fuse label and transformer card -- looking forward to getting this back in the cabinet.
5J5A7055 (resized).JPG 5J5A7059 (resized).JPG
My original knocker coil was burnt to a crisp, so I've added a new one to my cart for the next parts order.
*** In case you forgot -- I'd like to add the correct Stern Transformer back to this game. If you have a 16B-6 to sell I'm your guy! ***
A picture of yesterday's progress.
No, not a repost. I found a few faint areas of blue toward the bottom of the lower cabinet, so I gave it a quick sand and second coat. Of course that is the area where the lighter blue is not covered by the next color/darker blue, otherwise I would not have worried about it.
For those that want some fresh material the next pics are for you. I plunked the coin door and associated parts in the blasting cabinet to clean them down to bare metal.
I sprayed a quick coat of primer. The finish coat will be with Rustoleum's Hammered Silver finish, a close resemblance to the original Stern door. I'm half thinking I should start offering this as a service -- door and trim blasting and painting. Problem is I only need about five more hours in the day to get my own stuff done as it is!
The door internal pieces are in the process of cleaning/polishing. Reassembly should start soon.
Good Mail Day Today.
An old set of pin legs help to get the curl out. These legs will likely get blasted/painted and used on our Seawitch as the ones that came on the game are chrome and mismatched.
Thanks PinballPimp for getting these out to me, they should be put to work soon.
A couple more pictures of the project itself.
Pulled the masking paper from the bottom of the cabinet. Having gone thru several games I can definitely claim that I like fully painted interior sides with the natural wood on the bottom. Clean lines with a nice contrast between colors.
The door in primer is now painted. It turned out rather good -- probably one of the nicer finishes I have achieved. Hopefully I can clean and polish the rest of the pieces to do it justice.
Wiring harnesses are getting a good cleaning and the tumbler has been polishing the smaller bits. Hopefully all the behind the scenes activity will result in some decent progress updates soon. At least on the cabinet anyway.
I forgot the good camera today so I only have a couple lesser quality cell phone pics.
I wanted to get started with the stenciling. Because I was not sure how the new paint was going to behave I decided to start with the upper cabinet and minimize any potential frustrations.
Side stencils on easily enough, couldn't help but create a couple creases and bubbles.
I used a scruff pad to rough up the surfaces to be painted and then sprayed on the darker blue.
After waiting as long as I could stand (I can be impatient with such things) I peeled off the stencils and was/am pleased with the result. Good coverage, no runs/sags, and a reasonably smooth finish. There is blue painters tape on the sides of the back panel, not overspray. 
The black layer should be easy enough as I plan to use a rattle can of Rustoleum black satin (as seen on the cabinet spacer in the background). I'll try it on a couple scrap boards that I painted with the blues to make sure it is compatible. The next test will be getting the dark blue on the lower cabinet.
Meanwhile, back at home. . .
I worked into the evening yesterday to secure most of the cleaned parts onto the coin door. Not a bad looking backside!
5J5A7092 (resized).JPG 5J5A7094 (resized).JPG
Normally I use the original price plates with orange writing, but in this game's case I thought the blue "Stern" logos might mesh better with the cabinet.
Front view. A couple decals and a lock away from a nice end result.
Today I tackled the first lower cabinet stencils.
I don't know if I'm getting better at applying them or if it was just coincidence but today I was able to apply the stencils with minimal bubbling/creasing along the edges. The stencil almost looks nice enough to leave on the cabinet as is!
Stencils hidden under a layer of blue paint.
I successfully (but nervously) peeled them off and achieved a nice two tone finish. For those that have not done stencils I probably spent an hour applying them, another half hour masking vulnerable areas off, then about five minutes spraying the paint. I may have mentioned it before, but it likely takes me more time to clean the paint gun than actually spray the paint!
Looking forward to moving onto the black areas next.
Quoted from ChipScott:Looking great!
Thanks Chip!
Saturdays are great for working on Stencils.
The upper cabinet needed the final black color applied. Stencil on:
Like how I used the stencil paper for masking off? My roll of masking paper is hiding somewhere in the shop so I had to improvise. The other brown paper is shipping filler that I brought home from the boxes at work.
Stencil off:
Adding in the black touches really does make a big difference.
But Wait! There is More!
Why stop with just the upper cabinet when we can also finish the bottom one?
Stencil On:
Stencil Off:
I may have spoke too soon when I thought I was becoming the stencil application master last time. I had a few minor alignment issues with the bottom cabinet, but in the end I managed.
For Fun:
5J5A7126 (resized).JPG 5J5A7125 (resized).JPG
When I was picking colors I had a near exact match for the light blue. I may have taken some liberty in choosing a more bold darker blue, and looking at the cabinet now I can say I really like it. It looks sharp next to the light blue and black.
Looking at the cabinet now I can say taking the time to prep it and re-stencil it was worth it. It may have added a month or two to the project time line, but it will add a good amount of visual appeal to the finished product.
If all goes well I might make tomorrow leg day! 
Budapest
Quoted from TractorDoc:For Fun:
[quoted image] [quoted image]
When I was picking colors I had a near exact match for the light blue. I may have taken some liberty in choosing a more bold darker blue, and looking at the cabinet now I can say I really like it. It looks sharp next to the light blue and black.
Looking at the cabinet now I can say taking the time to prep it and re-stencil it was worth it. It may have added a month or two to the project time line, but it will add a good amount of visual appeal to the finished product.
If all goes well I might make tomorrow leg day!
Wow, stunning.
Quoted from TractorDoc:LEG DAY!
Legs in the blast cabinet:
[quoted image]
Legs in Primer:
[quoted image]
Legs in Hammered Silver:
[quoted image]
The cabinet will soon be able to come back home for continued work. I just need to make room for it!
Was that done with a rattle can or sprayed with a gun? I'm on the fence - painting my legs or dropping them off at the powdercoat joint. Yours turned out great.
Quoted from Davi:Wow, stunning.
Well Thank You Kind Sir.
Quoted from Mad_Dog_Coin_Op:Was that done with a rattle can or sprayed with a gun?
The legs and coin door were done with rattle cans. In fact, if you re-look at the picture of the legs in primer you can see the hammered silver can waiting at the upper left corner.
Quoted from Mad_Dog_Coin_Op:Was that done with a rattle can or sprayed with a gun? I'm on the fence - painting my legs or dropping them off at the powdercoat joint. Yours turned out great.
Rust-Oleum Mettalic Gray for my Bally legs. Rattle can - Walmart. Lowe's used to stock this color, but not anymore.
Leg (resized).jpgQuoted from Tsskinne:Looking great!
Greatly Appreciated!
Yesterday I used a clean piece of metal to make a new ground panel for the back of the upper cabinet. I could have probably cleaned up the original, but it was full of staple holes that would be impossible to hide.
After cutting the metal to size I used a hammer and punch to mark screw hole locations for board/wire mounts.
Check out my dimples!
When you don't have a metal brake handy, you improvise.
On the "whole," I'd say things are lining up well.
A test fit in the cabinet looks ok. I'll probably secure the loose areas with small screws and the info cards with some spray adhesive (vs. staples) for a cleaner look.
5J5A7136 (resized).JPGQuoted from TractorDoc:Greatly Appreciated!
Yesterday I used a clean piece of metal to make a new ground panel for the back of the upper cabinet. I could have probably cleaned up the original, but it was full of staple holes that would be impossible to hide.
[quoted image]
After cutting the metal to size I used a hammer and punch to mark screw hole locations for board/wire mounts.
[quoted image]
Check out my dimples!
[quoted image]
When you don't have a metal brake handy, you improvise.
[quoted image]
On the "whole," I'd say things are lining up well.
[quoted image]
A test fit in the cabinet looks ok. I'll probably secure the loose areas with small screws and the info cards with some spray adhesive (vs. staples) for a cleaner look.
[quoted image]
I dont blame you for improvising. Metal brakes are expensive for reasons I don't understand.
Display Panel sanded and given a fresh coat of white. This is about the fourth of fifth panel those old bulbs have been used on; the paint is starting to get thick on them.
I really hate drilling new holes into a freshly painted cabinet. . . but if it keeps the legs from denting and scratching it up then I suppose these metal protectors are worth it. Leg bolts help get the alignment right.
Test fit of a leg -- protector works as it should.
Worked on some upper cabinet inner details. The board mounts are in place as well as some of the other hardware. I'm fairly certain the metal bar is present across my old Seawitch backglass, but I don't remember the locking bar being present in the upper cabinet. I should be able to make one. . . but that will be another project for another day.
After looking at the freshly stenciled cabinet long enough I decided I needed to go the route of a new set of side rails. Terry at Pinball Life shipped them out quick.
This pic is a bit of a tease as the metal is still covered, but you'll get to see what is underneath soon enough.
Sadly, I sold a game this afternoon. . . on the bright side there is an empty spot and I'm now able to move the cabinet over to the garage game room where I can put more dedicated time in on getting things together.
Going for a ride.
There may or may not already be some pieces reinstalled -- stay tuned for an update on populating the cabinet!
1 week later
More has happened over the last couple days than just repinning connectors.
As alluded to earlier the lower cabinet has made the journey to the home workshop where is has been joined with the upper cabinet, legs, side rails, and a number of other components.
Fitting the side rails:
I'll probably go ahead and finish installing the side rails with the original style spiral nails even though I know it is a challenge to remove them. I like the idea of a screw or something similar that could easily be removed if ever needed -- but hopefully I'll never have to worry about such a thing.
Now that most of the cabinet parts have been cleared from the workbench I can use it to evaluate the playfield.
The plan will be to pull the main mechanisms (drop targets, pop bumpers, slingshots, and flippers) to disassemble, clean, and rebuild them. Then I'll pull the harness and hopefully before long start putting things back together.
I took some closer view underside playfield pictures before tearing into things. I'll post them here so I'll have an easy reference when the time comes to put everything back together.
5J5A7242 (resized).JPG5J5A7243 (resized).JPG5J5A7244 (resized).JPG5J5A7245 (resized).JPG5J5A7247 (resized).JPG5J5A7248 (resized).JPG5J5A7254 (resized).JPG5J5A7255 (resized).JPG5J5A7256 (resized).JPGI've also done more than just take pictures.
The first pieces to come off were the drop target units.
I started by taking one apart, cleaning everything, then reassembling with new targets. The tumbler can only hold so many parts at a time and I can use the dirty mechs as a reference to reassemble the clean parts. Hopefully you can tell which one I did the work to.
A closer view of the refurbished target bank.
5J5A7264 (resized).JPG 5J5A7266 (resized).JPG
I've also since finished the triple bank and half the parts to the other four bank are in the tumbler now.
While I wait for the tumbler to do its thing I decided to take on making new wood rails for the playfield.
I know I've mentioned it before, so I'll try to keep things simple. I live on a farm. There are trees. Trees occasionally fall. Sometimes we have them cut into boards. After a number of years part of the barn looks something like this:
Please excuse the random junk in the above picture.
Usually such wood is used for cabinets or furniture (my kitchen cabinets were sourced this way) but on occasion I'll raid the stash for a scrap piece to make my rails from. Species did not really matter today - other than I preferred it be hardwood - as these will be stained black to match the originals. I ended up finding a piece of cherry as my starting point. . . it still has bark on it!
The table saw cuts the needed pieces to the proper width and height.
The cross cut saw cuts to the proper length.
A couple coats of stain later and a new set of rails is nearly complete.
These will definitely be an upgrade to the original paper covered junk wood that was used for rails. There is also something very satisfying about making your own parts this way. It makes you feel like you accomplished something at the end of the day!
Quoted from TractorDoc:While I wait for the tumbler to do its thing I decided to take on making new wood rails for the playfield.
I know I've mentioned it before, so I'll try to keep things simple. I live on a farm. There are trees. Trees occasionally fall. Sometimes we have them cut into boards. After a number of years part of the barn looks something like this:
[quoted image]
Please excuse the random junk in the above picture.
Usually such wood is used for cabinets or furniture (my kitchen cabinets were sourced this way) but on occasion I'll raid the stash for a scrap piece to make my rails from. Species did not really matter today - other than I preferred it be hardwood - as these will be stained black to match the originals. I ended up finding a piece of cherry as my starting point. . . it still has bark on it!
[quoted image]
The table saw cuts the needed pieces to the proper width and height.
[quoted image]
The cross cut saw cuts to the proper length.
[quoted image]
A couple coats of stain later and a new set of rails is nearly complete.
[quoted image]
These will definitely be an upgrade to the original paper covered junk wood that was used for rails. There is also something very satisfying about making your own parts this way. It makes you feel like you accomplished something at the end of the day!
Resourceful!...and good looking!!
Another side project I've been working on -- attempting to make myself a set of plastic protectors.
I really like how the Convolux plastic protectors looked on my Fathom, but the makers in Germany were not interested in making other titles when I inquired last. For Seawitch I decided to order up some of the blue acrylic plexi and set to work trying to fashion up a set of protectors.
So far so good, considering I'm cutting these by hand. I'll attach a picture of what I've done so far and will go into more detail as I make more progress/finish them up.
Did you spot the photobomber?
Quoted from TractorDoc:After some back and forth with different base and skirt colors I've settled on translucent yellow for both.
That is a good choice, blends well.
Quoted from ReadyPO:That is a good choice, blends well.
Thanks! I wanted to retain the original yellow skirt but just did not like how the white base (or a clear base for that matter) looked all together. A clear blue base did not quite blend well with the cap.
I have to tweak a few things to make the game "mine" somehow.
Melbourne
Quoted from fileoffset:This looks great!
I haven't done any cabinet work yet and I was wondering, can you re-use the stencils? Or are they basically a once-off?
Thanks!
The Pinball Pimp Stencils I've used are a one time use sort of thing. They are like a vinyl decal of sorts and when you pull them off they stretch, tear, etc.
I suppose if a guy was really worried he could apply the stencils on a rigid material (1/8" plywood?) and cut the material around/to match the stencil -- then you would have something with reuse potential.
That is a lot of work though and I'm not sure how many of the same cabinet I plan on re-stenciling in the future!
Quoted from TractorDoc:Thanks!
The Pinball Pimp Stencils I've used are a one time use sort of thing. They are like a vinyl decal of sorts and when you pull them off they stretch, tear, etc.
I suppose if a guy was really worried he could apply the stencils on a rigid material (1/8" plywood?) and cut the material around/to match the stencil -- then you would have something with reuse potential.
That is a lot of work though and I'm not sure how many of the same cabinet I plan on re-stenciling in the future!
This is an awesome thread. You got me all geeked up to start my seawitch. Gotta organize my shop a bit first. Hopefully get around to that on sunday so I can order, or find and not have to order, some more parts.
RB
Quoted from TractorDoc:Thanks!
The Pinball Pimp Stencils I've used are a one time use sort of thing. They are like a vinyl decal of sorts and when you pull them off they stretch, tear, etc.
I suppose if a guy was really worried he could apply the stencils on a rigid material (1/8" plywood?) and cut the material around/to match the stencil -- then you would have something with reuse potential.
That is a lot of work though and I'm not sure how many of the same cabinet I plan on re-stenciling in the future!
Ahh ok. Good to know, thanks.
Quoted from rcbrown316:This is an awesome thread. You got me all geeked up to start my seawitch. Gotta organize my shop a bit first. Hopefully get around to that on sunday so I can order, or find and not have to order, some more parts.
Thanks RB!
For what its worth, even when you find out what you need to order. . . and/or find what you have so you don't need to order. . . you'll still have to place an order for the things you didn't know you needed or didn't know you didn't have.
Pop Bumper Units have all been reassembled and they have joined the target banks in the holding pen (the cabinet).
I went with the original bayonet style lamp socket (#44/47 type bulb) because I can never seem to get the wedge sockets to allow sufficient room for a bulb under the cap. When I do use the wedge style they always get bent/smushed down in the body. Marco does have a taller pop bumper body, but it only comes in the standard white.
Sling shot bits are cleaned up too. The coils will go thru an ultrasonic bath before being secured back in place.
My old sling coil stops and plungers were quite worn. Luckily I have a couple Stern parts playfields available to borrow needed pieces from. Check out the difference in height between the two stops.
The last round of flipper parts are in the tumbler now. . . I am getting closer to pulling the harness from the playfield but I need to draw a map to document where each wire goes first.
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