Lake Havasu City, AZ
From your pictures, that cabinet looks pretty nice for how old it is.
(Topic ID: 231017)
Linked Games
Earthshaker
Williams, 1989-
Fathom
Bally, 1981
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Judge Dredd
Bally, 1993
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Paragon
Bally, 1979
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Seawitch
Stern Electronics, 1980
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Taxi
Williams, 1988
Topic Gallery
Quoted from Squeakman:From your pictures, that cabinet looks pretty nice for how old it is.
Considering its age it really is in good shape. Structurally sound too. While I don't mind cleaning up/improving some areas I also like preserving the "patina" in others.
Quoted from Arcane:If you do not intend to repaint the cabinet, I would not touch the rails and use some tape on the wood to protect the cabinet during the polishing of the rails in place. Also, if you replace the rails or take them off, make sure to use little wood screws to re-assemble them instead of these twisted nails.
The wood screws are a great idea for the install -- did that with Nine Ball.
I had full intentions of leaving the rails in place but as I was setting the cabinet upright as you see it in the last picture I felt a slight pop from the forward part of the rail where the ground bolt normally holds it in. The rail did not crease or anything but I could see a lot of dried soda, beer, or blood between the cabinet and rail. The "pop" was the rail breaking free from the crustiness. I am not sure if I can accept leaving it there. . . that sort of thing keeps me awake at night. 
Soooo. . . I could not hold back anymore and took action.
Pinsiders in the know are aware there is a Vid's guide for everything, including removing side rails. I sort of followed his guide but had to improvise with my nail pullers. Started with a firm flat scraper attempting to gently lift the rail from the cabinet body and pull the nail with it.
With the nail head exposed I was able to grab it and pull it the rest of the way out with my sharp nosed pliers. Shop rag buffer behind the pliers to minimize scratching.
Nail removed.
Using the gently lifting/prying/pulling technique I was able to extract all of those twisty nails.
With the rail removed the underlying substances are revealed. Not as bad as I had remembered. . . but a good amount was stuck to the rail as well. 
Now I can sleep at night.
A few dings here and there, but the rails should clean up nicely.
I've been a bit sidetracked the last week or so. I've been put in charge of entertainment for this weekend's Christmas gathering -- with many younger nephews visiting (as well as many young-at-heart adults) I've turned the shop into a mini arcade. As of tonite everything is cleaned, waxed, and ready to go!
Quoted from TractorDoc:I am going back and forth between pulling the cabinet side rails to clean them up and leaving them.
I was typing a great encouraging reply to your quandary, then saw page two, 
I knew you could do it!
Quoted from Atari_Daze:I knew you could do it!
Quoted from jsa:Great progress, also a personal favorite and happy to see it get cleaned up.
Quoted from Daditude:Great machine. I will be watching with interest.
Thanks for the comments and encouragement.
Quoted from Daditude:Is this going to be for sale after the resto?
I'd probably hold off from calling this a restoration, more of a good cleaning up. For sale? Really it depends on how I like the game play. Have not played Paragon yet, looking forward to the opportunity. If I'm not feeling it you'll probably see it on the marketplace, otherwise Paragon might stay awhile until space issues become a problem. 
Reinstalled the cabinet rails today.
Found a bin of stray screws and managed to count out enough matching to use on the rails. Not quite a mirror finish, but look close enough and you might be able to tell I need a haircut.
I made a point to line up all the screw slots in the same direction. Yep, I'm that guy. Come over to my house and all the screws on my electrical outlet covers are lined up the same too. 
Quoted from bam10:Did you decide if you are going to clearcoat the playfield?
I've been giving it significant thought. Right now I'm leaning towards not for several reasons. . . I already have the game specific playfield protector and may give it a go first. It is less permanent and I am less likely muck it up. I can use the protector right off vs. waiting for the clear to cure. I will see how my playfield touchups turn out, but that is where my mind is at.
The fact that you are doing this without ever playing a Paragon blows my mind. My favorite part of this hobby is seeing how other people approach it. Bravo sir.
I think you will like Paragon. I feel as if some games are designed to teach you a specific skill, intentionally or not. Paragon is tap pass 101
Quoted from davjoszie:The fact that you are doing this without ever playing a Paragon blows my mind. My favorite part of this hobby is seeing how other people approach it. Bravo sir.
I think you will like Paragon. I feel as if some games are designed to teach you a specific skill, intentionally or not. Paragon is tap pass 101
Quoted from TractorDoc:I've been giving it significant thought. Right now I'm leaning towards not for several reasons. . . I already have the game specific playfield protector and may give it a go first. It is less permanent and I am less likely muck it up. I can use the protector right off vs. waiting for the clear to cure. I will see how my playfield touchups turn out, but that is where my mind is at.
Do what you are comfortable with but with the mylar off thats the scariest part. A coat of clear would leave the artwork well protected.
Quoted from bam10:Do what you are comfortable with but with the mylar off thats the scariest part. A coat of clear would leave the artwork well protected.
I hear ya. I figure that if I like the game enough I can always go back and clear it. That would lead to a lot of taking things apart all over again, but it would not be the first time I've made more work for myself.
Quoted from davjoszie:The fact that you are doing this without ever playing a Paragon blows my mind. My favorite part of this hobby is seeing how other people approach it. Bravo sir.
I think you will like Paragon. I feel as if some games are designed to teach you a specific skill, intentionally or not. Paragon is tap pass 101
Thanks!
If I've played or not, its still pinball right?
Everyone has their hobbies, I enjoy the process of fixing things. Working in the shop on a project is my way of shutting off the rest of the world and "relaxing." Sometimes frustrations overcome the relaxation, but conquering new challenges is part of the fun, right? The icing on the cake is getting to play the game once work is done -- like taking a car or tractor for that first drive after going thru a similar process. Its an experience one cannot put a value on.
Quoted from Arcane:Also, if you replace the rails or take them off, make sure to use little wood screws to re-assemble them instead of these twisted nails.
Yves
Would not look right, & really, when are you ever going to take them off again?
Today I was able to move forward on installing the cabinet wiring harness and coin door.
A couple interior pictures.
Making our way out the door.
A couple exterior pictures.
The cabinet should be complete enough that I can return my attention back to the playfield. I have been working on several new designs for drop target and spinner decals -- with those in the works I can get back to taking apart and cleaning the under field mechs.
Quoted from BobLangelius:Looking great. And it’s remarkable how unfaded that original paint job is.
Thanks! The cabinet color is one of the reasons I will leave it as is. . . even with some bumps and dings.
No dramatic updates at this point. I have been cleaning the playfield underside and gluing some lifting inserts. I usually use these cotton tipped swabs for dog ear cytology at work -- they do a good job of cleaning the underside of inserts and other hard to reach spots.
I found a couple separated wires/resistor leads that need soldered but most of the major cleaning has been accomplished.
This is the adhesive I used to re-glue inserts back into place. Not sure if it is the best choice, but I wanted to use a two part adhesive and the packaging says it works with wood and plastic. The preferred color would be clear but tan was the only option on the plastic specific blend. It actually matched the large "Paragon" inserts nicely. I also liked the fact that it is easily recapped for future use.
I have plans to remove the wood rails to touch up the paint, once they are off I can focus on the playfield topside.
Targeted wood rail removal today.
Back in the day it appears Bally took the time to drill holes in the playfield, but screws must have been too expensive so staples were used to secure the rails in place instead.
Luckily I can afford some new screws and will avoid using staples when the time comes to reattach the rails. Before rail removal I used the existing holes as a template to drill pilot holes into the rails to assure reattachment in the same positions. (The bit is pictured on the outside for reference).
A punch was used to move the rail away from the playfield enough to then use a bar for final separation.
With the rails removed the playfield is turned right side up. Next up will be mylar adhesive removal.
Quoted from Squeakman:Don't you just love how the 80's Bally games have the rails stapled in even though there are holes there for screws? I had a Medusa that was a bitch to get the rails separated from. Corner cutting I guess.
Yeah, and a real challenge to remove as well. The staples are of a length that they aren't used elsewhere on the build, so I can't imagine the design decision there other than speed of assembly, which is what, seconds difference?
Tried to enhance the wood rails a bit over lunch today.
This set is actually made of wood (still a cheap wood) vs. the fake wood like coating used on other rails I've worked with. I have made some new sets or could have requested a set from Mr. Reese but these should still work as designed. I did want to brighten the paint up some though.
Before:
The non visible sides never received much stain/color. Cost savings measures I suppose.
Sanded the rails with some 80 grit and sprayed with a deep/royal blue. Not a perfect match, but best I could come up with in a rattle can. No expenses spared -- I painted both sides.
After raiding the cooking cupboard for some flour I worked on mylar adhesive removal yesterday.
I wet the adhesive with alcohol and coat it with a layer of flour.
I tried something a bit different this time vs. jumping right in with finger rubbing. I used a plastic auto trim removal tool to slide along the playfield and peel away the flour/adhesive mixture. Not recommending this as the standard approach to take -- in my situation the plastic slid along the playfield with no damage to the underlying artwork. It took about four light applications of alcohol/flour followed by the trim tool before nearly all the adhesive was gone (the area in front of the slingshots took one or two more) but in the end this approach was a real finger saver.
Playfield shots less adhesive.
When cleaning the inserts I could not help but notice the star rollovers were quite filthy. I extracted the stars yesterday as well to either better clean or ultimately replace them.
Removing the stars has of course brought me one step closer to thinking I should just go ahead and clearcoat the darn playfield. I will keep thinking about it as I attempt artwork touchups. . . I change my mind about it every couple hours or so. No better time than now with everything removed, just do not want to ruin the playfield somehow.
Quoted from Daditude:I would recommend clear coating. It will add a lot of life to it.
It's pretty much at that stage. Do a little touch up, clear coat it, and let it cure. @tractordoc, you are literally 90% of the way to a clear coat ready pf!
Quoted from Daditude:I would recommend clear coating. It will add a lot of life to it.
Quoted from FatPanda:It's pretty much at that stage. Do a little touch up, clear coat it, and let it cure.
Yeah, more than likely there will be a Paragon Playfield Protector on the marketplace in the future. . .
Took some time today to remove the shank nails that secure the pop bumper coil brackets as well as the flipper bushings -- the last bits poking above the playfield.
To keep the coil units from flopping around I temporarily secured them to the playfield harness with zip ties.
Several spots on the playfield had lifted flakes of wood where the posts were removed.
I used a domed and a flat punch to flatten the lifted areas.
Playfield surface clear of all hardware. I've even tried starting touchups in several areas -- mostly the worn areas near the kick outs. Still need to add the "F" in Cliff.
Today I gave the playfield the Alcohol/Magic Eraser treatment to remove whatever dirt/old lacquer finish I could.
I also had enough time to start some touchups. I dug up/cropped down an earlier picture to show some wear areas (look around the Paragon letters and the thousands inserts below) and several mal-alignments (most obvious around the 2X and shoot again inserts).
Little by little I touched up the black around the inserts. Looks like I had worked on "PAR," 2X, and 3X in this picture.
Createx paints, a cup, and a fine brush used to enhance the thousands inserts.
The lower inserts were enough to eat up what time I had available -- if I like how things dry I will use some heat to fix the color.
1 week later
Finally had a chance to focus on the playfield again today.
I believe I am getting closer to finishing the color/detail touchups.
Several close ups -- my color matching is ok but not perfect. The green wings and "F" in CLIFF took several attempts to get something close. Painting in the yellows/golds/browns in the treasure corner was fun too.
One more full playfield pic after touchups.
My next step will be venturing into another new-to-me playfield fixin' experience. I acquired some friskit and some new tools to paint the white areas on the playfield.
OK, not the highest quality tools but this will be my first attempt at airbrushing and wanted to try it on a budget. I can always upgrade if I find the airbrush is my calling.
Everything's looking real nice so far I'll be curious how the white turns out I have the exact same tools but haven't built up enough courage to try it yet I'll be watching
Looks really great Doc! I'd be hard pressed to point out the touch up areas if you hadn't said anything. Even after you pointing it out, I still had a hard time seeing what was touched up. Nice work! Glad you're going with the clear coat route! I think you'll be infinitely happier.
Quoted from TractorDoc:first attempt at airbrushing
First lemme say I'm far from an artist, so don't need fancy stuff. I tried two different styles of the airbrush you picture and for simple non shading touchups, I ended up using this one:
https://www.harborfreight.com/quick-change-airbrush-kit-93506.html
The style you show I found clogged WAY TOO often for the way I paint. I'm sure there are tips and tricks I don't know on how to use them but for the one in link I posted, I've had 0 issues. Just my . . .
2 cents (resized).jpgToday was a good day to try something new.
After taking care of a few other tasks I had the afternoon free to try my hand with an airbrush. The end goal was to repaint the white areas on the playfield that after 40 years have taken on a yellow tone.
Started with Frisket and Masking Paper. I used the blue tape along most of the straight edges and frisketed the slingshots, waterfall, and upper right "teardrop."
Here you can see the shiny frisket covering the waterfall and the dull playfield surface where I had cut the frisket out. I took a scruff pad to the playfield surface to give the paint a good foundation.
It took a little trial and error, but after about a half an hour the yellowed areas were once again white. I think my biggest challenge was getting the paint thinned just right. In Vid's playfield guide he mentions that Createx Paints do not need thinning but my bottle of white seems rather thick and would not spray unless thinned down a bit.
I removed the tape/frisket and WOW what a difference. The new white has all the other colors popping. Just a few more touch ups to finish and we may be ready for the first coat of clear soon.
Wow looks great! My white Createx paint comes out of the bottle like soft serve ice cream too. Definitely needs to be thinned.
What did you thin it with?
I've heard people use windshield washer fluid but I always buy the rainex type, don't think that would be a good one to use.
Quoted from Atari_Daze:What did you thin it with?
I had a small bottle of Createx Reducer that I ordered when purchasing the paints:
Bottle says its 2-Butoxyl Ethanol.
Quoted from FatPanda:Looks really great Doc!
Quoted from Tsskinne:looking great
Quoted from timab2000:Wow looks great!
Quoted from wyopin:Absolutely amazing playfield!! This is such a great follow!
Quoted from RWH:This has been a great thread to follow, Paragon is a good game you'll end up keeping it for sure.
I really appreciate the positive comments.
The more I work with the game the more I am appreciating the artwork. Unless it is a terrible player Paragon will probably stick around; even if just to turn the game on to be gazed upon from time to time. Provided I can keep enough space available. . .
Quoted from TractorDoc:I really appreciate the positive comments.
The more I work with the game the more I am appreciating the artwork. Unless it is a terrible player Paragon will probably stick around; even if just to turn the game on to be gazed upon from time to time. Provided I can keep enough space available. . .
Paragon is a beast of a player for that time period. Very rewarding when played well, and extremely frustrating when things don't go well. My kinda pin.........
Quoted from AUKraut:Paragon is a beast of a player for that time period. Very rewarding when played well, and extremely frustrating when things don't go well. My kinda pin.........
Sounds like a love/hate relationship. Looking forward to that first game!
Quoted from RWH:Doc, Doc, how's the patient, any update????
Yes and no on the update. I spent the rest of the weekend cleaning up/painting the legs on my Meteor so I could bring it into the office. A win/win for me 'cause the employees love it and I have room for one more game at home.
As far as Paragon goes I did nothing . . . but my graphics contact came thru and delivered with some new decals I've tried designing. I want to make a couple subtle tweaks to the game to my personal taste -- the purists need not worry as I do not plan on doing anything permanent like changing the lovely blonde's hair red. I do want to mix up the graphics on the drop targets a bit and perhaps the spinner -- I acquired some blank drops to put these new decals on.
Can you guess which ones are for Paragon? Tried making a couple for Meteor, Nine Ball, Standard Classic Stern, and replacements for my Dirty Harry standups that have seen better days.
Today I've been pulling my hair out working on a new phone system in the office -- going digital running all new Cat 5e wire to replace the old Cat 3. Fun times!
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