(Topic ID: 230915)
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Surf Champ
Gottlieb, 1976-
Surfer
Gottlieb, 1976
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Limassol
When the final coat of clear is applied everything is going to "melt" together beautifully 
I am not sure though how to proceed with the decals covering the star roll overs. One option is to leave them as they are so as to act as a barrier to the clearcoat , and cut the star hole with a xacto after the clear is cured. another option is to remove teh inside of the decal before clear coating and close the hole with some reversed plastic stars. I am leaning towards the second option .
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Lutz, FL
Quoted from Silverstreak02:It’s really looking great.
Thank you
Quoted from phototamer:close the hole with some reversed plastic stars. I am leaning towards the second option .
This is the method I TRY to remember to use!
I feel bad for using terrible language, but I just can't think of another way to say it. F*#%king Fantastic.
fan·tas·tic
/fanˈtastik/
adjective
extraordinarily good or attractive.
"they did a fantastic job"
synonyms: tremendous, remarkable, great, terrific, enormous, huge, striking, impressive, outstanding, phenomenal, monumental, overwhelming
Quoted from Atari_Daze:This is the method I TRY to remember to use!
I will sprinkle some old plastic stars on the playfield , hoping that I will remember to cover the star roll over holes this time !
Quoted from xsvtoys:I feel bad for using terrible language, but I just can't think of another way to say it. F*#%king Fantastic.
fan·tas·tic
/fanˈtastik/
adjective
extraordinarily good or attractive.
"they did a fantastic job"
synonyms: tremendous, remarkable, great, terrific, enormous, huge, striking, impressive, outstanding, phenomenal, monumental, overwhelming
Ha ha .. This is so encouraging !!
Then I thought .. why dont you paint all the white are in red , so as to get a uniform color ? .. big mistake , since the decal is not totally opaque , so the red color shows through the white letters making them a bit pinkish.
this happens when you haste things !
_DSF4608 (resized).JPG_DSF4609 (resized).JPGQuoted from phototamer:cover the holes with some old plastic stars .
Quoted from phototamer:The playfield is sitting in its case ready to be clear coated. I will also clear coat the side rails now that I have the chance.[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Amazing job. I wish I had your skills!
I had just enough clear coat for this time. Maybe a tad less that I would like , but today was the only day I could have done this and there was no way I could have gotten more clear. Guess I will have to be more prepared next time I will let the playfield sit 2 or 3 weeks and after block sanding with 600 grit sandpaper will decide if I will give it another final coat.
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You could do it too . You need patience and taking things step by step . you cannot rush it .
Quoted from phototamer:I had just enough clear coat for this time.
Curious if you use the method Vid discusses where you dust over the final work with the clear twice (a few moments apart) to seal the waterslide decals then do a final thick coat or do you just give it a full coat?
I've done it with dust coats but have thought I would try and rush one time and do a full heavy coat.
Quoted from Atari_Daze:Curious if you use the method Vid discusses where you dust over the final work with the clear twice (a few moments apart) to seal the waterslide decals then do a final thick coat or do you just give it a full coat?
I've done it with dust coats but have thought I would try and rush one time and do a full heavey coat.
I do it the Vid Way. I "dust" once , wait for 15 minutes and then give another 2 light coats with the same 15 minute flash time in between. That way the clear cures better in my opinion. I bet is more secure to just bond the decals with the playfield before applying a wet coat. I dont think that the decals will melt and the toner spread around with a first wet coat , but better safe than sorry.
I've followed this forum from the start. Wow what a amazing job. Can't wait to see it plugged in and lights on. Super Surf Champ
Waiting for the clear to cure , it is a good time to try and restore the spinning target. The graphics are not perfect imo. I did order a complete set of decals for the apron , spinning target , and drop targets from Pinball Rescue. When they arrive I will compare them with my own. If they are better I will redo the drop targets and spinning target. To let the colors of the decals "shine" it is best to have a white surface for the decal to sit on. I tried to paint the metal surface white with a small brush , but the result was not good. I would have to do that with an airbrush to get the smooth and even color I was after.
_DSF4633 (resized).JPGTo protect the surface from the multiple hits of the ball some people suggest to use Mylar. I found though that transparent packaging tape works beautifully on all sort of drop or spinning targets. Caution is needed when applying though , since the decal underneath is very sensitive and can break with the slightest attempt to lift the packaging tape to correct any mistake.
_DSF4639 (resized).JPG 1 week later
Decided to block sand with 400 grit , and make sure the playfield is flat, with a final clear coat. Photos taken just after the last clearcoat. This time I had the amount needed.
Will definitely leave it to cure for a couple of weeks before I block sand progressively to 2000 grit.
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Works ok . Not very elegant but completely functional. Will add some pegs to be able to lock the playfield horizontally or vertically.
I only spent 8 dollars to make the 2 wooden supporting stands so I am happy with the result
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Quoted from ReadyPO:I see you are working barefoot in the shop, just getting into the theme of the Pin, I guess
Here it is 40 Celsius . It is good that you can only see my feet and not my whole body 
The drop target assembly needs to be disassembled. Some people like to cut a way for the drop targets to be removed. I like to leave things as they are if I can.
Removing the targets is easy after all.
Back plate removed.
20190814_112543 (resized).jpg20190814_112956 (resized).jpg20190814_113005 (resized).jpgA bit of scrubbing and rubbing makes things much cleaner. For now I will clean and / or replace springs since the action is a bit lazy.
They look good enough . I do not have new white drop targets , I will have to wait to accumulate a bunch of things to order from Marco since shipping here is astronomical.
20190814_122331 (resized).jpgAwesome job! I can't wait to see it when you are finished.
Are you going to re-finish the cabinet too?
How's your backglass? Mine had significant flaking in the reds, so I got a repro from bgresto. It's very nice, but not as good as a screened glass. I haven't searched for a year or two to see if anyone made a re-screened glass. Seems like someone would, this title always seems to suffer from flaking in the reds.
Anyhow, following this thread. Nice work!
Quoted from PinJim:Awesome job! I can't wait to see it when you are finished.
Are you going to re-finish the cabinet too?
How's your backglass? Mine had significant flaking in the reds, so I got a repro from bgresto. It's very nice, but not as good as a screened glass. I haven't searched for a year or two to see if anyone made a re-screened glass. Seems like someone would, this title always seems to suffer from flaking in the reds.
Anyhow, following this thread. Nice work!
Thank you , fortunately my glass is in very good condition. As for the cabinet , I will make templates and restored it completely.
1 week later
Quoted from pb456:That's fantastic so far. Thanks for documenting your steps!
Appreciate the good vibes
2 weeks later
Almost finished . Need to restore the apron with decals, install the flippers , and put some new shiny acorn nuts from "pinball mania " .
Did not have my camera with me , I had to take the pictures with my phone.
After that I am in search of another em to restore. Maybe a Gottlieb big Indian?
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