I recently picked up a Sonic Prospector for a prospective customer who wants me to rehab the game as a gift for her husband.

Sonic games are largely Williams games in spirit, but one area they all seem to fall short in is the cabinetry, for Sonic used particle board (?!) on the sides, rear, and head. The only piece of good ol' cabinet grade plywood on this game, is the lower front panel for the coin door! Needless to say, this is not ideal.

But as it so happens on this particular example for this particular title, the textured flaking the outer layer has taken on over the years, looks pretty cool. My customer even agrees. I mean, the game's theme is the southwestern desert, so a bit of "stucco" texture and some mild sandy yellowing is perfect. So we want to keep this:

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The trouble is, trying to clean the game in certain areas, is not a good idea. Particles and/or paint want to flake off. Aggressive cleaning/scrubbing is out of the question but the good news is the original paint is not that dirty and not even terribly loose. You just can't poke at it. And you certainly don't want to get any of the trace exposed areas wet.

So what's the safest clear top coat to put on here? I'm thinking something from a spray can would be best... I worry that using a brush would disturb too many things on the surface.

But I don't want something too watery that will simply soak into any exposed fibers and other areas and cause them to swell, thus making the problem worse.

I'm also thinking that for the rear of the backbox that some clear U-channel molding (like what is sold for car doors) would be a great idea since that wood is just too exposed and fragile. Anyone know a good source for 7/16 (on the inside) channel?

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How would you seal and preserve this cabinet?

Interesting. I think your situation was very similar. So did you try the polycrylic? The last post in that thread was kind of a buzzkill but raised some fair caveats...

Sunday Afternoon "gosh the weather is nice to get on this" bump...

Just to follow up and I guess close this one out, I ultimately decided on Krylon MAXX clear. The can says it's an acrylic which usually implies water-based, but I didn't realize that until after I used it.

At any rate I might have gotten lucky since the weather last weekend was on the threshold of 90 in the shade. So the stuff sprayed nice and even like any quality spray paint, and dried within a few minutes (if not seemingly seconds given the heat, hah). No funkiness in the finish or problems between coats.

I went through 3 cans which probably equated to about 6-7 total coats on the machine. That was a week ago and I'm pleased with the results. Even the bare exposed edges of the particle board at the rear of the head, while still fragile by nature, are fused slightly more durable and did not impregnate or swell. Rest of the cab is more pleasing to the touch and should be easier to deal with as far as wipe-downs and such. Hopefully it will last another 40 years without falling apart!

Curses, I keep meaning to get nice pics but time keeps getting away from me... the workspace where it sits now, isn't the best for really good pics. Once I get the game moved to where there's more even and/or natural lighting, I'll definitely try. Everything looks better and more detailed in person than what my go-to-potato-cam captures under spot lights.

But yes, the "stucco" remains! It's not quite as prone or flaky to the touch... it feels smoother and more pleasing, but it retains the texture and interest visibly. The coats weren't so thick as to bury everything, but thick enough to seal everything and knock the rough edges down. So I'm truly pleased, and hope it holds up well.

Still need to find channel for the exposed bb edges, though. Not having much luck there. I found a source of the right size and type and it would only have been $12 to get enough to do the machine.... but by the time min order surcharge and shipping was figured in, it was almost $50. Bah!

Follow-up: Photos finally posted in my overall resto thread:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/get-us-a-bday-gift-they-said-what-did-i-get-myself-into-this-time#post-3241246