Mortal Kombat II edge/corner swelling - please help.

[Kdubski]

Hi,  I'm trying to restore my first cabinet which is a dedicated MKII.  The cabinet itself is in pretty nice shape, and the side art is nice and vibrant with no fading so I'd really like to salvage it.  The problem I am facing is that little care was taken by the previous owner(s) and so there are nicely dinged up edges with a bit of swelling setting in.  There is one corner in particular on the upper rear portion that has some significant swelling (note: my use of the word "significant" may vary from others in that I've never had to deal with wood swelling)....I'm wondering if someone can provide some direction on how to correct the problem.  My thought was to do the following:

- Cut away that portion of the side art
- Use a wire brushes to scrape away any loose pieces
- Apply some minwax wood hardener
- Apply wood putty, sand and paint. 

Does this sound like it would be feasible; anyone have any other suggestions or experience with this type of repair?  Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.  I apologize for the pictures, it was hard to find a good angle.  I did outline the bad area in red and at this point it looks like the cabinet has cellulite with some swelling. Thanks!

[one8seven]

Hi,

My MK4 cab has similar damage. I want to restore it and put new side art on it. Did you already tried restoring yours? If yes, please share your experience

[Kdubski]

Sorry one8, I have yet to attempt to tackle that part of the cabinet.  Since that is the worst part, I'm saving it for last and trying to improve my skills on other parts of the cabinet first.  I haven't received any suggestions from anyone either so I'm still not exactly sure what route I'm going to take.  I will keep you posted when I get to it, however, it may not be for a little while.  Good luck with your repair, and if you get to yours first, please pass along what you did.  Thanks.

[one8seven]

Thanks for the reply! Will let you know if I got mine repaired first