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Author Topic: Xenon - partial restore  (Read 18568 times)

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Le Chuck

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Xenon - partial restore
« on: October 09, 2017, 05:37:03 pm »
This site needs more pinball.

I recently landed a pin project I'm excited about, Bally Xenon! I encountered these in the wild as a kid and always loved the lure of electric sex this machine billows forth like a doucher at a vape convention. Not much subtlety here, but no shame either! I had the choice to pick up this or a Pinbot a few weekends back and made the call to try some tubeshot. If it had been a BOP or Jackbot I probably wouldn't have pulled the trigger on Xenon, but the regular Pinbot was an easy enough sacrifice and I'm glad I made the call I did. It's definitely been on my "want to own one" list for a while. Not quite a grail but a fun addition. I felt the same way towards my Paragon as I do this pin, I held onto that for almost five years. We'll see how long Xenon lasts in the lineup.  We kept it up and running for the past two weeks so we could get some good play out of it but now I've started in on the restore.

This post is worthless without pictures.


There she be. She's rough. I'll get her smooth and repainted in the near future.


Playfield on pickup. Lot of lights were out but all the mechs worked. Still had day 1 mylar installed tho it was in rough shape. Some bad wear in non-mylar'd areas.


Plastics weren't so hot either...


Stripped the playfield, pulled off all the funky-butt mylar and started the finger destroying ritual of removing all the adhesive residue. I'm using 90% isopropyl and flour.


Here she is gum free. This is before I did a deep cleaning with the old magic eraser. The paint is crazed pretty well but no planking or anything funky - other than the giant bare spots at the top and bottom. Right now I'm working on making sure get all the grime out and we're truly down to bare paint and wood all over. Tedious but necessary.


Close-up of the damage to the upper playfield. This will be more artistically difficult to fix than the lower bit, but because it's covered by the tubeshot and surrounded by the bumpers I have more room for error.


Baked the plastics flat, the two largest ones will be taking another trip in the oven to get them flat with the rest. New sets are available but the paint and finish on these is great and the yellow isn't horrible so I'm happy with using the originals.

I've rolled it over to LED, need to go through and solder on a dozen or so resistors to get rid of flicker - but that's a project for when we're towards the end. Also replaced the drop targets with new and am doing bumper rebuilds while they're off. I'm working some fun ideas to dress up the tube but will have to see if they pan out. I'll be doing an auto-clear finish over the entire PF before I'm done so the art will be protected. This will be a bit of a slow moving project as I imagine the air brushing is going to take me a while to get done so it matches. The last thing I want is to lock a bad art job under thirty layers of clearcoat.

By the time I'm done I want this baby to shine like a new car and play just as fast.

jennifer

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2017, 12:04:27 am »
   That a nice find.... Pinbot has always given me nightmares, Id be working all quietly on it then it goes off I...C...U...OMG! right.... Jen has one of those xenons someplace in this mess, almost the same issues If memory serves, I bought a Iwata to do the A/B, but changed to a plot cutter for scan/stencils and a Badger, (although it has a giant trigger knob on it) that's kind of big for little hands, but puts out color faster with the bigger needle, need to get that done one of these fine days. Saw a overlay somewhere on the webs too you might want to search for before you go that route... Cant wait to see it all shiny man, do keep us updated 8)

pbj

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2017, 10:58:01 am »
Looking forward to a good pinball thread.

 :cheers:

pixel

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2017, 03:50:53 pm »

The yellowing is really only noticilble in the  100%  Translucent   "Window"  areas...

  What I would probably do... would be to cut the window areas out...  and then glue that plastic,  on top of a brand new piece of plexiglass.
(Or slightly oversized Lexan... making it a bit less likely to crack on impact / airballs.

 So long as you have the bolts / screws long enough... for the extra thickness.   Otherwise,  you may need to either order some different longer hardware,
or find something equilvilant.    (Or have something custom machined)

 
 Sadly... most Repos out there are very expensive... and the person doing the color work... appears to lack the eyes capable of seeing / discerning the full color spectrum... and so... we get a pile of overprices garbage,  that doesnt match either the existing parts / playfield... nor the original games color scheme in grand total.


 Hope you are at least temporarily planning to put down at least a new piece of mylar...  otherwise that ball will Destroy any / all work you put into this... in a mere month of play.   All those fine crevices, will be soot black and stained even worse than before..  and the ball will start tearing that paint off the field in no time flat.. despite any wax put down.


 For missing paint areas...  I once saw a video of a guy whom used scans / photos...  cleaned them up in photoshop,  and then printed them on Water-Slide decal paper... using his inkjet printer.  (The stuff they use on those plastic model kits)    Because they are thin,  they are often semi-translucent... so he had to stack a few layers worth... to get certain areas fully opaque.     However... if the area could be pre-painted white as an undercoat... that might reduce the amount of layers needed.

 Also,  if you do use them,  you will Need to clearcoat the field.


 Finally... when all back together...  before you try putting wax down...  see if you can find  F-21  (By the company turtle wax).   Its WAY better than wax.  Slick as all hell.  Glossy.  Has Ultraviolet protection in it... to help reduce sun-fade,  covered over small pits and scratches,  and the game will play like Factory new.  Which for most peoples older machines... means anywhere from a  15 to 25% ballspeed increase.   

 No dirty wax being pushed into every nook and cranny anymore either... which is the Ultimate clincher.   


 Re-Apply every month or so... depending on use.   In the busy arcade... I was wiping all easy to get areas down every 2 to 3 weeks.   2 weeks ... still looked like new.   3 weeks... started to see signs of some cloudy carbon sooting. That was of course... being played from like 9am to 9pm... 7 days a week.    With wax (before my discovery)  ... Those machines only lasted a week before there was crud on the field... and in 2 weeks... the soot and dirt was at times, covering over details on the PF... and that was After a completely full shop job -  with all ramps and sub-ways cleaned.   

 After switching to F21... I didnt have to do any full shop cleanings... but maybe once every 6 months to a year... and not much was actually pulled up.  It was mostly just to check for mechanical issues,  and to verify the results.  Two Pins in the store... were using F21 for like 2 years straight... and not a single issue.  Sales were totally boosted,  due to the games looking spectacular... and playing smooth as glass... and lightning Fast.  :)

 No more black soot on white rubbers.  And no more crud stuck in between crevices on clear star-posts.   What a godsend that was!  =]


 Congrats on the Pin.  Nice to see some Pinball news again.  I really miss the hobby!  :[


pixel

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2017, 04:04:38 pm »
A few more bits...

 If you dare... you may want to try to seal some of those pit areas where the magic eraser removed the gunk Asap.   I made the mistake of not doing so...
and when I was doing some work... managed to get the same areas stained again... but this time... they would not  Un-Stain.   The old eraser... just wouldnt suck it up anymore.  :(

 Maybe some clear super glue to the area to fill in.   One of my other collector friend uses that method,  to restore PF wear issues.
He uses an accelerator spray to instantly harden it.


 At one time,  I picked up some Dura-Lar  in a roll.   Stuff was really nice.  Super Tough and Crystal Clear.  I cant remember all the Specs.. but I think it incredibly heat resistant... which is good when dealing with heat from lamps / flashers.   I never got to try it out though... and also.. there is no Glue-Backing...  so if you want permanent... you may wish to see of an existing seller has the glue based mylar... and or the laser cut version for your machine.   (Also,  have no idea how hard it may be to cut / put precision holes into it.   Probably would need to use a Dremmel with a spiral cutter bit,  or mini router bit)

http://www.jerrysartarama.com/grafix-dura-lar-pads-and-rolls

Le Chuck

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2017, 07:43:55 pm »
Thanks guys, I'm really enjoying this one so far.

Jen, I have a cutter as well, so I'm thinking about doing some guides for the text and detail work to make the painting go a bit faster, but it depends on if I can get the source scans I have sized up correctly. I'll have to do some test prints and see if that will work or if I'll have to be cutting the frisket by hand. Is your badger the 350? That one didn't seem to be that bad, but I have normalish sized mitts I guess.

I looked at vinyls but the majority of the PF is in good shape and I've seen horrors when the clear goes on too hot and ripples the vinyl so I'm gunshy to try that - plus I want to see if I can knock the art out myself.


Pix, thanks for all the recommendations. I hadn't planned on leaving bare paint by any stretch. The whole PF is getting auto-cleared before another pinball streaks across it. Interesting idea on the plastic, but the yellow doesn't really bother me - I might mix up some retrobrite and spot apply it just to that window area and see if I can pull a few shades out of it that way. The cab is almost 40. I'm not trying to make it day one beautiful, just shine it up. I agree that repro plastics aren't always worth the money.

I'll definetly be laying a protective clear coat once I get the wood the way I want it so I can lock down the fibers before I spend the next however long it takes me to paint it.

Thanks for the recommendation on the wax, I'll give it a shot. Sounds like a great solution.

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2017, 08:37:56 pm »
   I have run into that problem too, My plotter software and P/s file was inconsistent at best and apparently A/I has better vectors sooo, Solution was scan, P/s, into A/i , and then into plotter (flex8 in my case) Doing that by hand will drive you mad and you will need a ride to the asylum.... Don't remember the badger offhand, been awhile since I used it, seems it was some big step plate about the size of a nickel, completely different than the Iwata, (really nice, but more for micron),.... The worry of vinyl for me is the wear through shows white not wood and find that a bit discerning, The trick to spraying it however is build it up, a dry light coat to lock it down, and keep building off that letting it tack nice, you will have considerable orangpeel on the first 6 coats, but lightly sand and recoat a little wetter Resand, respray wet with a taste of actone and finish smooth.... Its tricky however you may want to practice first if you go that route.

Le Chuck

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2017, 10:17:30 pm »
Oof both of those sound like a lot of work for the payoff. I think I can freehand the art off the source pics. I'll dig out the tracing paper and carbons and see what I can line up lol

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #8 on: October 11, 2017, 02:59:40 am »
   *Jennifer laughs.... It is not as bad as it sounds, lot of dry times to reduce shrinkage, and templates. The hard part is disassembling that thing, and getting it done before you forget how to put it back together, because when you start you are pretty much committed. I have never seen that flour thing, and would be curious as to what you actually did, and did it actually work like you planned? it did seem to get the Mylar off nice... Jenn usually uses naphtha and magic eraser on the stubborn parts. 

Le Chuck

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #9 on: October 11, 2017, 08:24:13 am »
   *Jennifer laughs.... It is not as bad as it sounds, lot of dry times to reduce shrinkage, and templates. The hard part is disassembling that thing, and getting it done before you forget how to put it back together, because when you start you are pretty much committed. I have never seen that flour thing, and would be curious as to what you actually did, and did it actually work like you planned? it did seem to get the Mylar off nice... Jenn usually uses naphtha and magic eraser on the stubborn parts.

Flour and 90%+ IPA is the new hotness for adhesive removal. Almost the entire PF was a sticky stubborn mess. Flour on first, wet with alcohol. Let dry once. Redampen and start rubbing your hand on the PF. Adhesive jumps off in clumps and sheets, except on the inserts. There you gotta ME and naphtha that beyoch. Keeps the adhesive from smearing around as you clean it up.

edited because my phone typing made this post read all dumb the first time.
« Last Edit: October 11, 2017, 01:01:04 pm by Le Chuck »

pbj

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #10 on: October 11, 2017, 11:19:04 am »
You will find Xenon to be very unforgiving to bad touch up.

I've done some touchup on games that was decent and never bothered clear coating it.  Paint still holding 12 years later. 


Le Chuck

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #11 on: October 11, 2017, 11:56:57 am »
You will find Xenon to be very unforgiving to bad touch up.

I've done some touchup on games that was decent and never bothered clear coating it.  Paint still holding 12 years later.

Are you talking unforgiving because of the style of art or because of the type of paints etc Bally was using at the time? If art, I'm with ya, it's a beast. If materials I'm not tracking anything special I need to be aware of.

pbj

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #12 on: October 11, 2017, 12:20:28 pm »
The style of art.  Best of luck.


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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #13 on: October 11, 2017, 02:53:35 pm »
   That's not paint, it is ink, pantone makes color matching chip sets.

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #14 on: October 14, 2017, 12:27:58 am »
Was able to spend some hours on this today. Made some good progress but really need to go back over everything I've done and tighten it up.  Minor frustration this evening, I didn't have any cadmium red - and you can't mix to a red you don't have so I was out of luck. I've been able to do color match batches on all the other PF colors tho (I borked up the white, so need to redo the "N"). Wifey says she'll pick up some cad red for me tomorrow so that's not too bad.   


Spent a lot of time on the lower PF. I'm pleased with the girl but need to redo the lines, I've got a bit of a slope on them and they are still too thick. Easy to fix with some black paint. I've been experimenting with loading up fine tip calligraphy pens with acrylic to do some fine line work but keep defaulting back to small brushes where I'm more comfortable. Still to do is the lettering and the red outline for the arrow but as I'm out of red I'll wait to clean up the arrow. I'm tired anyway.


Process picture. I like to use tracing paper, that way I can get the reference size right from the PF then bring the paper to the computer, size it on screen to match, and finish the trace. Then I tape it down to the PF and slide some carbon paper/graphite paper underneath and lay down my outline. I don't know how other folks go about it but this way seems quick and easy.


Here's where I'm at so far. I've done all the inserts and lot of the black fields, started to clean up the upper playfield too. Need to finish up the black fields and freshen the white. I think I'm going to go straight titanium white on the white zones to increase reflection. Xenon is such a dark game that the GIs need all the help they can get, and those areas don't show anyway so it shouldn't look too crazy. Of course there is a ton more touch up, pitted areas, post holes, and other stuff to fix, but I feel like I'm off to a good start...gotta fix that N tho, waaaaay too bright.

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #15 on: October 14, 2017, 09:31:42 am »
Did you find this one local? I just traded my xenon for a t2 last month. Good luck on the restore man. This is a fun game.

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #16 on: October 14, 2017, 10:59:50 am »
Did you find this one local? I just traded my xenon for a t2 last month. Good luck on the restore man. This is a fun game.

I got stationed near KC this summer. Picked this up in St Louis

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #17 on: October 15, 2017, 03:24:57 am »
   Jennifer gets all embarrassed staring at big butt girl on the backglass, all lit up like neon sex...I noticed you didn't show that part, good job on the restore so far, cant wait. :applaud:

Le Chuck

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #18 on: October 18, 2017, 11:39:52 pm »
I get embarrassed too jen, but that's half the fun, it's like the rope in gym class...

Minor update, been busy with life stuff and haven't gotten much painting done this week (it's been killing me walking past it every morning on my way out the door) and this weekend is going to be plenty full too. I was able to get the red finally and touched up the arrow and lines so they aren't all wonky now. Pics to come on that later.

This evening I took an hour and started to tackle the Bonus Collector lettering near the drain. If anyone is wondering, the font used is Handel Gothic BT - which you can find for free at the regular fonty type places. I laid it over a good source image in PS and then converted the text to a shape so I could preserve the vector workpath but edit the perspective and scale to match the lettering. It is done with a -25 font spacing in case anyone is really super curious.

First image is my source, second is the overlay, third is the working render. Plan is to cut this out of painters tape or frisket in with my cricut then stencil it down so I don't have to worry about decals when I got to clear. Maybe I'll get the cricut whirring tomorrow. 






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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #19 on: October 19, 2017, 12:14:55 am »
Damn, dude.  Nice work.


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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #20 on: October 19, 2017, 05:15:42 am »
Talent and attention to detail. This is some really good work.

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #21 on: October 19, 2017, 07:55:24 am »
the N wouldnt be so bright if you did the rest of the letters the same ;)


great work so far, come repaint the wear mark on my T2 above the hotdog pls.
If you're replying to a troll you are part of the problem.
I also need to follow this advice. Ignore or report, don't reply.

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #22 on: November 06, 2017, 10:21:14 pm »
Busy time of year, but I dragged the PF into the living room so I could paint in the evenings and still be social with the family. The first night of that and it worked out really well. My two-year-old daughter is a fine helper lol. Lessee, I got the lettering down and cleaned up some of the lines in the outlane area. I still have some areas to repair and repaint vic the flippers but I'll get to those. I've transitioned to the upper playfield damage and hopefully will make some steady progress on that over the next few days.

I fixed the N, it's not so bright now. Trimmed out the other letters while I was at it to crisp up some edges.

I'm planning on applying a Xenon decal to the tube. I experimented with mirror spray, that stuff you can spray on glass and the reverse side gives you a nice mirror finish...well it doesn't work well on acrylic. Just gives a flat grey, so I was bummed. Really wanted to do the Xenon decal in mirror on the back side of the tube so the ball rolls in front of it. I'm going to see if I can source some face adhesive vinyl and get the same effect. The Xenon graphic I ginned up for that is attached as well.





Two part question, feedback welcome and wanted -

1) I don't like the apron on Xenon. I'm considering vinyl wrapping it (don't want to do any permanent change) and then applying decals over that - similar to those on Playboy or Captain Fantastic - but of my own design. Leaning towards a black apron with mirror decals - to match the tube if I can get that to work, or maybe red and blue on the black to match the sideart. A white apron might be cool too, might play off the flippers and inserts. Just want to change it up a bit.

2) While I've got the vinyl out I've been considering wrapping the rails and bar. Would black rails look funny? I think it would give it a unique look and of course, it can just be peeled off. I've seen some powder coated blue but that's a bit over the top for me.
Thoughts?

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #23 on: November 06, 2017, 11:14:02 pm »
Lookin’ good, Chuckles!
***Build what you dig, bro. Build what you dig.***

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #24 on: November 07, 2017, 10:01:47 am »
Leave the tube alone.  Your touch up looks great.  Come do my Alien Poker. 

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #25 on: November 07, 2017, 12:34:11 pm »
I think I recall seeing a full art apron wrap for Xenon a couple years back on Pinside. I'll see what I can dig up.
%Bartop

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #26 on: November 07, 2017, 12:38:05 pm »
Looks like the stores selling Bally Williams apron decals received C&Ds... But I did find this: http://www.arcadecrusade.com/gallery/v/minimarquees/Minis+and+Lables/hyperpin/aprons/XenonApron-JR.png.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1
%Bartop

jennifer

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #27 on: November 08, 2017, 02:33:19 pm »
    Jennifer has never been a fan of mods even if they are easily revisable for a few reasons,  #1 is who wants to tear it all apart again someday just to change it back,  #2, the money wasted could be spent on something else, And #3, your kids will never get enjoy it for what it was, and going into the future will never experience the same machine again....I get what your saying however, after working on it a bit you just get sick of looking at something stupid, and feel it could be better, think about day and night, and when/if you do it, never get any satisfaction from it anyway because its just wrong.




Nephasth

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #28 on: November 08, 2017, 04:33:39 pm »
    Jennifer has never been a fan of mods even if they are easily revisable for a few reasons,  #1 is who wants to tear it all apart again someday just to change it back,  #2, the money wasted could be spent on something else, And #3, your kids will never get enjoy it for what it was, and going into the future will never experience the same machine again....I get what your saying however, after working on it a bit you just get sick of looking at something stupid, and feel it could be better, think about day and night, and when/if you do it, never get any satisfaction from it anyway because its just wrong.

You do realize that you're posting on a forum that is entertaining the idea of mame-ing a fish tank... right?
%Bartop

Le Chuck

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #29 on: November 08, 2017, 11:14:08 pm »
    Jennifer has never been a fan of mods even if they are easily revisable for a few reasons,  #1 is who wants to tear it all apart again someday just to change it back,  #2, the money wasted could be spent on something else, And #3, your kids will never get enjoy it for what it was, and going into the future will never experience the same machine again....I get what your saying however, after working on it a bit you just get sick of looking at something stupid, and feel it could be better, think about day and night, and when/if you do it, never get any satisfaction from it anyway because its just wrong.

You do realize that you're posting on a forum that is entertaining the idea of mame-ing a fish tank... right?

That's what this pin needs - some fish!

---

Thanks for the kudos e'body, I'm working the upper playfield now. Lot more straight lines required, all very close to eachother which is kinda ---That which is odiferous and causeth plants to grow--- for free handing so imma have to break out the tape and start working through methodically.

Jim has sage advice on the tube. It's not a have to do and it probably won't produce the effect I want in the long run. That apron tho is getting an upgrade because it's fugly and a fugly apron doesn't have diddly to do with the design of the game. The rails I'm up in the air on because I never understand black legs and silver rails. Why not match? Why not not match?

Malenko

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #30 on: November 14, 2017, 10:02:30 am »
so what do you do if there's like a wear "divot" in the ink? just fill in a base coat color to get it close to level? I got a wicked pissah wear in my T2
If you're replying to a troll you are part of the problem.
I also need to follow this advice. Ignore or report, don't reply.

pbj

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #31 on: November 14, 2017, 10:03:53 am »
Touch it up and then fill in the trench with clearcoat.  It'll look flat when it's dry.


Le Chuck

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #32 on: November 14, 2017, 12:05:23 pm »
Touch it up and then fill in the trench with clearcoat.  It'll look flat when it's dry.

+1 that's about the sum of it

pixel

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #33 on: November 15, 2017, 01:56:17 pm »
so what do you do if there's like a wear "divot" in the ink? just fill in a base coat color to get it close to level? I got a wicked pissah wear in my T2

 Depends on the Depth of the Divot / Pit.

 I disagree on the touchup and clear ... if the pit is too deep.   Deep pits will cause a cast shadow,  and you will certainly be able to tell it has a pit.   Clear does not make any Magnifying Lens-like effects.

 If the pit is bad / deep... fill it with clear epoxy  or  possibly good superglue.  One of my collector friends,  I believe uses superglue... but Id be hesitant to trust it on certain areas.  Not to mention, not sure if it will Yellow over time,  nor how well it reacts to expansion / contraction.  If you dod use it... it may be best to get semi-flexible formulas.   An instant/rapid cure spray helps with poor cure + worktime.  Still will need to be sanded and polished, if you were just using it to fill in a clear gap over the top of paint and or non painted playfield areas.


 Of course, this also all depends on your touchup skill level.   If not too good... then maybe better to leave the art as is, and fill with clear or mylar over it.    Best may be to hire out a proven skilled artist,  that can match colors and line width details with undetectable accuracy.

 Dont forget to test whatever paints you may use,  with whatever clear / fillers used... to make sure there is no bleed-out / dissolving.

 Also, one thing I did not realize when I touched one of my fields up... is that if you use too much water to acrylic ratio...it can cause the bonding agent to be weak... and likely to fail in a few years... with the paint cracking and lifting off of the surface.

 At that time,  I didnt know about Acrylic Additives.   There are solutions that can be mixed with Acrylics,  to give more flow, increased dry time, as well as translucency and gloss..   as well as the ability to blend with other colors,  similar to oil painting.

 Using such an additive,  means good flowing paint for fine details... without breaking the bonding agents down with too much water (if any is even needed).

Le Chuck

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #34 on: December 06, 2017, 06:44:42 pm »
Had a break in the cold weather coincide with a break in work. Been painting like a mad bastard this week. Playfield reassembly starts tomorrow!

 

« Last Edit: December 06, 2017, 06:47:50 pm by Le Chuck »

Le Chuck

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #35 on: December 16, 2017, 11:38:46 pm »
Hey Jen, or Jim, or somebody that is good at this pinball stuff!

I am nearing the finish but after I got the playfield back together I've gone from all lights working properly to multiple light issues. Would appreciate recommendations on what to check to see if I've screwed up.

Issues:

Lights that aren't getting any current:
Rollover lights 1 and 3
Moto lights 5, 10, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50
Blue E for Xenon
2 lights on the light bar (third and fourth from the left - tested at the pins, continuity is good out to the lights along the bar, no juice coming in on that pin)
3 out of 4 pop bumpers (continuity good from legs to lines where I had to snip them when I did the teardown and reinstall)

Lights that are stuck on:
Both blue Ns for Xenon
The 4x

Lights that blink in test that shouldn't (at least I think they shouldn't)
The four GIs around the exit chamber

When I did the tear down on the playfield I removed the surface components of but I didn't do a tear down of the under side. Only the pop bumpers and rollovers came off. Everything else stayed in place. Game boots and plays fine. No stuck switches and no solenoid issues during the bit.

I have scoured the underside of the PF for a loose glob of solder or something but am coming up bupkis. I'm wondering if I have a board issue or what. Just thinking about it as I type this, I haven't gone over the connector between the board and the harness to check for a loose wire or a popped solder joint so that's probably next on my list, but any help would be much appreciated. I havent' checked schematics to figure out if all those lights have a connection or a component in common, but I am getting good continuity throughout the ground.

pbj

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #36 on: December 17, 2017, 06:11:56 pm »
Probably a connector issue at your boards.  I bet most of those lights come off the same plug.  I'm a big fan of the old unplug replug.  Turn off machine, reseat the connectors a couple times, turn it back on.

Might need to reflow the solder on the board pins.  It's possible you tugged on the wires while jacking around with the play field.


Le Chuck

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #37 on: December 17, 2017, 06:32:24 pm »
It's possible you tugged on the wires while jacking around with the play field.

Oh, that's 100% certain. I was trying to be careful but I can remember almost dropping the damn thing once, frantically grabbing at whatever I could get a hold of, harness, lights, whatever. I'm sure I'm paying for that now.

Minor update after a few hours of monkeying around.

Lights that aren't working
Rollover light 2
Moto light 15
Blue X for Xenon
2 lights on the light bar - same ones as before

Fun fact - three out of the five are lights that were working yesterday (facepalm and sobbing)

Lights that stay on:
Both blue Ns for Xenon
The 4x
35 Moto
Blue E for Xenon

Funner fact - well as fun, funner is probably not the right descriptor, anyway, two new stuck ons - but both of those were just off yesterday so that's an improvement?

I need to dig into the wikis on how to test the SCRs for the stuck on lights. The off lights probably just require more tinkering. I'll go wiggle some harness cables while I'm at it. I'm sure the ones that were working yesterday but aren't after today's adventures are something related to that.

Took some pics, just because it's starting to look all fancy-schmancy again. I vinyl wrapped the apron, rails and bars. Working on custom decals for the apron. Liking the black on black look.


Game on but flashing lights off - except for the pesky stuck on ones.


Everything lit - except for the pesky stuck off ones. Incidentally, I've ordered some replacement leds to go in the backbox on the chase frame. I ---smurfing--- hate the reds that came with the kit, so imma change them out for blues.
« Last Edit: December 17, 2017, 06:47:25 pm by Le Chuck »

Nephasth

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #38 on: January 13, 2018, 11:57:57 pm »
 :o

The Super Ultra Collector's Limited Edition pony backglass variant!

Superb...

 :applaud:
%Bartop

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Re: Xenon - partial restore
« Reply #39 on: January 14, 2018, 10:42:22 am »
Rofl that took me waaay too long to figure out what the hell you were talking about