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| Retro Box - Just a Regular 'Ole Bartop (COMPLETED AUG 2024 - UPDATED SEPT 2024) |
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| DaveMMR:
Seems I also forgot to take pictures of installing a back door and the piece for top of the speaker/marquee box to meet with the back door. No worries. I'll catch it later on the final assembly. At any rate, I took everything back apart for the final finishing. Up until now, I didn't do anything directly to the side panels that would be seen in the final product. So cutting the slots for the T-molding was definitely my bravery test. But after carefully adjusting the height and getting it just right, I cut the slot with little trouble. It was actually kind of fun. The plywood does mean there is the occasional tear-out. But it will be hidden by the molding so it's not worth worrying about. I also took the opportunity to cut out some slots on the back door and top for airflow. I do kind of wish I had a plunge router instead of having to pre-drill holes because it would have come out a lot neater. But it's fine. Sandpaper fixed most of the sloppiness. I used a quick jig to help keep the lines straight and even. Here you can see the biggest issue with plywood. The tear-out from routing was pretty violent. Luckily it's on a secondary surface that's being painted. And wood filler covers up many sins. |
| DaveMMR:
My idea is for the bartop to look like a retro 70's/80's arcade game (or original Atari VCS) with wood-grain sides and front in lieu of artwork. I was originally going to buy some fake wood contact paper to put on the sides. But since the wood grain was fairly attractive as-is, I decided to stain it. I used what I had leftover and decided on this dark walnut color. This is just a first coat, but the cat seems to approve so far. The rest of the cabinet (save for the control panel) is just basic black. Again, just a first coat. Still needs more love... That's where I am leaving it for today. More to follow. |
| DaveMMR:
Just a quick update... Finally got a chance to get some spray polyurethane down on the sides/front that are stained to help protect the wood. I love the look of wet poly on the surface. This is the second coat. Once it's fully dry, a quick buffing with brown paper will give it a nice, smooth sheen. |
| javeryh:
Great start. What are you going to use as the guts? Are you going with a 4:3 monitor? Any art planned for the marquee? :cheers: |
| DaveMMR:
--- Quote ---Great start. --- End quote --- Thanks! :cheers: I made sure to be at least 75% done before posting anything. Too many "false-starts" with projects in the past. This one WILL be completed. --- Quote ---Are you going with a 4:3 monitor? Any art planned for the marquee? --- End quote --- As much as I'm not a fan, the monitor is a 16:9. I have a surplus of these that are otherwise sitting unused so I couldn't justify not using one for the project. But the bezel options in MAME and Batocera makes good use of the unused space. Plus if I can get some modern, arcade style PC games on there, it will be worth it. The marquee is super simple, partly inspired by the old Time Out color scheme. I went for a tacky 70's look. The artwork is still in transit, but hoping to have it back soon. |
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