Type of paint? Type of artwork/adhesive? How to mount CPO art and bezel?

[SephYuyX]

Few questions that I cant seem to get a direct answer from searching.. Im using the UAII as a base, and my project is http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=98284.0

As far as paint goes.. im seeing oil based, but I cant seem to find out the proper method of painting MDF. Prime first? I saw someone say primer wasnt necessary. What paint should I be looking for? Is sanding necessary? How many times should I repeat the paint, sand, paint process?

I went to www.mamemarquees.com to see their FAQ, but still had a few questions. As far as the side art goes, pretty strait forward, peel off backing, and stick on, yes? And for the marquee, its just 'paper' sandwiched between two pieces of plexi, and thats held on by some 90 degree like fasteners, yes? (btw where can these be bought?)

But this is where I cant find any info surprisingly. How do you go about the CPO? Whats holding the artwork and plexi on? Just the buttons? TMolding keeping it from sliding about? Do people generally use adhesive CPO art? or let it float between the wood and plexi? Is the art, plexi and mdf all adhesived together?

Is plexi even the right material? or should I use Lexan?

How do people mount the glass bezel? Do they cut slots in the mdf for it to rest in? Is it just resting against the back bezel and floating there?

How do people tend to cut out their CPO? Cut it all in one go with a spade bit? cut the plexi and wood together, and art seperate? all 3 seperate? is a spade bit w/ a drill the way to do it? or is there a different method to not break the plexi and mdf?

Thanks, sorry for all the questions

[lungdart]

If you are buying your paint at a hardware store (and not just a walmart type setup) Just ask. People at home hardware/home depot/canadian tire actually do know what they are talking about and can lead you in the right direction. They can tell you if you will need a primer/clear coat, and which paint types to use best on MDF.

[kronic24601]

As far as paint goes.. im seeing oil based, but I cant seem to find out the proper method of painting MDF. Prime first? I saw someone say primer wasnt necessary. What paint should I be looking for? Is sanding necessary? How many times should I repeat the paint, sand, paint process?

This really depends on what kind of finish you want. I originally wanted a glossy, super smooth finish, but pretty much gave up on that. I started with regular primer, and a latex paint, but had serious problems with my air gun. Mistakenly I brushed the primer on (big mistake) and sine it wasn't sanding primer it was a B@#ch to smooth out. Also, I originally used a water based paint that I had to thin to spray, problem is, I had to thin it so much that it pretty much never dried (been over 6months now and still not dry). Lesson learned? Use a sand-able primer, and spray it on (don't brush it). Then use a chemical based paint (not a water based) and spray that on. I think I used a car paint.

I went to www.mamemarquees.com to see their FAQ, but still had a few questions. As far as the side art goes, pretty strait forward, peel off backing, and stick on, yes? And for the marquee, its just 'paper' sandwiched between two pieces of plexi, and thats held on by some 90 degree like fasteners, yes? (btw where can these be bought?)

Sideart, more-or-less, they have demo's available on Youtube. Marquee isn't just paper, I'm not sure the exact matierl but it;s fairly thick and needs to be sandwiched between two sheets of plexi (you can either buy those through them or make your own). The fasteners depend on your box, but you can buy them at misc arcade online stores (http://www.arcadeemulator.net/ for example).

But this is where I cant find any info surprisingly. How do you go about the CPO? Whats holding the artwork and plexi on? Just the buttons? TMolding keeping it from sliding about? Do people generally use adhesive CPO art? or let it float between the wood and plexi? Is the art, plexi and mdf all adhesived together?

Depends on what you want to do. Some people let the buttons hold it in place. If you are going to do this, it is likely you will want the T-Molding to be flush with the plexi. In this case you would use 5/8" MDF for the wood and a 1/8" plexi (making it 3/4) then use the standard 3/4 T-Molding and all should be well (so long as you cut the slot appropriately). Other people (and most professional arcades) drill through the plexi and use the "black carriage bolts" in the 4 corners. I have seen some people use the adhesive instead of Plexi and/or with it. I don't really think using the adhesive is providing much bennifit when covered in plexi, other than it won't slide around at all (which I can't imagine is too much of a problem). PLexi is never adhered to the artwork.


Is plexi even the right material? or should I use Lexan?

People have used both, but I think Plexi is cheaper and easier to cut.

How do people mount the glass bezel? Do they cut slots in the mdf for it to rest in? Is it just resting against the back bezel and floating there?

Everyone does this differently, it really depends on your individual arcade.

How do people tend to cut out their CPO? Cut it all in one go with a spade bit? cut the plexi and wood together, and art seperate? all 3 seperate? is a spade bit w/ a drill the way to do it? or is there a different method to not break the plexi and mdf?



This one I'm not too sure about, I'm acutally planning on doing this myself in a few weeks. This is my plan, if any experts have any opionons on this I'd love to hear it.

1) Cut out main "box", then draw elipse and cut with Jigsaw. Then Sand down till smooth.
2) I'll lay a trash template (mamemarques sells these along with your main artwork). and tape/ sequre to the CP.
3) I've prepped + marks in the center of all my holes, so I'll pre-drill those out first.
4) Then I'll use a drill press and drill the wood alone (all holes) and cut out whatever other material is needed for trackball etc...
5) I'll probably prime it or even paint it.
6) I'll use a lighting method to align my drilled holes on the cp, with my artwork (light under the cp shining up).
7) I'll secure and adhere the artwork to the CP very carefully. (this part could REALLY screw you up).
I have a circular cutting compass I'll use to cut out the holes, but other people just eyeball it with an exacto (button bezels should cover the mess).
9) I'll use my router to cut the main shape of the plexi to match my cp.
10) I'll lay some junk material down, then the plexi, then my cp (upside down obviously) and clamp it all down.
11) Then using the drill dress, I will VERY SLOWLY drill the holes out of the plexi (the junk board will hopefully reduce/remove the "tear" effect and leave a clean cut.
12) Use a file to clean up.


Thanks, sorry for all the questions