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Author Topic: This Popeye needs some spinach  (Read 36296 times)

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isucamper

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This Popeye needs some spinach
« on: January 30, 2010, 10:47:26 am »
Well, those that say that building a MAME cabinet is just a gateway drug into the arcade hobby may be right.  The desire to line my basement with arcade cabinets got the better of me this past week and I picked up my first real cabinet:  a Popeye for $150 dollars.  It was only 20 minutes away from my house which is really rare and it seems to be complete and working besides missing the keys for the coin door and back cover.  However, it has certainly seen better days.  I'll be restoring it sometime in the future, and I plan to give it the full treatment.  It might be a while before I can really sink my teeth into it, but I'll chip away at it this year while I can.  To start, I'll document everything I can see wrong with it. 

Problem #1:  I don't have the keys for the cabinet, and although the coin door is locked open, the back cover is locked shut.  Since I don't have the time to tear into this thing for a while, I'm going to try and procure actual K6510 keys before I drill out the locks.  I'd like keep this restore as authentic as possible, right down to the locks and keys. 


#2:  Marquee light not lighting, should be easy enough to fix once I can get inside it.

#3:  Graphics in the game have lines going through them.  While I was play testing it at the seller's house, this happened for a few seconds and went away, now it seems permanent.  Level42 suggested reseating the roms and I'll try this once I can get inside.


#4:  Side art is going to have to go and the sides are going to need to be sanded, patched with bondo, and repainted or revinyled.  I was thinking I would repaint it as I had great results spraying my scratch build, but it has been suggested that I revinyl it which would be more authentic.  I'll be looking into this as an option.   Its my understanding that whether I paint or use vinyl, I need to sand, patch and prime the surface the same way.  There's  no real way to remove the existing vinyl right?  I've just got to sand it down and put primer over it?


The bottoms and the corners look the worst.  This will be my first time using bondo.


#5:  Tmolding will need to be replaced and I'll have to do something to fix this sloppy caulk job that was used to fill in missing tmolding.  I'm thinking a blow dryer or heat gun might melt it enough for me to peel it off. 


No problem here, just found this super faded VSMB marquee hiding inside the cab.  Weird.


#6:  Need to evaluate replacing the cp overlay.  It looks like it is in pretty good condition.  Its a bit faded though.  We'll see, I'd really like to reuse as much of the original parts as possible.  Marquee looks pretty good and I don't think I'll have to replace it.


#7:  Even if I don't replace the overlay, gonna have some work to do on the control panel.  Probably needs to be stripped and repainted.  The controls feel suprisingly good, but replacements are readily available so I might just replace them.


#8:  Don't think I can get away with this bezel.  For the most part, its pretty good, but there's a lot of knicks in the art and then there is this crack.  MikesArcade.com has replacement bezels for a lot of Nintendo cabs, but not Popeye.  Wonder where I can get one.


#9:  Coin door needs a complete restore and I need to replace all these decals.  Also, only coin slot #1 is working, but after inspecting it, I can see that #2 is wired up differently than the first, so that should be easy to fix.  There's a coin counter on this thing that still works and is past 26000.  A few games have been played on this machine. 


#10:  Back side is pretty worn, but nobody looks at the back, right?  Maybe a light repaint is in order. 


According to the model #, this was an original Popeye.  I'm still confused about the VS SMB marquee I found inside. 


#11:  The power cable is frayed in a couple of spots.  What do I do about that?  Throw some electrical tape on it and call it good?  I think it's just the insulation of the cable that's fraying and not the 3 wires inside.


This is as far as I can see inside.  I wonder what other treasures are hiding in there?  Maybe some keys. 

Definitely not a small job, but I'm excited to bring this one back.  I've always liked this game and have been wanting a Nintendo cabinet.  I'm suprised that there are no Popeye restore threads on this forum that I could find, but there's plenty of DK and DK jr. examples to draw from.  I don't think I'll be able to get to the bulk of the work this year, but we'll see.  Any suggestions are welcome!
« Last Edit: May 11, 2018, 04:46:41 pm by isucamper »
THE SYSTEM          Popeye

smalltownguy

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2010, 10:59:43 am »
If you're interested in preserving the original lock core, you could always knock out the vent grilles above it and that will allow you to get your hands in there with a snub nosed screwdriver and take off the lock tab. Once you get the door off, you can remove the the core and getting a replacement key made will be easy for a locksmith once they can hold the core in their hands.

My buddy and I once got a Ms Pac cab that was locked in the same fashion. Luckily for us, the vent holes were also handles, and could be unscrewed and removed. We used this method to get the back door off, and then we were able to reach forward to unscrew the retaining tab from the coin door lock too. :D
Man, will my cab EVER be finished?

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2010, 04:21:46 pm »
Did you check the coin box ? Sometimes the key of the backside are in there. Or on a key holder on the coin door...

This is very restorable !

And congrats and welcome to the hobby of collection. You know it won't be your last machine :D

You want to keep everything as original as possible yet want to replace the controls ? Why ? Nintendo joysticks usually just need some good cleaning and new grease. I did replace the microswitches with leafs, but that's just my hate agains microswitches. Whenever possible I try to get rid of them, original or not. The buttons you should definitely keep because these are the original colors and they look very nice still.

I think Mamemarquees has the bezel if you don't mind inkjet.
http://www.mamemarquees.com/popeye-bezel-p-394.html

isucamper

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2010, 05:10:33 pm »
Hmm.  Not sure about knocking out the speaker grills.  It is like you're describing but they seem pretty solid in there. 

No keys in the cab that I can find. 

I guess I was thinking since replica controls are readily available at Mike's Arcade that I'd just spring for them.  After over 25 years of use and 26000 games, it could be time?  However, the originals do feel pretty good still.  Once I get inside I'll clean them up and see how it goes.
THE SYSTEM          Popeye

Level42

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2010, 04:26:27 am »
Hmm.  Not sure about knocking out the speaker grills.  It is like you're describing but they seem pretty solid in there. 

No keys in the cab that I can find. 

I guess I was thinking since replica controls are readily available at Mike's Arcade that I'd just spring for them.  After over 25 years of use and 26000 games, it could be time?  However, the originals do feel pretty good still.  Once I get inside I'll clean them up and see how it goes.
26000 is actually not a very high number of games. Most of my machines have more. The Nintendo stick is very sturdy. There often is some "goo" building up because of old grease. The Nintendo manuals explain how to maintain it properly. Should any part really be bad you can get the parts separately from Mikesarcade too.

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2010, 04:18:19 pm »
Those counters usually only have 6 digits and likely have rolled over
NO MORE!!

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #6 on: January 31, 2010, 11:20:41 pm »
Quote
#11:  The power cable is frayed in a couple of spots.  What do I do about that?  Throw some electrical tape on it and call it good?  I think it's just the insulation of the cable that's fraying and not the 3 wires inside.

That depends on the chemistry that goes into the wiring. I've seen power cords sit, undisturbed, for twenty or thirty years only to crumble right down the bare copper as soon as I move it and I've seen power cords so sturdy, they're still good after twenty or thirty years. I suspect it has to do with the use of lead in the jacket, but that's another discussion for another time.

If it's frayed and given the age of the cabinet, I would outright replace it. Only because I don't have any idea of the condition of the internals of the wire. I've had power cords I thought good only to melt because of an intermittent break in the copper. The broken copper would create arching, generating heat, and so on and so forth.

If you must keep the frayed cord, then remove the cord and use a multimeter with an audible continuity check and clips. Listen carefully to the tone and play with the wire, especially around the frayed area, to see if there's a break of any kind. Then carefully inspect the frayed area for any exposed copper. If it's kosher, don't use electrical tape, it looks ugly and some brands falls apart after a few years anyways. Go find yourself some suitable shrink tubing and slip on about two or three layers and shrink it on (after each layer of course) in consecutively larger lengths to keep the whole thing looking neat.

Since the frayed area occurred around the wood hole, go buy yourself a grommet or whatever and stick it in the hole. That will help reduce any further damage. You may need to enlarge the hole a bit to get the grommet to fit.

You may be doing a restore. But I'd rather see a restored cabinet using a non-original (and safe) power cord than a piece of black charcoal and fried circuit boards.

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #7 on: February 01, 2010, 12:58:15 am »
If there is a single trace of doubt: replace. A couple of dollars does not weigh up to any of the problems you could get with it. (Worst case: fire).

isucamper

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #8 on: February 01, 2010, 08:17:33 am »
You may be doing a restore. But I'd rather see a restored cabinet using a non-original (and safe) power cord than a piece of black charcoal and fried circuit boards.

Agreed.  Thanks for the info.  I'm leaving it unplugged for now.  I've got a few leads on some cabinet keys so hopefully I'll be able to get inside this thing in the next week or two. 
THE SYSTEM          Popeye

isucamper

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #9 on: February 03, 2010, 06:58:20 pm »
Ok, time to flog the noob here.

Am I supposed to be hooking up the "Earth" connector (the one next to the power switch) up to something, and if so, what?

I don't believe the previous owner had it hooked up to anything... I'm assuming this is some kind of ground.  Can something get damaged if it's not hooked up?
THE SYSTEM          Popeye

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2010, 04:27:53 pm »
Where is it ? Got a pic ?

isucamper

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #11 on: February 04, 2010, 07:16:38 pm »
Lower right corner on the back of the cab.  Hmm.. now that I have a nice bright picture of it, it doesn't look like a connector at all.  Still, am I supposed to do anything with it?

THE SYSTEM          Popeye

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #12 on: February 05, 2010, 06:27:07 am »
That's an (extra) earth point. I assume the mains wire has three cores and thus have the extra (I think it's green in the US) earth wire ? If so, no need to connect it.

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2010, 06:53:39 am »
That's an (extra) earth point. I assume the mains wire has three cores and thus have the extra (I think it's green in the US) earth wire ? If so, no need to connect it.

+1

It makes sense given the era the cab is from. In 1982, there were a lot of homes and business still sporting groundless wall sockets. Most people (even "educated" ones today) would just cut off ground to get it to fit rather than using an adapter and running a ground wire. The engineer must have really wanted ground here.

I still see places with groundless wall sockets. I lived in an apartment where half the wall sockets were groundless. Landlord just swapped out the two prongs for the three to pass inspection. Even places with the crap aluminum wiring. I still see people cut the ground off, had a friend do it to his Apple laptop.

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #14 on: February 05, 2010, 08:22:02 am »
That's an (extra) earth point. I assume the mains wire has three cores and thus have the extra (I think it's green in the US) earth wire ? If so, no need to connect it.

Crap.  I'm at work now, so I can't get a picture, but I was looking at the main power wire last night.  I can tell there are 3 wires running through it, but the plug doesn't have a ground prong.  I'll take a picture tonight.  Also, today or tomorrow I should be receiving a cabinet key so I'll finally be able to get inside the thing.

There's got to be something I'm not seeing, as the previous owner had the thing plugged in for about a year.  Not sure how much he played it but you'd think something would have fried if it wasn't grounded. 

Guys, thanks for your help on this stuff.  I'd be lost otherwise. 
THE SYSTEM          Popeye

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #15 on: February 05, 2010, 04:31:32 pm »
@Savannah: In Dutch homes the most outlets are without ground. However, you can put ungrounded and grounded plugs into them without risk. Only the risky area's have grounded outlets, f.i. bathrooms, or outlets for dishwashers etc.

Since earth-leak breakers are mandatory here it's safe to have ungrounded outlets in un-risky area's.

I grounded all the wall outlets in my gameroom though. I figured while I was at it, better do it anyway....

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #16 on: February 05, 2010, 05:36:32 pm »
Here's some pictures of my main power plug.  I can see the 3 wires, but there is no prong for ground.  

I finally got into my cabinet thanks to John at www.vintagevideogames.com.  He actually has a really awesome looking arcade museum in Mclean, Illinois that should definitely be checked out if anyone lives around there.  I'm about 4 hours from there... definitely have to check it out when it warms up a bit.  

Anyway, I can see the green cable from the main plug must be the ground, as it ties to the extra EARTH contact that I was asking about earlier, and then it goes off into the mess of cables inside the cab.  So my question remains, shouldn't there be a ground plug on the main power outlet?  Without it, the cabinet won't be grounded, right?  
« Last Edit: February 06, 2010, 12:34:31 pm by isucamper »
THE SYSTEM          Popeye

isucamper

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #17 on: February 06, 2010, 12:35:02 pm »
Wow, found this awesome video which pretty much answers all my question.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=post;msg=1057123;topic=99886.0;sesc=c662c776e2880a0579d281328d725a92

Sounds like the ground prong is needed as an extra safty measure.  Makes me wonder how long this cabinet was run without being grounded, and it makes me wonder if the wigged out graphics are a result of board damage from lack of grounding. 
THE SYSTEM          Popeye

isucamper

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #18 on: April 16, 2010, 12:17:30 am »
Winter's chill has shaken loose from the air, the garage is clean, and I've officially started my Popeye restore.  I had the cab in my basement living room for a few weeks, and after a while it was stinking up the whole place.  Kinda of a musty, moldy smell, so I lugged it back out to the garage and where it had to wait until I was ready for it.  In the meantime, I managed to procure some cabinet keys from John at http://vintagevideogames.com/ (great looking museum, I'm going to have to find time to check it out at some point).


27 years worth of dust and grime in there, but it's all in considerably good shape.  All appears to be original and untouched. 



There was tons of this white powder all over the insides of this cabinet.  Either someone was storing cocain in it, or its growing mold.  And it was stinky. 



First task was to strip it down.  The coin door was a huge pain to get out.  Has anyone else had this problem?  On the inside of the cabinet, two of the nuts are blocked by the coin box plank and nearly inaccessible.  And worse, one of the bolts was all rusted and the hole was stripped.  I got the nut to the lip of the bolt and the whole thing started turning.  I spent probably two hours trying to get that nut off before I finally took a hammer and pried the bolt out from the outside.  It popped the nut right off without damaging the wood.  I got lucky, but at that point I was willing to patch up any damage I might have caused.  I also had problems figuring out how the bezel comes out.  I ended up taking off the whole bezel holder. 




Very, very light burn in on the monitor.  Couldn't even see it behind the tinted glass. 





I really hope this game still works after I get it put back together.  <sigh>.  After it was stripped down, I took to cleaning out that mold with water and bleach.  After a single washing, I can still smell it so I'll probably give it a few more. 




Removed the crumbling t-molding, which was glued in spots, and used a heat gun and a screwdriver to scrap off the caulk that was used to patch the tmolding.  Got most of it. 


Finally, I got the artwork peeled off.  Next is to get some goo-gone and take the glue off the sides.  Then it will be bondo time. 

« Last Edit: May 11, 2018, 07:14:57 pm by isucamper »
THE SYSTEM          Popeye

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #19 on: April 16, 2010, 03:24:54 am »
@Savannah: In Dutch homes the most outlets are without ground. However, you can put ungrounded and grounded plugs into them without risk. Only the risky area's have grounded outlets, f.i. bathrooms, or outlets for dishwashers etc.

That's Dutch law though. AFAIK, it's not possible (per building code) to have ungrounded plugs in any new construction or remodeling job in the U.S. Now that I think about it, if you hop to your local Home Depot, the two prong wall sockets sold there have a red or yellow tag (or is it green, I forget) denoting they're to be used for replacement or repair and not for new construction. If you install a three prong socket, you are required to have that ground wired because the fact the three prongs are there implies it's grounded. It's a safety issue in a lot of cases.

Some things require that ground though. I have an old IBM that would shock you and exhibit really bizarre behavior if there's no ground. Took me about a year to figure out what the cause was. Lexmark designed some of their printers so badly that some models can't even function correctly without a proper ground. Imagine trying to print a term paper at 4AM only to find that out.

I assumed the OP is in the U.S. was I wrong in that regards?

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #20 on: April 16, 2010, 05:14:36 am »
Can't remeber if you said you were looking for popeye sideart, but here it is anyway:

Popeye sideart on mamemarquees.com: http://www.mamemarquees.com/reproduction-side-c-51_61.html?page=8

Any plans for that vssmb marquee? its strange how it was just chucked inside.

Solid,
« Last Edit: April 16, 2010, 05:16:49 am by solidteezme »
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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #21 on: April 16, 2010, 08:23:08 am »
Yeah, in the US.  Iowa to be exact.  What's weird is, I got inside the cabinet and ground is tied all over (power supply, board cage, speaker, monitor, CP) but then there's no ground prong on the outlet.  Anyway, not a big deal.  I'm going to replace the whole cord when I put it back together.

Yes I will need new side art once I'm over the hurdles of patching and painting.  Was going to go with either MAMEmarquess or arcadeshop.  No plans for the SMB marquee.  As far as I'm concerned, its not in usable shape.  If anybody wants it for the cost of shipping, let me know.
THE SYSTEM          Popeye

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #22 on: April 16, 2010, 09:31:56 am »
Regarding the vssmb marquee, just think it would look at home on the wall of a workshop or garage.

I would have it for that reason, but bugger to getting a knackered marquee sent to the uk, just aint worth it!
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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #23 on: April 16, 2010, 09:48:29 am »
Did you ever find the keys?

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #24 on: April 16, 2010, 10:33:10 am »
There were none in the cabinet, but I got a spare key for the back panel from John at vintagevideogames.com.  Guess I didn't make that clear in my earlier post.  Damn words. 
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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #25 on: April 16, 2010, 10:36:32 am »
Was it on eBay, or did you contact him directly?

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #26 on: April 16, 2010, 12:02:43 pm »
Contacted him directly.  I actually sent emails out to a lot of big collectors in my area until I found one.
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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #27 on: April 16, 2010, 12:24:37 pm »

Yes I will need new side art once I'm over the hurdles of patching and painting.  Was going to go with either MAMEmarquess or arcadeshop. 

Don't go inkjet when silkscreened is available.  Especially since they are about the same price.  Go with Arcadeshop.

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #28 on: April 16, 2010, 01:29:57 pm »
Yeah, in the US.  Iowa to be exact.  What's weird is, I got inside the cabinet and ground is tied all over (power supply, board cage, speaker, monitor, CP) but then there's no ground prong on the outlet. 

It's not weird, it's spelled L-A-Z-Y. Someone wanted to put a game on location that didn't have a three-prong outlet, so they broke off the ground prong.  Sure it'll operate, but if there are power issues it won't have anywhere to go.  Luckily for you it sounds like it dd okay.

You can just cut off the old plug and screw in a replacement plug head, or you can replace the entire thing.  I like to use old computer cords, extra long and heavy duty.  Cut off the end, strip back the insulation and install.

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #29 on: April 18, 2010, 05:04:44 pm »

Don't go inkjet when silkscreened is available.  Especially since they are about the same price.  Go with Arcadeshop.

Agreed.

Also, keep that original joystick (and keep the buttons too). Completely disassemble it and thoroughly clean it; paying particular attention to getting the pivot bearing and its socket as clean as possible. Spray some degreaser in there; let it set; go at it with a toothbrush, Q-tip, pipe cleaner, whatever; repeat until clean.

For lubricating the pivot bearing and its socket (clean off all traces of the degreaser first), grease is not the way to go in my experience (all the greases I've tried are too thick; makes the stick sluggish, especially when returning to center on its own). Use something lighter; such as an oil or spray (I use 3M silicone spray [08897] on mine, and it is silky smooth).

However, if you go with one of Mike's Arcade's reproduction Nintendo joysticks (they are excellent reproductions; I have one and can vouch for their quality); I'll buy your original stick from you.
« Last Edit: April 18, 2010, 05:07:41 pm by MaximRecoil »

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #30 on: April 18, 2010, 09:02:32 pm »
Thanks for the advice guys.  I'm definitely going to be keeping the original controls. I was unaware of the subtle differences of the repros when I mentioned I was thinking I'd replace them.  Everything still works great and just needs to be cleaned up a bit. 

So some thoughts on the adhesive remover known as Goof Off.

When I peeled the art off of the first side of the cabinet, I hadn't mastered the whole heat and peel technique and quite a bit of glue was left over.  So much that you could still see the outline of Popeye's face (I did much better on the second side).  So the glue removal was not trivial.  I got pretty discouraged last night because I wasn't having much luck with the Goof Off stuff.

Mistake #1:  Don't use paper towels.  Get an old rag.  Takes the stuff up much better and doesn't leave a mess behind.
Mistake #2:  If you're attacking a large amount of glue, don't expect to get it all in one go.  Goof Off will dissolves the glue but if it is on there thick, it just kind of softens it up and pushes it around for a while.

Basically, after last night, I ended up with a thin smear of glue all across the side of the cabinet.  I wasn't getting it to come off, just kind of spreading it around.  I went at it again today, and the thinner layer came off much easier with wax on/wax off type motions.  Got one side sparkling clean.





No more progress besides that.  Is there anything I can do about this?  You can't see it from the outside (this is a shot down into the cabinet past where the control panel sits) but it looks like the wood is kinda warping. 

« Last Edit: May 11, 2018, 07:20:29 pm by isucamper »
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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #31 on: May 01, 2010, 09:53:43 pm »
Got some more work done today.  Slow and stead wins the race I always say.

First, got the other side clean. 



This was supposed to be the easy side seeing as I got the art off without leaving much glue.  However, the 25 year old Tab Cola stain had different ideas.  Took me several sessions to get it clean and shiney. 

With the sides and front clean, it was time to take a look at the bottom.  I turned it up and was happy to see there wasn't any water damage, just some rather thick, haunted house style cobwebs.



Took to it with soap and water and got it clean.  Big question here though.  the base is pretty chewed up.  Should I even bother attempting to repair it?  Will bondo work here?



Right side of the cab is pretty solid...



But the left is all nasty.



The T-molding was glued in here and the wood is splitting apart.  Before I quit for the day, I cleaned out the groove, pulled the wood apart, squirted some glue in there, clamped it down for the night, and cleared the excess glue out of the groove.  Hopefully it'll feel more solid in the morning 

I then turned the cab over to get the wheels off and found this mess:





Some kind of ancient, moldy spider web.  It came right off, but it was pretty gross. 



And that was it for today.  Unless anyone would suggest against trying to smooth up the base with some bondo, that's what I'll be doing next.  Then a fresh coat of paint on the base exterior. 
« Last Edit: May 11, 2018, 07:33:05 pm by isucamper »
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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #32 on: May 02, 2010, 04:40:26 am »
hows the base held onto the cab,if its easy enough just drop it,conssctruct another,paint it and fix it back.its just wood and its a replacable part of the cab,its not like your removing a side,just the square at the bottom.you will have seen planty of restorers in the forum do this with their cabs.just mitre the corners if you can and if your conscious about these things.

thats nice looking cab,how did you get around that warped front panel or did you?

do you intend to repaint the sides or are you happy with the way they look?i know that the sides look pretty tidy in your pics but,i understand photos tend to not show damage you can see with the human eye.
:)

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #33 on: May 02, 2010, 09:12:03 am »
Do you have a PCB?

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #34 on: May 02, 2010, 09:36:30 am »
hows the base held onto the cab,if its easy enough just drop it,conssctruct another,paint it and fix it back.its just wood and its a replacable part of the cab,its not like your removing a side,just the square at the bottom.you will have seen planty of restorers in the forum do this with their cabs.just mitre the corners if you can and if your conscious about these things.

I believe it is glued on.  I've looked at a few other threads and people knock them off with a mallet and rebuild a new base.  I suppose I should do this as well but its going to slow me down a bit, and I'm not sure I could build one as good as whats on there now.  The base is mostly there.  It would take less time to just patch it up, but I've not worked with bondo before.  If it isn't weight bearing I don't want it to crumble over time as I move the cabinet around.

thats nice looking cab,how did you get around that warped front panel or did you?

I haven't done anything about this.  It bothers me, but you can't see it from the outside of the cabinet. 

do you intend to repaint the sides or are you happy with the way they look?i know that the sides look pretty tidy in your pics but,i understand photos tend to not show damage you can see with the human eye.

Sides definitely need to be repainted.  Lots of chips and cracks that need to be fixed up.  Patching and painting will comense when I figure out what to do with the base. 

Do you have a PCB?

I do, but before I disassembled it was acting a little flaky (see my first few posts).  I'll be happy if the thing powers up after I reassemble everything. 
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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #35 on: May 02, 2010, 09:42:00 am »
I have an extra if you need it.  (I would need to verify that it works first, but I have a Popeye cocktail, so I can do that pretty easily).

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #36 on: May 02, 2010, 11:43:20 am »
Thanks.  I'm a few months from getting it all put back together and taking a look at my board (its going to be a busy summer!) but I'll see if you still have it available if I need it. 
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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #37 on: May 02, 2010, 12:29:45 pm »
i say lose the bottom,rebuild it and paint it nice satin black.you use bondo it is more likely to get banged off the bottom and your back to square one and bondo'ng and sanding and more bondo and more sand takes time.you spend 10mins knocking it off.you get the correct size wood,measure cut (with mitre) and you screw it together if you use corner bits for inside,just glue it and then drill thin holes for screws and screws can go in and you countersink them.that way its just screw holes to worry about.you could do away with mitre and just go straight if you aint inclined that way and paint it.
:)

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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #38 on: May 11, 2010, 11:36:30 pm »
And the rebuild has begun.  I took the advice of the people chiming in on this thread and I rebuilt the base.  It turned out nice and I'm glad I did it. 

Here is my story.  Please forgive my unreadable descriptions... I'm quite tired at the moment. 

I followed Neil's restore as much as I could and I started by knocking off the old pieces of the base with a mallet.  Aside from being chewed up, all the pieces were on pretty solidly and didn't come off without a fight.  I actually left the front piece as it was very solid and was in pretty perfect condition.  After a lot of pounding, I got the 3 other pieces loose and tore them free from their staples by hand.

Staple removal:  It wasn't trivial or obvious to me how I should go about removing these, and after much fiddling I found two methods that worked pretty well.  After knocking the base loose, there were long, rusty staple ends jutting out the bottom of the cabinet.  I got a pliars and pulled a bit, but they wouldn't really budge and I was worried I would rip through the wood pulling them out.  The first method I used was to clip the ends down as much as I could and then use a hammer to pound the nubs back up into the wood.  This would raise the staple enough on the inside for me to grip it with a pliars and yank it loose.  However, there were a few staples on the left side that were completely covered from the inside.  To get these out, I clipped one of the two lengths that were jutting out the bottom, gripped the unclipped end with the pliars, put my foot on the bottom of the cabinet, and pulled with all my might.  Got them all loose accept for one staple which I clipped and hammered up into the cabinet base. 

Then I measured out the base boards (22"x24.75") and got some 1x4s from Home Depot and cut my new pieces.  I couldn't find anyone with a miter saw, so I cut the pieces myself using my jigsaw set to 45 degrees.  Tedious and imperfect, but it turned out pretty good.  Then I primed and painted (latex semi-gloss black) with foam rollers and attached with wood glue and corner brackets. 







This restore is going to be on hold for a bit as the wife is reclaiming my workshop for a garage sale.  When I resume, it'll be time to sand, prime, and paint the black parts on the interior of the cabinet. 
« Last Edit: May 11, 2018, 09:17:05 pm by isucamper »
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Re: This Popeye needs some spinach
« Reply #39 on: November 11, 2010, 09:37:04 pm »
Took forever but the Popeye is painted.  Followed Neil's example pretty close, patching sanding and painting.  T-molding is the new replica flat stuff sold by Chomping quarters.





Before and after:



Time to start repopulating the inside and place an order for side art. 
« Last Edit: May 11, 2018, 09:24:24 pm by isucamper »
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