The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Arcade Collecting => Restorations & repair => Topic started by: RetroACTIVE on November 03, 2010, 05:13:01 pm
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(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-SWEnamelPaint.JPG)
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midway space invaders upright i presume?
:)
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midway space invaders upright i presume?
:)
Yes sir!
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Nice! I'd love to find a cab to restore. Should end up really nice with a new stencil paint job.
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Yeah I'm excited about this one!
On a side note, I got lucky with that color match in oil... apparently new environmental laws in Maryland have pretty much outlawed most oil based finishes. You can still get the basic stuff in quarts at most hardware stores but you can no longer get custom colors in any oil based enamel finish. Talked with the guys at Sherwin Williams, West Virginia doesn't have this law so if push comes to shove I can pop over the border. Apparently Maryland is about 1 year behind California and real soon there will be an all out ban on the stuff all together!
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Ahh! Space Invaders! Can't wait to see more! :cheers:
Sorry to hear that Maryland seems to have nothing better to do than outlaw paint. I hope Bob Vila was outside the state capitol protesting that one. :P On the upside, there may be a career to be made in paint trafficking.
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Yeah I'm excited about this one!
On a side note, I got lucky with that color match in oil... apparently new environmental laws in Maryland have pretty much outlawed most oil based finishes. You can still get the basic stuff in quarts at most hardware stores but you can no longer get custom colors in any oil based enamel finish. Talked with the guys at Sherwin Williams, West Virginia doesn't have this law so if push comes to shove I can pop over the border. Apparently Maryland is about 1 year behind California and real soon there will be an all out ban on the stuff all together!
Slight thread hijack.....
What?! I haven't really been paying much attention to oil paints. Focusing more trying to keep the outside of the "new" house in one piece by using Copper Clear (by Jasco and a ---smurfette--- to find) Copper Green (almost as hard to find in the 10% formulation) and CPES (http://www.rotdoctor.com/products/cpes.html) (mail order only). Then keeping the kids from destroying the inside of the house. Before this house, I rented for ten years so I didn't give a rats ass about what paint was on the outside of the house and, apparently, neither did my landlord, having never painted my rental in the entire ten years I lived there.
But I digress, living in California and the difficulty in finding specialized chemicals recently (MEKP anyone?) this doesn't surprise me.
In a nutshell, this is the first I've heard of it, and I live in this hell hole of a state. So I did a seach and there wasn't a lot to be found (http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49694) but it did cite a few sources.
So let's see. Paint a house once an average of every ten years with oil paints or paint the same house every er... year or two with latex? And that's supposed to save the environment? WTF? In what way?
Can any paint experts enlighten me on the subject? Latex paints serve a nice role, but they don't strike me as very viable as outside paints and their erm... qualities (for lack of a better word) are different enough that there are instances where I would rather use oil (eg restoring cabs).
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Slight thread hijack.....
What?! I haven't really been paying much attention to oil paints. Focusing more trying to keep the outside of the "new" house in one piece by using Copper Clear (by Jasco and a ---smurfette--- to find) Copper Green (almost as hard to find in the 10% formulation) and CPES (http://www.rotdoctor.com/products/cpes.html) (mail order only). Then keeping the kids from destroying the inside of the house. Before this house, I rented for ten years so I didn't give a rats ass about what paint was on the outside of the house and, apparently, neither did my landlord, having never painted my rental in the entire ten years I lived there.
But I digress, living in California and the difficulty in finding specialized chemicals recently (MEKP anyone?) this doesn't surprise me.
In a nutshell, this is the first I've heard of it, and I live in this hell hole of a state. So I did a seach and there wasn't a lot to be found (http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49694) but it did cite a few sources.
So let's see. Paint a house once an average of every ten years with oil paints or paint the same house every er... year or two with latex? And that's supposed to save the environment? WTF? In what way?
Can any paint experts enlighten me on the subject? Latex paints serve a nice role, but they don't strike me as very viable as outside paints and their erm... qualities (for lack of a better word) are different enough that there are instances where I would rather use oil (eg restoring cabs).
The environmental impact is due to the VOCs the paint puts out when it dries, not to mention the solvents needed for clean up... as far as the level of environmental impact all of the oil based paint that is/was being used ... I have no idea... I know I always feel a smidgen guilty when messing with the stuff.
From what I've been told... (now granted this was by the two folks at Sherwin Williams... I wouldn't call them definitive experts by any means...) is that the law really applies more heavily to contractors. Contractors cannot purchase or use the stuff and if they get caught the fines are horrendous. With that, Harry Home Owner can still do whatever they want, they can paint with oil based paints until their blue in the face... however, since contractors are not allowed to purchase/use it, the demand is diminished such that its just not worth it for these companies to bother (in those states where the law applies). Its also easier if they don't carry it they don't need to worry about breaking the law by selling it. In the mean time, they are heavily developing their forms of latex to be "at par or better than oil"... so they say... to give contractors who prefer to use oil an option. For now, if folks want to go to other states to purchase custom color matched oils to paint their homes they are perfectly in their right and within the law to do so.
Just sucks for us who want custom oil tints for small projects... but in all fairness, latex paint has come a really really long way and although I've been apprehensive about making the switch to it, it would probably do just fine. I'm just not quite ready to change my methods just yet.
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So let's see. Paint a house once an average of every ten years with oil paints or paint the same house every er... year or two with latex? And that's supposed to save the environment? WTF? In what way?
Can any paint experts enlighten me on the subject? Latex paints serve a nice role, but they don't strike me as very viable as outside paints and their erm... qualities (for lack of a better word) are different enough that there are instances where I would rather use oil (eg restoring cabs).
Hey SavannahLion,
I hear you! It is a really lame, lame law. Thankfully, I live in a state that has not banned oil paint....yet. I have a house with coated mineral board siding, latex wont even last more than a year on it. Not to mention that I do some detail painting work, and you will never get latex paint to work on detailed surfaces, it will just clog and fill the pores. I understand that oil paint takes precautions, but we don't need to be nannied and told we can't use oil paint "for our own good".
I did a little research on my own. Oil paint is considered hazardous because the solvent contains oils that are considered to produce Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOC's. That's the stuff that makes the nasty vapors when drying. Now, I understand banning lead paint, but to ban a very useful product because it uses a naturally occuring, organic compound sounded a bit bizzarre. I wanted to put things into perspective. Here are some quick and dirty numbers I calculated to determine how much of a hazard these VOC's are.
There is an estimated 80,000,000 gallons of paint used in the US each year.
16% of paint sold each year is oil based. (Some VOC producing others low VOC producing, but states ban them both).
That makes 12,800,000 gallons of oil paint used every year. (80,000,000 X 16%)
I estimated that a gallon of oil paint is roughly 4Kg.
That means that 51,200,000 Kg of oil paint are used each year. (12,800,000 X 4)
I found that generally, Oil based paint is 30% solvent, so that leaves 15,360,000 Kg of solvent evaporated each year.
Now, I looked up how much VOC is naturally occuring in the US, I couldn't find a total of all VOC, but I found an amount of the a calculation of the amount of the VOC class terpenes that I was able to apply to the amount of national forest we have in the US. (Both Found on Wikipedia). On a summer day, the US National forests naturally produce about 42,774,194 Kg of terpenes per day.
So, if we give the benefit of the doubt that ALL solvent in oil paint is VOC, it takes 0.35 days for the U.S. National forests to naturally produce that amount of terpenes alone. (42,774,194 Kg/15,360,000 Kg)
I hope that puts into perspective how little impact VOC's from oil paints have on the environment.
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The environmental impact is due to the VOCs the paint puts out when it dries, not to mention the solvents needed for clean up... as far as the level of environmental impact all of the oil based paint that is/was being used ... I have no idea... I know I always feel a smidgen guilty when messing with the stuff.
I hope my calculation helps you feel a bit less guilty about using oil paints! Also, I personally avoid using solvents unless I make a mess, or if I am using a paint gun. I generally just buy cheap paint brushes and paint trays and toss them when I am done.
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The environmental impact is due to the VOCs the paint puts out when it dries, not to mention the solvents needed for clean up... as far as the level of environmental impact all of the oil based paint that is/was being used ... I have no idea... I know I always feel a smidgen guilty when messing with the stuff.
I hope my calculation helps you feel a bit less guilty about using oil paints! Also, I personally avoid using solvents unless I make a mess, or if I am using a paint gun. I generally just buy cheap paint brushes and paint trays and toss them when I am done.
Well in fact yes it does!!! That was a great post. Thanks!!!
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@ Vigo the Cruel
Thanks, it's nice to have a little perspective once in awhile. Here's something that occurred to me.
A lot of people buy cheap brushes and other disposables rather than cleaning the brushes. I admit I do that as well unless I want to use a high quality brush for fine detail work (like scale modeling). If my dad was alive, he'd probably shoot me for being so wasteful. :-\
Apparently, professional painters don't use brushes either, too time consuming I guess. I've seen them use spray guns with disposable cups. Then you consider the discarded plastic, tape, cans of paint, fuel, electricity, masks, suits, etc. These hidden costs add up in a hurry in our landfills. Yet I rarely, if ever, see environmentalists attack that aspect at all. (In contrast, my father cleaned his brushes, wore old shirts and pants and used fabric tarps as drop cloths.)
In a nutshell, I find it interesting there are rarely hard numbers to determine the true environmental impact of all these environmental laws coming into effect. You take away VOC's and the natural tendency for painters to reuse most of their painting supplies into a society that bans VOC's but tosses everything that was used during the painting process in the first place. It's even codified into some state and federal agencies that it's required to use disposable brushes. Hell, even NASA uses those super cheap disposable foam brushes you can find at Home Depot to apply patches to their shuttles in outer space. I guess it's easier to just toss the brush afterwards and add to our space debris. :D
I understand the intent, but I fail to see how the trade off is any better. ??? :dizzy:
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Nice teaser pic! :applaud:
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I've got Berzerk in the house and slowly am bringing it back to life... now it's time to get Space Invaders off of the ground!!!
I've taken it completely apart. I got this machine from a friend of mine and even though the cab was not in the best shape the thing that attracted me to this particular one (as he had many many space invaders cabs) was the fact that the original slats were left on the machine so the base had never touched the ground! This makes for a great restoration!!! But once I got the machine disassembled and on its back, I noticed the slats had absorbed some water which wicked up into the kick panel and rusted the leg leveler mounts... :(
I decided to begin by removing the 4 legs and the kick panel as it had a bit of de-lamination.
I reconstructed 4 legs with new levelers. Cut a new kick panel and am ready to put it back together and get it upright (tomorrows task)
Here are a few shots of the tear down and also a couple of close ups of the speckling of black that I will be reproducing when I repaint this ol' fella.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Back.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Bottom.JPG)
one of the sockets has broken loose...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-MarqueeBoard.JPG)
moon from above ;) I have a new moon from TOG... not sure if its needed but what the heck!
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-MoonTopView.JPG)
Don't know if you can tell but the specked finish was applied before the stenciling.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Speckle1.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Speckle2.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Speckle3.JPG)
Here are some shots of the new kick panel and leg leveler legs...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-NewKickPanel1.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-NewKickPanel2.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-NewLegsCut.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-NewLegsAssembled.JPG)
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I don't think I've seen anyone do a full restoration on a SI. This is going to be good. Looking forward to it.
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Here are a few pics of the bottom... nothing spectacular... pretty much the same treatment I gave Berzerk....
It may seem silly doing this but the bottom of the cab takes the most stress and abuse IMHO. Getting this right makes for a good long (sturdy) life.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-BottomRebuilt.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-BottomPainted.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Leg.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-LegLeveler.JPG)
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I was very interested in this thread before, but my interest level just jumped a notch.
Picked this up today:
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh244/joeo42/Space%20Invaders/2010-12-17_16-27-20_748.jpg)
Will be following your progress closely as I hope to shamelessly copy each step.
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I was very interested in this thread before, but my interest level just jumped a notch.
Will be following your progress closely as I hope to shamelessly copy each step.
Isn't it funny how many times restorations come in herds of the same game... ;)
I got most of the white sides stripped last night... the black sands off wicked fast (120 grit)... the white and the blue (80 grit) is pretty tough. Below the black/blue/red is a light blue primer that is really durable in most places.
I'm always apprehensive about stripping down to bear wood as the ply is old and tends to absorb moisture because its so darn dry so the finish can split along the grain... I usually like to keep a layer of the original paint (if it is tough... especially like the paint on Berzerk) for this reason. However with SI the paint flakes way too easy in many places so I'm afraid this one will have to get down to its birthday suit.
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Spyridon has to be my favorite person that I have never met! ;D
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I was very interested in this thread before, but my interest level just jumped a notch.
Picked this up today:
:o Dammit, I can't keep up!
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Spyridon has to be my favorite person that I have never met! ;D
Then apparently you haven't seen RetroACTIVE's Berzerk (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=100028.0), APB (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=96915.0), or Star Wars (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=90550.0) threads? Now that is some good stuff! I have yet to powder coat a power brick :applaud:
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Been sick for a few days just got out of bed today futzing around the house... this is some of the body work I stared last week...
Bottom is a little grubby...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-InsideBottom.JPG)
Got some filth from the monitor...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-InsideSide.JPG)
The one piece of the cab I kind of feel bad sanding off but it had to be done...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-LeftSideFront.JPG)
White is cleaned off..
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-LeftSideSanded.JPG)
right side stuff...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-RightSideFront.JPG)
sanded...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-RightSideFrontSanded.JPG)
front...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Front.JPG)
front sanded...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-FrontSanded.JPG)
I'm stripping this down to bare wood whenever possible... then I'll probably coat it with a grain filler a few times... the plywood is pretty darn dry and "gray" around the edges... lots of flaking paint... adding the filler should build up the surface and hopefully prevent future cracking.
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Spyridon has to be my favorite person that I have never met! ;D
Then apparently you haven't seen RetroACTIVE's Berzerk (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=100028.0), APB (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=96915.0), or Star Wars (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=90550.0) threads? Now that is some good stuff! I have yet to powder coat a power brick :applaud:
You guys are BOTH idols of mine! Just the level of craftsmanship from you guys on these restorations is fantastic.
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Spyridon has to be my favorite person that I have never met! ;D
Then apparently you haven't seen RetroACTIVE's Berzerk (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=100028.0), APB (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=96915.0), or Star Wars (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=90550.0) threads? Now that is some good stuff! I have yet to powder coat a power brick :applaud:
You guys are BOTH idols of mine! Just the level of craftsmanship from you guys on these restorations is fantastic.
Nah... I think Spy has me beat... I cheat a bit with the powder coating... most of his work is all done by him ;)
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Spyridon has to be my favorite person that I have never met! ;D
Then apparently you haven't seen RetroACTIVE's Berzerk (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=100028.0), APB (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=96915.0), or Star Wars (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=90550.0) threads? Now that is some good stuff! I have yet to powder coat a power brick :applaud:
You guys are BOTH idols of mine! Just the level of craftsmanship from you guys on these restorations is fantastic.
You should check out Level42's stuff as well. These guys are all in the same class IMO.
;) ;D
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I spent a whole afternoon looking at Level42's gameroom thread. Between the restorations and scratch designs like Ond's and Pixelhuggers, the level of craftsmanship and creativity is astounding.
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Nah... I think Spy has me beat... I cheat a bit with the powder coating... most of his work is all done by him ;)
I'm passing the torch over to you after the Berzerk restore. (Besides, I would powder coat if I could find someone locally to do it.)
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Here is a pic of the coin door which was powder coated a while back... you'll notice the color is not nearly as dark as the original... I had a hard time finding the proper powder... but I think it will look just fine when put together.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/PowderCoat-SIDoor.JPG)
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That looks good. I need to find a powder coater up here
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That looks good. I need to find a powder coater up here
Thanks... yeah... I have a couple more parts to get done again... I've got a Millipede in my collection that sure could use a power block restoration, and I forgot to take the darn dolly guard ( mounts to the underside back edge of the SI cab) when I brought all of my other stuff to the shop on the last go round. I also will probably have the L brackets for the moon light assembly done because they are a bit rusty.
Not sure about the coin box... its galvanized... I would love to get it done in a bright silver or gray if I could, but I'm not sure if galvanized metal can be powder coated... I bet probably can be.
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I finally was able to squeak a little time in on this one ...
Ok first off... sanding this thing... a total and absolute ---smurfette---!!! Since I was ill I was apprehensive about getting back into this... its been 2 winter seasons now and last year I ended up with pneumonia and this year an upper respiratory infection... I've never ever had a problem with my lungs... until now... (hmm... been doin' an awful lot of restoration work over the past 4+ years... are ya picking up what I'm puttin down here?)
I've always been careless with the lack of use of breathing masks and such... I don't know if its related... but either way I think its finally caught up with me... so now ... I'm never taking any chances again. Those paper masks don't do ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- in my opinion... this is the only way...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Me.JPG)
As you can see... my garage is coated with a nice flurry of blue snow...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-YUCK.JPG)
Its pretty much sanded to bare... and I've re-counter sunk all the holes and added extra supporting screws adjacent to each nail.. first hit of bondo...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Sanded.JPG)
... counter sink
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-ReCounterSink.JPG)
... reinforcements
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Reinforcements.JPG)
All I can say is that this is some bitchin ply... its really tough. As long as its not terribly dry or de-laminating... it really cleans up great.
The only way I could get through the paint in a reasonable amount of time was to hit it with 60 -> 80 -> 150 ->220 grit with the random orbital. The black comes off easy but the blue is tough as nails.... (funny thing the nails aren't all that tough though < punny ha!)
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Pretty much finished with the body work... lots of little nicks and chips to deal with. Plus I noticed when I was sanding it there was a pretty substantial hollow spot within the plywood on the left side... I ended up cutting out the top layer and filled the hole up... it was about 1"x2".
After sanding it and getting it prepped for paint, I realized I will be painting this from the inside out. The trim along the front where the bezel sits and along the sides needs to be painted in a satin black but the cavity of the cabinet needs to be flat black.
So my plan is to first paint the satin black trim and edges... then mask that off and spray the heck out of the insides with flat black. You need flat black around the monitor/mirror cavity because you don't want any glare inside the box otherwise it will kill the moon effect. Flat sucks because it gets filthy but this will be in my home and it wont get such a heavy amount of play that there will be a dirt build up to worry about (at least not in my lifetime). After all the black is done, I will mask off the insides.
Next will be the white followed by the blue. I'm leaning in the direction of completely finishing the white... stencils and all... then mask it off and forget about it and move on to the blue.
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Ok I had to deviate from my initial plan... the reason... I had painted the blacks in the wrong order !!! I painted the satin trim first then masked it off and painted the inside flat black... I didn't wait long enough to mask the satin trim... so when I removed the tape... it took off some pieces of paint.... I wasn't going to remove the masking but its a good thing I did... Had I done that at the end I would have been pee-oe-d!!
So today I masked the insides (covered openings) and painted the satin trim again... since the satin black along the insides of the control panel area intersect with white... white ain't happening ... not yet anyway. So I decided to do the blue first.
Here is the first coat of blue and the satin trim... I always paint the first coat a little thinner than other coats as it sits directly on the wood panel. I never prime.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-PaintSuppliesBlue.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-RollerBlue.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-BlueApplication.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-FirstCoatBlue1.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-FirstCoatBlue2.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-FirstCoatBlue3.JPG)
Satin Trim final coat...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-SatinBlackTrim.JPG)
That's it for today...
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I was able to get the rear doors re-fabbed today... I used 1/2" sanded birch ply instead of particle (which I can't find in 1/2" anyway) or MDF. These new doors are much better made with this material than the original brittle particle board anyway...
(Spy and others... who want the dimensions of the doors... hang tight... I have them and need to make a couple of drawings ;)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-NewTopDoor.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-NewRearDoors.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-BlueCoat2.JPG)
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(Spy and others... who want the dimensions of the doors... hang tight... I have them and need to make a couple of drawings ;)
Thanks. That door looks really good. How about a quick router tutorial on how you made those nice circles for the locks for those of use woodworking neophytes?
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(Spy and others... who want the dimensions of the doors... hang tight... I have them and need to make a couple of drawings ;)
Thanks. That door looks really good. How about a quick router tutorial on how you made those nice circles for the locks for those of use woodworking neophytes?
No prob!!!!
First... do yourself a favor and get yourself one of these jigs: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2406&filter=forsner%20bit (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2406&filter=forsner%20bit)
...and these two bits: 1-1/8" Long Shank Carbide Forstner Bit and 3/4'' Long Shank Carbide Forstner Bit
These bits are expensive but are totally worth it...I've been using this since I started this hobby for all my control panel and door holes.
I used the 1-1/8" for the counter bore (its the standard size for button holes) and the 3/4" for the lock holes. The original counter bore for the lock is a bit wider than 1-1/8"... probably more like 1-1/4" in size... but the 1-1/8" works fine and I had that bit on hand ;)
The jig has a stop collar so you can set it to depth (or you can eyeball it... stop collar is handy for doing lots of repeat work, I use it for when I'm drilling out many leaf button holes). Drill the counter bore first (for the SI door its about a 1/16" in depth). The forsner will cut a dimple smack dab in the middle of the cut. Use the dimple as your centering guide for the 3/4" lock hole. Make sure you have some solid wood material underneath your door when you drill through with the forsner bit, this will prevent break out damage when the bit comes through the material. Also remember these bits work much better at lower rpms...
You could use a drill press but with the large panels its kind of a pain (at least with my stand up press)... I find the jig works perfect for these types of things. They are quick and easy.
Rectangular holes were done using a 1/2" (bearing on top) router bit. I used the old doors as templates. Had I not had the doors I would have needed to make a template for them.
The whole panel was cut using a 3/4" (bearing on top) router bit. I traced the old door out first then cut it out with about 1/4" excess material from the larger sheet. I used a straight edge as a cutting guide to remove the rough edge and to cut along the tracing.
The rabbet edges (tongue on the bottom of the doors) were done with a rabbeting bit... : http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11104&filter=rabbet (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11104&filter=rabbet)
I don't recall what the depth of the rabbet was... I have it written down so you will have it with the door plans.
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Great progress Retro!
That back doors look great. I'm happy to see you put this much love and care in getting this back to form! :cheers:
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Great progress Retro!
That back doors look great. I'm happy to see you put this much love and care in getting this back to form! :cheers:
Thanks! Should be able to get coat number 4 on tonight....
Weather has been pretty good but got cold these last 2 days and I've been using the garage heater... problem is I can't keep it heated for the entire drying duration. I'm finding that the acetone is evaporating quick as usual but the paint does not flow as nice due to the cooler temps... so I'm getting a little more orange peel effect than I care for... its not that bad but I really don't want any if I can help it.
I'm going to try coat number 4 with traditional paint thinner to see if I get better results. Worse comes to worse... I'll bring it in and do the remainder in the basement. We've been lucky with some real warm weather (up until this weekend) so the garage has been fine.
Getting close to done with blue... 6 is the magic number as far as coats of paint (at least for me)... 5 is about right for most.. but once coat number 6 is on it really looks solid.
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Damn thing timed out and I lost my previous post.
First... do yourself a favor and get yourself one of these jigs: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2406&filter=forsner%20bit (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2406&filter=forsner%20bit)
Oh wow, that's actually really cool. I was puzzling on how to make a jig for my drill that does exactly that. My miss rate averages about 1 in 4 which sucks royal balls. My dad was so skilled he could hit it right every damn time, one handed. Kind of humiliating really. :embarassed:
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Damn thing timed out and I lost my previous post.
First... do yourself a favor and get yourself one of these jigs: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2406&filter=forsner%20bit (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2406&filter=forsner%20bit)
Oh wow, that's actually really cool. I was puzzling on how to make a jig for my drill that does exactly that. My miss rate averages about 1 in 4 which sucks royal balls. My dad was so skilled he could hit it right every damn time, one handed. Kind of humiliating really. :embarassed:
Nothing more depressing than when you have cut out a nice door or control panel and then you booger up a hole or cut!!! It totally takes the wind out of the sail. When that happens... i just give up for the day ;) Got to find those dependable jigs/tools that work well for you. This jig is one of those things for me.
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It always works out to 6 coats for me... I try to do less but I just don't get the results I'm after if I use any less than 6 coats... (this is of course with a roller)
Here is the last sanding... I use 600 grit between the last 2 coats
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-BetweenCoats.JPG)
Last coat... looks a little purple at first...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-LastCoatWet.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-LastCoatWet2.JPG)
As it dries ... it settles into a nice deep blue... I've noticed some SI's are a little lighter... mine was quite dark (the lighting in the garage makes it look even darker than it really is)... I used the back door as the color match and its really spot on.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-LastCoatDrying.JPG)
White is tomorrow!!!!!
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Well into the white now... I LOVE this color!!! It's super forgiving!!!!!
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-WhiteFront2ndCoat%281%29.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-WhiteSIde3rdCoat%281%29.JPG)
Tomorrow is coat 4, tues 5, wed 6... stencils by the weekend!!!!
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Don't forget the black speckles. You'll probably want to do them before the stencils.
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Don't forget the black speckles. You'll probably want to do them before the stencils.
You're absolutely correct speckling was done on prior to stenciling. I've not looked at the stencils... but I bet (based upon the number of stencils) the white eyes of the aliens on the white utilize the base color (that is there is not a separate stencil for the eyes). So here is the deal, the original paint job definitely stenciled the eyes on top of the black as a separate step. So what I plan on doing when I speckle it, is to put some tape on the white paint around where they eyes will be. This will prevent speckled eyes ;)
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Started to stencil today !!!!
Not gonna lie... don't care for the speckling effect once the cab is nice and clean... but it came out good and it will be more authentic when all is said and done...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-SpeckledFront.JPG)
Believe it or not it was tough to get the right amount of splatter... I used a natural bristle brush and hacked it down to about 3/4" of brush then sliced some of the bristles out ... using a flicking motion (fingers against the brush). Use a pair of latex gloves... its friggin messy. I tried and tried against a cardboard box to get the method good enough. Believe me... it was stressful!!!! I had this nice pristine white paint job... and if I f'd this up... I would have to probably quit!!!!
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-SpeckledCloseup.JPG)
These stencils are from ThisOldGame.com For those of you who have used stencils from Gamestencils.com, these are a wee bit different. The thickness of the vinyl appears to be a bit thinner than gamestencils. Also gamestencils cuts registration marks into each layer... ThisOldGame stencils do not have that aspect. However they are nicely cut and fit the cab pretty well so if you match it up with the profile of the cab... your done. I shifted mine up just a bit because of where the foot of the bottom alien landed... it was a wee to close for comfort.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-FrontStencil.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-RightSideStencil.JPG)
Here is the paint I used...close enough for home use
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-RedPaint.JPG)
Red is first on the white portion of the cab but second on the blue portion...
Light mist of red...front
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-StencilFrontPaint.JPG)
...sides
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-StencilSidePaint.JPG)
Viola!!!
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-StencilRedFront.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-StencilRedLeft.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-StencilRedRight.JPG)
Black tomorrow!!!
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Got the black done today...
It looks nice... the stencils are a bit different than the original art... but the artwork looks so darn good with new colors. I also dropped the alien on the front down right to the edge of the cab... this is not how the stencil has it... it is however how my cab was originally painted.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-FrontBlackMask.JPG)
...before premask removed
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/Si-LeftBlackMask.JPG)
...after premask removed
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-LeftBlackMaskPremaskRemoved.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-BlackPaint.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-FrontSidesBlackSprayed.JPG)
again... nice light coat... got to be careful with that darn rustoleum... sometimes it spits.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/Si-SideBlackSprayed.JPG)
I found it easier to remove the stencil from the bottom up due to the mask around the legs.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-LeftFrontDone.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-RightFrontDone.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-FrontSideShot.JPG)
Overall I'm thrilled... cant wait to get the rest of it done so it can be put in the gameroom!!!
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Here is the first layer of the large stencil... color order is white, black, red.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-WhiteLayer.JPG)
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Looking really great Retro!
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Looking really great Retro!
Thanks!... Getting there...
Once you get those aliens back on the sides... it really starts to feel closer to done :)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-BlackStencilLarge.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-BlackLayerLarge.JPG)
Red is last... tonight!
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Looking really good. This is an incentive to get me back to working on mine. How do you think the base blue color on the sides matches up to the original. It's hard to tell in the photos.
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Looking really good. This is an incentive to get me back to working on mine. How do you think the base blue color on the sides matches up to the original. It's hard to tell in the photos.
My game was really really dark... so matches mine pretty darn well... I've seen most of them lighter though. I do think its probably little dark for most as there are more occurrences of them in a lighter shade...
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Wow, this is really looking awesome! :applaud:
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This is without a doubt the most time consuming paint job I've done to date... sooooo much masking/re-masking etc... inside/outside paint... I'm exhausted.
Here are the final shots...
Red layer...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-LargeRedMask1.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-LargeRedMask2.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-LargeRedPainted.JPG)
Trim and insides you didn't see...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-TrimPainted.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-InsidePainted1.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-SideShotDone.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-FullShotPaintFinished.JPG)
Tomorrow it will get hauled down stairs where it will be put back together :)
I've a few touch ups but nothing major left...
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NICE... colours really stand out (gotta love what a fresh coat of paint can do).
:applaud:
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Fresh!
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I started working on all of the parts needed to be finished before we can put this bad boy back together.
The first thing I addressed was the incandescent light board. To preserve the glass bezel by reducing the amount of heat generated by the lamps, I first tried some LED lamps that were of the same form factor... they did not produce nearly enough light... and even though they were spec'd at 180 degree beam, they sat too far in the holes to really give them the omph they needed to work.
My plan is to replace the light board with 20" cold-cathode tube. Rather than booger up the original part, I chose to re-fab the light board specifically for the cold cathode unit.
Here is the original with led lamps...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-LightBoardFront.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-LightBoardRear.JPG)
Here is the new cold-cathode version... I made it in two pieces, the main piece is identical to the original except for the slot routed out for the cold-cathode unit. The second piece is 1/2" plywood that the cold cathode unit mounts to and it will screw to the back of the main piece. Also not shown is an AC to DC converter that is mounted to the back of the second piece to convert the Space Invader's AC to 12VDC for the cold-cathode unit.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-NewColdCathodeLightBoard1.JPG)
... here are the two pieces fitted together.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-NewColdCathodeLightBoard2.JPG)
Moon lamp assembly is rusted a little... so a little sanding and rustoleum satin black should do the trick...
Here is the old and the new... (I can't wait to see this thing lit!!!!!)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-MoonAssembly.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-MoonAssemblyFrame.JPG)
A little control panel work... check out the improvised PAL nut .. :lol
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-ControlPanelTop.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Palnut1.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Palnut2.JPG)
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Here is the rest of the control panel... TOG's overlay is PERFECT!!!!
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-CPParts.JPG)
Didn't do anything with this one beyond just moving the parts over... It could use some new switches... which I'll probably do real soon.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-RebuildCP.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-CPDone.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-CPInPLace.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-CPView1.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-CPView2.JPG)
Monitor chassis... did a quick cap kit before installation...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-MonitorChassis.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-MonitorChassisInstalled.JPG)
... don't forget this!!
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-TubeGroundAssembly3.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-TubeGroundAssembly2.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-TubeGroundAssembly1.JPG)
All I can say is that this looks so unbelievable!!!! I've never ever seen a perfectly clean space invaders in my life... and if I did I don't remember it. The depth and volume of the 3D effect is absolutely spectacular... This monitor is crisp and the invaders are crystal clear on the reflective surface. Pictures don't do it justice.
Its AWESOME!!!!
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-View1.JPG)
...of course ;)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-View2.JPG)
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Cold cathode unit installed and lit...
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-ColdCathodeUnitInstalled.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-ColdCathodeUnitLit.JPG)
Coin door... (just noticed the right insert is a bit crooked)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-CoinDoorInside.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-CoinDoorInstalled.JPG)
Here are some final shots of it.
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Front%281%29.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-Bezel.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-BezelControlPanel.JPG)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-InGameRoom.JPG)
This was the most time consuming (at least from a paint perspective) restore I've done. But I'm thrilled with it. It was the first game I ever wanted and finally its here... thumping away!!!! I will still go around with a small paint brush and hit some of the stenciling where there was a blurp or two around the edges and I need a set of locks for the rear doors.
Since October I've restored an APB, a Berzerk and this Space Invaders. I'm done now for a while... time to start enjoying these games...
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Nice machine.... I"ve been kinda wonderin" though, why roll out the base, then spray solvent?.... I mean [beyond the compatability factor]
wouldn"t that have been just as easy to spray everything?
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Beautiful job there on all your machines, Retro! Your craftsmanship is commendable!
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Wow! That is stunning! :notworthy:
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Gorgeous looking! Congratulations! It looks beautifully new and minty... :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:
Post a full-cabinet picture of it all turned on and lit-up!
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Gorgeous looking! Congratulations! It looks beautifully new and minty... :applaud: :applaud: :applaud:
Post a full-cabinet picture of it all turned on and lit-up!
Thanks! Will do the pic... its in a tight spot in the room hence why my pics are fragmented so much.
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Nice machine.... I"ve been kinda wonderin" though, why roll out the base, then spray solvent?.... I mean [beyond the compatability factor]
wouldn"t that have been just as easy to spray everything?
If I had an HVLP sprayer... I would have sprayed the whole thing for sure. I've mastered the roll on technique...however I'm thinking about investing in some spray equipment for the next project ;)
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Well worth the money, but fortunataly no harm/foul..... turned out great!!!!!
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Awesome looking game. Outstanding job. All your time and effort was definitely worth it. :applaud:
One question I have is did the original game use a green overlay that changed the color of the player's
ship and bunkers?
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WOW... That's one schweet looking Space Invaders.
Like yourself, can't say that I've ever seen one that looked that nice. I'm jealous. ;D
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Here are the door plans for those in need :)
(http://home.comcast.net/~retro-active1/pwpimages/SI-DoorPlans.png)
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that is stunning!
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Great job, my man :applaud:
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Beautiful. Your attention to detail is to be commended. :applaud:
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Wow that cabinet looks like it just came out of the factory yesterday!
It looked horrible before.. but now!
Nothing but respect, great job!
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great job! if i ever win the lottery and want a game or two done, i know where 2 look :)
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Looks amazing.
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Thanks guys... I sold off many of my games. But this one... I really really love. In fact I think most of all the early games that use the translucent mirror pretty much rock!
I think I'll hold on to this one forever unless someone wants to cough up 2K for it. ;)
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Hands down one of the best SI restoration thread!
:applaud: :applaud:
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Totally amazing ;)