MortalKab 4 player DIY slim arcade cabinet/ Finished / Update?

[ChanceKJ]

Oh, and I put lighter numbers of coats on the surfaces that ended up getting covered by art.

[deezdrama]

Thanks for breaking down your paint details chance.... your paint job did come out sweet!

I skipped primer or basecoat because the paint is paint+primer. I will have to get 2 more coats on there from the looks of it then will do 2 coats varnish.
 I have a 3 day weeked so hopefully will have it painted before I have to go back to work.

[deezdrama]

DISASTER !!!
 

After working on this almost everyday for a couple months now....Im so pissed right now...words cant describe.
Got off work.... came home and sanded...applied 3rd coat of black to everything.

Then I began clearcoating everything and the nightmare began.

All the removeable panels turned out great.

On the cab the overspray began balling up in little beads under where I hadnt painted yet.
The satin clearcoat ended up a horrible looking milky white blotchy mess.

I thought for sure I could apply the clearcoat on the just painted black sections as the can says apply within an hour or after 48 hours.

Well evidentally I effed up big time.

All that work and money on this thing and now it looks like total garbage.
The sides and back panels that I didnt today put a 3rd coat on turned out great. But all the areas I gave a third coat of black look like trash.

What the hell can I do now? So pissed

[Slippyblade]

Meh, don't panic.  At least it wasn't $300 custom printed vinyl.  I'd let it dry for a couple days and just hit it with a coarse sander and rip it down.  Not even all the way to the wood, just a layer or two of what is on there.  All that is screwed up is the paint, nothing structural. 

Take a breath, have a beer, let it sit a couple days and don't panic.

[yotsuya]

Aren't you doing full side art? Why are you clear-coating it?

[deezdrama]

I just wanted all the exposed parts clear coated... ended up having enough clear to do the sides too. I started with sides and they turned out good.
Its the front of the cab that the clear overspray was drying and building up as I was painting


The sides,all rear panels,top, cp, keyboard door all look good....
Just the front did this.... really pissed.... I spent the most time and care on the front,sanding and extra coats....then this.

Can I just let it dry 48 hrs.... sand smooth, paint black again....wait 48 and re clear?


I thought it did this because the front i added a 3rd coat of black about 30min before the clear but in the 4th pic... you can see the worst area is the middle shelf and it was painted over a week ago. Its like when I changed cans this happened.... the clear looked white....bad gummy overspray... maybe a bad mixture in that can...I should of tossed it. Arggggg 

[ChanceKJ]

Yep, let it dry, cure, sand it, then hit it again. You'll be ok. I think you might have put that clear coat on too thick. A few light even coats from the proper distance written on the label will do.

[deezdrama]

Was putting on light coats.... not a run on the cab, had to of been a bad can or chemical reaction from the black coat before it just being laid.... I dont know but wasnt a heavy coat.

So do you guys think i should just lay black back over this after waiting a couple days and a little sanding?

[deezdrama]

I just looked at it again and its about 80% clear now.
Strange...
Hopefully it clears up a little more and I could live with it.

Theres still a heavy dust layer of overspray in areas.... whats the best way to get rid of it? 1000 grit.....2000 grit sanding?

[Slippyblade]

...whats the best way to get rid of it? 1000 grit.....2000 grit sanding?

I recommend a good screaming at.  Maybe a harsh glare or two.

[deezdrama]

...whats the best way to get rid of it? 1000 grit.....2000 grit sanding?

I recommend a good screaming at.  Maybe a harsh glare or two.

What about flat out cussing the ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- out of it.... oh.... tried that... didnt work


I read humidity causes clearcoat to do this.... makes sense as it was raining out and humid as hell.
Also read it may clear up as it cures..... guess I just have to forget about it for a couple days and see.

Just needed to vent out. For some odd reason the ol lady dont seem to care about this little project. 

[Slippyblade]

Just needed to vent out. For some odd reason the ol lady dont seem to care about this little project. 

I fully understand the need to vent.  Frustration is the mind killer.  As far as the wife goes...  good luck.

[deezdrama]

Spent 3 hours sanding the clearcoat off the front, 2 coats of flat black....looking good.
Light coat of clear...looks great, second coat looks great.... run out of clear in the can, decide to use a half full can from before..... bam.....milky foggy damn mess. I get pissed and throw the can down on the cab so ill have to start all over again.

Flat black with satin clear looks great when the moons aligned right and the suns in the right elevation and earths aligned right with the luck spirit but damn.... i have clearcoat overspray all over the inside of the cab... it doesnt just wipe off.
My sides look good but feel the texture of 400 grit sandpaper so not sure if vinyl will stick.

I feel like tapping out on this project while I still have my sanity but have too much time and money iin it to give up.
I just wish I would of went with a damn roll on paint job or stuck with semi gloss and not used the clearcoat.

Again it looks fantastic when everything goes right but thats only about half the time with me

[yotsuya]

Yeah, I've gotten better at spray painting because of this hobby, but there's no way I'm stupid enough to spray paint a whole cab. If you use quality paint and equality roller, there's no reason why you can't get a great finish.

[yotsuya]

Oh, please note, I'm not calling you stupid. There's just no way I would spray paint a whole cabinet.

[Green Giant]

Oh, please note, I'm not calling you stupid. There's just no way I would spray paint a whole cabinet.

Stupid is as stupid does

[yotsuya]

Rep for you,  Forrest!

[stavros693000]

I had the same problem as you, my polyurethane clear coat went milky and in some spots bubbled up like it was have some kind of chemical reaction, so I def feel your frustration man.

but I just used paint stripper and started again ,this time I used high gloss enamel spray cans and the finish was very professional and shiny.
but you don't need clear coat where your artwork is going.
good luck friend, you'll be right, painting is an art and we learn from our mistakes

[deezdrama]

Whats even worse is - this morning .... the hazy section that I finished with the other can is now chrystal clear ....

So what would of been perfect I now have to redo because I flipped out and slammed the can down on the paint job 

Sofar it seems like no 2 cans of the clear initialy lays down the same... i will have to sand the crap out of the front this weekend and when its time to clear....make sure I have enough in one can.

Still not sure what to do about the inside of the cab where the overspray collects and looks frosted now

[deezdrama]

Well..... a few more hours of heavy sanding and a few coats of flat black later and the lower front cab is looking great.
I kind of wish I would of left the clearcoat out completely. Its hit or miss for me. On some panels it looks great on others you can see a difference in the finish between cans and its overall not uniform.

I kind of feel forced to clear it though since the rest of the cab is.
In hindsight I would of stuck with semi gloss only and just put enough coats/sanding between untill grains in the wood didnt show through (probably 3-4 coats)

This time im letting the black sit 48 hrs before clear coat.... i hope this helps.. whatever the result ends to be is what I am sticking with....I just refuse to sand anymore lol.

Its humid in the midwest this time of year....I wonder if thats the issue?
2-3 light coats is whats suggested on the can for the clear.... im going as thin as possible without leaving blotchy spots that didnt get hit with clear.... the flat black lays down great....that clear is just hell though.


Got a package from Germany.... yellow/lime coin reject buttons for my old coin control door! They fit fine and the coin eject rod etc is identical.... perfect replacement.... except- no removeable front to house the "insert coin/token" printout.
I will have to modify an insert and hole punch it for the rod to poke threw and tape it in there or figure something out.

[yotsuya]

Close but no cigar.  Bummer.

[deezdrama]

Close but no cigar.  Bummer.

Yeah.... I wonder how they used inserts on these buttons 

[yotsuya]

Close but no cigar.  Bummer.

Yeah.... I wonder how they used inserts on these buttons 

I bet they used stickers OVER the buttons. I've seen the stickers somewhere.

[deezdrama]

Ya i was just thinking... maybe i could have some printed with adhesive backing and laminated.
If anyone thinks of a source for them ... i would appreciate!

[yotsuya]

Ya i was just thinking... maybe i could have some printed with adhesive backing and laminated.
If anyone thinks of a source for them ... i would appreciate!

On Bob Robert's site...

[deezdrama]

Sweet....thanks

[deezdrama]

Ya i was just thinking... maybe i could have some printed with adhesive backing and laminated.
If anyone thinks of a source for them ... i would appreciate!

On Bob Robert's site...

I always have problems navigating his site from my phone.
Do you know the category or have direct link?

Thanks again

[yotsuya]

Sweet....thanks

Find any other tidbits and odds and ends on Bob's site before you order. I ALWAYS get a pack of black 1/2 inch pan screws. They are the best for those things you need to install into your cab. I try to order about $20 worth of stuff at a time.

Go to www.orderfrombob.net

[deezdrama]

Im probably just going to design my own to fit the inside.

I striped my coin control door down about a week ago, wire wheeled it and hit it with rustoleum hammered black.
Like many report.... its more gray than black so last night I went over with a semi gloss. Looks good but if I could do it over I just would of painted it flat black and then spattered over it with semi gloss using the barely depressed paint can nozel method.

Oh well.... better than it was.

Took the gutted coin mechs and hardware and gave everything a good scrubbing.
Figured out why one of my mechs would get stuck for a second when eject lever was depressed....
Had to set adjustment screw to bring the magnet door part of the mech out slightly more to allow the eject arm to slide by freely.

Slight lube of the eject mechanism with super lube and they are now functioning great.

The yellow coin reject buttons I found from germany work great!
Mechs are reasembled and function without a hitch.

Good news.... the 1$ rgb blinker leds I ordered from china on ebay came in.... i didnt even know it but they are direct replacements for the original bulb sockets.

The different colors look great through the yellow plastic and not filtered out much at all!

I got another china gadget that will hopefully set my cab off and seperate it from others as I have not seen it done yet but will wait untill Its done.

Ive linked a short yt vid of the coin reject button with the rgb blinker.
Rgb blinker led coin control door:

[deezdrama]

Well.... im going to have to sand my entire cab back down and start over with the paint. 

Third time repainting the front of the cab.
This time the clearcoat orange peeled like crazy.

I painted it flat black fri so it had 2 days to cure. I will not use this clearcoat again...ever.

Chance.... i commend you on getting this stuff to look as good as it does on your cab, it just wont cooperate with me.
 

Some panels looked great with the clear satin but the cab itself is a mess.... hazyness,orange peel, and frosted overspray areas.

The painters touch flat black looked good on its own.... wish I would of opted out on the clear....

Oh well, maybe Ill just smooth the clear out with 320 grit and have a thick base for the new paint.
Heres before after clearcoat pics...



Couple of questions..... 

 do you think it will be ok to repaint over the clear if I smooth it out with a light sanding?

And... If I just leave my paint un clear coated will the finish still hold up well?

[yotsuya]

Just hit it with 80 grit on a random orbital sander and start over.

[deezdrama]

What about flat paint? Will it be ok on its own or should it be clear coated?

Im def not using clearcoat this time around.

Just not sure if flat on its own will be fine or if I should use gloss or semi gloss for a harder finish??

[yotsuya]

I always use black satin enamel and it looks fine when dried. No clearcoat needed.

[vwalbridge]

I always use black satin enamel and it looks fine when dried. No clearcoat needed.

+1

Rustoleum Satin Black Enamel and no clear coat is needed. With a nice smooth primer underneath, I only needed 2 coats of the satin black. Just did this for my mini Qbert and I'm very happy.

[deezdrama]

Ok.... yeah flat black looked great before clearcoat and was pretty smooth too.

That damn rustoleum clear comes out thicker than snot.... maybe should of went with krylon.

Had great results with the rustoleum painters touch flat black on its own so probably will just go with it again.

Could probably be cheaper if I rolled on some paint but I dont want anymore surprises.

30-some cans of paint down the drain 

[yotsuya]

I always use black satin enamel and it looks fine when dried. No clearcoat needed.

+1

Rustoleum Satin Black Enamel and no clear coat is needed. With a nice smooth primer underneath, I only needed 2 coats of the satin black. Just did this for my mini Qbert and I'm very happy.

Exactly. We're not restoring the Sistine Chapel here. Keep it simple.

I forgot you sprayed it on as well. I buy Wooster rollers and quality paint and don't have any issues.

[vwalbridge]

I always use black satin enamel and it looks fine when dried. No clearcoat needed.

+1

Rustoleum Satin Black Enamel and no clear coat is needed. With a nice smooth primer underneath, I only needed 2 coats of the satin black. Just did this for my mini Qbert and I'm very happy.

Exactly. We're not restoring the Sistine Chapel here. Keep it simple.

I forgot you sprayed it on as well. I buy Wooster rollers and quality paint and don't have any issues.

Oh yea...spraying is just tricky as hell. I was only spraying a very small cab so I could do all the surfaces quickly without worrying about over spray. Rolling it is going to obviously avoid all this.

[yotsuya]

I only spray metal parts. I stick with the roller on a anything else.

[deezdrama]

I might just try rolling it this time. Been coughing up black chunks for weeks and dont think I could handle anymore of it lol.

What paint should I go with to give the same appearance as the rattlecan rustoleum painters touch satin flat black I was using?

And I will be going over all the panels and inside of the cab again, will a gallon be enough?

[yotsuya]

I might just try rolling it this time. Been coughing up black chunks for weeks and dont think I could handle anymore of it lol.

What paint should I go with to give the same appearance as the rattlecan rustoleum painters touch satin flat black I was using?

And I will be going over all the panels and inside of the cab again, will a gallon be enough?

I use this: http://www.lowes.com/pd_46305-4-410.0065049.005_0__