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Hmmm... javeryh's weird cab
javeryh:
--- Quote from: DeKay on September 30, 2024, 12:39:50 pm ---I keep checking in hoping to see an update on this because the suspense is killing me! Your builds are always top notch so I hope that you are making good progress behind the scenes :)
--- End quote ---
Thanks - only progress is the cabinet is assembled with glue and the interior is painted. My son is currently applying for colleges so there is a lot of stress in the house plus all the sports stuff has started up, which kills the weekends... I'm hoping to find time over the next few weeks.
I am also trying to do the marquee art myself but I am terrible at getting the idea out of my head and into Inkscape... :cheers:
bobbyb13:
I'll need to envy you the skill to do any graphic work- at all.
As long as you are making progress of any sort then you beating the rest of us currently.
Although...
Pics or it didn't happen!
>:D
javeryh:
So... do you guys think it's OK to use spray paint in the house if I have a huge drop cloth to protect everything? I've been messing around with paints but it's getting too cold to spray outside. I would be spraying small parts - not the whole cab.
Been making very very very slow progress but thinking about it almost every day. I have a pretty clear image in my head but just need to get there. Also, I need to figure out what kinds of games I want to play on it. I started this as more of an art project than an arcade cabinet so I didn't think that part though...
:o
pbj:
Put a box fan in your window blowing the fumes outside. You’ll live.
javeryh:
--- Quote from: pbj on November 09, 2024, 08:19:47 pm ---Put a box fan in your window blowing the fumes outside. You’ll live.
--- End quote ---
I'm more concerned with getting paint everywhere than the fumes ;D
So over the weekend I finally found a few hours to do some... stuff. I am still not sure what I'm doing or what this is going to look like when I am finished but I've got a fuzzy image in my head that I'm trying to bring into the real world.
I am currently working on the front panel of the cabinet. I added some 1/4" strips around the marquee opening (sort of) in a pattern I thought was visually appealing. I'll have to bondo the seams and do some sanding before I paint - I'm also going to knock off the corners on the trim all the way around.
The area I am working on is the "coin return". I can add up to 3 buttons in this area - one will definitely be coin and one will probably be power for the whole cabinet. Not sure about the third one yet or if I'll even put a button there.
I drilled three 2" holes to the right of the marquee.
My hole saw is so dead it smelled like I was trying to start a fire. Took forever! Next, I made a "metal" panel out of 1/8" hardboard. This will frame the holes I just drilled out. I need to do a lot or work on this to get the right look but I hit it with some silver spray paint and then sanded it back - I want it to look very worn and dirty when it's finished.
Once I got this all lined up and drilled out the holes for some bolts, I needed to make a panel to install behind the cutout so I could actually mount the buttons. I just held a scrap piece of MDF in place, traced the circles and then drilled out a 1-1/8" hole in the center of each for the buttons.
Here is what it looks like installed in the front panel. I'm using M5 bolts to hold it all together. The "metal" panel" is thinner than the strips around the panel - I'm trying to introduce some different levels to add interest to the overall thing.
I also bought some 2" desk grommets - I'm undecided if I'm going to use them because they are a bit "clean" but if I can figure out how to make them look beat up during the paint process I'll leave them in. I'm really putting a lot of faith in my non-existent painting skills... after swearing I'd laminate every cabinet I ever built going forward. Ugh.
Next, I got some juice lids to surround the buttons with - I've seen a lot of sci-fi prop builders use these things and I think it will help with getting the look I'm going for with this project. I drilled a 1-1/8" hole in the center to thread the buttons through them.
I'm using illuminated buttons that I bought years ago and never used. There is a nice bezel around the button that makes the button inset so when you press it the button sinks below the plane of the bezel. Hard to hit by mistake. Anyway, here is the "finished" shot of this area with everything installed and obviously not painted.
The third spot without the button is TBD. I might just add a backlit piece of acrylic instead of another button since I think 2 is enough but I'm open to other ideas. I'm also planning to add LEDs in several areas all over this thing (tastefully, I hope) so I'll need to figure all that out as well.
Anyway, things are slow moving but I'm having fun trying to make something a little weird that might look ridiculous when it's all said and done. Be kind. :cheers:
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