making it up as i go along LOL

[saleem]

i posted lots of early stage pics of this conversion in another thread and all i got was moaning and haters.

dont hate.

i aint gonna say much bar show my project as it stands now.

i have given bits of my time here and there and spent quite a lot on this,i undercoated this cab with 6 layers of zinsser and used 4 1ltr tins,a dozen plus 3 mini rollers sets,various grades of sandpaper.i used 2 tins of rustoleum orange spray on it and it was a bit of cockup,spits and places that were uneven ie:more in some places,less in others.so i ended up,sanding it down and applying 2 further coats zinsser with sanding inbetween.i got a 2.5ltr tin of rustoleum enamel and did the first coat.

here is a pic of where i am at:


i sprayed the black areas but,just got to do some touch up work.

i done a bit of sanding since taking this and i like the way it sands.i intend to apply at least another 2 coats minimum with more sanding between coats,i have some 000 wire wool i will use also.

it had 2 opening at the front,cash door and money box,i actualy blocked them off and woodfilled and primed and sanded and i am chuffed with the way it turned out.

will have 2 controllers,6 buttons each,obligotary 1p/2p start,credit and esc.i bought a spintrak and am just waiting delivery of it,might need a couple more buttons also.

will probably update when i got the orange completely finished.

then its the cp to sort and monitor fitting (will be an lcd)

thanks for looking.
 

[Yvan256]

Does it have a name yet? Or is it LOLCADE? 

That looks like a Nintendo cabinet if I'm not mistaken...

Is that a restoration project or a home-made cabinet? Will it be a generic MAME cabinet or will it use one of those multicade board? Will it be dedicated to a genre of games, such as fighting games? Etc, etc.

[saleem]

its a taito cab and i will do the inevitable mame.

project with no name!

no fancy stickers or marquess.i dont know if i will put speakers where the marquee is or a light and plexi glass.

it will hopefully have a cp and monitor bezel that are joined but,like 2 pieces.the plexiglass from this i got (all ciggy burned up) i will use it to give me idea how to put the bend in the replacement when time comes.the only thing i can get local is 4mm acrylic at £60 for a big 6 by 4 or something.

something like this:


but,without the plastic bezel.it will be smaller as i am fitting an 18" lcd monitor in there hopefully.the acrylic glass will be bolted to the cp and bezel as they have fancy chrome heads.no artwork no nothing.

[Yvan256]

Hum, no marquee, no artwork, nothing. How about naming it something like "Black Hole" or "Void", i.e. a "deep black" theme?

Here's an idea. How about black paint, black marquee holders, black marquee, black T-molding, black joysticks, black buttons... well, black everything, basically. Then you can call it "Hotblack Desiato" in reference to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. 

[saleem]

well been a while.

i was painting the cab,put the first 3 coats on and was sanding down inbetween coats.i just was not happy at all with the finish.

basicly it looked like a cabinet that was painted,man,sucky.

so i decided to go the way of WET SANDING.

i am very happy with the finish i am getting.

i made my homemade sanding block and i noticed i was getting gauges in the paint,i got smooth finish but,i gauged the paint,so it resulted in me having to apply another coat and then i was doing the same.i bought a cork sanding block for less than £2 and it is working great.

i am using 240 grit at the mo as the higher 600 grit i have will be used just when i think its there and needs that last bit of sanding or i might use 1000 or even 2000 grit also.

this will give you an idea:


i dont want to show the full side as i have sanded with 240 grit and noticed that it sanded down to the other layer underneath and there are some slight blemishs/scratching from the layer of paint underneath and i just put a dab of paint where i needed to instead of an entire coat.that way i aint going to do as much work,just need to wait for it to dry then can sand them areas to get it matched to surrounding areas.

obviously like most will tell you,when you wet sand,it removes the horrible shiny look from the paint,that will have to be put back after i get the results i am after.it removes the sag look also,that is just so artificial and is something that is hard to get rid of when roller painting,roller marks,sagging,like a weird orange peel and that horrible shine to top it of.

but,yes wet sanding with silicon carbide paper gets rid of that PAINTED look.

i dont want people saying "well yes,you got an arcade cabinet that is painted" i want it to look like something people will say "you did that paintwork yourself?man that looks real nice"

will update the thread.

also this is just a bump so you all know i am still at it.

you be suprised what you can get back when you put little into something and i am happy chappy.

[saleem]

one side almost complete.

wet and dry sanding.i took these pics while it was still wet so you can see what i have achieved so far:

this is the complete side,its soo smooth and shines with the water,it reflects the wall:


a close up before the water dried completely;


one side NEARLY down,1 to go and the front.

[Silas (son of Silas)]

I like YELLOW arcade machines   

[saleem]

i do as well.

but,its orange. i know cos its decieving color there in the pic.when you wet sand or do any sanding for that matter it makes the color dull cos it removes the shine.

that shine has to be put back afterwards.

anyways,i started the other side today,its a long drawn out process.paint,wet and sand it,paint,wet and sand it.cleaning it inbetween of course.so i hope the other side might be done by weekend.

i wont post now till all the sides and front are done.

will update only then.
 

[retrofuture]

You go for it man. That's a good looking cab.