PART TWO
^Here we are after 3 coats of the Valspar Porch and Floor-- 3 days drying between coats, sanding with 320 between coats-- and the first coat of poly had just been applied. Unfortunately, I used the same spraycan as I had used on the test pieces, and the nozzle had become a little sputtery and uneven. There's also some 'mud crack' lines above the admins where a lot of poly had welled up... which was weird since I thought the test piece actually looked better the more I drenched it in poly. (It seems like doing a super thick puddle on top of prior coats of poly will avoid mud crack, but you'll get it directly on paint.) Worst of all, a drip landed below the P2 buttons. I tried to blot it up with a foam brush but it still dried all white and squirrely. I was also concerned with how uneven and stripey the first coat dried. So I sanded the S out of it before the second coat with a fresh can:
^ Note the white mark. Still there.
^ Before the third coat I sanded it way way down on the trouble areas (mostly that pesky wad.) I knew I was hitting paint when the dust on my sanding sponge was grey instead of white, then I sprayed the third coat. It dried evenly and beautifully, the white spot 95% erased. The recommended 3 coats were in place.
But I knew I had taken it down to the paint in at least one area, and I needed to be confident in the CP's ability to deflect fingernails, etc. So the next weekend I sanded her down again and prepared for the 4th and final coat.
^ When I got down close with my tack cloth, I noticed these tiny flecks of white. I thought they were dust and tried to wipe them away. Looking closer, it appears they're exposed primer. PRIMER. They're very small... the hole in this picture is for a carriage bolt, for frame of reference.
^ A closer look. Very aggravating. I figured now was my chance to fix them, so I did what any novice do-it-yourselfer would do, I took a fine point black Sharpie and I surgically blotted out these little demons... in the more clandestine areas at first, and as I gained confidence, on the surface of the CP.
^ It looks waaaay purpler than in real life, and really, anything would look better than F ing WHITE on F ing BLACK. Then I hit it with a fresh can of Minwax WB poly.
^ Fourth and final coat drying. I wanted to document the surface pattern of the wet poly (esp after the 'wet pool' that worked so well on the test piece gave me mud cracks on the real deal) Looking at this pattern though, I was nervous I was headed for an orange-peel finish...
^ And yet here it is, looking sexy as hell on the cabinet IMHO. The fine and muted texture is even and consistent... and again, reminds me of the N64 console. I like how the 'soft black' allows for the colors (incl. the 'true blacks') to pop off. The red Sanwas will get black bat tops in due time. (Wrong order. My mistake, not Ultimarcs)
^ Here's the wraparound, which was a nightmare to achieve with how the piano hinge is installed. There's about 2mm of clearance on either side of the cab and the CPs 'bat ears' and it hovers perfectly.
^ Put in the catch chain in, taking care to screw it into actual wood within the CP. You can also see how the piano hinge screws into the bottom of the CP. First unsuccessful attempt: tracing the cp box's outline on the bottom of the cp, taking both off the cab, flipping them upside down, carefully lining it up, and then trying to flip the box up and out while preserving the lineup, exposing the holes, and screwing. Luckily I only screwed 2 of the 4 holes, and I was SO off, those screwups didn't weaken the eventual 'real holes'
The successful attempt included putting the CP box back on the cab, and the CP on top, with double sided foam tape across the entire length of the hinge. When it was perfectly aligned, I pressed it to the tape... just barely strong enough to simulate a real hold, to bring the hinge up as I raised the CP. Then I screwed right through the tape. No remorse! (You can't see it anyhow.)
^ Here's a better shot of the reinforcements I glued in. They're the 2 columns on either side of the black admin buttons. One of the admins punches through a pre-existing reinforcement beam.
^ They didn't have 'PCB feet' at radioshack so I picked up some 'vinyl grommets' as spacers for mounting the ipac. The screws are tiny pictureframe screws.
^ lookin good!
^ Daisy chain wire from Ultimarc was a nice time saver. I could've even used another.
^ Not the cleanest wiring, but its alive!
^ It gets along with my PC just fine! No installer necessary! I did have to program P4 controls in mame for some reason. I knew I'd have to program P2 buttons 5 and 6. I'm looking into how best to program the admin buttons and remap the console emulators now. Hopefully more updates soon! Thanks to the forums (esp kman sweden, javeryh, dr venture, and what the hell... epyx and gamester too)
Home
Help
Search
Login
Register
Send this topic
Print
Topic: First build! 4P MAME *now with pics!* (Read 40459 times)
