Anyone ever replace the wrapped marquee translight on a Star Wars?

Black Matrix

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Anyone ever replace the wrapped marquee translight on a Star Wars?

I was just curious if anyone on here has replaced their marquee translight on their Star Wars. Mostly just looking for general advice. I've seen numerous glass marquees on ebay for sale. Which led me to wonder do most people replace the glass in these when they are doing the swap....and if so, is the glass tempered or just regular glass. I didn't know if it was easier than stripping off the old glass...plus you get a decent marquee for your wall. Anyone have any words of experience on this.
 
I've done a couple of Tempests, and have repaired a Millipede. I haven't done a SW, but I assume they're constructed similarly.

One tip I can give you (in addition to reusing the glass, as I agree it might be tricky to replace exactly) is that it helps to secure the glass to the frame, before you apply the overlay.

I don't believe Atari did this originally, and relied solely on the overlay to hold the glass in. That's not a horrible way to do it, but the glass has a lot of mass, and over time, as the overlay weakens and becomes more brittle, it makes it easier for the glass to loosen up, and tear the overlay. I've seen a few marquees with this problem, where the glass is flopping around inside the frame, held on only by the overlay.

What I've done is used a very handy product to secure the glass in the wood frame, before applying the overlay. It's called 'carpet tape', and you can get it in the hardware section at Walmart. It's an EXTREMELY sticky, reinforced, double sided tape, and once you stick something with it, it's pretty much stuck. I really love this stuff, and have used it for a lot of arcade purposes. It's also pretty thin, so it can be hidden pretty easily.

I just cut thin strips of it, and apply them in the channels of the frame, where the glass sits. Remove the backing, and once you drop the glass in, it'll stay put, so you can apply the overlay.
 
We have a glass cutting place in my home town. Assuming it doesn't have angled edges, and isn't tempered, it shouldn't be any big deal to get it cut. Thanks for the advice on the carpet tape. I'll pick up some before I start this project. Any reason to primer and paint the wood before I do this. Might be able to fill in and sand down any imperfections if I use fillable sanding primer. Or would this make the translight stick less. I know some of the frame is particle board. I would figure it might lose a bit of particles when i pull off the old translight.
 
I had one once missing the glass. I had it cut at a regular glass shop. It cost around $40. Still looking good years later.
 
We have a glass cutting place in my home town. Assuming it doesn't have angled edges, and isn't tempered, it shouldn't be any big deal to get it cut. Thanks for the advice on the carpet tape. I'll pick up some before I start this project. Any reason to primer and paint the wood before I do this. Might be able to fill in and sand down any imperfections if I use fillable sanding primer. Or would this make the translight stick less. I know some of the frame is particle board. I would figure it might lose a bit of particles when i pull off the old translight.



Yeah, the two Tempests I've redone looked deceivingly like wood, but once I started sanding them, it became apparent they were actually very dense particleboard, which doesn't sand as easily. (I ended up using finer paper, and going slow.)

I primed and painted mine with gloss black enamel, which the overlay stuck to nicely. The second one I didn't prime, but the paint I think was paint + primer in one. It was easier to sand it after painting, but neither of them were really that rough to start with. I would probably forego sanding before the first coat, unless it's really bad.

The only other piece of advice I can offer is that it's good to let the paint really cure for 3-4 days between coats, and before applying the overlay, if you can spare the time. At least for the enamel, it dries to the touch quickly, but needs a few days to really fully harden up. (I use a 'fingernail test' to tell, as when it's still curing, it's soft enough to leave an impression in, if you lightly press your fingernail into it. Once it's really cured, it won't leave an impression.)

Also, take your time when you apply the overlay. Tape it on WELL, adjust it, then take a break and look at it again, and re-adjust, etc. You only get one shot to apply it, and I found it to be a little tricky, as the tape doesn't always hold it perfectly once you start applying it, so it's best to really go slow. But the results will be worth it.
 
I did the marquee on my upright about a year ago.

As most people have said it pays to take your time to get everything straight before you start the final part of the process.

A good de-greasing of everything (including the glass) will also help with long term adhesion.

I did this in the Summer (well what we call summer in the uk) so the marquee was fairly pliable. I also taped the marquee to the wood frame for a week or so in order for it to get a chance to take the shape of the bends (but might be overkill).

I would certainly avoid doing this if the marquee is cold to avoid any chance of it cracking.

Gav
 
This thread makes me think of a post from Frizz ages ago...

One thread?:D I found these just looking quickly:

First off... I'd like to kick the shit out of the guy at Atari who decided a marquee "overlay" was a good idea.

Yeah, I'd like to kick the shit out of the genius who thought it was a good idea to do marquee "overlays"...

I repeat...whoever came up with the concept of the Atari marquee OVERLAY... may you catch herpes you bastard!

The best one:
I've said it before and I'll say it again, may the douchebag(s) who came up with the idea of using an OVERLAY for a marquee (ie: Tempest, Star Wars, Crystal Castles, etc.) slip off a curb and get run over by a bus.

Well... maybe not run over... but seriously maimed.

:D

Probably regretting this statement:
The marquee is a bit beat up around the bend...so it will have to be replaced.

FYI, ol' Frizz does not like the Star Ware marquee design. :D
 
I agree! May the rotten S.O.B. who came up with the idea of a marquee OVERLAY catch a nasty case of...
 
have done star wars and tempest twice, a bit overwhelming with the first one, but take your time clean repaint and allow more than enough curing time on the paint (def needs this) its pretty straight forward, you also need a good staple gun (i use an air powered upholstery unit)

not really for the feint of heart and you need the proper tools
 
I have to do this on my SW and this looks to be a fun endeavor. Lol.
 

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I've done it on a Tempest.

My best advice to you is just buy another complete original marquee. The time and work it will take you to redo that one will be more expensive and will not look as good.

There are threads here where this has been discussed (it might have been a Millipede in one case, as they're all the same construction). I would recommend finding them and deciding for yourself.
 
Replacing these types of marquees just blows. Lots of razor blading, and lots of acetone. The repro Star Wars ones look good, as do the TOG Tempest marquees. @andrewb is right though, no one makes a good Millipede one
 
Oh my, how this thread brings back memories. Did my Tempest marquee before I sold it. Man... I kind of want that, what seemed like a week, back. It did turn out fantastic in the end and you couldn't tell it had been replaced, apart from the repro having it's own flaws. But, man o man... sucked every which way.
 
Well I'm lucky to have a NOS SW marquee as pictured. I'll be using that to replace the ESB one.
 
I have done my Star Wars twice now I think. I have had it since 2011. The edge always ends up cracking over time. I have another overlay as a spare for when I am ready to change it again. I could do it now, as its cracked, but I dread the work!
I am restoring a Tempest right now, and I had to change the overlay 2 times on this one. First overlay I messed up on by doing something stupid. As I was putting it onto the glass, a part of the overlay touched the glass where it wasn't supposed to be. I tried to pull it off, not knowing that if you do that, it separates the art from the backing and totally ruins the overlay. I saw that spot when I did it, and just ripped it all off. Had to order another one. Made sure to do that one super slow. That one also got damaged by my stupid cat who thought it would be fun to try and jump up on the control panel of the Tempest. Since I am restoring it, the CP wasn't locked down. So he jumped and the panel fell over. This shook the cab enough for the marquee to also fall down as it wasn't screwed in yet. It hit the ground on the corner it looks like. And now I have that separation problem again with this one. I ended up putting in a door between my 3rd level and the basement arcade so he can't go down there anymore. My monitor was also on the ground right in front of the cab when he did that. If that would have hit and broke the neck of that tube, I would have killed him!!
 

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OMG.....what a complete pain in the ass this is.

I'd have to agree with Frizzels quotes above. This thing is crazy hard to remove the old marquee. Been sanding and scrapping for hours.
 

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