Asteroids Cocktail Restoration

joetechbob

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I managed to get myself into another project. :)

I picked up a non-working Asteroids cocktail table with water damage (swelling) on the side door, rust in all the right places and a missing wood panel for the top surface (apparently the wood panel was thrown away due to really severe water damage). Current plans are to restore the cabinet to the best of my abilities :).

First question for you guys (wasn't able to find this by just searching): Does anyone know the dimensions for the wood panel that forms the top surface? I still have the top glass, so I would have the outer dimensions, but I would be guestimating on the interior dimensions.

Second question: What's my best bet for matching the wood grain vinyl from elsewhere on the cabinet? I saw some people had recommended a certain variety of Fermica (can't seem to find in my notes what it was called).

Third question: The speaker grill is slightly dented so I would like to straighten it out--what in the hell kind of fastener did Atari use to mount in the grill? Looks almost like something that was glued in and I didn't want to break anything in the process of attempting to remove the grill.

Fourth question: What would be my best bet for fabricating the heavily damaged side door? I haven't yet determined what the thickness of the door needs to be, but I was thinking my cheapest/best route might be to buy some white laminated MDF and spray-paint it black. My other thought was to potentially use plywood and actually laminate it with some decent quality vinyl. Thoughts?

Fifth question: The cabinet came with a piece of smoked plexi to cover the monitor. Did the cabinet originally come with that or was someone just trying to compensate for the burn-in on the monitor. I ask as I'm thinking the smoked plexi may significantly cut into the brightness of the vector monitor.

Thanks!
 
I have an AD cocktail so maybe I can help if you don't hear from someone else. The two cocktails are different as far as the body goes, but I'm betting the tops are pretty similar.

For #5 my cocktail has the smoked plexiglas too, which I believe is stock. I can measure the interior cutout for you too if you'd like, since I imagine those would be the same for both machines. Should be easy to figure out from the bezel if you can get one of those too.
 
I wonder if you couldn't find a cheap folding table with a 3/4" wood grain Formica top and cut the top of your cabinet out of that? It would save you the trouble of sourcing the materials separately and having to laminate them.

As for the dimensions, I just did an Asteroids cocktail restoration and used the underlay from Arcade Shop Amusements, you could use that for your cutting template, otherwise the layout is going to be somewhat complex with the various radius cut locations.
 
I have an AD cocktail so maybe I can help if you don't hear from someone else. The two cocktails are different as far as the body goes, but I'm betting the tops are pretty similar.

For #5 my cocktail has the smoked plexiglas too, which I believe is stock. I can measure the interior cutout for you too if you'd like, since I imagine those would be the same for both machines. Should be easy to figure out from the bezel if you can get one of those too.

Thanks Nightbringer

How is the smoked plexiglas mounted in your AD cocktail (mine is just sitting loose so I have no idea how it was affixed--just some adhesive???)? Do you find that it cuts into the brightness of the monitor to any significant degree?

That's a good point on using the bezel to help come up with a measurement (or at least give me an upper bound). The only down side to that is it costs $15 + $25 shipping (from arcadeshop; saw someone mention the price on another thread) for a pre-made repro. I was strongly considering trying to make my own once I had the top surface rebuilt as I figured I would be able to save a lot of money.

I guess I could also use the smoked plexi as a lower bound of some sorts, too.

Could you do me a favor and take some high resolution photos of the top surface? One more-or-less straight on of the whole top, one zoomed in on the cutout for the control panel, one for the monitor cutout and then one really close up along the edges (inner and outer) so I can see details like whether the t-molding should be flush with the glass, etc. [I wish the guy that had this before would've saved the old surface so I could've done a proper duplication!]

I did some looking online and it was mostly low-res, zoomed out hard-to-discern stuff.
 
I wonder if you couldn't find a cheap folding table with a 3/4" wood grain Formica top and cut the top of your cabinet out of that? It would save you the trouble of sourcing the materials separately and having to laminate them.

As for the dimensions, I just did an Asteroids cocktail restoration and used the underlay from Arcade Shop Amusements, you could use that for your cutting template, otherwise the layout is going to be somewhat complex with the various radius cut locations.

I like that idea. Maybe I should also try hitting some local thrift stores to see if I can find any older furniture that's a close match.

Are the cut-outs flush with the black lines on the underlay? Is there t-molding to obscure the exposed wood from the cuts on the monitor cut-out or do the black-lines from the underlay cover that part up (or does the bezel mount to the top of the surface and cover the cuts???)?
 
How funny

I just picked one up this weekend, too. Needs some work. I won't get to play with it until after the 4th of July, though.
 
First question for you guys (wasn't able to find this by just searching): Does anyone know the dimensions for the wood panel that forms the top surface?

A friend had me MAME one 10 years ago (it was completely gutted other than the ARII board and transformer) It's in Bismarck so could get some info on it if you need it.

Second question: What's my best bet for matching the wood grain vinyl from elsewhere on the cabinet? I saw some people had recommended a certain variety of Fermica (can't seem to find in my notes what it was called).

Check Menards, HD, Lowes in Fargo for their Formica/WilsonArt/(?? other brand name) that have the fiberglass base laminate commonly known just as Formica. The pattern is like Presidential Walnut or something like that that matches BallyMidway, but I know that Atari typically uses more of a lighter color and sometimes even had an olive tree wood pattern in their stuff, so it depends what you really want. For vinyl, PartsExpress has stuff but no where close to Atari or even Bally/Midway. I think there are other places with large (36" wide) sheets of the darker stuff to more closely match but it will cost you more than the cost of the game itself, especially for the little you need in a cocktail. Pick the color you like and just change it all and be done knowing you can't exactly match anyway. Vinyl would be better as it wont change the thickness. Formica better for scuff resistence but will be thicker and harder to work with and you will need to contact cement it on.


Third question: The speaker grill is slightly dented so I would like to straighten it out--what in the hell kind of fastener did Atari use to mount in the grill?

I can't remember on the Asteroids, but on a Centipede, they use pin centered expanding rivets to mount them, just drill them out and replace with a slightly larger carriage bolt sanded and painted black when reinstalling.

Fourth question: What would be my best bet for fabricating the heavily damaged side door? I haven't yet determined what the thickness of the door needs to be.

I have stacks of cleanup week found particle board if you just need a small board. It should be the same thickness as the rest of the side of the cab...likely 3/4" or 13/16" IIRC . We needed to put 13/16" replacement Tmolding on the cab I had to MAME for the friend. I still have the extras of the roll if you want to get that to replace it all.

Otherwise hit Menards and pick up some cheap particle board already flat laminated (to not expose bumps) and then cover with some vinyl.

Fifth question: The cabinet came with a piece of smoked plexi to cover the monitor. Did the cabinet originally come with that.

Yes, it is stock. In fact I've seen them with the Atari logo silkscreened into one corner of it.
 
joetechbob, I can get you the pictures tomorrow evening and I'll put them up on photobucket or something in case anyone else is interested. I actually plan on taking the glass off and doing some resto/cleaning the weekend of the 7th so I can probably get you better pictures and measurements then too. I bought it relatively recently and haven't done any work on it yet because it's just too fun to play.

As far as the smoked plexi goes, it does impact the brightness, but not significantly. Those vectors are hella bright to begin with. I've been thinking about replacing mine with a blue overlay so it looks like the cabaret and upright AD, but that's not really appropriate. Since the plexi makes the gray tube look black and hides the screen burn, I think it looks better with it than without it. I've played the game with the top up in the dark and it's REALLY bright.
 
Check Menards, HD, Lowes in Fargo for their Formica/WilsonArt/(?? other brand name) that have the fiberglass base laminate commonly known just as Formica. The pattern is like Presidential Walnut or something like that that matches BallyMidway, but I know that Atari typically uses more of a lighter color and sometimes even had an olive tree wood pattern in their stuff, so it depends what you really want. For vinyl, PartsExpress has stuff but no where close to Atari or even Bally/Midway. I think there are other places with large (36" wide) sheets of the darker stuff to more closely match but it will cost you more than the cost of the game itself, especially for the little you need in a cocktail. Pick the color you like and just change it all and be done knowing you can't exactly match anyway. Vinyl would be better as it wont change the thickness. Formica better for scuff resistence but will be thicker and harder to work with and you will need to contact cement it on.

I'll have to take a look around town to see what I can find. IIRC people were recommending a "King's Walnut" for Formica--will have to double check.

I can't remember on the Asteroids, but on a Centipede, they use pin centered expanding rivets to mount them, just drill them out and replace with a slightly larger carriage bolt sanded and painted black when reinstalling.

I'll give that a go. Do you usually get the stamped carriage bolts (I'm assuming that's why you added the sanding part)?

I have stacks of cleanup week found particle board if you just need a small board. It should be the same thickness as the rest of the side of the cab...likely 3/4" or 13/16" IIRC . We needed to put 13/16" replacement Tmolding on the cab I had to MAME for the friend. I still have the extras of the roll if you want to get that to replace it all.

Otherwise hit Menards and pick up some cheap particle board already flat laminated (to not expose bumps) and then cover with some vinyl.

Cool--thanks. I'll try to get some door measurements.
 
joetechbob, I can get you the pictures tomorrow evening and I'll put them up on photobucket or something in case anyone else is interested. I actually plan on taking the glass off and doing some resto/cleaning the weekend of the 7th so I can probably get you better pictures and measurements then too. I bought it relatively recently and haven't done any work on it yet because it's just too fun to play.

As far as the smoked plexi goes, it does impact the brightness, but not significantly. Those vectors are hella bright to begin with. I've been thinking about replacing mine with a blue overlay so it looks like the cabaret and upright AD, but that's not really appropriate. Since the plexi makes the gray tube look black and hides the screen burn, I think it looks better with it than without it. I've played the game with the top up in the dark and it's REALLY bright.


Much appreciated. Having some good close-up pics will make this much easier.

Do you happen to know how your smoked plexi is mounted? Is it adhered to the top glass?
 
See if these help:

http://s1062.photobucket.com/albums/t491/capv123/Asteroids Deluxe Top/

Looks like the overlay or whatever it's called is attached to the glass or possibly the bezel - I can't tell for sure. There's some play in it though, so it only seems attached at the edges. How thick is your plexi? The film on my AD is pretty thin - though I imagine Asteroids might be different.
 
Thanks!

See if these help:

http://s1062.photobucket.com/albums/t491/capv123/Asteroids Deluxe Top/

Looks like the overlay or whatever it's called is attached to the glass or possibly the bezel - I can't tell for sure. There's some play in it though, so it only seems attached at the edges. How thick is your plexi? The film on my AD is pretty thin - though I imagine Asteroids might be different.

Great pics--Thanks a ton man. Looking at picture #2 it looks like it might be the following kind of sandwich:

[glass]
[plexi]
[cardboard bezel]
[wood]

Looking at this repro, you could see how the plexi sitting on top of the bezel would make things a bit more sound: http://www.arcadeshop.com/pics/atari-cocktail-cardboard-bezel-black-ast-mc.jpg

I'll measure the plexi's thickness with my calipers...I want to say that it's maybe an 1/8" thick.
 
Looks to me more like a flexible film, but whatever it is it seems more that it's held on to the glass by the underlay border. There's like a little pad that runs under those black borders on the perimeter of the glass and the perimeter of the monitor cutout (padded doubled sided tape maybe?). Pretty sure that's holding down the cardboard bezel against the wood, but I can't really tell without taking it all apart. I think if I take the glass off, the cardboard bezel will just be sitting loose around the monitor cutout and the film will still be attached to the glass.

I'm sure a few people around here have disassembled one, so hopefully someone will chime in!
 
Well, I got the game board, A/R board and monitor working again in this guy, so now I can fully commit to a restoration! (this will be my first--I've mostly done repair work thus far)

Will post pics of the cabinet when I get a chance. I know you guys can't resist some good restoration porn ;)
 
Oh--I measured the thickness of the smoked plexiglas that came with the cab. The calipers put it dead on 1/8th of an inch.

That said, the plexiglas doesn't have the Atari logo on it.
 
Ok, maybe I can help a little. If you need a new top, I might suggest this....but ask to see if the recessed area for the plexiglass is pre-cut if you are not comfortable doing that yourself.

http://thearcadeboneyard.com/cocktail_table_parts/cocktail_wood_and_glass_tops.php

centipede%20cocktail%20wood%20top%204.JPG


I think buying it new might be easier that guessing at the dimensions....but, if you want to cut it yourself I might be willing to trace my table top on to paper and send it to you in the mail.

Arcadeshop carries the underlay....the original was a silkscreen on the glass. This underlay is very nice, I got one for my Centipede cocktail. If you buy this underlay, then you have a pattern to cut your own top...just follow the outer edge of the thick black border!!

asteroids-ct-underlay.jpg
 
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I used the Arcadeshop underlay on my restoration and it's excellent, be advised there is a protective removable skin on the top, BUT NOT THE BOTTOM of the underlay. If you start peeling the skin on the bottom of the underlay, you'll damage the artwork horribly.

The cardboard bezel from Arcadeshop is also great and just sits in the routed recess of the top and then is sandwiched under the tinted plex / glass top combo. There are tabs on the edge of the cardboard bezel to locate it properly within the recess.
 
Ok, maybe I can help a little. If you need a new top, I might suggest this....but ask to see if the recessed area for the plexiglass is pre-cut if you are not comfortable doing that yourself.

http://thearcadeboneyard.com/cocktail_table_parts/cocktail_wood_and_glass_tops.php

centipede%20cocktail%20wood%20top%204.JPG


I think buying it new might be easier that guessing at the dimensions....but, if you want to cut it yourself I might be willing to trace my table top on to paper and send it to you in the mail.

Arcadeshop carries the underlay....the original was a silkscreen on the glass. This underlay is very nice, I got one for my Centipede cocktail. If you buy this underlay, then you have a pattern to cut your own top...just follow the outer edge of the thick black border!!

asteroids-ct-underlay.jpg

Score! Thanks a ton--I emailed [email protected] to get more details. If shipping isn't too bad, and he's got a good wood grain match, then this will almost be a no brainer. (I've thus far been unable to find a good wood grain match.)

I do have a router but I'm not very good with it yet--how would one go about cutting that recess? I'm assuming you would just get an appropriately sized bit with a bearing guide. Anyone know what bit type?
 
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