Atari coin doors - powder coat or paint?

retroshaun

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I have a few Atari games (Asteroids, Millipede, Gravitar, Tempest etc) that all could do with some coin door love. I was wondering if I should go the powder coat route or simply strip and re-spray? I have re-sprayed in the past with decent results but maybe powder coating is more authentic, especially for the 2-part doors where one part is near mint and the other is rusted to hell.

Would be interested in everyone thoughts and also if anyone knows a reasonable priced powder coating service in NorCal I'd really appreciate it... ideally someone who will do smaller batches of parts.
 
the only real way to go is powdercoating. no work involved at all (expect drop off and pick up) and if you count material costs and time you're wasting when you're painting the door yourself, it's a no brainer!
 
Powder coating is always a nice idea.....
But I tend to cheap out and use a spray on bed-liner. There are a few "texture" variations amongst the different brands. (some fine, some coarse) The sheen also varies a bit, but if you ever need more sheen just clear coat it. (matte or shiny) A can usually runs around $8 and will cover a LOT real FAST. (so go easy at first till you get the hang of it) Prep just like you would for painting.
My $.02

This is not an Atari door, but a recent example anyways.
 

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I've just sanded the really rough parts, given a slight roughing up with steel wool and just painted it without issue. Granted, I wouldn't expect it to hold up over tough use, but it's fine for me in my basement.
 
Powder coating is always a nice idea.....
But I tend to cheap out and use a spray on bed-liner. There are a few "texture" variations amongst the different brands. (some fine, some coarse) The sheen also varies a bit, but if you ever need more sheen just clear coat it. (matte or shiny) A can usually runs around $8 and will cover a LOT real FAST. (so go easy at first till you get the hang of it) Prep just like you would for painting.
My $.02

This is not an Atari door, but a recent example anyways.

Great idea!

Nice job!
 
the only real way to go is powdercoating. no work involved at all (expect drop off and pick up) and if you count material costs and time you're wasting when you're painting the door yourself, it's a no brainer!

Its a no brainer, just like buying games from a warehouse raid in Alaska is a no brainer...Assuming of course you live in Alaska!

Seriously though, I dont think there is a local one here that is reasonable (price wise). I've used the hammered rustoleum with great results. The bedliner is a great idea...Will need to try that
 
That bedliner solution is a great idea! I used hammered finish black on my coin doors with some coats of gloss black and it worked pretty well but you can't beat the bedliner stuff from what I see in those pics.
 
Coin Door Powder Coating

I just got my Moon Patrol door back from the powder coater and you can't argue with the results, but the cost can be considerable, however the more stuff you need coated the better average cost. All the metal on my Moon Patrol was $80.

Greg
 

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Yowch! $80 for powdercoating. I first started the powdercoating of parts after I realized that, that's what they did at the factory. I'd basically strip down the entire cab of all metals that I needed powdercoated and then take them all in one big batch. I didn't even have to bother stripping them but it was an added cost, so I picked up a bead-blaster cheap and get all the rust and old grime off, then take the parts up to be powdercoated. I'm thinking at least a few years ago it was around $40-50 at the local coating company. You did have to pick out the finish and color you wanted.
 
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