Dragon's Lair Fans

Mongo

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Ok... I have been on a multi-year quest to restore my Dragon's Lair and my Space Ace. As anyone who has ever done this knows, the big problem is getting quality vinyl at a reasonable price. BKAmuse once sent me in the direction of a cabinet parts supplier who carried the Black Pica vinyl somewhere in the $3-$4 range per linear foot. Now that I am ready to buy... they have quit carrying it. Here is what I have found so far:

HappControls - http://www.happcontrols.com/vending/acesor/49057200.htm

$5.45 a foot (40 or 49 inch width) $4.60 in bulk (150 ft or more)

Sun Process - http://www.sunprocess.com/gloss.html

$4.30 a foot (40 inch width) or $4.10 a foot in bulk (300 ft or more)

Vendors International - http://www.veii.com/files/pdf/VE Volume 12 Catalog.pdf

$3.60 a foot (49 inch width) or $3.00 a foot in bulk (100 ft roll)

I have been told that Happ gets their vinyl from Sun and that it is some pretty good quality stuff. I have no idea where Vendors International gets their stuff or the quality. Just thought I would throw this information out there for anyone else working on a vinyl covered cabinet. Remember to factor in shipping costs as this stuff is not light!
 
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one minor detail for you mongo.. Pica isn't it. It's black morocco vinyl that you need. i have that original side here, and i've got the repro cab here, with the morocco vinyl on it, and it's spot on.
 
I did this search many years ago and spoke to all of the companies you mentioned in your post including 5 or 6 other places. The most reasonable, closest to the original and high quality company is No Skidding Products.

This is the only company that nailed the original vinyl right on. Contact them:

http://www.noskidding.com/
 
one minor detail for you mongo.. Pica isn't it. It's black morocco vinyl that you need. i have that original side here, and i've got the repro cab here, with the morocco vinyl on it, and it's spot on.

I have heard several opinions on what is the closest match. I seem to remember there being a "leather" appearance like the Black Morocco vinyl back in the day but both of the cabs I pulled out of a warehouse had a Black Pica or a "haircell" appearance. That may be due to age or that they were part of a different production run. I'll go with the Morocco then as that does seem to be the consensus that it is the closest to the original...
 
So, I got a sample book in the mail and found something interesting. There are a couple finishes that get labeled "Black Morocco". The 6 mil version is a great match to the original. The 10 mil thickness has a significantly larger texture even though they are labeled as the same finish. I think it has to do with the manufacturing process as the 6 mil material has a nearly identical look front and back. The 10 mil samples have a super smooth back. I am sure all the vinyl is manufactured as "smooth" then goes through hot rollers to produce the finish. This would cause the thinner material some pattern shrinkage where the thicker material just holds the pattern more accurately.

Now I am just working on finding a supplier who may not require me to purchase 450 yards at a time to get a reasonable price.

The current price I have (pre-tax, pre-shipping) on the 6 mil vinyl with no adhesive applied is about $.50 a foot on a 50 inch wide roll. Again, that requires a 450 yard order.

I was hoping that the no adhesive vinyl would allow me to get a better finish with better adhesives (since I would be controlling that part of the installation) but someone here told me that is not the case. I am still waiting on a couple more quotes for the "peel and stick" version of this...
 
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group buy?

Hey Mongo,

I have a DL in need of a complete redo myself. It does have the original vinyl still attached, so I can also help verify any samples.

Perhaps if you are looking at that much footage for a deal, we could get a group buy going?!

There was another person on the boards who picked up a DL and lives next to me (Arizona), maybe he would be interested as well?

Of course, I would like to see a sample of what you've found for myself...and I have to say I think the adhesive backing is probably the best bet.

Any thoughts?
 
Ok... I have heard that the sources for Black Morocco have dried up so I am back banging this drum again and have picked up some good information. First, back to my assertion in an earlier post that there is a difference between the same pattern but different thickness vinyls. If you go to http://www.metkote.com/html/stock-color-selection.php you will see there is a Black Morocco vinyl then on column to the right is a Black Morocco FL. The difference is (aside from the pattern) that the Black Morocco is 10 mil in thickness and heat resistant for being bonded to metal which can then be formed with the vinyl already applied. The Black Morocco FL is 6 mil in thickness and designed to be bonded Flat (no post application forming) to wood.

Do not call metkote. They do not sell vinyl. Only pre-laminated metal for forming. They have directed me to their supplier who MAY be the one who has the 450 yard (not foot) minimum order that I talked to last year. On the upside, someone in the business has informed me how to get them to possibly sell me a 30 yard roll. It will probably not have adhesive pre-applied but I am ready to work on my cabs and getting tired of waiting. I am not posting the name of the supplier yet as I don't want them to get innundated with phone calls and get pissed at me until AFTER I get some vinyl or determine that they are incapable of delivering what I want....
 
Years ago when I was restoring my DL/SA I also ran into issues with a minimum order, so I went in with another collector to purchase it. He completed his DL and shipped me the roll to complete my DL, then the roll went to another collector to restore his DL. There was enough left to do another couple of DLs, possibly three. Really makes me wonder how many hands that roll went through. :)

If you have to buy a larger roll, then I recommend you consider what I did. Based on responses, I expect you will have no problem selling off the roll.

BTW, Black Morroco matched my cabinet dead on and the self adhesive made laying it down much easier. Just make sure the sides are very, very clean and smooth.

Scott C.
 
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