How did you get the skillz??

Area69

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This and the resto showcase are my favorite sections of this forum. Looking at all the kick ass restos you guys do, and you guys totally take your talent for granted. My question is, how did it all develop?

Did you start by taking one cab, and totally restoring, or did you do alot of small stuff. Did you dive in and do a whole vinyl application, or start with a piece here or there?

Lastly, have you had any total flops, restores that just suck, that you wish you had never started?
 
a little at a time asked 1000 questions( and still do) and just experience/luck..

im pretty handy with misc whatever so to me personally it just kind of came naturally. I live messing with these things....most of the time anyways.
 
I'm diving right in. Bought my first 2 games 3 days ago. I have a dual monitor playchoice cab (tetris) that I am almost done tearing down. I am taking my time and spent a lot of time just looking around inside the cab. Everything I've taken out, I have labeled the nuts and bolts so I don't screw myself when it's time to re-assemble. Tuff part for me is the monitors. Hopefully cap kits will be all they need.
I think the longest part of the restore is going to be finding the punch out pcb, art, and controller. Thats why I bought 2 games. I can start the other while waiting.
 
Just dive right in and ask questions along the way. Practice some of the skills whenever possible, for example, paint a scrap piece before attacking the cab. There are many good sites besides KLOV, some dedicated to the art of cabinet building and restoration. Look around and do some research but don't be afraid to try things.
 
Also, most of the time when someone posts a restoration, they don't take too many photos of the screwups and things that had to be redone... I've been happy with most of my restoration projects, but I've done at least one stupid thing on each project that forced me to go back and redo a step or two. :]

4020304328_b8df10fe14.jpg
 
I started to learn how to paint somewhere around the age 6-8 my dad use to have to watch me and my brother during the summer when we where off from school. So he would take me and my brother down to his apartment business and teach us the basics painting being one of them.
 
Lots of questions, lots of reading/research, lots of standing on the shoulders of others, and lots of trial/error.

You have to get over your fear of screwing up to make true progress. That is my main hurdle - I'll drag my feet for months if presented with a new project or issue, when I should just jump in.
 
a little at a time asked 1000 questions( and still do) and just experience/luck..

im pretty handy with misc whatever so to me personally it just kind of came naturally. I live messing with these things....most of the time anyways.

just picked up a new skill today- painting with a spray gun...

i had a manditory day off of work(were getting slow) so i came in anyways... we have a area where cars used to get painted(booth type thingy)

my tron came out pretty good. Not perfect, but next time ill have more of a clue as to what im doing. I am never roller painting a cab again as long as i can afford the auto paint.. spraying os the only way to go, imho...
http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=109743
 
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I'm still not great at it. Each game I do, I get a little better. The first one I rushed everything. The real key is to take your time. Let the paint dry! If you missed a spot the first time. Go back and do it. Even if it means mixing up another batch of Bondo. It will be obvious, even though your brain tells you it won't.

Jeff
 
From my short experience. There is always something to learn and ways to get better.

My first and only full restore was DK and I would say that's how I learned such things as wiring, rebuilding wood bases, bondo'ing, painting, buying parts, soldering, etc. It has always been "learn by doing" and "learn as you go" for me. Most of the credit goes to the guys in this forum that answer my newbie questions and show me how to do things hands-on.

I can definitely say that restoring DK Jr. is going much faster and is a lot easier now that I have a process down of stripping, restoring, and reassembling a cab. My goal is to have all 4 of my cabinets done and in the gameroom by the end of the year.

:)
 
I watch The New Yankee Workshop on PBS a lot.

While I haven't started a good restoration yet... I'm sure I could build a Victorian Era chest... pretty sure the skills will transfer over to cabinet repair.
 
I started about the age of 10. Helping my father restore his 57 chevy. I learned how to paint cars, the basics of electrical wiring, and a ton of mechanical. When I hit the age of 15, I bought my own 57 chevy and restored it. then I restored a 64.5 Mustang, 75 MGB, 78 Camaro, 76 Firebird, 78 Trans Am, 70 RoadRunner, and an 80 Trans Am. Also when I was about 17 I had a job putting decals on the sides of Milk trailers. Huge 8' decals. In Highschool, I took 3 years of Drafting, and 3 Years of Woodworking. In college I took electronics, and got a job doing PCB repair.
Basically I've been honing my individual skills, and when it came time to do my first cab, I just dove right in. Putting all the pieces of my skills together.
 
When I was young, I got really into building and racing radio controlled cars. That actually taught me a lot, including painting, electronics, even soldering. My parents were real do-it-yourself'ers too, always renovating the house, fixing up antique furniture, building stuff, etc. I would help them, usually out of boredom, but I guess I picked up a few things from it.
 
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