Inferno #2 - To Hell and Back

In advance of attempting to repair the exterior of the cabinet, I stripped the thing down as much as I felt necessary to clean and refurb. Makes moving it around much easier.

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In doing so, I learned some additional stuff.
  • The original marquee light fixture is gone. There was just a under-counter florescent floating around in there. It's a miracle that it didn't break the speaker. Thankfully the speaker and grille seem to be in good shape.
  • The AC harness actually seems to be pretty much unhacked. The only modification was that the op inexplicably tapped off the MONITOR feed to power the game PCB. Wild. The rest seems factory. The main harness was hacked up to create the Jamma harness and is beyond repair.
  • The damage to the coin box wood section is because someone pried off the back at some point. I re-secured it with a couple nails.
  • Unfortunately, no artwork under the TMNT CPO. Only the remains of a Double Dragon CPO.
  • While the Control panel *is* swiss cheese, none of the embedded threads for the original joystick mounts are gone. I think it can be probably bondoed and saved. Needs a new plate for sure though.
  • There are small remnants of silkscreened artwork on the glass. I suspect it may be the original bezel. Sadness.
  • Someone attempted to hot glue the coin vault door back on its hinge. They failed.
  • I found a bunch of quarters in the machine :)
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Overall, after emptying it out and giving it a quick clean, it seems much more solid than I had previously thought. It's cleaning up nicely.

One other thing- I have NO IDEA how to remove the plastic monitor bezel. It seems like it's permanently blocked in on every side. Any ideas?
The two Williams games I own for the monitor bezel:
Remove the control panel.
Slide the bezel up around 1/2", then lift out the bottom.

Unless someone has painted this one in place. Look at the sides and top - there should be a slight air gap. If it isn't there, you'll need a razor knife to break the bond with the paint.
 
Rather than the glue and bondo, you could use a track saw to make a square cut and remove those sections, and then replace them with biscuits. I've seen @p1001 do that successfully, and it takes a lot less bondo and is a better, cleaner product.
 
there is an original Inferno marquee for sale on ebay right now its been up for a while, its pricey though.......
 
Rather than the glue and bondo, you could use a track saw to make a square cut and remove those sections, and then replace them with biscuits. I've seen @p1001 do that successfully, and it takes a lot less bondo and is a better, cleaner product.
Would really prefer not to do any cutting that I don't have to. Plus, I don't own a tracksaw.

If on the offchance the glue and bondo method didn't work, I'd still be able to do this, right? So I don't see the harm in attempting to fix the damage before trying to cut the damage out entirely.

there is an original Inferno marquee for sale on ebay right now its been up for a while, its pricey though.......
Way, way overpriced for the condition. Looks like they literally dug it up. I'd pay maybe a quarter of the price. Maybe. Been up for sale for at least a year now, I think. I don't think it'll be going anywhere anytime soon.

I would be interested in an original Bezel though. As if that were any easier. Or a method to have the bezel art printed on the glass I do have.
 
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Would really prefer not to do any cutting that I don't have to. Plus, I don't own a tracksaw.

If on the offchance the glue and bondo method didn't work, I'd still be able to do this, right? So I don't see the harm in attempting to fix the damage before trying to cut the damage out entirely.


Way, way overpriced for the condition. Looks like they literally dug it up. I'd pay maybe a quarter of the price. Maybe. Been up for sale for at least a year now, I think. I don't think it'll be going anywhere anytime soon.

I would be interested in an original Bezel though. As if that were any easier. Or a method to have the bezel art printed on the glass I do have.
Yes, you can always trim off the bottom.

Ask a fellow member. I'm sure someone in your area may have it. The track is just something a circular saw rides in.

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I'd put in a high tooth count blade to avoid chipping and saw damage, but other than that, this one would work.
 
Would really prefer not to do any cutting that I don't have to. Plus, I don't own a tracksaw.

If on the offchance the glue and bondo method didn't work, I'd still be able to do this, right? So I don't see the harm in attempting to fix the damage before trying to cut the damage out entirely.


Way, way overpriced for the condition. Looks like they literally dug it up. I'd pay maybe a quarter of the price. Maybe. Been up for sale for at least a year now, I think. I don't think it'll be going anywhere anytime soon.

I would be interested in an original Bezel though. As if that were any easier. Or a method to have the bezel art printed on the glass I do have.

You don't need a track saw. You just need a straight piece of wood you can clamp down to ride the edge of your circular saw against to make a straight cut. I wouldn't even bother making the circular saw fences you see on youtube. I had one and it was a waste of time.

  • Get a long piece of wood that is very very straight. IT MUST BE STRAIGHT. Use a table saw to
  • Measure the how high the damage is on your cabinet. Let's just say it's 6 inches up from the bottom.
  • Measure the edge of your circular saw to the center of the blade. Let's say that's 2 inches.
  • You now have a measurement of 8 inches.
  • Mark 8 inches from the bottom of the cabinet and mark two lines on each side.
  • Set your circular saw to a very very shallow cut, just enough to get the veneer off.
  • Clamp your straight wood to the cabinet. CLAMP IT TIGHT.
  • Ride the edge of your circular saw tightly against the straight wood to use it as a saw fence.
  • chisel off any stuck veneer.
This pic was taken from one of the DIY fences made of two pieces you usually see on youtube. You just need one piece to do this accurately. I wrote some text on the pic as an illustration:
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Yes, but you need to thin it with mineral spirits before HVLP, of course. And it's MUCH cheaper to buy in person from Home Depot, Ace, etc.
Next time you're in CT head to a local Home Depot or Lowes. We have them last I checked.

Del
 
Too cold today to do any painting, but not too cold for superglue and Bondo! Should be warmer later in the week, so hoping to get the prep work done.

Started by sanding down and superglueing the flaking portions.
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You can see the front part of the cabinet still clamped down to allow the superglue to dry.

Then I went ahead and applied a copious amount of bondo to the afflicted area, and used a spackle knife to press it down.

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Going to let this set for a while, sand it down, and then redo it as necessary to ensure a smooth finish.
 
20241027_135802.jpgOne side pretty much done and ready to be painted. It's not perfect but it's pretty smooth minus a couple tiny scratches.
 
Today's progress. So much Bondo. So much sanding. I even cracked out the Dremel. I think it's pretty good. Just about ready for painting?!

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I think I'm going to leave the top and back as is.
 
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Personally, I would have cut off the bad wood since the damage is on the bottom. Reason being: I'd be afraid for it to crack off over time or if mishandled. Sides would be OK though if that needed Bondo.

(If it's being laminated that's a different story, which will help keep the Bondo work together.)

Take a look at this vid:

Del
 
Halloween saw the first coat of paint go on Inferno.

I used satin black rustoleum spraypaint cans. I am planning to do three more coats (with sanding in between) as a kind of primer layer, and then finish it off with a hvlp satin black topcoat if I'm not happy with the spraypaint finish.

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  • Yes. It's best however to glue down the frayed areas. For this i use superglue from the dollar store. I use the cheap thin stuff to get underneath the fraying and then i hold the area down. Then for good measure i glue around the area to make sure it stays down.
For those in the know...

Never having done this repair before, and having a robotron cab that needs the same attention...

Can the immobilization of the delaminating and shredded veneer be achieved with wood hardener instead of super glue in the procedure as outlined by @DonPanetta or is super glue the better choice for this application?

Asking for a friend 😎
Dylan

PS... the cab looks great so far.
 
For those in the know...

Never having done this repair before, and having a robotron cab that needs the same attention...

Can the immobilization of the delaminating and shredded veneer be achieved with wood hardener instead of super glue in the procedure as outlined by @DonPanetta or is super glue the better choice for this application?

Asking for a friend 😎
Dylan

PS... the cab looks great so far.

I can only speak from experience and say that the last Williams (defender) cab that I picked up had some pretty nasty delamination at the bottom but was still quite sturdy and judging by how porous the veneer and immediate layer underneath, I didn't believe would hardener wood be enough.

In hindsight, I wouldn't risk it. As I mentioned in previous posts, I had a few instances where the veneer reacted negatively to either the lack of glue or the heat from the Bondo. I had to gouge those areas out, reglue and then bondo over again.

I also debated using a standard PVA glue like tight bond but was afraid that any residual moisture in the Bondo would react negatively to the glue. That probably wouldn't be an issue with tight bond II or 3 or even tight bond quick and thick formula. I just haven't tried those.
 
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Just caught this thread, and glad to hear of another original Inferno on its way to being returned to the land of the living.

FYI, the original Inferno in the video from the CAX show is mine. I have brought it to each show since back when I picked it up...about 16 years ago now.

For the record, you really do need to play it with the original controls to appreciate it. And I also do believe that it would have been a much bigger "hit" had it been released a couple of years earlier before the "crash" of 1984.

LMK if you need any help such as pictures or measurements off of my cabinet and I'll help if I can as your restoration efforts moves forward.

Jon
 
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