Killing them softly: melting glue and removing staples

derSturm

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Killing them softly: melting glue and removing staples

I'm trying the remove the cracked front panel from a cab. I want to keep it intact because I want to use it as the template for the replacement piece I'll be cutting: get the extact length and width as well as the placement for the coin door cutout. I can think of no better, more precise, shortcut than tracing directly from the original.

It's held to the cab by glue and tack staples. I'm trying to use my "industrial strength hair dryer" that came with my shrink wrap setup to melt the glue. It's not going as quickly as I'd hoped. I'm thinking of maybe continuing along this path and utilizing a putty knife/scraping spade to separate and pry. I'm also thinking that an ice pick and some needle-nose pliers are the most obvious way toward getting the tack staples out.

Anyone up and at 'em today and know of better ways to go about this? I'm gonna go mow a few thousand feet of fence line and check back here in a couple of hours...

Thanks
 
Ha ha. I just sent you a PM, Joey, asking you to answer this thread! Got back to it and you'd already done so.

I could use some answers to that question. lol. It was a (non-working) Tekken 2 when I took it. It has an Atari sticker and a Namco sticker on the back. It has a drawer-control panel. Let me go get some pics real quick and I'll post them here...
 
The method you outlined is exactly how I take stuff like that apart. Use the putty knife for sure, don't bother just heat & pull/pry, need to slide the putty knife into the join to break the hold of the glue. Aim the hot air at the knife, not the wood, until it slides right in.

If that air gun doesn't get hot enough, you can grab a cheap Wagner heat gun from Depot for like 25-30 bucks tops.
 
Here are a few pics:

Front.jpg

Side.jpg

Oblique.jpg

Inside.jpg

I'm thinking it's just a Dynamo cab of whatever variety. (I hope it isn't an Atari cab; it's earmarked for a multi I aim to sell to a coworker for his church youth group basement.)
 
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The method you outlined is exactly how I take stuff like that apart. Use the putty knife for sure, don't bother just heat & pull/pry, need to slide the putty knife into the join to break the hold of the glue. Aim the hot air at the knife, not the wood, until it slides right in.

If that air gun doesn't get hot enough, you can grab a cheap Wagner heat gun from Depot for like 25-30 bucks tops.

I appreciate it. That's what I'll do. Any better way on the tack staples than an ice pick and pliers? And do you know what cab this is?
 
I appreciate it. That's what I'll do. Any better way on the tack staples than an ice pick and pliers? And do you know what cab this is?

There's a tool for grabbing and pulling staples and nails that I got at Harbor Freight. I think it's called a extractor/pliers or something, but this is the closest I could find online:

http://toolmonger.com/2007/05/09/hot-or-not-extractor-nail-puller-pliers/

might find a cheaper version of the tool. I use it exclusively for pulling nails and staples out.

I agree with what guy above said. Wedge a putty knife in between the panel and blocking. Tap it with a hammer to get it started, then tap with a hammer to go between and remove the bond. Just go around where the staples are.
 
I think careful use of an awl to get enough of the staple out, then grab with a plier and pull it out the rest of the way, is the cleanest way to do it. Since they are often counter sunk, you have to dig a little, regardless. I dig the awl in enough to get under the staple, and then pry it to the surface, just enough.
 
It looks like the water damaged one I picked up:

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=256086

Yeah, same cab. Exactly the same except for the art, as a matter of fact. Mine even had the very same burglar guard on it. I've removed the wide ass control panel and am going to cut and place one that's the same width as the cab. I think it's going to turn out decent with that being done. It'll be semi-gloss black with a multi-classics marquee. No decals, per request from the buyer. Just black with black t-molding, a 25" LCD, a non-flashy bezel and a 60-in-1 board. (These people, the buyer and the kids of the church youth group, are not collectors or purists. The order has been placed and the price agreed upon.)

Thanks for the info.

And thanks to Joey and Kalamath for all the good advice. (Note: melting the glue and prying the parts apart correctly takes patience, but doesn't just about everything?)
 
Note: I AM a collector first and foremost. A guy I work with just happened to see me surfing around KLOV at work one day and this project got started.

If there's anyone out there who wants to restore a Primal Rage badly enough to buy this cab in the next couple of weeks, speak now or forever hold your peace. Thanks.
 
Yeah, same cab. Exactly the same except for the art, as a matter of fact. Mine even had the very same burglar guard on it. I've removed the wide ass control panel and am going to cut and place one that's the same width as the cab. I think it's going to turn out decent with that being done. It'll be semi-gloss black with a multi-classics marquee. No decals, per request from the buyer. Just black with black t-molding, a 25" LCD, a non-flashy bezel and a 60-in-1 board. (These people, the buyer and the kids of the church youth group, are not collectors or purists. The order has been placed and the price agreed upon.)

Thanks for the info.

And thanks to Joey and Kalamath for all the good advice. (Note: melting the glue and prying the parts apart correctly takes patience, but doesn't just about everything?)

No problem. I plan on painting mine black as well, but mine will require some extra work to look decent. Are you buying an actual arcade LCD, or a computer type monitor? I found a 29" that will fit in the cabinet, but it's a 720p LED TV. I think I may go that route. I am going to try and fix the monitor that is in it, since it would be good practice. If I can't I am going with the 29" LED. I am keeping the control panel the size it is, I don't like bumping elbows while playing...lol. I will just add a few buttons and possibly a trackball.
 
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I want to fill up the void with whatever monitor I buy, but I don't want to spend more than I have to doing it. A 720P 60Hz would be fine. I haven't actually done any measurements toward that, yet. Do you know any exacts on that subject?

This one is going to be a 60-in-1. The customer is adamant that it be a CLASSICS-only model. He doesn't want the church youth playing a bunch of Street Fighter in the church basement. lol. So it's only going to need 2 stix and 4 buttons, not counting P1 and P2. I'm just going to trim the CP drawer on both ends with my table saw and plop a new rectangle down on top of it. I'm thinking it will actually improve the looks of the machine. But if I wanted to MAME it or something like that, the existing CP would support a trak ball, so I hear you talking.

One of the customer's chief concerns is that the coin mechs work. This is going to be a 25 cents a credit model, with the proceeds going into the church youth coffers (or so he says. who knows? :cool:). I was glad to find that the coin bucket was still inside it. I picked up this machine in a package haul over 2 years ago; I don't remember if I gave like $20 for it or got it for nothing. The monitor works; I pulled it for future use in something else. It already had a switching power supply in it, which works well, also. The harness, too, is good. The Tekken 2 board is for sale.
 
I want to fill up the void with whatever monitor I buy, but I don't want to spend more than I have to doing it. A 720P 60Hz would be fine. I haven't actually done any measurements toward that, yet. Do you know any exacts on that subject?

This one is going to be a 60-in-1. The customer is adamant that it be a CLASSICS-only model. He doesn't want the church youth playing a bunch of Street Fighter in the church basement. lol. So it's only going to need 2 stix and 4 buttons, not counting P1 and P2. I'm just going to trim the CP drawer on both ends with my table saw and plop a new rectangle down on top of it. I'm thinking it will actually improve the looks of the machine. But if I wanted to MAME it or something like that, the existing CP would support a trak ball, so I hear you talking.

One of the customer's chief concerns is that the coin mechs work. This is going to be a 25 cents a credit model, with the proceeds going into the church youth coffers (or so he says. who knows? :cool:). I was glad to find that the coin bucket was still inside it. I picked up this machine in a package haul over 2 years ago; I don't remember if I gave like $20 for it or got it for nothing. The monitor works; I pulled it for future use in something else. It already had a switching power supply in it, which works well, also. The harness, too, is good. The Tekken 2 board is for sale.

Well. The TV I want to get is this one:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Vizio-E291-A1-29-720p-60Hz-Class-LED-1.97-ultra-slim-HDTV/21924121

You would have to mount it vertically. You could just get a Vesa mount and run a 4x4 across the cabinet to mount it to. I run MAME on my PC at home and I have a 27" Planar monitor that I really like, I might just get another one of these, it's a Planar PX 2710MW. You can usually pick up the Planar for about $200 online.

I am still new to this, and just started restoring my first cabinet, so I am not that skilled...yet. I hope to be someday. I am an educated consumer though, and an avid bargain hunter. I blog about gaming on projectors for one of the largest projector review sites there is.

For vertical games you don't even need to go that large, but it's nice to have a large screen. You could usually get 23"-24" monitors for about $120. I have only messed around with my 60 in 1 board a little, but I love it so far.

This board is one of my "meccas" for deals:

http://slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9

Have you restored many cabinets?
 
I have not restored any cabinets, yet, with regards to bondo, putty, etc. I have stripped, primed, painted, and 'stickered' a few. In like 4 years of active collecting I've thus far done mostly cleaning (good ol' magic eraser), recap-ing monitors, and installing power switchers. I have an eprom reader/writer but haven't even hooked it up, yet.

I'm out of space and it's time to get the unwanted stuff outta here. It's cool having 4 or 5 'expendable' cabs to learn on during the mean time.
 
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