MDF Cab Repair with Wood Hardener

arcadeaction

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Donor 2013-2014
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This guy was a little soggy and swollen bottomed - like an Oreo cookie dunked in milk...

First task was to shave down the bottom and the sides with a power sander and trim the inside t-molding edges and grooves with a dremel tool. A bit of an effort.

Then, lots of wood hardner was applied and after drying just a bit more shaping was done.

Paint was then sprayed over the bottom of the cab and blended in with the original finish for an acceptable result.

Some before, during and after photos displayed.

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Looks great I was moving some games around today and a few looked similar to this that could use the same treatment.
 
I think a lot of game cabinets can be salvaged, especially if the bottom is just swollen. Many of my favorite games like Pac-Man, Punch-Out!!, and SF2 had sat on craigslist for long periods of time (and were admittedly pretty rough), but with a little care they can shine up nice.
 
Nice work on this. I've got a couple to do that are in a similar state, so this was pretty encouraging!
 
arcadeaction,
Any way you could repost these photos? Have a Mario Bros. over here that needs some wood hardener and bondo. Would love to see your procedure. Thanks!
 
arcadeaction,
Any way you could repost these photos? Have a Mario Bros. over here that needs some wood hardener and bondo. Would love to see your procedure. Thanks!

The photos should show again now. I've used this method on another game recently and have had some good results with the fluffed out edges.

Sometimes using clamps with slabs of plexi or wood on each side of a board right after applying the wood hardener can help with a shape. It all depends on the type of wood (MDF, Particle etc).

If your Mario Bros is of the particle board type, and likely in a DK cab format, wood hardener can be used to stablilize the existing wood and then bondo can be applied to this stabalized wood. On a Track & Field I'm restoring, which is also particle board, I might need to cut off of the bottom few inches and put in a new board and bondo in. It all depends on the amount of damage and what bondo can be attached to so I am learning and watching other posts as I go.
 
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I'm going to put up a few photos but yes, realizing I might need to do some trimming and then use the dowels, bondo, sand, etc.

Hoping, in the meantime to use some wood hardener to stop any more chipping. One concern: getting a small wood spacer to place in the t-molding groove - obviously it would need a little wax paper on each side - seems tricky :)
 
Here are my edges - not fun :(
 

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Also, how hard is it to router the edges for the t-molding? Also I'm assuming I'll have to do some routing for the inside plywood panels? What is the best/easiest (cheapest?) tool for that job?
 
Also, how hard is it to router the edges for the t-molding? Also I'm assuming I'll have to do some routing for the inside plywood panels? What is the best/easiest (cheapest?) tool for that job?

There is a T-modling bit you can buy and it couldn't possibly be easier to cut. Set the router with the bit on the cabinet, confirm the slot location, and cut slowly. Each side will take about a minute.

Yes. Dowels I guess would work. Or a biscuit joiner, which is my weapon of choice.
 
As someone pretty new to all of this I am still not 100% clear on how arcade cabinets are assembled (nails, glue, screws, etc.) - can you point me to a thread that will help me wrap my mind around how these vintage cabinets were put together?
 
You picked a tough first candidate for restoring. I think it's an advanced case. You are going to need a lot of tools and experience to bring that one back from the brink. It's not only the bottom of the cab, but the sides as well. You may want to push that guy into a corner and start with simple body repair work first.
 
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