tineras
Member
I recently acquired a Mortal Kombat 2 dedicated cabinet that had been converted to UMK3 (forum member khabbi was kind enough to part with it... Thanks!). Anyway, I have been wanting an MK2 machine for many years and finally decided to pull the trigger. It is still a work in progress. This is also my first arcade machine, so this is all new to me.
ENTIRE GALLERY HERE: http://picasaweb.google.com/awiginton/MK2Restore?authkey=Gv1sRgCKz8z5Co8qqo_gE&feat=directlink
I have a list of things that need to be done, but I decided to tackle one of the biggest ones first; stripping the old paint off to reveal the original MK2 vinyl. Here are the results.
WARNING (to others): I made a big mistake when I first started to strip the paint. I did a black test area using Citristrip, but I didn't realize that it would react differently to the Citristrip than the textured/colored areas would. I initially left it on for about 30 minutes and the top layer came off perfectly without damaging the bottom layer. So then I did a much larger area that included part of the textured/colored area and left it for about 30 minutes. When I saw the paint bubbling, I thought "it must be doing it's job", but it was actually eating through the vinyl below. I didn't realize this until about 45 minutes had passed. Needless to say, I ruined a section on the bottom left of the right side of the cabinet. The areas seriously affected were all white. I think it's because the black paint bonds to that easier. It requires a bit more finesse when removing paint from the white areas.
I learned my lesson and took my time after that. The rest turned out very nice and I think I may even be able to clean up the damaged areas without them being too much of an eyesore.
Anyway, right or wrong, here is the procedure that I used to strip the rest of the cabinet once I got in a groove:
1. Used a thin layer of Citristrip (applied with paintbrush) in about 2 foot tall sections that are the width of the cabinet.
2. Let soak in for about 10 minutes
3. Used rubber scraper to remove the main layer of black paint. Paint will stick to textured sections and especially the white colors.
4. Used Motsenbocker's LIFT OFF 4 and sprayed the entire area.
5. Let site for a minute or so
6. Used rubber scraper again to clean up edges and focused on white areas
7. Repeat 4-6
8. Used towel or rag to clean area again with LIFT OFF
9. One last wipe down with a little dish soap and water
10. Repeat 1-9
11. There were many white areas that still had a bit of dark stain from the paint. After I finished with a side, I used *cough* carb cleaner *cough to get those areas nice and white again. After that, I wiped the entire side down with dish soap and water again and then dried it. I know some of you are screaming at your monitor right now, but it actually worked quite well. And it doesn't seem to be discoloring/destroying the vinyl. (before and after Carb Cleaner Pic below)
Feel free to give any comments or suggestions.
Before Any Restoration
Before Any Restoration
Removing Sticker
Test Area
Second Area (damage visible on the white areas on left)
MORE BELOW...
ENTIRE GALLERY HERE: http://picasaweb.google.com/awiginton/MK2Restore?authkey=Gv1sRgCKz8z5Co8qqo_gE&feat=directlink
I have a list of things that need to be done, but I decided to tackle one of the biggest ones first; stripping the old paint off to reveal the original MK2 vinyl. Here are the results.
WARNING (to others): I made a big mistake when I first started to strip the paint. I did a black test area using Citristrip, but I didn't realize that it would react differently to the Citristrip than the textured/colored areas would. I initially left it on for about 30 minutes and the top layer came off perfectly without damaging the bottom layer. So then I did a much larger area that included part of the textured/colored area and left it for about 30 minutes. When I saw the paint bubbling, I thought "it must be doing it's job", but it was actually eating through the vinyl below. I didn't realize this until about 45 minutes had passed. Needless to say, I ruined a section on the bottom left of the right side of the cabinet. The areas seriously affected were all white. I think it's because the black paint bonds to that easier. It requires a bit more finesse when removing paint from the white areas.
I learned my lesson and took my time after that. The rest turned out very nice and I think I may even be able to clean up the damaged areas without them being too much of an eyesore.
Anyway, right or wrong, here is the procedure that I used to strip the rest of the cabinet once I got in a groove:
1. Used a thin layer of Citristrip (applied with paintbrush) in about 2 foot tall sections that are the width of the cabinet.
2. Let soak in for about 10 minutes
3. Used rubber scraper to remove the main layer of black paint. Paint will stick to textured sections and especially the white colors.
4. Used Motsenbocker's LIFT OFF 4 and sprayed the entire area.
5. Let site for a minute or so
6. Used rubber scraper again to clean up edges and focused on white areas
7. Repeat 4-6
8. Used towel or rag to clean area again with LIFT OFF
9. One last wipe down with a little dish soap and water
10. Repeat 1-9
11. There were many white areas that still had a bit of dark stain from the paint. After I finished with a side, I used *cough* carb cleaner *cough to get those areas nice and white again. After that, I wiped the entire side down with dish soap and water again and then dried it. I know some of you are screaming at your monitor right now, but it actually worked quite well. And it doesn't seem to be discoloring/destroying the vinyl. (before and after Carb Cleaner Pic below)
Feel free to give any comments or suggestions.
Before Any Restoration
Before Any Restoration
Removing Sticker
Test Area
Second Area (damage visible on the white areas on left)
MORE BELOW...
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