Opinions on repainting a cabinet...should it be done?

anubisdeath6

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Opinions on repainting a cabinet...should it be done?

My cabinet is still in very good condition, but I was thinking about repainting it anyway, I was going to restore the whole thing to the way it came off the assembly line...but I was wondering what everyone's opinions on repainting is.

Does it take away too much of the "originality" of the game by repainting the whole cabinet, especially if it doesn't really need it?

How bad does it have to be before you'd consider repainting?

Just looking for opinions, maybe I'll be talked out of it.
 
I think it'd look sharp with new paint, but it's also 70 years old and in great condition, so I don't want to take away it's originality, it's a tough decision.
 

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I agree, it definatly is not fun to play for a long time but one day my goal is to have a showcase of the history of gaming. I'm not a pro painter, but I always do TONS of research before doing anything. I'm a master at Adobe Illustrator and work for a print shop, so creating and printing stencils won't be an issue. When it comes down to it, I just don't know if it'd be worth repainting. If I want this to be a showpiece, such as in a museum, is it ok to not have original paint?
 
This is one of those personal opinion things but to me it's much better left original in that condition. I'd far rather have an all original if possible for a collectible. And once you paint it, you can never unpaint it.
 
If you're concerned AT ALL about originality and history, then I think painting it would be a big mistake and completely unnecessary. You should do a poll at rec.games.pinball. I think that would be 99% saying no to painting, and those are the hardcore collectors.

Funny you mention showcase and museum. That's the example usually given.. if the Smithsonian wanted a piece like that, they would only want it with original paint, assuming a normal amount of wear for the age of the piece.
 
Does it take away too much of the "originality" of the game by repainting the whole cabinet, especially if it doesn't really need it?

Yes... and from the pix, your game REALLY doesn't need it.

How bad does it have to be before you'd consider repainting?

Large areas of bare wood. Cabinet or major parts replaced with new wood or parts of different game.

You have a nice looking example of an uncommon, or perhaps even rare, game there and it would be a shame to f... it up.

The game in this video needed a paint job. (pix at the end)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItnxeyAa1Mo

Cheers.
 
Pic 1: Hot Line needed more than a paint job - the cabinet was falling apart.

Pic 2: Hot Line art on an ex-Darling cabinet.

Pic 3: Soccer side graphics found under 2 coats crap paint. that one gets a paint job too. and some wood repairs. Yankee Workshop time.

Did you check out the Seven Up vid? It was a wreck.

This was in an email from Nick:
I must thank you for the photo of the cabinet front. We used it to make the stencil.
 

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Yeah that video was great! He really did a great job. So now what you're telling me is to leave mine as is? it's starting to seem like that's what I should do, and wait to completely repaint/repair until I have a cab that's really derserving of it.
 
Yeah that video was great! He really did a great job. So now what you're telling me is to leave mine as is? it's starting to seem like that's what I should do, and wait to completely repaint/repair until I have a cab that's really derserving of it.

There you go.

Clean it up and make it work and enjoy.

Note: Be real careful about playfield cleaning. Anything with any abrasive will cut right through the paint. There's no clearcoat and the paint is super thin. I ended up using Novus1 to take the dirt off and then just wax.
 
That's actually what I was going to do. I just ordered the Novus set (1-3) Would you say I should stay away from Novus 2 and 3 on it? And as for wax...I read all the debates on here and decided to just buy some carnuba wax. And one other question since you seem to know a fair amount...I'm replacing all my #44 lamps with #47's but I can't find any cross reference as to which bulbs to use in place of my #51's and more importantly, the GE 1458 bulbs.
 
In that condition, I would not paint it. It will serve as a great example of the game and look nice as it is with minimal clean up. Painting it would actually make is less desirable in my opinion.

If it was beat to death and looked terrible, I'd say paint it and restore it to its former glory.
 
That's actually what I was going to do. I just ordered the Novus set (1-3) Would you say I should stay away from Novus 2 and 3 on it? And as for wax...I read all the debates on here and decided to just buy some carnuba wax. And one other question since you seem to know a fair amount...I'm replacing all my #44 lamps with #47's but I can't find any cross reference as to which bulbs to use in place of my #51's and more importantly, the GE 1458 bulbs.

Replacing 44's with 47's is good. 51 is rated at .22A - a bit less than a 44 in a smaller bulb. 47's would work if they fit.

1458 bulb is rated 20V .25A and there probably isn't a substitute.

Stay away from the Novus2-3 on the playfield. It's delicate.

I think I used Novus2 below the rollovers....
image-7.jpg


oops.
 
Yeah I'll just stick with Novus 1...and I a few of the 51's were already replaced with 44/47's but it's a very tight fit. As for the 1458's...I can't find them on any of the sites I'm looking at.

EDIT: PBR states that a 1464 is a replacement! And pinballlife.com has them!! Woot Woot!
 
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