Popeye Cab - Can it be saved?

[Bee423]

I have an old Popeye cab that is pretty solid other than the edges. The edges are mostly blown out or swollen all the way around. Is there anything I can do to fix this? I know bondo works well for small areas and I also have some Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty that I've heard is great stuff...but not sure how to deal with the swollen edges (4th pic shows how its swollen larger than the t-mold). I've also seen people replace the wood on the bottom sides, but can that be done on the front of the cab?

Any advice?

Thanks.

 

[Bee423]

Anyone got any advice or is it a lost cause? The swelling in the front is my biggest concern, I think I can fix the edges.

 

[andrewb]

I would say it's slowly becoming unavailable.

 

[Bishop]

Hate it, but the cabinet is too far gone.

 

[ArcadeJason]

sure it can be fixed i have fixed much much worse.

#1 belt sand all soft edges at a 45 degree angle (dig deep) then belt sand all remaining swelling
#2 use straight edge like a yardstick ect to build a form to where the edges used to be aluminum furnace tape can help build your forms in extreme cases temporarily screw down wood forms
#3 i know many people will say to use wood hardener and i used to be one of them but i no longer use it. it can react primer , paint ,art and leaves the wood soft and spongy
#4 instead of wood hardener use fiberglass resin mixed with 10% acetone the wood sucks this stuff up like a sponge and when it cures it will be harder than original. let cure for 24 hours
#5 mix bondo with bondo brand fiberglass resin auto body guys call it rondo pour it into the forms you made
#6 use automotive glazing putty during the finishing sand it dries in like 5 minutes cover that whole damn cab with it its fills all the sanding scratches and sands super easy
#7 USE OIL BASED PAINT or better yet automotive paint and an hvlp. many local auto parts stores can computer match your paint and sell you a pressurized can for $10 2 cans will do the whole cab

 

[Samelak]

If you have some wood working skills and equipment, it could. At this point you have nothing to lose. I would cut the damage back to solid wood and graft in new pieces with a good glue and biscuit joiner. I've done this with a Defender cab that was blown out in the back and bottom. It was a bit of work, but now its solid. I covered the cab in laminate afterwards and you would never know it was repaired.

 

[SaminVA]

Like Jason said, anything can be saved it just depends on how much blood ,sweet and tears you are willing to invest into the project and don't cut Minwax Wood Hardener short, it's not cheap and getting hard to find but it's some amazing stuff. Don't ever bother with that Elmer's crap.

 

[867- 5309]

sure it can be fixed i have fixed much much worse.

#1 belt sand all soft edges at a 45 degree angle (dig deep) then belt sand all remaining swelling
#2 use straight edge like a yardstick ect to build a form to where the edges used to be aluminum furnace tape can help build your forms in extreme cases temporarily screw down wood forms
#3 i know many people will say to use wood hardener and i used to be one of them but i no longer use it. it can react primer , paint ,art and leaves the wood soft and spongy
#4 instead of wood hardener use fiberglass resin mixed with 10% acetone the wood sucks this stuff up like a sponge and when it cures it will be harder than original. let cure for 24 hours
#5 mix bondo with bondo brand fiberglass resin auto body guys call it rondo pour it into the forms you made
#6 use automotive glazing putty during the finishing sand it dries in like 5 minutes cover that whole damn cab with it its fills all the sanding scratches and sands super easy
#7 USE OIL BASED PAINT or better yet automotive paint and an hvlp. many local auto parts stores can computer match your paint and sell you a pressurized can for $10 2 cans will do the whole cab

That cab is to far gone for some hot bondo mess, the missing pieces are to big for stability and would just break off in big chunks upon impact, and doesn't have a edge to follow without guessing where it was...If your going to do that use penitrating epoxy for stability followed by 2/1, thickened some with Cabosil and mixed with chopped strand glass...It is however a better candidate for new panels. (IMO)

 

[OdinM]

I'd fix it with one of these

 

[DonPanetta]

Imo it's salvageable. You will have to do some extra extra work on that back lip and top. . I gave a absolutely bloated to hell playchoice to a friend last year and he converted it to a fix it felix cab. By the time it was done (with the exception of him painting the cab) i couldn't recognize it from its original state. Over the years he has shown me some of his secrets to fixing up some of the poorest looking cabs.

The key to stop particle board from flaking is cheap cyanoacrylate/CA glue (super glue). He buys big cheap chinese bottles of thin CA and liberally pours it on the bloated areas. He uses a coarse belt sander to begin sanding down all the bloat. Adding more CA as he goes along. CA petrifies the wood and bonds the fibers to each other.

For large areas that are missing wood and require volume or have voids he mixes up Rondo. Rondo is a mix of fiberglass resin and Bondo, creating a liquid bondo that he pours into the areas. He creates dams to keep the rondo in shape using old pieces of plexiglass that he cuts into scraps. Medium areas are filled with fiberglass filler and bondo goes on last. He even replaced a large portion of one side. He didn't go crazy perfect on it but he did do one hell of a job. Most importantly the cabinet is super sturdy.


This was going into a barcade filled with violent hipster drunks so it was pointless to go 100% perfect.

 

[ArcadeTechGW]

A track saw will be your friend. Laser sharp lines. Cut abs groove new material for the T-molding. Use a biscuit joiner and clamps, install the new edges. Then use the other stuff people suggested to cover the cracks, sand / blend / Prime / Paint, and save it.

 

[Newmex]

I'd fix it with one of these

What does shipping run on one of these? I've had my eye on one for awhile now.

 

[OdinM]

What does shipping run on one of these? I've had my eye on one for awhile now.

Not sure, I'd guess $100 or more, depending if they're fully assembled.

 

[Bee423]

I think they are fully assembled and (it's been awhile) but if I remember correctly it was $200-$300 unfortunately.

 

[redfivexw]

The arcadeshop cabinets are fully assembled, and nice quality (not 100 percent accurate but very nice). Shipping is around $300. I have bought many.

 

[Newmex]

The arcadeshop cabinets are fully assembled, and nice quality (not 100 percent accurate but very nice). Shipping is around $300. I have bought many.

Sometimes worth it when you consider tools, supplies, lack of woodworking skills, and my sanity!

 

[DonPanetta]

The arcadeshop cabinets are fully assembled, and nice quality (not 100 percent accurate but very nice). Shipping is around $300. I have bought many.

That's quite an investment considering you can still find used DK cabs starting around that price tho.