Preserving "patina" in a Hurricane Harvey Surviving Ms Pac

whoamonga

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TLDR:
any recommendations on clear coating the paint to preserve this cab's character and story?


FULL STORY:
I recovered this Ms Pac from a roadside trash heap in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Anyone in coastal Texas will remember the mounds and mounds of ruined elements of life... the owner was cool with it, so I started the work of giving this gal a second life.

The bottom has been replaced and separated pieces of ply glued back together. Fuses, psu, all that jazz...

But the paint on the side is beginning to flake away and that makes me terribly sad. So I'm trying to hunt down an effective way to clear coat all the blue areas in such a way as to seal and preserve this cab's story. I don't care that it's faded and chipped. I love it and want to keep it just as it is. Well, I might replace the t-molding... wonder how pink would look...

Anyway, has anyone had success with clear coating original artwork and care to share your findings with me? I think matte might look best, but wonder how that would hold up over time.

Thanks in advance!
 

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Rust-Oleum does have a turbo cans in clear now, if you're on a budget you could always try that. If you'd like to splurge a little more you can get a clear and spray it through an HLPV gun.

If I could give my honest opinion here, I would leave things exactly how they are. There doesn't seem to be much flaking on this cabinet at all (at least from what I can see). I'd just leave it alone if it was mine.
 
That must mean it's a Gen 1 cab. Gen 2 would have turned to salad topping.

When you bring her back, you need a photo of the hurricane damage next to her.
 
Well, I kicked it around a bit and wanted to give it a shot.

I gently sprayed every side with warm soapy water, then gently sponged areas with no flaking paint to clean them as good as possible. Then used a mist spray setting from a hose to rinse it before letting it rest in the sun for several hours.

This matte clear coat did a good job I think. It didn't change the side art really, not much of a shine at all! But it has hardened the sides a bit so that the cracked paint is more held in place. I really like how it turned out.
 

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I've got a pacman OG speckled cab that went through the ringer. It spent a couple winters in a covered open porch in Idaho before I rescued it.

My cab is a combo of plywood sides and particle board center panels. it's loose and racks side to side. Shored up tight in a row, he dont wobble much for now though. I intend on replacing the particle board pieces and tightening the cab up, but will keep the original sides.

In addition to the worn paint from hands resting on the edge above the CP(your girl has the same) the weather did a pretty fair job of checking and crazing the paint, which is flaking off "all over"

Like you've done, it's always been my plan(eventually) to give the cab a light brushing to knock off the loose stuff, and then seal it up with a satin clear, much like you've done.

A few things of note about mine... Although the sides, bezel, marquee and CP are Pacman, the kick panel art is Jr pacman. I looked at that cab for months before I figured out why it looked "off" to me... and it also had the Ms. Pacman daughter card installed... you could say my guy has an identity crisis, or multiple personality issues.

I too love the story the patina tells. I'll never know the full story about the mismatches on my cabinet... but, when I went to pick it up, I had the 350$ in my pocket the guy had listed on craiglist... but when I was getting my fridge dolly out of the truck, he came out and said, "I really just need it out of here... if you want it, just take it"... so just like that I adopted my orphan problem child and gave him a good home.

Your girl looks pretty good to me. I think you made a good choice preserving her history!

It's been fun to reminisce about mine coming home... Thanks!

Dylan
 
Wouldn't having the cabinet in a climate-controlled room without getting hit with direct sunlight, pretty much preserve it, without the need for clearcoat or whatever?
 
Wouldn't having the cabinet in a climate-controlled room without getting hit with direct sunlight, pretty much preserve it, without the need for clearcoat or whatever?
That would certainly protect it from UV elements!

A good portion of the side art has cracked and chipped, and I'm also trying to prevent any more of that paint from flaking off. So after the gentle wash and rinse, I sealed it behind multiple layers of the satin clear coat which has kind of glued the paint elements together. I want to prevent as much of this cabinet's character from falling away next time I need to move it, or a frustrated player bangs the side or something. The fragile nature of the art was bothering me, and this has helped lock it in.
 
I've got a pacman OG speckled cab that went through the ringer. It spent a couple winters in a covered open porch in Idaho before I rescued it.

My cab is a combo of plywood sides and particle board center panels. it's loose and racks side to side. Shored up tight in a row, he dont wobble much for now though. I intend on replacing the particle board pieces and tightening the cab up, but will keep the original sides.

In addition to the worn paint from hands resting on the edge above the CP(your girl has the same) the weather did a pretty fair job of checking and crazing the paint, which is flaking off "all over"

Like you've done, it's always been my plan(eventually) to give the cab a light brushing to knock off the loose stuff, and then seal it up with a satin clear, much like you've done.

A few things of note about mine... Although the sides, bezel, marquee and CP are Pacman, the kick panel art is Jr pacman. I looked at that cab for months before I figured out why it looked "off" to me... and it also had the Ms. Pacman daughter card installed... you could say my guy has an identity crisis, or multiple personality issues.

I too love the story the patina tells. I'll never know the full story about the mismatches on my cabinet... but, when I went to pick it up, I had the 350$ in my pocket the guy had listed on craiglist... but when I was getting my fridge dolly out of the truck, he came out and said, "I really just need it out of here... if you want it, just take it"... so just like that I adopted my orphan problem child and gave him a good home.

Your girl looks pretty good to me. I think you made a good choice preserving her history!

It's been fun to reminisce about mine coming home... Thanks!

Dylan
Thanks for this! Quite the feeling of comradery. Good luck with yours!
 
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