Qbert restoration - MDF hardener

Pigskin621

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Hi All,

Ive got a Qbert I am in the process of restoring and I am wondering if there is a product
I can use on the edges of the MDF wood to harden it up, almost like an epoxy that will
soak into it a bit and help harden up and strengthen the edges. What I have is a Qbert
that has some minor issues around the edge where the T molding is.

Has anyone ever done something like this? A product that I can roller around the edge
of the cab once Ive sanded it down so that it hardens up the MDF and gives it a stronger
edge, especially if I have to apply some filler on a nicked edge here and there over it.

Ken.
 
Keep in mind that the 'wood' material has spread and you'll not only be hardening the fuzz, but mainly filling the voids. The MDF lost the density on those frayed edges. I believe it can be fixed, but I'd try a combination of the Minwax or whoever makes it wood hardener that I've found at Home Depot and then a high build primer/filler. Probably some Bondo on the edges. I think that's basically like taking a irreplaceable car fender and making it show quality again, through filler, high build primer, good prep and a slick finish.

Also, might be worthwhile to fill the t-molding channel with glue and wood and recut if you have any areas where the channel is rough.
 
Joey,

Yeah, its not really bad at all. Its probably only puffed up about the thickness of a
pencil lead or a little more in certain areas. I am probably obsessing a bit on this resto as
this Qbert is going to be the one I am finally going to keep. After buying, selling, trading
and restoring so many games Ive gotten to the point where all my future restorations are
going to be the last of a particular title and ones that I am going to take completely apart
if need be and cut no corners and leave no area that needs attention untouched.

Ive used this stuff by Sherwin Williams called Pro Mar laquer undercoater before and it has
done a great job as a primer. It dries to a hard shell and it can actually be sanded down in
30 minutes. I need to buy myself another farmer brown type cheap spray gun to apply it
again. I have a few restos in line and I will probably wait until I get at least 3 cabs and
then shoot them all at once.

My real plan for future games is to get ones that are in nice enough shape that really only
need a vacuum, some T molding, a new overlay and maybe some electrical fixes. Those
are the kind of restos that I really like doing anymore. For games I am keeping, I wont
be re sidearting ones that they made so many of that you can find nice original examples
of like Asteroids, Tempest and so forth. There are other games though that I wont be able
to avoid doing a full resto on, such as a System 1 cab for Marble Madness. Luckily, I was
able to get my mint original HUO Pole Position back so that is one game I wont have to
worry about finding and restoring, considering most Pole Positions are beat to death. Some
titles are like that, ones that you know have been beat to death while others(like a lot of
vectors)are out there in nice original shape that only might need just a overlay and other
minor odds and ends.


Ken.
 
I did what you are wanting to do with an old Jungle King cabinet that I converted to Elevator Action. I used wood hardener and lots of sanding, then primed and painted the edge with oil based paint to match the sides. Turned out nearly perfect.

Before:

jungleking.jpg


After:

P1010155.jpg
 
I did what you are wanting to do with an old Jungle King cabinet that I converted to Elevator Action. I used wood hardener and lots of sanding, then primed and painted the edge with oil based paint to match the sides. Turned out nearly perfect.

That's one of the best "see how well this turned out" pics I've seen on here. Good job.

Ken, I get what you're saying about some games - some games you would almost have to do a full restore on.. like Tapper. If you can find one that's not green, with the plating still on the cupholders, then great. I doubt many can. I'll end up building a new cabinet out of plywood and using new sideart if I get around to restoring mine. My cabinet is crumbling, bottom caving upward, and sideart green, yet from 10ft away it looks like a nice cabinet. At least it's complete.
 
Ken,

I have a Q*bert in roughly the same shape as yours. What I found works best for crumbling/raised MDF or particle board is a three step process:

1. Route out the crumbed/raised area with a Dremel.

2. Minwax Wood Hardener the remaining area with three coats, going out to two inches beyond the area you routed out. let it dry for an hour between coats. It should turn a nice, glossy finish when done.

3. Spackle in a liberal helping of Bondo with a putty knife to the edge of where you applied the wood hardener. The Bondo should be almost salmon pink so that it hardens quickly and provides the hardest surface possible. Let sit for 24 hours (I know its tempting to sand it before then, but 24 hours will ensure no soft spots and reduce the chances of it being brittle in any spots.

Finally, sand it to the desired finish. I've had great success with this method on a few cabs I've done.

Also, I completely agree with you about finding cabs that need little more than a vacuum and some elbow grease. After my last two restores, a Ms. Pacman and a Galaga that were both involved in a structure fire, I'm completely burnt out (no pun intended) on stripping a cab to bare wood and building from there lol. The Galaxian I bought last week for $100 was nearly perfect save for a few nicks in the vinyl, a bit of worn paint and some nicotine staining. I've decided to leave it the hell alone and let my OCD just deal with it :p

Anyways, good luck on the Q*bert! Can't wait to see some pics so I can get a happy-on thinking of how mine will look when I finally get to it!

Rob
 
I did what you are wanting to do with an old Jungle King cabinet that I converted to Elevator Action. I used wood hardener and lots of sanding, then primed and painted the edge with oil based paint to match the sides. Turned out nearly perfect.

I just picked up an empty Zookeeper cab in rough shape I'm planning to make into an EA to house a multi-Taito pcb. Is there a resto thread for your EA project? Which hardener? I know gamestencils.com has the taito stencils - what paint codes did you use for EA?
 
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