Question for Tempest Restorers (side art)

SteveJ

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Hi Guys --

How do you prep a Tempest cabinet for new side art? Do you peel the existing art away, sand it down, or what?

Please let me know how you did it.

Thank You!
 
I've never applied new side art to Tempest but I would imagine that any of the artwork thats behind new vinyl will probably show through if the new artwork isnt the exact size or put on in the exact position. Sanding that stuff off of the side of Atari cabs is a PITA but its probably the only way to make it look right.

You would probably have to prime the bare wood so that the new sideart can stick to it better too. Assuming of course that your installing a decal.
 
Sand smooth.

Shoot coat of Poly

Sand Smooth

Shoot coat of poly

Sand Smooth

Shoot coat of poly

Yep 3 coats
SNC13447.JPG


SNC13449.JPG
 
I've done it twice. While I see the merit in sealing the wood, I chose not to. Both cabinets turned out fantastic and show no signs of artwork lifting.
Here's how I did it:

Remove old art. How you do this varies with the 'luck of the draw'. I've done a couple side art replacements, and with one cabinet the original art just peeled right off. The other one I used a heat gun to help pull it off.
Sand any remaining adhesive residue. 220 grit on an orbital sander worked for me.
project26.jpg


Chip away any loose wood, then use tape around any edges that are damaged and apply Bondo. Sand to the correct shape.
project29.jpg


I then sanded the cabinets one last time with 220 grit on an orbital sander. Use tack cloths to get every bit of dust of the side of the cabinet you're working on so it won't get stuck between the cabinet and artwork.
I then layed out paint cans to hold the art down and spent quite a while measureing to get the art lined up.
project30.jpg


To stick the art down I removed the paint cans from the bottom half of the art. Then I carefully removed about 2 feet of backing from the art, and stuck it down using a plastic bondo spreader (a credit card will also work).

Now that the bottom is stuck down and lined up, take off all the paint cans and roll up the art to the bottom. Now slowly unroll (a helper is needed) a couple feet of art at a time, and carefully stick it down as you go.
I found it helpfull to cut off sections of the backing material as I went so you don't have to unroll the art and roll up the backing at the same time.
project31.jpg


I then removed the protective top sheet and made sure the art was firmly stuck down all over, and there were no air bubbles. Small bubbles may be removed by poking the center of the bubble with a pin. I let the art sit for a few hours just in case it needed to expand/contract a bit after being applied, probably not necessary but it also allowed me to relax after the stress of applying the art.
project32.jpg


Trim the art with a sharp new blade of your choosing, apply T-molding and admire your work!
 
Final results:
project33.jpg


Final thoughts:
You really do need a helper with this 'dry method' of applying the art. I just can't see one person being able to hold the roll of art while removing the backing layer and applying the art. I tried on the first cabinet I did, but after just a couple minutes I realized that if I kept doing it by myself I'd mess it up for sure.

If you seal the wood, you could then use the 'wet method' of applying the art and maybe get away with doing it yourself. I thought about that, but didn't think it would be any easier in the end.

As you unroll and apply the art, try to focus on not pulling it any harder than you need too. You don't want to stretch the art out of shape while you're going.
 
Final results:
project33.jpg


Final thoughts:
You really do need a helper with this 'dry method' of applying the art. I just can't see one person being able to hold the roll of art while removing the backing layer and applying the art. I tried on the first cabinet I did, but after just a couple minutes I realized that if I kept doing it by myself I'd mess it up for sure.

If you seal the wood, you could then use the 'wet method' of applying the art and maybe get away with doing it yourself. I thought about that, but didn't think it would be any easier in the end.

As you unroll and apply the art, try to focus on not pulling it any harder than you need too. You don't want to stretch the art out of shape while you're going.

I did a Centipede cabinet by myself. You're right, it's hard to do alone.

Sealed or whatever, I would NOT use a wet method on a particle board cabinet. Bad idea. I'd only try that on a painted surface or melamine. It's not necessary to wet it, if you do it properly.

About stretching the art. That's a great point. This goes for vinyl stencils also.. anywhere you pull unevenly can potentially stretch the vinyl. This will often result in places that won't stick down well or wrinkles.
 
One thing about cutting the edges - be very careful to not cut so close you take away the sharp edge of the cabinet with your knife. You'll be disappointed that you did such a killer job on the sides and ended up with an ugly gap by the tmolding.
 
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