Removing Paint and Preserving Original Artwork

norCal4Life

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Hey, sure this has been covered before, but what is the best way to remove many layers or spray paint while retaining the original side art underneath? I've got a Liberator cab that was sprayed black and converted to a Double Dribble at some point. I'd like to restore it to a Liberator and would like to preserver the original side art if possible. Thanks all.
 
Many of the best threads on the topic are not easy to find, even if you know they exist, depending on the keywords you search for.

There have been some good ones recently where magic eraser and 91% isopropyl alcohol have worked well (maybe search post bodies for those words). Here's one:

https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=413878


+1 for saving a Liberator cab. That's one you don't want to scrap the art on, for sure. Only 400 made. I'd love to find a cab.


Also, see this thread, and my comments in post #7:

https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=415418
 
Ya I did search, I only found three threads and they were all about stripping down to the bare wood. Thanks for the advice I am going to take my time and try to be gentle with it. I already located a PCB and ordered a repro marquee and CPO from This Old Game. I really hope it comes together well. I think Escape Pod has the repro side art, but I'd rather not go that route.
 
I have found the method of a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and isopropyl alcohol (the higher percentage the better.. I use 90%). It works best on latex paint. My Centipede cabinet side art was covered with an enamel paint since '86 and the magic eraser worked ok but took forever. (You can see in pictures 2 and 3 the top left is where I tried the magic eraser and alcohol but gave up) I end up using a wooden ruler to remove it. [emoji23] it definitely takes time and patience.
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A gasoline engine run power washer and 40 grit sandpaper. An axe works well too. Ha. Joking aside....timberbitcnc and andrewb hit the nail on the head. Go with that :)
 
Definitely the 91% isopropyl & magic erasers for a start. Get a couple of rolls of shop towels and some Simple Green. Make a diluted spray bottle of the SG, but keep the full strength on hand too.

Soak the eraser, start in a spot that may not be so visible, e.g., bottom of side, toward rear corner, and work slowly in small circles and see if the paint starts coming off. Be careful not to go too hard or spread the solution over too large an area in case it burns through the ink on the original art. Wipe away some of the paint with a towel and see if you get a sense of the stability of the OG art with this process. You might want to spray a little of the diluted SG on that area and do another wipe, then gauge the results. Play around to find out what works best, go slow and be patient.

One thing that I found helpful was, while wearing a latex glove, pour some isopropyl on the area to be "erased" and rub it around to spread it out a bit to let it start to loosen the paint bond. Then start in the with eraser. Sometimes I found the initial paint bond would be loosened enough to wipe a good amount of it up, making for a much easier time with the erasers & iso.

Experiment and see what works best but if it looks like the underlying ink is getting affected, back off (obviously!).

I did this with my Defender and it went great, but Williams did a great job with their stencils and that paint is freaking durable! I got lucky with whatever paint was used on it too because it was a light coat and came up easily. I also tried this method on a Deco cab and sadly, the underlying ink was so easily compromised there was no way to save it, though the paint was much, much thicker than on the Defender and it took a shitload of elbow grease to even get to the color.

Good luck...

Also, do some searches for isopropyl, magic erasers, and paint and you should find plenty of info. Hit youtube as well of course.
 
Wow that looks like a lot of work haha. Seriously though, who would cover the side art on a Centipede? One of my favorites!

I have found the method of a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and isopropyl alcohol (the higher percentage the better.. I use 90%). It works best on latex paint. My Centipede cabinet side art was covered with an enamel paint since '86 and the magic eraser worked ok but took forever. (You can see in pictures 2 and 3 the top left is where I tried the magic eraser and alcohol but gave up) I end up using a wooden ruler to remove it. [emoji23] it definitely takes time and patience.
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Wow that looks like a lot of work haha. Seriously though, who would cover the side art on a Centipede? One of my favorites!



Took about and hour to an hour and a half per side. The guy I bought it from said it was painted just before he bought it in '86 (didn't know why either) and moved it from place to place since. When I went to pick it up I told him it was a shame the first owner painted over it and he agreed. I got it back to the shop and started to scratch off the paint and was so happy the original artwork was underneath. The condition of the side art was pretty good besides the minor spots where the wood showed through. I guess it was perfectly preserved under that paint. Win for me!

-Jordon
 
I wanted to add to the 91% isopropyl alcohol.

It is the only thing I found that would safely remove 30 year old spray paint from a DK bezel.
 

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Thanks all, I am going to go 91% alcohol and just take my time. I probably won't have all the parts to completely restore it for awhile anyway. I will document my progress.
 
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