Restoration Disappointment?

Finishing up a restore, some final buttoning up to do. It came out alright, not as striking as I hoped it would be but it's ok.

That being said, has anyone ever had restoration disappointment? If so what game and why?
Got any pics?

Like most have said, I've never been 100% happy with any that I have done either. I actually lean towards "semi-restores" and seem to be more happy with those. I think maybe because I already knew I wasn't going to try to correct every little thing and seem to be OK with those way more often.
 
Got any pics?

Like most have said, I've never been 100% happy with any that I have done either. I actually lean towards "semi-restores" and seem to be more happy with those. I think maybe because I already knew I wasn't going to try to correct every little thing and seem to be OK with those way more often.
It's actually not that "bad." It's just when I did my Alien Syndrome that cab came out so perfect. This one has some stuff here and there that you can see when you look up close.

This cab was a real challenge too cause it took on moisture at one point, so working with the wood was a bit more challenging than the Alien Syndrome, which never saw moisture.
 

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It's actually not that "bad." It's just when I did my Alien Syndrome that cab came out so perfect. This one has some stuff here and there that you can see when you look up close.

This cab was a real challenge too cause it took on moisture at one point, so working with the wood was a bit more challenging than the Alien Syndrome, which never saw moisture.
That looks great! You are probably the only one that will notice the "issues."
 
This reminds me...

I really wish there was a good method for repairing/patching/concealing existing wood grain.

For me, this is a skill issue (which is often the case when I'm attempting cosmetic repair work).
 
I fully admit to having severe restoration skill issues.

I'm better at boards than I am at fixing wood and paint.
I've vowed to never restore another game that takes a full paint job. If I can't laminate it, I'm not restoring it. I'll just leave it for the next person. I HATE the prep and all the steps needed for proper painting. Come to think of it, I hate the painting part too.
 
I don't mind the painting, I've just never tried laminating! Or applying full Sideart...

My Major Havoc awaits the day I'm brave enough to apply the Art kit I got from TOG.
 
I have 2 sets of sideart and 1 set of template (Gyruss). I don't want to screw any of them up.
 
I don't mind the painting, I've just never tried laminating! Or applying full Sideart...

My Major Havoc awaits the day I'm brave enough to apply the Art kit I got from TOG.
Laminating is very easy. You can do a whole cabinet in the time it takes to do one coat of primer and one grit of sandpaper.
 
Yeah, I tried fixing some cheap woodgrain vinyl that I bought once with sharpies after it shrank away from the edges. Needless to say, it didn't work very well and ended up tearing it all off and installing laminate instead.

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Well? You used a red sharpie to substiture for brown! What did you expect? :ROFLMAO:

Seriously though. Sharpie inks other than black are made of mixed pigments than fade at different rates. Even if that was brown to start with, the green probably faded out leaving a strong red component. And black fades too. But it fades to it's own tint (gray) and it fades slowly.

As I've said on here many times...the only way to patch wood grain is with crayons. Seriously. It works for all types of natural real wood. (particle board is not natural wood. Better to just burn that!)

For vinyl edges like that it's really tough. Because you probably have particle board under there. At the very best it's plywood of a different species than the simulated vinyl. I would think you'd need to seal it (sanding sealer, epoxy, wood hardener, super glue, whatever) and then sand it for texture. Then....crayons. But I've never tried it. It probably would look like ass.

You might be better off trying to do black...to match the T-molding rather than trying to match some craptastic "brown" vinyl.
 
Years ago, I was wanting a nice cocktail to use with the Arcadeshop jamma board. When building the cabinet, the side with the coin door was upside down. It is not that big of a deal but the coin door is not at the height it should have been at.

In the past, I did a couple cabinets but used the regular formica and it was a little thicker than I liked. I later heard people talk about vertical grade but still have not used it before. That being said, where is everyone getting their formica for laminating these days?
 
I don't mind the painting, I've just never tried laminating! Or applying full Sideart...

My Major Havoc awaits the day I'm brave enough to apply the Art kit I got from TOG.

I'd prefer laminating or applying full sideart over painting any day... mostly because laminating & side art installation only takes a few hours tops... while repainting a cabinet takes a few hours per day for multiple days...
 
@DLP put me on to John Alvelo at Top Cabinet Hardware https://www.topcabinethardware.com/ -- might be best to give him a call to discuss what you're looking for (he's very friendly & helpful) 888-509-6883

Yes... John is awesome and very helpful!!!

He's just a one-man shop, so if anyone calls the number on his website, (888.509.6883) he will answer.
 
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