restoring cabinet artwork

therealmogwai

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I love my smash tv machine but i have a problem. the black on the side art isnt perfect. The dude standing on the tv is fine and dandy but the rest of the machine needs some bondo and a coat of paint. My question is gents...how the @!$% is it done? I've looked through a bunch of restoration threads and most people buy stencils, which isnt a option, or buy reproduction art. anyone?
 
I love my smash tv machine but i have a problem. the black on the side art isnt perfect. The dude standing on the tv is fine and dandy but the rest of the machine needs some bondo and a coat of paint. My question is gents...how the @!$% is it done? I've looked through a bunch of restoration threads and most people buy stencils, which isnt a option, or buy reproduction art. anyone?

If you are okay with the side art but the rest of the cab needs fixing, you could always carefully mask off the side art as is, sand, bondo, and paint black the rest of the cab. Been done many times before in Restro threads.
 
If you are okay with the side art but the rest of the cab needs fixing, you could always carefully mask off the side art as is, sand, bondo, and paint black the rest of the cab. Been done many times before in Restro threads.

+1 on this suggestion.
Bondo is extremely easy to use as long as you work quickly. Just don't go crazy with a belt sander or anything. If you have a random orbital sander, those seem to work best. Sand the bondo and rough areas with 60 grit, follow that up with 220, apply your primer, smooth that with 330 grit, then apply your black sanding between coats with 330 or 400 grit if necessary. Would be easy enough to mask the side art as Malice suggested and work on the rough spots without affecting the art. Should be an easy project.
 
If you are okay with the side art but the rest of the cab needs fixing, you could always carefully mask off the side art as is, sand, bondo, and paint black the rest of the cab. Been done many times before in Restro threads.

Broodwich Approved!
 
If you are okay with the side art but the rest of the cab needs fixing, you could always carefully mask off the side art as is, sand, bondo, and paint black the rest of the cab. Been done many times before in Restro threads.

Yep, I've used that method on a few cabs and they've always turned out pretty nice:

P8280681.jpg

PB010013.jpg

popeyecabinet002.jpg
 
i understand taping it up...but i don't get is how do you get the texture on the cabinet? The front of my smashtv seems to have a texture to it whereas the rest of the black, sideart, does not. Also...how do you get the black to colour match existing black found on the machine? Won't it be evident that everything around the sideart has been repainted? Ill post some pics so you guys can see what i mean. even though its a common machine smashtv is my baby and i don't wanna screw it up.
 
There have to be decal edges somewhere. You mask, then paint around the side art edges first, and deal with touching up within the side art borders later, if it really needs it. On the 3 cabs I did, I left the side art imperfections alone, as they didn't look so bad after the entire cab around the art was fixed. If your cab is covered in pica vinyl, then the side art is placed over that, then your only option to 'get it right' is to strip the entire cab, wrap it in new pica vinyl, then have someone scan, vectorize and screenprint you some new side art. About $3500-5000 later (depending on how large of a run they make you pay for) you'll have a mint Smash TV. If you have someone like GameonGraphix print you the side art as laminated inkjet, then you'll only be into it for about $300-$400, as the pica vinyl alone will run you $100+. Or, you can do what I did and mask the side art edges, spray the old black vinyl with black Rustoleum Fusion for vinyl paint, pull the mask, use a razor blade to trim down the paint edge, then use a small brush and a glossier black paint to touch up the black of the side art, all for about $10.
 
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