To Stencil or to Decal . . .

Hammerheadx

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 22, 2011
Messages
1,103
Reaction score
182
Location
Melbourne, Ontario
. . . that is the question.

I know it's the "right way", but Is stencilling really the way to go, or is a vinyl cabinet decal just as good?

Thoughts?
 
I should also add, if I see light reflecting off of a decal where it is supposed to be stenciled paint, it looks off to me, but I'm a purist. So you do what looks good to you. It's similar to wear and tear or patina. If I see a Tron that's not immaculate, it looks wrong to me. If I see a Ms. Pac-Man that isn't worn down, it looks wrong to me.
 
. . . that is the question.

I know it's the "right way", but Is stencilling really the way to go, or is a vinyl cabinet decal just as good?

Thoughts?
I would say if it was originally done that way, stenciling the way to go. What game are you talking about? As mentioned if it's Ms Pac, they did it both ways. But I would never use vinyl stickers on a Pacman unless I absolutely had no other choice. Always stencil (if you can find them).

IMG_9088.jpeg
 
It depends on the manufacturer.

Williams - Stencil.
Atari - Non-stencil.
Stern - Stencil mostly for the 1980's games.
Pinball machines - stencils mostly for the early games. Not sure now.

Look at what was there, match it.

All my Williams games (all 2 of them) were stenciled.

All my Atari games (all 4 of them) were screened artwork.

Tail Gunner 2 (Exidy II) was screened artwork.
 
I stencilled my pac man and make trax, they turned out mostly okay, had some alignment issues and I'm not happy with the edges left by the stencil itself
 
If you want to do it right - follow, if possible, what the original manufacturer did.
If you are lazy and want to devalue your machine - don't do what the original manufacturer did.
If you have no skills - leave the patina as is and play the game.

YMMV
 
I stencilled my pac man and make trax, they turned out mostly okay, had some alignment issues and I'm not happy with the edges left by the stencil itself
Yeah, you can't be too OCD when it comes to stencils. I've had misalignment issues and a couple of edge lift problems as well. But as long as you learn from the mistakes, eventually, you'll get good at it. Not sure how many times you plan on doing it, I've probably done in excess of 15 stencil jobs. Eventually, you'll learn when to pull the stencils, how much sanding to do between layers, etc.
 
If you want to do it right - follow, if possible, what the original manufacturer did.
If you are lazy and want to devalue your machine - don't do what the original manufacturer did.
If you have no skills - leave the patina as is and play the game.

YMMV
1715101452856.gif
 
I assume you mean for games that were originally stenciled?

Stencil if at all possible. Though I had so much trouble with my Joust and wasn't real happy with the end result, and at one point I actually thought I would have been happier if I had just used a good decal instead (assume good decals are out there).

I swore off stenciling after that, but I might try it again after I retire or something and have nothing but time.
 
I'll also add that stencils would be SO MUCH easier and the result better and closer to original if we actually used rigid wood or metal stencils instead of the stupid stick on/peel off stuff that most of us use.
 
A third option is paint by number.

If you can still see the original cabinet paint, you can do a light sanding and then just get color matched paint and paint right over top of the art to restore the colors. Painters tape can help a lot to define the edges where needed.

I did this on a Robotron and a Pacman with what I felt were strong results and a very low cost (other than my time) solution, see samples:

Robotron: https://forums.arcade-museum.com/threads/barn-find-robotron-restoration.443753/#post-3933016

Pacman: https://forums.arcade-museum.com/threads/pacman-restoration-bringing-pac-back.338826/
 
A third option is paint by number.

If you can still see the original cabinet paint, you can do a light sanding and then just get color matched paint and paint right over top of the art to restore the colors. Painters tape can help a lot to define the edges where needed.

I did this on a Robotron and a Pacman with what I felt were strong results and a very low cost (other than my time) solution, see samples:

Robotron: https://forums.arcade-museum.com/threads/barn-find-robotron-restoration.443753/#post-3933016

Pacman: https://forums.arcade-museum.com/threads/pacman-restoration-bringing-pac-back.338826/
That does look very good, but every one of these I've seen in person looked worse than just leaving it original IMO. Maybe I'd feel differently if I saw yours in person… but if so I'll say you're the exception and not the rule.
 
Stencil is the way too go if the game originally had it, I've seen some games that were stenciled and they used the decals instead it just looked cheap, there are a few variations on decals from the sellers too so becareful who you get them from, some the colors are way off, sometimes too dark, good luck!
 
Back
Top Bottom