Replacing Front Decal, Advice Welcome

[paul_8788]

Hello!

When I got my ST:TNG a year ago I knew the front decal around the gun was damaged, so I also got a replacement decal (official repro). I have put off using it because:

a) The damage is really only noticeable to anal retentive folks like myself.
b) I suck (cannot emphasize how much) at any sort of repair job that requires me to cut straight lines, paint things neatly, etc. They never see to turn out how I would like.
c) I have no real "workshop" space, it will have to be done in my general pin playing area.

Because it is just the front decal though, I figure I would try to give it a shot this winter. My plan of attack:
1) Pull pin out into an open area. Jack it up, remove front legs, coin door, gun, buttons, etc.
2) With a very sharp blade, cut down the sides of the front decal, near the edge. My understanding is that Williams screen printed onto a black vinyl, so I should be able to slice through this, peel off and be at the wood. My big convern here of course will be to not interfere with/damage the sides as a full re-decal job would cost more, and be much more stressful for me.
3) Sand the front until smooth, repair any defects, basically get the surface as nice as possible.
4) Put the machine front side up, apply and trim the decal.

If anyone has attempted this before and has any helpful hints, things to watch for, thinks I am crazy, whatever, feedback is welcome!

 

[Luckydogg420]

While the machine is on end, place a dozen small dowels across the game place the decal on the dowels to get alignment. Then start pulling out the center dowels first, pressing down the decal as you go. Work from center to edge to minimize the chance of bubbles.

You could also use a spray bottle of soapy water, like car window tint, then you have a bit of time to move things around before it dries in place

 

[DRANO]

Hey Paul! Welcome to PREV!!!

Hmmmm, where to start.
Obviously this is not the ideal method of doing this. However, if you are dead set on only doing the front, here are a few things to consider.
Not sure you'll want to do this in the middle of your gameroom, but...

Decals need to be applied to a super smooth surface. no woodgrain, no scratches or divots etc...
So, sanding is the way to go. Any "peeling" up of exisitng art will only result in lifiting the grain of the wood underneath and you'll have a horrible surface for your decal. You can also try a heat gun and sharp putty knife. The heat approach will be harder to control around the edges where you want to ptotect the sides. Sanding with a disc or palm sander is best I think. Keep it flat to the surface and work from 100 grit down to about 400. Tape up the side edges first before you start. Green painters tape will work best.
Sealing the wood after sanding and repair is critical. I would carefully apply some varathane to the bare wood. Let it dry... the woodgrain will lift. Then sand lightly with 600-800 grit and repeat another application and another light sanding until you no longer feel any woodgrain.

Once you are happy with the surface, you'll need to spray a little black paint along the corners, button holes etc... Make sure you've masked everything off very well.

Now you can apply the decal. I like to flip it over and peel back half the backing paper (get some help). Then trim off half the backing paper with a super sharp blade and reapply it more or less where is was. Flip it back over and align it on the game. If the decal has art that goes around the buttonholes, this is the most critical part to line up. Once you are happy, have a friend weigh it down on one side as you lift up the other half and slowly peel away the backer from where you sliced it at the half-way point. As you are peeling and slowly laying down the decal, use a felt squeegie to go back and forth over the decal to eliminate air bubbles as you go. Some people like to do a wet application here; spraying windex on the underside and top of the decal to assist with pushing bubbles out and getting it smooth. Once half is down, just repeat for the other side, working your way out to the edge. Be careful not to press hard where the coin door hole is. This could stretch out the entire decal.

You'll want a super sharp blade/razor to trim. Roughly cut away big stuff off right away so it's easier to work. Then, for the corners, you want to use a straight edge to trim back the decal about 1/16" from the corner. You should leave a very fine edge of the wood exposed (which is why we painted it black in the last step).
The bottom of the cabinet has a beveled edge. If you've done your prep well and the edge is nice and even with no chunks missing, you should be able to take a fresh blade from a box-cutter, hold it as a 45 degree to the bottom edge and trim the decal nicely, using the cabinet as your guide. The button holes are best done with a small Xacto blade. Do it in a clean pass to avoid jagged edges. The coin door hole and top are not overly critical; they will be hidden.

Un-mask the rest of the cabinet and you should be all set. If you used the wet method, allow 48 hours for the decals to cure properly before handling.

Do not use pincab protectors behind your legs. They will pull and bunch the decal. I prefer the metal ones that PBL sells. They look like the ones that Stern now uses on all their games. You can also use felt backers if you like. Don't overtighten things like the coin door and shooter housings for the same reason.

It's a lot of work, so just go slow and ask questions if you're nervous.
Bad prep and a bad application will look worse than what you have now.

good luck

 

[mwong168]

Nice long post Drano. Here is some more reading the OP can do in regards to redoing a cab with decals. Bryan Kelly started to document an IJ he is currently restoring and a good read to follow and get caught up to page 10 because he shows you what he does and tools/products used. The first 2-3 pages is just prepping the cab before applying the new decals.

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ ... on-started

Good luck!

 

[DRANO]

Yup, about half-way down the page Bryan goes into some pretty good detail on what happens when you do improper cabinet prep as he is reapiring someone else's bothced decal job.

I didn't read down the whole way, but pros like Bryan would normally prime the cabinet. But, if doing this at home, I recommedn the varathane applied with a foam bruch method. No praying required and less toxic.

 

[paul_8788]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I have been reading that IJ thread as well, its good stuff and what inspired me to get this done finally. Once winter sets in I will see how brave I am feeling. I should be okay with the prep part. It is the application part that is giving me heartburn.

 

[DRANO]

I should be okay with the prep part. It is the application part that is giving me heartburn.

Oh man, prep is 95% of the job.
Application is cake! You'll be fine.