Hello, I just got a pair of “Big Century” chinese control panels wich I want to restore as a 2 player stick for a supergun project, I plan to install a pair of LS-32’s and PS-14Gs.
this thing is beaten to hell, the central part of the panel was cracked in the part that holds the acrylic, I used a mixture of preaccelerated polyester resin and a couple fiberglass layers to fix it.
Now what I want to do is to get rid of the yellowing, is there any paint I can use into plastic surfaces??? I can’t find anything locally, so I will be looking on Ebay and online stores, I need some advices about where and what to get since this is my first time restoring an arcade panel…
Thanks for your reply, do you mean car veneer paint?? I have a few cans (blue) that I used to cover some scratchs on my bike, those are good news because I can get it locally.
I’m not too sure if they’re called veneer but the brands I can think of is Duplicolor.
All credit goes to MoonChilde.
You can skip step 1.
"For painting:
Brake fluid to remove the paint.
Sand with 220 just to slightly rough it up.
Clean the case and make sure it is free of dust and oils. Use vinyl gloves for this part.
Prepare to prime it with a high filler primer such as Duplicolor. It will fill any gaps left by the 220 and allow paint adhesion.
Spray a light coat. Wait 15 minutes or so until it is dry to the touch.
Spray another light coat. Repeat until the TE is covered. Don’t keep spraying over and over making a thick coat.
Once primed, let it dry for 24 hours. You are now ready for paint.
Spray a light coat of paint. You want to fully cover but do it lightly. Wait 15 mins or until it is dry to the touch.
Continue this until you have a beautiful and even paint job. You don’t need to wet sand between paint coats.
Allow the paint for 24 to 48 hours until fully cured. The full cure time should be on the can.
Make sure the paint surface is clean. Use a tact cloth, which can be purchased at wal-mart in the auto section or from an auto store, to wipe any debrit or oils from the paints. You should be using vinyl gloves anyway.
Purchase a clear can of hard enamel clear coat from an auto store. You can use Duplicolor, their enamels are pretty good and they’re relatively easy to find.
Just like the other spraying, spray a light coat over it. Make sure you get full coverage. Let the clear coat dry.
Use soapy water and wet sand with about 600 to 800 grit. Wipe clean and let dry.
Repeat 13 - 14 for about 5 to 7 coats for a strong, durable finish.
On your final coat, use a 1000 grit sand paper and **lightly **wet sand. You should notice it looks and feels smooth, but has a matte look.
Dry the surfaces and clear it of dust.
Use the 2000 grit and lightly wet sand again. Don’t use a lot of force or you will mess up your coats. You should notice it’s a lot smoother and looks pretty clear.
With a microfiber cloth, dab a bit of McGuire’s Ultimate Compound and wipe the entire case in circular motions. This is going to finely smooth out all of the unseen scratches the 2000 grit paper made. Do this for about 5 minutes.
Wipe clean with a paper towel. Use a tact cloth to get any fuzzies off.
Use a clean part of the microfiber cloth and dab a bit of McGuire’s Ultimate Polish on it. Circular wipe the whole entire case. This removes any swirl marks left over by the compound, and gives you the mirror finish.
Wipe clean with a cotton cloth like an old t-shirt. Man, nothing beats an old t-shirt for the final wipe down.
Thanks, at first I thought about retrobrighting it, but I gave up on the idea soon as I realized that I was going to need several gallons of hyrdrogen peroxide to keep all that piece of plastic submerged, white paint is going to be easier…
I would paint it too. BTW, veneer is for wood and Home Depot should have some paint for your project. I’ve had great results with Krylon Fusion (paint for plastic). Rustoleum also make an awesome plastic paint. http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion_for_plastic/
Preferably, you can also go to an auto parts store and purchase some interior/vinyl paints from them too. Duplicolor is the most popular brand in interior plastic coatings/paints. Often referred to as vinyl dye, it’s basically paint with a higher amount of acetone than the usual spray paint, and thus sticks to plastic better. SEM also makes the same type of coating, just in more colors and more expensive. http://www.duplicolor.com/products/vinylFabricCoating/
With those products listed above, there isn’t much prep work involved and they are made to go directly on your item with no primer. I would clean and give everything the once over with a scotch brite pad before paint (help it stick even better).
Veneer on plastic is a bad idea. Home Depot won’t have good paints for plastics.
Duplicolor Vinyl Coating is no longer a dye. It’s just like Fusion pretty much, just made to stick to plastic a little better. I’d still recommend just using a primer and then clear coating your projects. Use a good, sturdy clear coat AFTER the paint has cured and it should be completely protected once the clear coat cures. It won’t come off simply because you’ve created an additional layer of plastic (either enamel or polyurethane) around the stick.
These are extremely easy to use, very tough and resilient and resistant to solvents and on top of that they’re easy to apply and will create a beautiful protective coating for the top control panel where your hands go. You can coat the sides with a usual polyurethane but the most important part is the control panel face where you get a lot of hands on, and this bar top coating will protect that shit good.
I haven’t had a lot of time on my hands but I tried your method and it worked like magic. The top panel is all colored and polished. The right TE side is finished too. The left is painted but has not been polished. The bottom is still undergoing sanding and epoxying. Overall I can see the results coming in. I should have it finished by April, or June at the latest.
