Dragon's Lair Fans - Arcade Lifestyle
General Chat => Technical Area => Topic started by: DarthNuno on July 16, 2023, 06:06:39 PM
-
Can this Zaccaria control panel plexi overlay be saved? :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/scramble/zaccaria_control_panel_1.jpg)
I think (hope) I could remove few of these surface scratches on the top of the plexi with the help of magic sponges... but my main concern are the 'bended' areas :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/scramble/zaccaria_control_panel_2.jpg)
I don't know what happened to that control panel! how the hell these deformations of the plastic were made? Fire or something!? :shock: :shock: :shock:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/scramble/zaccaria_control_panel_3.jpg)
Did you already tried to fix such damages?
-
Folks leaving their cigarettes resting there while they played back in the day :)
A heat gun on low can be used to soften the plastic and then use a weight to flatten it whilst it cools.
The burn damage, I 've only cleaned mine and not attempted anything more than that. Eventually I may go with a repro, but I'm OK leaving it as battle damage from a life well lived :)
Paul.
-
Folks leaving their cigarettes resting there while they played back in the day :)
yeah it explains the damaged spots/yellow marks, but I don't thing cigarets can lead to a such damage on a so big area? :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/scramble/zaccaria_control_panel_4.jpg)
A heat gun on low can be used to soften the plastic and then use a weight to flatten it whilst it cools.
Yeah, I had that in mind too, but I only have an hair dryer ::) Will it be hot enough? I'll give a try anyway 8)
The burn damage, I 've only cleaned mine and not attempted anything more than that. Eventually I may go with a repro, but I'm OK leaving it as battle damage from a life well lived :
Totally agree! I've seen repro but I would prefer the orignal one even with battle damage. As I said, I guess I could reduce visual 'yellow' damages, but that is the bended plexi areas that annoying the most :-\
-
There were a lot of cigarettes rested in various places over several years :)
Never tried a hair dryer so I don't know if that's hot enough. On low, my heat gun is still a lot hotter than a hair dryer though.
Paul.
-
Just use a heat gun, and fix the CPO with glas or metal plates to get real flat.
With sanding and polishing afterwards it will look nice (and original).
-
OK so I'm going to test it with an hair dryer as I do not have an heat gun.
I wedge my plate between 2 pieces of flat wood :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/scramble/zaccaria_plexi_1.jpg)
I climb on it to give weight :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/scramble/zaccaria_plexi_2.jpg)
But an hair dryer, as I imagined it, is not hot enough :-[
Well, all I have here is a portable convector radiator :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/scramble/zaccaria_plexi_3.jpg)
Impossible to remain myself on my knees in front of the radiator. So I use clamps :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/scramble/zaccaria_plexi_4.jpg)
2 sessions of 20 minutes and here is the result :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/scramble/zaccaria_plexi_5.jpg)
Hey, it's not too bad :-* :-* :-*
But I've done a mistake, I tightened the clamps too tightly on one of the two sides of the plexi when it wasn't hot enough. This caused a crack! :evil: :arrow:
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/scramble/zaccaria_plexi_6.jpg)
Whatever, I still plan to use it on my panel. This gives a little bit more history... ;D
(https://www.dragonslairfans.com/scramble/zaccaria_plexi_7.jpg)
Next step, try to remove a little bit of these cigarets burns . I presume sandpaper will do the job (600 or higher grain) ?
-
It takes time to heat through, more time than you would think, until it becomes soft to the touch, basically like a rubber sheet. I usually use my fingers to press on it to get to approximately flat and then load it up with books to full flat. Doesn't need a lot of pressure when it's soft.