TAF - Paint
Reed Wilson
Appreciate suggestions on type of paint to use to touch up, spray vs. brush,
etc.
David Gersic
wrote:
>On my recently acquired Addams Family, the paint around the flipper is worn.
>Appreciate suggestions on type of paint to use to touch up, spray vs. brush,
If you have an airbrush and know how to use it, do so. If not, you're
probably going to be brushing it. That's ok, but practice on something
you don't care about first to get the hang of mixing the paint, and
the technique for applying it. Do the easy colours (black) first if
possible, then move on to the harder ones where you have to
colour-match.
See http://www.marvin3m.com/fix.htm and read through the "restoration"
articles there. They are for EM machines, but the idea is the same for
TAF as for Humpty Dumpty. Then hit DejaNews (http://www.dejanews.com)
for previous posts on the subject.
As for type of paint, you're going to get at least one recommendation
for the Testors enamle that you'll find sold almost everywhere from
hobby shops to Wal Mart. Personally, I can't stand working with this
stuff. I find it like trying to paint with toothpaste. It's too thick,
and hard to thin down to a useable consistancy.
What I do like is Liquitex (brand) artists acryllic paint. Acryllics
come in several consistancies, from stuff in a tube similar to an oil
paint, to a liquid in a bottle. Get the liquid. They normally dry to a
flat finish, so you'll also need a bottle of "gloss medium" to mix in
to make a gloss finish. They also sell an additive that slows the
drying and helps the paint self level to hide brush strokes; get some
of this too.
For tools, get a piece of glass or clear plastic to mix your colours
on, so you can see what they look like in relation to the playfield
you're painting. Get some good quality paint brushes (they'll be right
next to the paints, usually) suited to the area you're touching up.
For small, tight work, you want a 00 or smaller pointed brush. For
larger, flat areas, a wider tip is good. Maybe an intermediate size
pointed brush also, depending on the area(s) you're working on.
Make sure to prep the area to remove any wax or other substance. Wipe
it down with naptha (lighter fluid) before painting. Don't try to do
it all at once. Do a single colour, and let it dry before doing
adjacent colours. If you have a divot, fill it in and work up to the
same level as the surrounding surface slowly.
When you're done, seal the area, if you can, with Varthane to protect
the paint.
The repair will be visible, don't fool yourself there, but should look
pretty good.
Good luck.
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David Gersic dgersic_@_niu.edu
I'm tired of receiving crap in my mailbox, so the E-mail address has been
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