Journey Arcade Restore Part #14 - Sanding and Bondoing an Arcade Cabinet for painting

[@Cesar-sp3nx]

John, your restoration videos are literally the best out there as far as I'm concerned. Primarily because you leave in the "screw ups" and mistakes that a lot of people edit out. It massively helps us learn as a result too by seeing what happens when a mistake is made and how to recover. You're the best, man. Thank you for these. They really are the best around.

[@Technogeek-rc6us]

This is in reference to time mark 55:00. Never start your router with the bit engaged with the work piece, otherwise you'll invariably get kickback. You should start the bit away from the work piece, and when it comes up to speed, bring it to the work piece. By the way, you're correct about the orientation: it is much safer to have the piece oriented such that the router is upright to make the cut. When you use gravity to help you stabilize your tool, you'll always have more control, which is in turn safer.

[@shafeq786786]

8 years later, am watching it again....happy days ❤️

[@mhks68]

Same

[@gozinta82]

This cabinet is looking better and better every episode! I'm learning so much from your mistakes, keep up the hard work!

[@loubilly]

Can't believe how much work is involved in returning this machine to its former glory. Your attention to details is AMA's

[@FlannelGuy_1978]

These restore videos are the best! I know you hate Bondo and cabinet work, but your helping people figure this stuff out! Thanks

[@Johnsarcade]

Thanks!

[@eddieortega101]

Hey John! I've watched over the years and you're definitely getting better at applying bondo. Sure you use a lot of Bondo but you can't complain with the results. Great job man!

[@kevlarunderwear22]

your videos are entertaining because you just say whatevers on your mind, while being informative at the same time. also playing music during the fast forward segments is clever and fun. and your passion for this hobby shines through. keep it up john

[@AdamDIY]

24:20 Hey John to loosen rusted bolts you can heat it with a torch. I would use a small torch. Something with a good blue flame coming out the tip.

[@jupreindeer]

When watching this, I was reminded of a safety tip from all the way back in jr. high school during wood working class. And, that was to never have long, loose things about your body while working with high speed devices that have revolutions. Like long hair, long sleeve shirts..._long, hanging microphone cords_. :P I never even knew that Kawasaki made power tools. And, got to admit, what a wonderful sound it is to have that deep toned announcer's voice off in the distance, inside the arcade. Great to know the Laser Disk is up and running, again.

[@jacksonmaguire5030]

if we all know anything about painting your true result we always be determined by your prep work! Very nice job John! :)

[@c0pyimitati0n]

Thank you for inspiring, and helping, me restore my beat up old arcade cab. I picked up "The Main Event" arcade cab in pretty rough condition. The bottom was all rotted out and the bottom corners were missing, so the t-molding just hung off of it. Whe i first "restored" it several years ago i had know idead what i was doing and it looked like crap. Now after seeing this i have decided to redo the cab and i am LOVING the results. I made a corner out of a cardboard mold and it looks brand freaking new!! I got that tip from someone else's video. Anywho thanks man.

[@c0pyimitati0n]

c0pyimitati0n Also, i had to sand down the bottom a little but i am just bondoing the crap out of it and it's holding up really well. I didn't use any miniwax wood hardener either. Just bondo and a TON of sanding. And patience. But i had to remake all of the bottom inch or two out of bondo.

[@hschnisa]

Awesome job man! Congratulation! Finishing this long restauration must feel great. Hope you can conserve this feeling for a little while. Enjoy it you deserved it! Greetings from Germany

[@joakimglysing5178]

That edge!, great work as always John

[@theorgandude]

entertaining and informative as always. good attention to detail and an impressive arsenal of power tools, chemicals and paper towels. I left the lock bar eyelets in my cab, it saves prep time, looks cool and is an interesting relicfrom when it was working on location. great job, keep going strong!

[@NaturalProgressGames]

Perfect timing, dude! I was just looking for something to keep me awake!

[@NDianaJones17]

Wow! I'm tired after watching that video. Alot of work there John thanks for the vid. And the garage is starting to look like the old johns arcade vids:) can't wait to see the finally videos on journey and the others you have lined up. Thanks again keep up the good work on the vids and the podcast.

[@hayd7371]

A little multi-tool (such as the Dremel) are ideal for grinding small screws and stuff.

[@eduardocebrian]

Great video John! Thank you so much. I'm about to start this type of work. Love your videos!

[@Johnsarcade]

Thank you!

[@Devalis]

For the small dings and scrapes, you could use Bondo's Spot Putty. No mixing, just squeeze it out of the tube and go! Works great.

[@Johnsarcade]

Devalis I have been told this before. I need to find that stuff!

[@nintendoneil]

Wow. This restore is turning into quite a "journey"...keep up the good work sir...

[@orionas8481]

Love the flying wood stick ! at 21:44 !

[@user-wj9xq7ig2v]

Well this is one reason there so expensive. Lots of labour. Beautiful work man.

[@ShadowBurn680]

John bondo is glorious substance I use it on my pepakura armor my only complaint is the way you mix it I believe your supposed to fold it over itself to work out the air bubbles but I guess it works either way and you can use a razer to remove any globs about 5-10 minutes after applying

[@dinkyflix]

Oh man, I feel your pain with the cabinet work. I recently finished a Marble Madness and getting that cabinet prepped for the vinyl was absolute torture. At least you don't have to worry about getting your Journey 100% absolutely perfect since you're not putting ultra thin vinyl on it! :) Good work! (This is jimbodeanny from KLOV)

[@wessagussett1]

Awesome video John!!

[@eduardocebrian]

Man I love your cave!

[@NaturalProgressGames]

Good call... Heat the screw so the metal expands and allows for the walnut to fall out. Clever stuff.

[@Johnsarcade]

I invented that. :) LOL. It worked!

[@woodyofp8574]

I hear all the time about people reccomending MDF for making MAME cabinets, and it bothers me all the time. Sure, it'll work. Unless you keep it anywhere that isn't up on a hill. Water basically turns that stuff into wet sawdust. If you're going to make something that you put work into, make it out of something that'll last.

[@uncledavesmovieandtoychannel]

where do you find citrastrip. and simple green spray and bondoing and liquid wreach.

[@Johnsarcade]

David Whited LOL! Any hardware store has that. Home Depot has it all.

[@TortureBot]

Would a blast of air from your air compressor not blow the medium out of those screw heads and off other parts John? Or are they too crammed in for that? I use compressed air for everything.

[@Johnsarcade]

compressed air might work. good idea!

[@TheRabidfox11]

Nice job Jon,,,,I'am sold on the Citrus Strip now. To be honest, i thought it might harm the original Paint as well...Can't wait to see the Journey all completed... Should be SWEET!!! DUDE!!!

[@Abays9]

Great idea to get the black off the cab before repainting. One thing. After using stripper, give it a good wipe down with denatured alcohol to neutralize the stripper before paint.

[@Johnsarcade]

Good tip! I'll consider that next time. :)

[@kevlarunderwear22]

buy a bag of disposable "chippie" paintbrushes at home depot. theyre cheap and you can use them to force the glue down into the groove of the swollen wood, and also to spread the citristrip. they wont melt like the foam brushes.

[@webdiddy]

Will not the bondo areas and the vinyl areas have differnt textures after the painting is done? The bondo areas will probably be a little more shiny?

[@Johnsarcade]

I am going to prime the entire cabinet in the next Journey video so I have a consistent surface.

[@tonttupc]

Did you sand the vinyl areas before the bondo? It might peel...

[@orangewhipster]

I hate bondoing cabs too... couple tips for ya: 1) When its hot out like it was for you, put less activater in and it shouldn't harden as fast. It looked way too dark a pink for that type of weather. 2) You seemed to be having a hard time with your putty knife...they make a wider, plastic applicator for bondo, it is flexible and the bondo just peels off when its dry. Because it is more flexible than the small metal knife you are using, it should be easier to really "push" the bondo into places. Love the vids!!

[@musketeer6498]

I am planing on painting the front side of my cab with rust -oleum satin black paint and primer in one. Is it good for that part of the cab

[@Johnsarcade]

The best black paint is the Rustoluem Satin Oil based. Home Depot has it.

[@thepirategamerboy12]

Looking pretty good, so far. :)

[@dmazur43611]

the bond you use, is it the same kind that you would use on a car?

[@Johnsarcade]

Yes, it's Automotive Body Filler. Bondo.

[@Darryl603]

The time to work the bondo is when it's in what I like to call the clay state. While the bondo is still soft it is much easier to work with rather than wait for the bondo to fully cure. A wider tool would have helped too

[@fitter108]

Watch which direction the sparks go because it will burn into glass screens and the finish of machine beside you. Sparks to the floor is best

[@3rdaxis649]

John..... Never start a tool "in cut" lol Gringe worthy. Especially a router! Start out of the cut and feed into it full rotational speed. And i would have also of sanded the sides flat and remove all of the bulge or high spots where the router plate rides on to keep the T-molding channel straight and true. I always mix bondo on a piece of cardboard:) Yellow note pad works great too because you can just tear the pages away as you use them and also, sand any area good you plan to apply the filler or it will fall right off.

[@rick83083]

Is that the black paint or mold on that separated corner of the cab???

[@Johnsarcade]

I'd say paint. :) I don't think there is any mold.

[@jpreville]

less hardener when it very humid and hot out. i made the mistake of stripping the vinyl off my old mk2 cabinet during the winter. to find particle board. ended up having to skim coat the whole thing with bondo. not fun.

[@Johnsarcade]

Yeah, good advice on the hardener. It was getting so hard and so fast unlike any other time I've worked with it.

[@jpreville]

yea.. but i find that it works a lot better than wood filler.

[@Darryl603]

Now you FINALLY use your nice makita drill to screw a piece of plexiglass to the bottom of the cabinet. ( something that would have been a perfect job for the cheap skil ) LOL

[@shovelhedded]

Hey John, what song is playing when you're putting the levelers on?

[@Johnsarcade]

+Sean Cooper That's a song (Space Walk) by my band, The Kill Screens. It's from our album Science Fiction Movie. It's on AMAZON, iTunes, and Spotify.

[@shovelhedded]

+John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech ah, cool thanks. Catching up on videos as I'm prepping to completely redo my Championship Sprint. So much work.

[@MystiqEevee]

John you probably could have drilled out the leg levelers with a drill and then filled in the holes if need be altho if you drilled the heads of the rusty screws it would have probably left no mess to restore and you could then just put new ones on where the old holes are

[@Chuck-RETROGAMECAVE]

John, You might want to try a wider putty knife for smoothing. The transition will be smoother. Awesome video as always .

[@StarlancerAstro]

You should get a flush trim saw for those dowels, that'll make them flush in seconds.

[@Floydzabarber]

Try using a wider trowel John for applying the bondo, that way it will go on a lot smoother and you won't have to go over the same spots over and over again ;)

[@Johnsarcade]

This is ggpf advice. :)

[@Johnsarcade]

this is good advice. :)

[@RichardAllenSB]

"This episode of John's Arcade is brought to you with limited commercial interruptions, by Simple Green."

[@uhfnutbar1]

Exsilent :) 85% prep work and with out good prep work you get caa caa when you paint :)

[@DergEnterprises]

The great thing about woodworking-mistakes can be fixed

[@jamesrbrindle]

next time you have to bondo edges like that, try a chefs piping bag to squeeze it into the gap against the plexi and then squash it flat with another piece of plexi.

[@NaturalProgressGames]

"We... are in uh the basement."

[@ismetavc6420]

I wonder When use 4k camera for youtube videos?

[@Johnsarcade]

I am ready to switch over as needed. :)

[@Johnsarcade]

really???? my camera is pretty good!

[@SlothyWoffy]

No castors mate? I know you don't move machines around a lot, I'm the same but I like having wheels Incase

[@Johnsarcade]

Not a fan of castors. Looks, weird! :)

[@uhfnutbar1]

and when you run your toe`s over with a 350 pound game with a wheel thats inch wide and your toe`s spit wide open you thank Darren :)

[@SlothyWoffy]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech ah fair enough mate !

[@SlothyWoffy]

uhfnutbar1 never been so stupid to run over my feet before. You seem to have experience with it though

[@uhfnutbar1]

Oh aren't we bitchie to day lol

[@stevenpiermarini2680]

harbor frt, tools has $10 grinders (don't last long but cheap)

[@MaximRecoil]

I would have have drilled those lockbar holes out larger, large enough to remove the damage around the holes that happened when you removed the T-nuts. Then a dowel would have filled it cleanly, requiring much less Bondo to be used afterwards.

[@Technogeek-rc6us]

Am I the only one that thinks he sounds like Sean Astin?

[@dinkyflix]

Have you decided if you're going to roll or spray the paint?

[@Johnsarcade]

I'm gonna roll.

[@thomascampr]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech Can't wait to see the completed journey machine!! Youre great. Love to see a review and playing the game. Need to watch to see if you have the music tape. Keep up the good work. Enjoy:-) :-)

[@thomascampr]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech Its not the destination its the JOURNEY!!!!! Don't stop believing John. Can't wait to see the finished machine.

[@joeygatchel4492]

will there be a part 15

[@Johnsarcade]

Yes, of course!

[@K1NGARTH3R]

John do you Simple Green sponsor you? If not I think they should you mention them in every restore video millions of times :D Looks like great stuff! Really enjoy your restore videos, you've done a great job with this cabinet!

[@Johnsarcade]

LOL! I think Simple Green or Mean Green should sponsor me. Good stuff! :)

[@andreasundesser1154]

About your leg level holder ( or flange ): you really feel confident with these "aftermarket" ones? Well im a bit worried putting 3 scews near the flange into the bottom mdf plate, especially if it had some heavy duty contact with liquid. So what would I have done? I would have sanded the original one and weld some new threaded rod on the broken one - no one will see that fix and you can feel safe having it near original like the factory. Another benefit would be that you wouldnt have cut the screws. But i have to admit, im following your chanel, but havent done an arcade repair like you do. Keep up the good work.

[@Johnsarcade]

Thanks! I don't have a welder or know how to weld. :) I have used those cheapo leg leveller holders before. They work just fine!

[@uncledavesmovieandtoychannel]

hey john wheres part 15 of the journey restore.

[@Johnsarcade]

David Whited It's coming! Might be later this week.

[@JackKirkpatrickVideos]

What is the story about you fainting?

[@jsenigaglia]

Listen to Episode 44 of the Arcade Outsiders podcast. Story is there.

[@schoolcraftT]

My suggestion to you is to restore a cocktale game

[@zarcon42]

why not just drill the screw heads off? but other than that..love your vids and they have helped a lot! keep on gaming!

[@Phaegian]

Oh, god... drilling more holes to bondo? My OCD would tweak, homie.

[@darkrekku]

will john they don't call it Journey for a good reason :) keep the journey going

[@MrKevinp0]

Ok, so I'm curious. Who else actually answers John when he asks a question during a video? I'm guilty...I confess! LMAO Great video John, as always!

[@SilentSoundGuy]

Do you own stock in a paper towel company?

[@Johnsarcade]

+stonefry no but is should. :)

[@SilentSoundGuy]

I'm restoring a pinball machine. There are some bolt holes that I have to fill and I'm removing a lot of adhesive. These things brought me to you channel, but then I watched just about all of your Journey videos. Wow. Lots of good info. And we get to learn from your mistakes too! Seriously though, thank you for sharing.

[@damiancordero3193]

I don't blame you for not liking the Bondo and sanding.

[@Johnsarcade]

It's absolute torture. :)

[@JesseH76]

You sure know your strippers, John: Diamond, Lexi, Star Dust. NO, not those kind of strippers!!! You always choose such great strippers to remove the black paint, and whatever you got to remove the old overlay for your "Dragon's Layer." Came off beautifully!

[@heathdud]

Try putting a rubber band between your screwdriver and the screw head for stripped and rusted screws. Sometimes it works, sometimes it don't but worth a shot

[@gb.recordings]

He be going hard on his restorations wow I have to laugh at this one that's how I'll be feeling when I be recording my music I'll be doing the same thing to make sure it comes out perfect

[@Johnsarcade]

Oh, yeah. I can relate to that. I record a lot of music too. It's gotta be perfect! :D

[@gb.recordings]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech So you got a recording studio as well? because I got a recording studio

[@BarrySlisk]

Where is the 10x thumbs up button!??

[@rebeccarainharrod]

31:17 Just like pullin' teeth!

[@SeithonJetter]

As much as I love watching your stuff... watching you work with wood can be painful mate! Also if you ever end up doing repairs on splitting wood try getting some large gauge syringes from a veterinary supply store and use a the needle to get in deep to fill it from the inside out, maybe water down the glue a little too which should work with most water based glues tho it will increase drying time :) Anyhow keep it up!

[@Johnsarcade]

I'm the first to admit I am no wood working pro. But I always seem to get the results I am looking for even if I'm sloppy doing it.

[@SeithonJetter]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech Yup :) That is the main thing, I'm just a bit of a nerd when it comes to wood working. Best of luck with your future projects :D

[@Johnsarcade]

Seithon Jetter Thanks! :) I'm getting better, though. LOL.

[@SeithonJetter]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech Good good :) Still watching the vid atm. Next time with the dowels you might find it easier to use a nice sharp chisel to chop em down to below the surface so you don't have to muck about with sanding, just one crater to fill with bondo :) Oh and it is nice to see your mistakes as it helps everyone else learn how to fix em :D

[@xyyx1001]

Seithon Jetter I was thinking the dowels should have been put flush with the outside of the cabinet rather the inside. Still interesting to watch, I have a ton of things to do and I keep watching this video. Nice job!.

[@grimisti14]

"Don't Stop Bondoing !"

[@sangokouille]

On met des gants pour meuler ! :)

[@acidpurewarrior]

202!

[@cwzone2967]

Make Sure Theres Nothing Flammable Nearbye Yet You Have Arcade Cabinets and A Cardboard Box Nearby . Yep Definatley nothing flammable nearby lol :3

[@Johnsarcade]

At least I didn't have a bag of oily rags sitting nearby. :)

[@cwzone2967]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech Yeah That Wouldnt Of Been Good :)

[@TheRealJPhillips]

finally

[@elamriti]

use cola or pepsi for rust works perfect

[@eightbitlife4374]

maybe graffiti or scuffs they wanted to cover up.

[@james42519]

thought you had a dremel. that would have worked

[@Johnsarcade]

For the t-molding groove? Yeah, that does work. I have done it before. The router is way more precise, if you do it right. :)

[@james42519]

John's Arcade Game Reviews & Tech no for cutting. would think that would work better then a grinder. also why you useing bondo? thought you would use that minwax high performance wood filler

[@futureshock7425]

at long last! love the video man! is this the worst cabinet you've ever seen? It is disgusting! Good job!

[@PhilipVonGunther]

I know you're trying to preserve the original materials but I can't help but cringe and wonder why you don't just build a new cabinet over dealing with all the old MDF after these last couple of videos. You're dedicated and I love watching your work effort though.

[@instanthorror]

When you were saying lock bar all I could think of was Allah Lockbar.

[@ShadowBurn680]

John bondo is glorious substance I use it on my pepakura armor my only complaint is the way you mix it I believe your supposed to fold it over itself to work out the air bubbles but I guess it works either way and you can use a razer to remove any globs about 5-10 minutes after applying