Trash 80 to Treasure | TRS-80 Restoration | Ep3.

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● Cave Links
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● Series Links
Part 1 - Meet the TRS80: • Trash 80 to Treasure |...
Part 2 - Diagnosing the Fault: • Trash 80 to Treasure |...
Part 3 - Cosmetic Repair: • Trash 80 to Treasure |...
● 3D Printing with Dubious Engineering - • DuB-EnG: Is: 3D Printi...
● Description
Our TRS80 needs to be cosmetically restored. Can we make it look as good as new in the Cave and learn some new techniques along the way? Let's find out.
● Music
Retro Show - Timm Richter
The Break - Density & Time
Morning Dew - Density & Time
Finding Me - Eveningland
Meadow - Density & Time
Please - Wayne Jones
Magical Gravity - Asher Fulero

[@msthalamus2172]

Part 4? I can't be the only one who's been waiting! :)

[@recciumnygaard1999]

If I may, when will Ep4 be coming out, if at all?

[@kingedwin]

For those outside the UK who are wondering about methylated spirits, it's another name for denatured alcohol, and it has to be dyed blue or purple to prevent it from being confused with drinkable alcohol and other cleaning products.

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you I wasn't aware of this!

[@philiprowney]

It's dyed blue for the same reason that 'red' diesel is red. Gotta know what has tax paid on it ;0) PS If you heat-gunned the case until warm to the touch the paint would finish much flatter. I actually like the look you got, a sage tinted laquer would suit it =]8¬_D

[@LewinEdwards]

It's not just dyed - it's also mixed with a flavorant designed to make the liquid unpalatable and actively nauseating, so that people who power through the flavor still won't be able to keep it down. This is a refinement on the previous methods of denaturing ethanol - which were "we'll add methanol, which is hard to distill out of ethanol, in order to make it toxic, so people won't want to drink this low-tax liquid as a substitute for high-tax drinkin' alcohol" - which obviously didn't work well and left a lot of inveterate meths drinkers blind and/or dead. As far as I can tell, "denatured alcohol" in the US is not required to be mixed with that flavorant, nor is it always colored - I have a tin of it here that's clear. Worse, many people refer to isopropyl alcohol as denatured alcohol here, so it's really very very confusing and if you're picking solvents (for non-drinking purposes) you should look up the MSDS of the exact brand-name product you intend to buy, to check what's really in it before you go rubbing it on your old valuable plastics. I have destroyed more than one vintage component by picking something based on its generic name and later finding out it had, say, acetone (no bueno!!) mixed in.

[@clray123]

Aka the blueberry bone broth.

In Poland it's sometimes called "piszczelówa" which could roughly translate to "boney booze" because many varieties of it sport a nice jolly roger with crossed bones on the label, indicating that it's toxic.

[@TheMalMeninga]

Will we see an episode four, Neil? I am really interested to see this thing all finished up!

[@ChewyGDRP]

When wet spraying... you'll get that speckled finish if the tin is too far away from the part being sprayed. Too close and obviously the paint will pool and possibly run. Trial and error really. Best practicing on a random piece. Oh, and using car lacquer/ clear coat... it's usually UV resistant, so your paint shouldn't change colour if left in the sun! Bonus!

[@RMCRetro]

Good tips and a fun added bonus thank you. "Hearted" so others may learn also

[@jonatana.4540]

I was wondering about the UV resistance, nice one!

[@trs-80fanclub12]

Agreed, as a pro painter from childhood, Your "overspray" is dry specks of paint landing on top of wet paint. When the mist is too far, you dry the paint in mid air. Reduce your distance to 6 - 8 (15cm - 20cm) inches max. Start your stream away from the surface (Left to right) and don't stop until your at the end of the thing your painting. When your spraying, don't point direct at the item, pitch it to the right so the overspray will get buried by the wet paint. Remember the cloud of mist is common dry paint, avoid it landing on the painted surface you are passing.

[@Jimbaloidatron]

When I saw how nice the grey plastic looked after stripping I would have been so tempted just to call it a day and throw it back together without painting!

[@RMCRetro]

It was certainly tempting, I loved how that looked too

[@dlarge6502]

Thats exactly what I was about to comment! I'm not really a fan of the silver look to these machines :D

[@wobblyrampack9655]

Exactly! Got to wonder why Radio Shack bothered to spend out originally on painting it when it looks great unpainted!

[@wobblyrampack9655]

My only guess is that silver felt futuristic in late 70's/early 80's! Not really the case any more.

[@leglessinoz]

I liked it better unpainted.

[@jat240]

"Look at them in there having the time of their lives" I don't know why that cracked me up so much.

[@asgerms]

These RMC videos are becoming more and more like receiving my favorite magazine. I see it in the mailbox, go "aah, lovely" but don't open it immediately. Don't wanna rush half-assed through it, but instead wait until the end of the day, *then* kick my feet up and enjoy all of it.

[@RMCRetro]

That's very nice to hear thank you asgerms. I do the same with my favourites, wait until I have a beer and my shoes off to enjoy them

[@nfijef]

Part 4? :)

[@adamsfusion]

This was my favorite video of watching paint dry.

[@SparksNZeros]

i've never been a purist when it comes to off the shelf components, so long as your replacement part has the closest available specification and dimensions it's almost always more beneficial to the function and lifespan of the machine to change them out.

[@steve.9138]

When preparing for paint and laying out the plastic sheeting it felt like watching an episode of Dexter!

[@adampoll4977]

There is something immensely soothing about watching someone meticulously and patiently restoring old hardware - something that I would be temperamentally unable to do ;) I would rush it and probably end up with valuless slag.

[@ncc74656m]

Painting tip: Don't stop and start in the middle of the piece. Smooth consistent strokes, only stopping and starting spraying when you're off the piece.

[@ryanyoder7573]

I was going to say the same thing.

[@MicrophonicFool]

Painting cars or parts same thing. Spray past the piece and only stop once past and start the gun also just before hitting the material again. People sometimes think this is a waste, but the results are so much more consistent and fewer coats might even be the result.

[@rocksnot952]

There is something soothing about watching the rejuvenation of machines I used in my youth.

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you for watching. So what did you think about this approach? Was it worth it or should it have been left looking beaten up but with its original paint? I'd love to hear your honest thoughts good, bad or indifferent. If you'd like to see Howard's 3D printing you can find him here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKXWfoWqqa6XmLM - Neil - RMC

[@thedungeondelver]

The aesthetic is up to you. If you're going for a more pack-rat/cyberpunk look, leave it as is. If you want a clean machine that celebrates the computer at the best of times then you hit the ball out of the park.

[@Dr.Dawson]

patina is for people who like old cars unrestored not retro computers! Keep up the amazing work my friend, you nailed it.

[@johanlaurasia]

My first computer was a TRS-80 Model I, and I still have it. I've been enjoying your restoration of this one... fond memories, and a recent memory... last year, I attended a retro-computer get together and was honored to meet Don French, one of the principal designers of the TRS-80.

[@deeiks12]

You are doing such a great job presenting these videos. The writing is just witty enough and the camera work is just perfect. One of my favourite channels!

[@Horzuhammer]

Above and beyond quality restoration job my friend! I'm happy to say your work keeps very noticeably improving, not just with the processes of restoration but with the presentation as well (up from the already stellar quality from back when I discovered this channel.)

[@wobblyrampack9655]

As a young kid back in the day lucky enough to have a ZX81, the TRS-80 was a machine I REALLY wanted, mainly down to seeing it play a version of Galaxians at the local computer club! Fantastic that you've restored this piece of history so thoughtfully, and for sharing your work on it.

[@namakudamono]

Thank you very much Neil, another excellent video in this terrific series. As others have mentioned, I find these videos to be extremely relaxing - like watching a classic movie with a cup of cocoa on a drizzly Sunday afternoon. I enjoyed the chip shop reference too - definitely one for your international audience.

[@PaulinhoThompson]

A great episode that reaches above and beyond anything I've seen on actual TV, plus you've gotta love that intro music.

[@ag3ntorange164]

Unbelievable restoration. Absolutely gorgeous I want it! Really great watch this one. Many thanks!

[@kcgeil]

Always liked the look of the TRS-80. Even when unpainted shiny grey. Looks more like a mainframe terminal than other micros of the time.

[@wobblyrampack9655]

Agree! Really wanted one of these for that reason when I was growing up!

[@danxepha4535]

Great job! I'm sure I've mentioned it to you in a previous video, but to avoid the uneven finish (and the need to keep sanding it) you should always start spraying off the item being painted and bring it smoothly and fairly quickly across the surface and don't stop holding the nozzle down until it is off the other side. When you start spraying the nozzle will always spatter for a moment before the paint turns into a fine mist. This is what is giving the texture that needed sanding back. Using long strokes will give a more even finish as opposed to the short bursts you were using which will always make the paint build up in uneven patches.

[@donokono]

Great video! You've really motivated me to restore 2 TRS-80 Model 1s I have stashed away in the garage!

[@slipknotboy555]

Coming along great! Tandy made a good decision with the color matching - I think it looks nice in general

[@MrDDawson]

That was a great ending for a great machine done in that perfect way only RMC can pull off. love it now please, please do the expansion unit!

[@HelloSwiftful]

I just really like how you calmly explain all the steps. Please carry on good sir.

[@inretention]

Great series of videos which will come in handy for my Trash80 restorations. As for the colour matching, the BMW Space Grey is the closest I have found so far. Some specialist body shops have spectrometers which can identify your paint shade and mix up the paint for you.

[@colonelbarker]

I've recently paint stripped a full sized Dalek prop with metho. Good fun. Make sure you do it in a well ventilated area. I would possibly suggest with painting the coats were possibly a touch too thin and you were sprayed a touch too far away. Most people go the other way, too heavy and too close. But it's certainly an improvement, I think you can probably get a better matching colour mixed up, a lot of automotive places will be happy to help find a good matching colour, then you could share that number with others, particularly if you have a good example of how the paint should look. Loved this episode, they're so terribly calming to watch!

[@bunnykrusher]

Just watched all three parts (so far) and I found them very interesting. Thank you sir!

[@MSmith-Photography]

It's certainly much better looking than it was before. Awesome work! 👍

[@SuperJet_Spade]

This part of the Trash 80 to Treasure series reminds me of the TRS-80 Color Computer 1 that The 8-Bit Guy restored on his channel last year. Great video as always! 👍🏽

[@PJBonoVox]

Looks excellent dude. I always find that laying the paint on and then wet sanding *only* the final coat gives better results. And wet sanding the clear coat, of course.

[@Skaera75b]

Another great video, thanks Neil! Looking forward to the next instalment as always :)

[@nexpro6985]

@RMC-The Cave you can often strip paint from plastics using brake fluid. Without the hazard of large amounts of flammable meths. Brake fluid can be rinsed off with dish soap and water. I used to do this to my Airfix models without damaging the rigid polystyrene.

[@MrVolksbeetle]

That's a really nice effort. You didn't get too aggressive with sanding, and the stripping steps had a great result. Painting plastic can be difficult, especially when trying to match color and surface quality. I wonder if static build up may have hindered the paint laying down properly? Still, it looks far better than it did. I think it was most definitely worth doing.

[@brandonb1681]

That silver brings back memories. Gowing up, I had a CoCo with the horrid chicklet keys.

[@sayresyDevino]

Good job that man - you have successfully restored another fantastic device that I couldn't afford to buy back in the day.

[@evilpebble]

Probably the best restoration yet. It looks beautiful!

[@Dr.Dawson]

nice! the ohhhh soooo cooool trs80 model 1 is at the finish line. cant wait to see it done. coffee, well cold beer in hand and im ready.

[@Dr.Dawson]

wow. looks amazing. I can't wait to see it up and running. Had one way back and although it was no gaming machine wow did we have some fun playing games on it. Also got me into basic. When all set up with all the kit it looks like you have there for the system it will be so cooooooool.

[@R0n8urgundy]

Dude your videos are soooooo calming.

[@smittenthekitteninmittens2679]

i have had such a rough day..stressed and having anxiety attacks (not to moan mind)...rmc always really chills me out! i guess watching restorations is therapeutic!!

[@RMCRetro]

Sorry to hear about your day Smitten, I'm glad it helped you

[@smittenthekitteninmittens2679]

Thanks you :D

[@MartinKidd]

Love the trash to treasure videos! Nice work as always matey!

[@H3adcrash]

Your videos are always a joy to watch with a beer and some snacks. Absolutely lovely. Cheers!

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you! Beer and snacks are mandatory in The Cave

[@H3adcrash]

The Cave seems like the only place to be. You simply can't go wrong with beer, snacks and retro computers.

[@MrTommyboy357]

it looked like you didn't have a lot of experience doing bondo and paint work, having said that you did a beautiful job in restoring that computer. it looks GREAT!

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you. I certainly don't claim to be a pro at painting but hopefully others can take from my experiments and go further with them. I certainly enjoyed doing it, glad you liked the result 🖒

[@ricardobornman1698]

Very nicely restored. Well done.

[@cheater00]

loved this video. on top of great content, it's just really calming and relaxing! haha. I'm going to check out the other channels you mentioned.

[@RMCRetro]

Thanks! This is the 3D Printing video kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKXWfoWqqa6XmLM

[@kimlebrocqu692]

Great episode, good paint job really consider the circumstances. Overall it's getting to be a nice computer lovingly restored. Well done Neil, Now I have to wait for ep4 😁😁😁Kim😁😁😁

[@davesletsfixit6175]

Fantastic restoration ! I purchased my TRS-80 back in 1978, I was 25. That TRS-80 system led me to become a Independent COBOL Program Developer of 32 Years, traveling the entire USA. Level II Expansion Interface Two Disk Drives Line Printers III & IV. My original system is currently stored in the guest room closet. Neil, is there any chance you will continue this remarkable TRS-80 Restoration/Documentary? There are So many, who wish you would do so..

[@TalksToToads]

Looks much better! Also, your channel has some of the best music on KZbin.

[@DEMENTO01]

OMG this so greaaat. I mean, what a restoration, you're incredible man, I didn't know that was that thing for filling gaps in broken plastics, I think I'm going to need a lot of that bc all my retro stuff is destroyed (I live in the north on Spain and we have a lot of humidity here, or maybe is just that I'm so useless in these things). Waiting for a new part for the recaps :D

[@JamesPotts]

Finally, a video where someone shows proper paint technique! I cringe while watching so many videos.

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you James I'm glad you enjoyed it

[@Byokugen]

Great job Neil! And for the recap question: replace caps if you can. You will prolong the life of the system and avoid potential leaking and damage 11/10 would watch again

[@mccstuff]

Imagine my surprise the other day when Mr R Cave popped up in a Magic Radio advertisement dancing to '80s tunes. Nice to see Mr Cave branching out!!!!!!

[@RMCRetro]

Hehe you know that wasn't me we've had this discussion :p but there is a chance I might have a small cameo on your TV some time soon

[@wolvenar]

Nice. I just repaired a TRS-80 micro. Not near the work, but was literally my first computer.

[@theneroliveira]

Great job man! super high quality video!

[@Charlie-Cat.]

Just got my breakfast to see part 3 Neil. Great way to start my morning for sure. 8^) Anthony..

[@bobz1736]

Prepping Man Cave for painting looked like a scene from the movie Snatch ... Great vid as always 😎

[@Monkey_SK]

Another fascinating video, keep up the great content.

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you Stephen I hope to!

[@bennetfox]

When painting parts that size in the future I suggest hanging them up. Many years of painting cars have taught me that. :-)

[@robwebster7406]

Great vid 👍 and just a little tip, I love using black shoe polish then back to black on plastic 😏

[@wilsvgaddiction4456]

Your patience threshold is otherworldly.

[@RETROCENGO]

Beautiful work as usual, well done😁

[@ModellistaCompulsivoOnline]

Good job! You are definitely the restoration gentleman. May I kindly suggest an hint? If you are looking for a smoother metalized painting give a try at scale models spray cans (like Tamiya).

[@BrentWalker999]

Using spirit and an ultrasonic cleaner for my miniatures. Works great. Good work

[@drnerd]

Love it, I think the paint job looks great, almost too good!

[@BrendaEM]

You did a great job on this computer. good videos, too. Common sense tells you that you should prime before painting, but I seriously doubt that Tandy did that before painting the case. Using a test piece of plastic, I would just wetsand the case to dull the gloss from wear, Scotchbright-pad what you need to, and paint the case. Because you are acrylic lacquer, the paint will likely wear well, as long as there was no glossy spots--and there were no fingerprints or oils from your fingers. The mentholated spirits/denatured alcohol, here worked really good as a plastic-safe paint stripper.

[@CubicleNate]

My opinion is, yes it was worth it. I enjoyed watching the process. I respect your rather harsh criticism on the final results as you truly have an eye for the fine details but, I say it is really great and you wouldn't hear me complain one bit.

[@weepingscorpion8739]

Well, not exactly demonstrating on episode 4 but your 486 machine had 5 episodes, IIRC. So will the TRS-80 surpass that? Well, I know, that I will be tuning in to see that. Very nice episode as always, RMC! :)

[@RMCRetro]

Hehe thank you! Who knows how long it will run but I'm certainly enjoying it

[@henriklarsson6870]

Great and intresting video as always!

[@MegaWayneD]

In future, I recommend Halfords own-brand car paint for plastics. You get a far more even coverage than the brand you're using there. They usually have 3 for 2 offers or similar too.

[@turnkit]

Would love to see a pro car paint shop's results. Great idea. The color match and smoothness could be improved a lot I hope.

[@presterjohn71]

It would be interesting to see how well the meths lasts over repeated use. coffee filter paper should easily take care of particulate contaminants but I do wonder if the chemical composition would change too much for it to be used as cooking or heating fuel sooner rather than later. if it stays stable enough it is always handy to have in the garage as a standby for emergencies.

[@LewinEdwards]

The car body shop idea I can testify works very well in this sort of application. I used to work for a company that made an item basically by putting extra circuitry inside an LCD monitor - and as part of the process we sent all the monitor bezels and housings out to a car body shop for spraying and clearcoating. Not all shops will know how to handle plastic parts, though - our first batch of 20 or so were all destroyed by going through a bake cycle after the primer :/

[@LewinEdwards]

Oh, one of my pet projects is to make a reproduction Silver VIC, so this video was of particular interest to me (also, I have a load of TRS-80 Mod II hardware which could benefit from the same treatment. Only one Mod I though).

[@Lorfarius]

I love your videos, make for interesting tea time viewing!

[@therushden]

You turned the cave into a Dexter kill room.

[@dergrunepunkt]

On trick I use when I need to submerge something in an expensive liquid and I don't have enough volume is to use glass bottles filled with water. Just place them vertically in the whatever space is free, and it will raise the level of the liquid inside the container. Glass it totally inert, won't introduce any residue nor react with almost any chemical.

[@RMCRetro]

Displacement! What a great idea thank you for that tip

[@NeilGrevitt]

Awesome restoration, looks great. Finger juice, lol.

[@seanmchughnt]

Loved it. Legend.

[@RichardTroupe]

I can't believe that people would complain about others changing the capacitors on 30-40 year old machines. These computers were often made using cheap components, and replacing the capacitors is a way to ensure it continues to work for at least another 30 years as well as preventing any corrosion on the motherboard!

[@RMCRetro]

I know mate.... I recapped it today there really aren't many electrolytic caps on it to deal with at all

[@wobblyrampack9655]

Absolutely! There was not a lot of love or care picking those caps when they made these computers originally. So don't see why we should show so much concern over changing them now. There are some things worth keeping unchanged, but not the caps IMHO.

[@morph-x7153]

Great work Neil, the Trash 80 certainly doesn’t proceed its reputation in this fashion, wonderful work, except i’m not a fan of the paint job unfortunately. It looks a bit rough to be honest. Friendly advice, you should never sand in between coats of metallic paint because you’re damaging the metallic particles. Also, thin layers are what you start off with but a thicker wet coat is normally the way to get that nice sturdy and shiny layer, especially with clear coats. And make sure you don’t stop spraying at the middle of the object because it creates boundaries of paint so to speak. Thank you very much for yet another lovely series, another great example of why i’m one of your patrons.

[@TheLambLive]

When you're not experiencing the smell... meths looks delicious. :-) Superb job as always.

[@cdoublejj]

metallic is the hardest to spray and get an even metallic distribution. also the lighter the primer, the lighter the finished color ....generally speaking. that really isn't a hard and fast rule. Having sprayed a metallic gold PC (for a prank) i can say you'd did a decent job! :)

[@jamesroberts8971]

Very interesting. I had never seen paint stripped like that before :)

[@Psychlist1972]

I love how the spirits come in a very tasty-looking blueberry kool-aid color. :D

[@DevilsHandyman]

Great with Tide Pods!

[@IDPhotoMan]

That writing is pretty cool.

[@AndrewErwin73]

"both aluminium and aluminum"... love it.

[@craigmacdonald4987]

A work of art! 😁👍

[@russellhltn1396]

I'd suggest doing a ESR test on the electrolytic caps. That will tell you if they need replacing.

[@Daz555Daz]

I thought the case looked surprisingly good even with no paint at all.

[@scharkalvin]

Instead of (or in addition to) the wet sanding, perhaps some auto rubbing and polishing compound would have yielded a better surface. Also a final light coat of simonize or similar car surface protection (Armorall ?) might have helped.

[@NowaczekYT]

Great looking machine. Of course capacitors have to be replaced. It is a standard maintenance procedure, like changing oil in a car.

[@harveyboy4461]

I use a heat gun or dryer to remove decals and labels. The heat softens the glue so you can lift it off with a knife or blade.

[@RMCRetro]

Yes indeed I use this method in the video, it gets the old glue nice and soft

[@kieranj67]

Wow, great video

[@erlichbachman3330]

That intro music is sooooo good!!!!

[@brostenen]

Feets can be bought for a couple of pounds on eBay. Some seller offer them in white, brown, black and clear.

[@thethomasproject]

Question, did you ever happen to do a video showing replacement of capacitors as well as general circuit tune-up on the TRS-80? Thanks!

[@ScottsGameAsylum]

I love these videos. they are so relaxing to watch.

[@RMCRetro]

Thanks Scott