A noobs adventures in cab ownership!

[geotrig]

Nothing more exciting to report right now. Does anyone know anything about chroming??

its highly poisonous and not something to do at home , zinc can be done but probably more cost effective to get it done by some local enough platers. they normally have a set fee.

[ChrisBEANS]

Nothing more exciting to report right now. Does anyone know anything about chroming??

its highly poisonous and not something to do at home , zinc can be done but probably more cost effective to get it done by some local enough platers. they normally have a set fee.

Oh I definitely wouldn't do it at home!! (aren't the chemicals illegal without a licence??).

I'm just wondering whether it's possible to have a rusty old CP cleaned up and chromed??

the U4 is my grail cab, and I specifically wanted the Stainless CP, but alas, I bought the only U4 that I've sen for sale in the last year, and it does not have the stainless CP.

I'm going to have a few parts of this cab powder coated white, including the CP, however I've also got hold of a rusty old U4 CP, and would love to get it hard chromed (I've learnt that there are hard and soft chromes, who knew?!).

That way it'd be as close as I can possibly get it to being the cab I've been hunting.

I just wondered, because it's in such a poor condition, whether it is even possible?

[ChrisBEANS]

So this next update is a bit risky, as I don't really know the result yet...

But, as this is supposed to genuinely be documen ting my adventures, I thought I might as well put this up now...

So, when I took the frame off of the glass, to get rid of the rust on the fittings and to spray up the scuffed frame, I found that this glass had previously had the generic grey painted bezel, and that it'd been scraped off (Why?!).

So, while there's a possiblity of getting a repro of the red and grey varient of the bezel, that's not going to happen for some time regardless.

DisplayCollapse view

http://www.ukvac.com/forum/wtb-or-loan- ... 82825.html

In the mean time, following the advice of Muddy Music of Arcade Art Shop, I thought I'd try to recreate the painted bezel myself...









Now, it's not dry so I've no idea how it'll turn out, and the £25 (+ shipping!) can ran out when I'd really have prefered to put on another layer or two, but it's done.

The paint is very odd. The first two or three coats look like they evaporate off completely almost immediately, but after a few they start to build.

Sadly, I'm far from an expert, and as the can ran out I realised that I'd have to stand the glass up (it had been laid flat) so that I could get the last of the paint from the can.

In doing so I changed the way I'd been spraying and although the majority is thinly coated, one area now has a run. It's on the back side of course, so I'm really hoping it doesn't notice from the front, but I guess I'll have to wait and see!!

[LarsVegas]

The quality of plating is this:
- zinc cheapest one, against corrosion but not durable
- Nickel plating better then zinc and more shiny but more expensive
- chrome best plating highly durable and most shiny. If it's for the CP go that way!
Maybe there is soft chrome existing, but never heard of it.

[sven666]

Damn dude, youre going from zero to hero like a rocketship, very impressed!

I see you got a spare u4 panel housing, i actually have a u4 project still that needs it, lmk if youre interested in it.

Id say im interested in buying it but honestly youre better and more passionate at restoring than me!

[ChrisBEANS]

I have to say, while it's far from perfect, this turned out pretty well!!

I'm pleased

[ChrisBEANS]

Damn dude, youre going from zero to hero like a rocketship, very impressed!

I see you got a spare u4 panel housing, i actually have a u4 project still that needs it, lmk if youre interested in it.

Id say im interested in buying it but honestly youre better and more passionate at restoring than me!

Let's see how things turn out first

Plenty of time for me to mess this all up a treat!!

[ChrisBEANS]

Still tons to do of course, but starting to get to a place where things can go back together...



I just hope it still works once it's reassembled


One thing I do know for sure doesn't work are the EL panels, so they'll need replacing, but I've spent quite enough lately, so they'll have to wait...

[emphatic]

Amazing work on the bezel.

[mRCaESaR]

Damn that bezel work is amazing!!!!

The whole restore work is amazing!

[ChrisBEANS]

Cheers guys, I was quite pleased it worked out so well...

I've ordered some fittings, and sadly that means I won't be getting this beast finished for some time as I've got to wait for them, but on the plus side it should be a really nice finish when it all arrives.


So, for now, I'll pimp my sticks... This is the only part of cab ownership I have any real experience with, and a part I really enjoy.



Anyone like using a stock JLF? Nah, me neither. However, the JLF can be customised like no other stick and in my opinion is the best possible experience once you have it set up to personal preference.



First things first I replaced the soft, plastic pivot with a this cool engineered stainless, mirror polished pivot, and lubed it up with some Shin-Etsu grease...



I'm yet to actually use these pivots, so can't actively recommend them yet, but I'm told they're more tactile than the softer plastic version, and of course it goes without saying that they'll be far more durable. I look forward to finding out!

Next up, I changed the loose (0.9lb) stock spring with a much stiffer 4lb spring...



I hate a loose spring, and these springs all loosen over time, but with a 4lb spring it'll stay stiifer for longer (yeah, I heard it, don't be so bloody filthy!!)

I swapped the small stock actuator for a much larger actuator to significantly shorten the throw distance...



And then simply swapped the stock square gate for an octo...



Then to complete the Euro style aesthetic, I've gone for a black aluminium shaft cover and dust washer, and a nice heavy aluminium bat top...





Then it was just a case of doing the same to the P2 stick...




A lot of this is personal preference stuff, but this is by far my favoured configuration. I have almost the exact same configuration in my fight stick...




The spring tension is very high, but it is off set by the heavy bat top, and it does loosen over time. If you find it too heavy, there is also a 2lb option. The throw distance is much smaller with the large actuator too. I personally find the small actuator and light spring of the stock stick a very loose and imprecise combination, but you'll find plenty of people who swear by them. You'll also find plenty of people who insist that Seimitsu is the only way to go, and those who will only use Korean membrane sticks. There's no right answer here.

The octo/square/round gate debate will rumble of for the ages.

I find the above combination to be extremely precise, and it's what I used when I was learning to 1cc MS1 and MS2, so I know it works a treat... for me.

[emphatic]

First things first I replaced the soft, plastic pivot with a this cool engineered stainless, mirror polished pivot, and lubed it up with some Shin-Etsu grease...

Where can I get these?!

[ChrisBEANS]

They're cool, right?!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/9443985 ... -stainless

[emphatic]

They're cool, right?!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/9443985 ... -stainless

Thanks, bought some, I just use JLF sticks these days.

[ChrisBEANS]

Really pleased with the next part, just simply because I was worried I wasn't going to be able to use anything other than a Euro stick...

The stock JLF clearly won't fit the CP, and it being a thick steel panel means that it'd be more trouble trying to modify the panel itself. Not to mention beyond my personal ability and the capability of any tools I have.



Fortunately, the Kowal flat plate adapter already exists, which is awesome!!







Unfortunately, because the OG sticks for these cabinets had molded ball tops (and probably didn't come apart either?), the hole in the CP is much, much larger than needed for a Japanese stick...





Meaning that once I add the vinyl CP art, there'll be a huge unsupported area around the sticks themselves. The vinyl over that usupported area will stretch and probably tear with prolonged use, making all of this an exercise in futility...



Now, we've covered that I am woefully under skilled or equipped to modify the CP.

The ideal hole for a Japanese stick is something like 20mm (maybe smaller?), and the hole in this CP is 45mm. The CP itself is 2mm thick...

Turns out, if you measure correctly, and google enough, you can find a washer that is 2mm thick, has a 45mm diameter, and a 20mm bore.



Which, once you have a nice flat plate mounted flush to the underside will sit very snugly in the hole...





And with that, I think we've successfully installed a modified Japanese stick or two into a 30 year old steel, euro CP.





I did think the mounting plate for the 2P stick might be too close to the A button, but it's all good...



Next update 'should' be me being brave enough to install the CP vinyl.

[thegreathopper]

How do you even hold a bat top, I guess it’s all preference but they just look hard work to use- do you hold it like a gear stick on a car?

[ChrisBEANS]

Give it a try. I gave it a shot and really enjoy it. As with most control type things, it's all personal preference.

[emphatic]

Excellent solution with the washer to cover the larger hole.

[ChrisBEANS]

Got to say, Arcade Art Shop nailed this vinyl!

Took me ages to line it up before I was happy to actually apply it, but I'm pretty happy with the result.

There were a couple of bubbles, which was strictly down to my poor application, but they were sorted eventually.

I 'might' have to redo it at asome point, as I'm looking into solutions to invisibly mount the sticks, but I had to do it this way first as this is the original aesthetic.

The sticks are obviously different to stock, and the buttons are totally different to the concave leaf switch things that came on the cab, but I think they're in keeping with the rest of the intended look.

[thegreathopper]

Looks great, well done. Great cab and one of my first, I managed to get Electrocoin to print me up a CP vinyl but yours looks far better than the one I had.

I fitted mine with Sanwa JLF’s and Sanwa buttons and managed to find some big washers for the extra large hole! your solution is nicer.