Complete The Addams Family(s) Restoration

Ant-H · Oct 13, 2022

roadshow16 said:
Have you ever heard of Christopher Hutchins?

YouTube.com/user/highendpins/videos

He is probably regarded as the best in the world at all this. I have spent a lot of hours watching his videos (even though I have absolutely no intention of ever doing anything like this!). Literally hours of my life watching him sand a cabinet

Yeah, his work is on another level. I know exactly what you mean, Ive spent hours watching his entire library of videos and reading the pages and pages of his build logs on Pinside.

roadshow16 said:
Your work/attention to detail is really starting to remind me of the work he does

Thanks mate, that’s a real compliment, as I agree that he is probably one of the best restorers in the world and definitely lives up to the name of his business.

His level of work and attention to detail is top notch and is what I actually try to aim for.

There are some things though he does that I haven’t got the balls to try, like sanding down newly applied cabinet decals then buffing them back to a gloss finish

. F that!

Ant-H · Oct 18, 2022

Whist I wait to fit the decals, I thought I’d crack on with the playfield strip downs on both games, so that I could send out parts to be either powered coated or re-plated.

To make things easier in regards to parts and jobs to complete, my plan is to keep both games at the same stages. So once I’ve completed a job on one, I’ll do the exact same thing on the other.

First job was to get topsides taken apart.

Next I flipped both playfields over and started on the back. The plan is to change all the old switches and lamp sockets and I’ll test the resistances on all the coils. If there good, I’ll clean and re-wrap them.

Im going to remove each harness in 3 separate sections and in the reverse order in which they were fitted.. Coils, lamps then switches.

On my Addams everything was pretty much untouched as the wiring looked original. On the other game however, there was some funky wiring going on. My guess is that hacked wiring had been done when the playfield was stripped and re-clear coated at some point in the past. I’ll sort all this once the harness is on the bench.

Both harnesses were filthy, clearly with 30 years worth of dirt. Everything will be going in my ultra sonic cleaner for a good bath.

Next job is to remove the lamp harnesses.

Silverpaolo · Oct 18, 2022

Great attention to detail there ant , very methodical in your methods and fantastic doing two at once …. Bravo you’ve mastered your craft !

M4carp · Oct 18, 2022

You are dirty doing two at once

I watched High End do that decal polishing and though f- that too

Nice work so far

Ant-H · Oct 20, 2022

Next up is the lamp harness. I took a load of extra photos when doing this one as there were a lot more lamps holders to unscrew than I expected.

Again, same with the coil harness , this one was also filthy.

One more harness on my Addams to go, then I have to do it all over again

Ant-H · Oct 21, 2022

That’s the switch harness all removed. I’ll remove all the mechs and lamps boards etc then do the same on the second Addams.

Before I start on the monotonous task of replacing all the lamp holders and switches, I’ll give the harnesses a good clean and dismantle all the mechs so I can get everything to the platers/powder coaters then prep both playfields for rebuilding.

Ant-H · Oct 25, 2022

I got both playfields fully stripped down apart from the pop bumper lamps, as I’ll refer to this when I start on the new playfields.

Next up I wanted to clean all the harnesses so that, that I could dry them while the weather was still reasonably warm during the day. Plus every time I touched it, my hands would get filthy.

My ultra sonic cleaner is one of the best things I’ve bought. It’s crazy to see the amount of dirts it removes.
Before:-

I do each harness one at a time and run it for 20 minutes at 35-40 degrees, then turn it, and run it again for another 20 minutes.

I then literally hang it all out to dry.

When you drain it away you can see some of the dirt it removes left in the bottom, and from the colour that the water turns.

Next job, I’ll brake down all the mechs so I can get them out to be refinished and start prepping the new playfields.

Ant-H · Nov 1, 2022

The 2 new playfields being used in these restorations are slightly different. The one going in mine is a Ron Kruzman refinished PF. Kruzman has an epic thread on Pinside, detailing his clear coat methods and his work in general is out of this world imo. However it does also mean a little bit more is involved when preparing all the holes/dimples.

On the second Addams a really nice CPR Gold, Silk Screened playfield from there 2018 run is being used.

First job before I start prepping the playfields is to fit the wooden rails in order to reduce any bowing.
The ones that I removed were not in the best condition, with chucks of the wood missing and the laminate peeling away.

Option A, is I could strip them down and re-wrap them with new laminate.
Option B, was my original plan, which was to use the guy on Pinside that makes and sells custom wooden rails from hardwood and then paints them, but he has since stopped posting on there so that leaves me with Option C which is to make and paint new ones myself.

So I bought a 2.4m length of solid oak and started to cut it into the basic dimensions, using the originals as templates.

Once they were cut to size, the next job was to mark out all the notches that the original rails have in order to accommodate the metal rails and mechs etc. I can then start cutting them out.

Big Phil · Nov 1, 2022

Why are these three on the underside of the playfield? I noticed the same on my Royal Rumble last week.

s000m · Nov 1, 2022

Big Phil said:
View attachment 185450

Why are these three on the underside of the playfield? I noticed the same on my Royal Rumble last week.

Magnet recess holes

M4carp · Nov 1, 2022

I have oak rails on my fish tales, they look dogs danglies mate

Great work

Ant-H · Nov 1, 2022

Big Phil said:
View attachment 185450

Why are these three on the underside of the playfield? I noticed the same on my Royal Rumble last week.

Not sure why they are on Royal Rumble but on TAF, as Scott mentioned they are recessed for the 3 magnets

Ant-H · Nov 1, 2022

M4carp said:
I have oak rails on my fish tales, they look dogs danglies mate
Great work

Thanks mate. I have oak rails on my T2 as well. Being oak, they are a lot harder wearing and less likely to warp or bow when compared to pine.

Are they needed, no not really, but I think when you’re going to the lengths of a minty PF swap, then they are a nice finishing touch imo.

I did get a shock though, when I saw the prices of 2.4m lengths of oak.

M4carp · Nov 1, 2022

I got mine pretty cheap when Manny just wanted to get rid of them, some left over I think. That must have been about 12 years ago, time flies when your having fun!
Price of stuff now is eye watering

Definitely got to be done though, going to look great

Ant-H · Nov 7, 2022

Whilst I still had the table saw set up up, I’d thought I make some new back boards as the originals had clearly seen better days.

The back boards on TAF also have a little notch cut into them in order for Things Box to be able to open fully, so I’ll have to cut this as well.

To cut all the notches, I did contemplate using the router but as the rails are so thin, I wasn’t confident that I’d be able to get a good finish. So I opted to use my multi tool and hand chisels.

After a good sand, I clamped them to each playfield so that I could mark the holes needed to mount them.

Once the holes were marked, I could start drilling them on the pillar drill.

They need a little bit more sanding and then I can start painting.

Ant-H · Nov 7, 2022

I also managed to get all the mech and metal work disassembled on my Addams.
A few of the parts needed reshaping and I’ll need to re-weld the scoops as they are all broken in the usual place.

Out of the 2 Addams that I’m working on, I’ll be going down the traditional route for one of them I.e re-plating all the mechs with polished/chrome armour and traditional looking playfield.

However for my game, I wanted to go with a slightly different look compared to all the other TAF out there, plus I did a lot of chrome on my T2 and fancied something different.

I did think about going with purple or a blue to match the lightning. @s000m did a couple photo shop images to help me visualise how it might look.

But I wasn’t too keen on the look. In the end, as the cabinet artwork is mainly black, I’ve decided to go with a black theme.

ronsplooter · Nov 8, 2022

@Ant-H many years ago a restorer in the US called Bryan Kelly did a black themed TAF restore that I thought looked awesome and is what I'll be doing on mine when I finally get round to it. Might be worth a look if you've not already seen it, I think there's some very old threads on Pinside about it :thumbs:

Ant-H · Nov 8, 2022

ronsplooter said:
@Ant-H many years ago a restorer in the US called Bryan Kelly did a black themed TAF restore that I thought looked awesome and is what I'll be doing on mine when I finally get round to it. Might be worth a look if you've not already seen it, I think there's some very old threads on Pinside about it

Thanks for the heads up, I’ll have a dig about and see what I can find. I think black goes well with the cab decals and the theme in general.
At the moment, my general thinking and plan is if it can be powder coated, then it’s going black

I’ve also bought and assortment of black nut and bolts to use on the top of the playfield.

M4carp · Nov 8, 2022

I think black will look really good on TAF, my MMr has it and I really like it.
Straight black on mine, some kind of metallic black might look even better on yours with maybe matching blue flakes.
Getting there

roadshow16 · Nov 8, 2022

Agreed. I think all black will look fantastic on Addams. I have the same on my Getaway. Although I think that a metallic matte black would look better than glossy black like I have. Or even a black chrome

Ant-H · Nov 8, 2022

M4carp said:
I think black will look really good on TAF, my MMr has it and I really like it.
Straight black on mine, some kind of metallic black might look even better on yours with maybe matching blue flakes.
Getting there

roadshow16 said:
Agreed. I think all black will look fantastic on Addams. I have the same on my Getaway. Although I think that a metallic matte black would look better than glossy black like I have. Or even a black chrome

I was so indecisive about the colour that when I finally decided black, I then had to decide on the exact black to go with, as there are loads to choose from. I did look into black chrome but felt it wasn’t truly black and in some lights looked brownish

The cabinet decals I have are silk screened and have a slightly glossy finish, so in the end I asked my powder coater for the best gloss black that is available on the market. I didn’t want the standard gloss black that you can get and he immediately quoted some random number that meant absolutely nothing to me, but assured me that it’s the very best you can get as it’s got loads of extra resin added to it, so when the powder melts it flows really smoothly and gives a really nice smooth finish.

The only downside was the price of the powder itself as they had to buy in it special for the job

I’m actually going down there tomorrow to collect some of the parts.

Ant-H · Nov 9, 2022

Got most of the parts back from the powder coaters now. I’m over the moon with the finish!

The extra resin in the powder has made a massive difference. The finish actually looks more like it’s been painted with conventional spray paint.

There’s still a few bits I have to go back and collect but at least I can now start thinking about rebuilding the mechs.

newdos · Nov 9, 2022

You've even power coated the steels from the playfield as well - awesome man!!! Can I ask was that lot expensive as I fancy the idea of doing something like that with mine at some point?

Cheers

Kev

EDIT just noticed even the ramp flaps as well!!! will powder coating stand up to being battered by a steel ball then ??? thought it was prone to easily chipping ??

Kel86 · Nov 9, 2022

Ant-H said:
Got most of the parts back from the powder coaters now. I’m over the moon with the finish!

The extra resin in the powder has made a massive difference. The finish actually looks more like it’s been painted with conventional spray paint.

There’s still a few bits I have to go back and collect but at least I can now start thinking about rebuilding the mechs.

View attachment 186107 View attachment 186108 View attachment 186109 View attachment 186113 View attachment 186111 View attachment 186112

You haven't got a spare stern hinge in that black have you? I'm missing one

Happypin · Nov 9, 2022

Very nice indeed

Ant-H · Nov 9, 2022

newdos said:
You've even power coated the steels from the playfield as well - awesome man!!! Can I ask was that lot expensive as I fancy the idea of doing something like that with mine at some point?

Cheers

Kev

EDIT just noticed even the ramp flaps as well!!! will powder coating stand up to being battered by a steel ball then ??? thought it was prone to easily chipping ??

When I said I was going for a black look, I wasn’t kidding. I’ve literally got everything done

As for expense, I get on quite well with the powder coater I use, and he did my an unbelievable deal on all this. But to be honest, compared to Chroming, it’s a fraction of the cost anywhere you go.

In regards to the ramp flaps, I have no clue. They weren’t standard mild steel ones that came with the new ramp, they are stainless steel versions. Powder coating is actually very hard wearing, and doesn't chip easily imo.
If it was paint then they would chip after 1 game. I will probably add some Mylar to some of the parts in high traffic areas just to help reduce ball marks.

Ant-H · Nov 9, 2022

Kel86 said:
You haven't got a spare stern hinge in that black have you? I'm missing one

Funny you say that, I do have a random Stern back box hinge that has some nice black sparkle powder coating

Paul · Nov 10, 2022

roadshow16 said:
Have you ever heard of Christopher Hutchins?

YouTube.com/user/highendpins/videos

He is probably regarded as the best in the world at all this. I have spent a lot of hours watching his videos (even though I have absolutely no intention of ever doing anything like this!). Literally hours of my life watching him sand a cabinet

My TAF playfield came from Chris... IPB Repro. Sold it on the condition that i allowed him to re- clear and dimple. Asked him to sign under the apron...

He does some absolute stunning work...

Ant-H · Nov 14, 2022

I got the wooden side rails fully finished and installed. After drilling the mounting holes, I fitted both sets to each playfield to double check fitment.
Before:-

What I like to do then is to sand both the side of the rails and playfield together so that they are perfectly aligned and flat.
Also by taking a couple mm off the sides, it gives you that little bit of extra room when lifting the playfields and avoiding potential damage to mirror/art blades that are installed.
After:-