how to repaint the depressed areas on plastic?

[mudfud]

now onto the cell plastic on the hokoku

the deep part of the center ball director is chipping off the paint that was in the wells between the raised parts. unfortunately, the back piece is glued, or I would try to get it out of there to have better access.

i'm thinking of finding some paint that is thin enough to use a dropper or syringe to drip into the wells. I am sure that I can't get a sharpie in there, and model paint with a brush is probably going to be frustrating, too.

can I dilute model paint or fingernail polish to drip it in there?

I think acrylic would be too thin if I added water. and slow to dry.

any other good paints/dyes that I could try?

the red checker boards in the corners are going to be really hard. I was thinking to just chip out the little bit of red that is left, and leave it as white & green squares.

[emmadog]

Excellent question!!! I was just about to ask the same thing on here. I like your idea of dropping the paint in the recessed areas. I tried for about 10 minutes to get the center jackpot off my T-bird Power Flash to repaint it but gave up for fear of breaking it. Lots of color on that piece. Anyway I am interested to see the suggestions provided as to what paint works best!

[luckydog]

maybe lay the machine flat on its back and use model paint with a toothpick as a brush or for dropping paint into recesses??

[JACKSJE4]

maybe lay the machine flat on its back and use model paint with a toothpick as a brush or for dropping paint into recesses??

That's a great idea! I have been considering Testors Model paints for touch up, and they can be thinned with Lacquer thinner. I hadn't thought about dripping the paints in or using a toothpick.

Another excellent thread, Chewy!!

[mudfud]

I will make a trip to the crafts store tomorrow and pick up some model paint and lacquer. my wife says she has an assortment of fingernail polish that includes green? acetone should work to thin that.

will let you know how the experiments go

[batterymaker]

I'd just be a little careful because any solvent can attack plastics.

[Bigdog]

now onto the cell plastic on the hokoku

the deep part of the center ball director is chipping off the paint that was in the wells between the raised parts. unfortunately, the back piece is glued, or I would try to get it out of there to have better access.

i'm thinking of finding some paint that is thin enough to use a dropper or syringe to drip into the wells. I am sure that I can't get a sharpie in there, and model paint with a brush is probably going to be frustrating, too.

can I dilute model paint or fingernail polish to drip it in there?

I think acrylic would be too thin if I added water. and slow to dry.

any other good paints/dyes that I could try?

the red checker boards in the corners are going to be really hard. I was thinking to just chip out the little bit of red that is left, and leave it as white & green squares.

Personally, I use a small paperclip...I unwind it, and get just a little paint on the end and then just drop it into the recessed areas...once it's in there, it tends to spread on it's own sometimes, but it is also easy to spread with the paperclip. I've never used a toothpick, but I can't see any reason why that wouldn't work either. The end of a pin would also seem to be a good idea.

I've had much success with my paperclip.

[mudfud]

I'd just be a little careful because any solvent can attack plastics.

thanks for the reminder. as always, test on a nonconspicuous area before proceeding... hopefully acetone isn't too much for this old plastic.

my wife lent me 12 bottles of nail polish (reds, yellowish and brown to purplish), and my mother-in-law had given me a light blue bottle (as a joke) that is very close to the one on the hokoku plastic.

I will try bigdog's paperclip trick and check back.

[compirate]

Those parts don't come off at all? Usually there stamped somewhere with the type of plastic they're made of, for recycling purposes, although this may be a more modern thing. I'd go with model paints myself, but if you touch up one part, then another looks crappy, then you touch up that, then another...then another...

I must say though, a good sharpie works wonders on the raised black part, several coats aught to do it.

[Gwenzilla]

I just want to add that in my trying to brush on Testors paint (straight from the bottle not thinned) into the recessed areas of a small name plate it resulted in a very unappealing result. Looked, for lack of a better word... blotchy.

Next time I think I'll try laying the piece flat and use a water based poster type paint, slightly thinned, and dripped in somehow (not brushed). Thinning oil base paints with solvents makes me uneasy in regards to how it may soften the plastic.

[JACKSJE4]

Next time I think I'll try laying the piece flat and use a water based poster type paint, slightly thinned, and dripped in somehow (not brushed). Thinning oil base paints with solvents makes me uneasy in regards to how it may soften the plastic.

I have tried using the water based poster paints, and I wouldn't recommend it. They dry with a dull finish and do not stick to the plastic all that well. The end result is nowhere near what the other paints look like, even after years of use and oxidation.

Go with model paints or enamels. Just my two cents worth!

Jeff

[mudfud]

I tried the acrylics (that you buy in a tube and blend) on the sanyo that I redid the face. the acrylics were fine in the area that I clear coated, but they didn't have the shine or depth that that enamels and laquer to.

I will be careful not to dilute with too much solvent, and I'll try painting some test areas on the back flanges of the plastic.

i'm guessing the pieces are polystyrene? the model guys use enamels and laquers all the time, so hopefully the solvent will evaporate before it eats into the plastic.

[Gwenzilla]

Check out
http://www.cyro.com/methacrylates/MC...tanceChart.pdf

For acrylic type plastics almost all solvents are rated in the "not resistant" column (acetone, toluene, general thinning agents). I'm not sure if polystyrene is more resistant than acrylic plastic but I agree with the idea of trying it out on the back flanges first.

[JACKSJE4]

I wonder what type of plastic those plastic models in the hobby and toy stores are made of? Is it different than what they use on a Pachi? The Testors lacquor based paints are approved to use on those plastic models, so I would have to believe that they would be safe to use for touching up the detail on a Pachinko machine.

I guess Mudfud will be letting us know the results of his testing real soon.

Jeff

[Sigma]

I had to repaint some areas of the center jackpot flower because the paint was chipping off also. The areas that were repainted were the red and green, and the red and blue flowers on the orange spinner. Make sure you clean off all of the loose paint and be sure none of the other old paint will chip off. If you don’t have a real steady hand, find someone that does. I used a #0 brush in the large open areas and a #000 brush in the tight ones. Do the recessed areas first then do a final touch up of the raised areas, makes the recessed areas look a little better. I used model paint with a little bit of the model paint thinner. The bottom yellow pockets were done years ago and the plastic shows no signs of damage from the paint. Sorry I don't have a close-up of the yellow pockets. Just my two cents.

[Gwenzilla]

Can't argue with those results! They look fantastic! Great job! I guess I'm too old to have such steady hands.

I had to repaint some areas of the center jackpot flower because the paint was chipping off also. The areas that were repainted were the red and green, and the red and blue flowers on the orange spinner. Make sure you clean off all of the loose paint and be sure none of the other old paint will chip off. If you don’t have a real steady hand, find someone that does. I used a #0 brush in the large open areas and a #000 brush in the tight ones. Do the recessed areas first then do a final touch up of the raised areas, makes the recessed areas look a little better. I used model paint with a little bit of the model paint thinner. The bottom yellow pockets were done years ago and the plastic shows no signs of damage from the paint. Sorry I don't have a close-up of the yellow pockets. Just my two cents.

[Bigdog]

I just want to add that in my trying to brush on Testors paint (straight from the bottle not thinned) into the recessed areas of a small name plate it resulted in a very unappealing result. Looked, for lack of a better word... blotchy.

Next time I think I'll try laying the piece flat and use a water based poster type paint, slightly thinned, and dripped in somehow (not brushed). Thinning oil base paints with solvents makes me uneasy in regards to how it may soften the plastic.

Actually, Testors is what I always use...that paint (never thinned), an unwound paper clip, and A LOT OF PATIENCE...has proven a successful method for me.
______________________________________________________
This thread brings up an interested topic of conversation for me.

For me, a machine that has been stripped apart, completely cleaned, pins shined, etc is still missing an important piece of the "refurbishment" process until the plastic parts are painted to reflect a close resemblance to their original colors.

There is a "refurbished" Nishijin B (Dolphin) machine on ebay right now...it looks good, the wiring is all hooked back up, but the plastic pieces are not painted...I painted mine and the face of the machine looks soooooooooo much better...and I would think soooooooo much more marketable...

I know that Bill doesn't paint his, but it seems to me that a little paint more than pays for iteself in terms of selling the machine...each to their own...not crititcizing, and YES, it DOES take time and effort to do so...

Any comments?

[chmer01]

My wife does most of the touch up work of the paint and she uses paint markers that she gets from the craft store.

[mudfud]

I thought that bill does repaint his (his wife and her sister are seen in pictures at their website touching up cells)

[Eddie]

These are the type of brushes to use. You may find them at well stocked hobby stores or art supply stores.

I recommend Tamiya Paints

6-PIECE ULTRA DETAILER PAINT BRUSH SET


Tamiya America - Tamiya Color Acrylic Paint