Rust removal on Naomi cabinet.

[Coyo5050]

So brought my new 18 Wheeler cabinet home today. Could have just plugged it all in an played with it or got on with setting up netbooting, etc but I am too anal for that. I like my stuff in good shape and restore what I can. The base for the pedals was really dirty so i decided to take it apart and clean it.

As I took it apart it just got worse. Base is rusty as hell from years of who knows what kinds of wet dirty shoes and floors. Not sure how it got so rusty under the metal graphic on top though. Had to drill out the screws which were in terrible shape. Metal is still solid though. Petals need some cleaning and metal graphic that sticks to the top is good (seems to be made of stainless steel)

I have some evaporust on order and plan to use that and some wire brush. Any other suggestions?

See pic for nastiness.

 

[yavuzg]

I use electrolysis to remove heavy rusted big pinball parts. One thing which is extremely important is that after the rust removal process the metal begins to rust in minutes before your eyes. You have to immediately wash it and dry it and spay paint it with some anti-rust metal paint like hammerite or anti-rust acrylic base or something...

 

[werejag]

use water and vinegar and soak the parts for a few hours. then rub off the rust

 

[deibit]

I agree with the "rust again in minutes before your eyes" sentence.

It's literally like that, once you take the rust off, be ready to seal it again in a matter of minutes. Rust is a very good sealer already.. it's just not that good looking

 

[twistedsymphony]

disassemble it completely bring the parts to a powder coater and pay them to sand blast and then re-powder coat it. Thats the only way you'll bring it back to the actual original manufacturer's quality. any home remedy you use will pale in comparison.

I've used evaporust a number of times (mostly for soaking bolts and other small hardware) and it doesn't work nearly as well as advertised and if it does take off the rust it usually also removes any finish that was on the unrusted portion of the part too.

If you insist on doing this at home. For large metal pieces you'll want to use citri-strip to remove the paint then sand blast (if you've got a compressor you can get a gravity fed blaster attachment for about $100-$150) then repaint with automotive grade paint. that's probably the next best option in lieu of getting it professionally powdercoated, and honestly it'll probably be more expensive then just sending the parts to the powder-coater.

 

[Derick2k]

Dont even bother to do it yourself. The amount of time, $$, effort you spend and the results wont be as good as getting it done by a pro shop. Get it blasted and powdercoated at a shop, you will be very happy.

 

[twistedsymphony]

Those "bare" metal trim pieces you can get some metal polish from your local auto parts store and buff off any minor oxidation, DO NOT use evaporust on those parts as it will remove the finish and they'll rust even worse.

I use this stuff to mirror-polish all of the unpainted metal trim pieces: https://www.aircraftwidgets.com/metal-polish/

It will take some elbow grease but you'll remove dirt and minor surface rust and it will help keep the metal protected too.

For screws with dirt in them get a metal pick tool to clean them out. I use a set like this: http://www.crawfordtool.com/Ullman_CHP-4L.html

 

[Derick2k]

For nuts and bolts, etc you could use a tumbler. I have had good results for small parts. Just be ready to leave it in your garage running for like a day or so.

 

[twistedsymphony]

I hadn't considered a tumbler, I know what my next tool purchase is going to be... they're not all that expensive either: https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Pro-1200-Tumbler-115-Volt/dp/B000KKEPOW

 

[Derick2k]

Yup, they are pretty good and not too expensive. Most are mainly used to clean/polish shell casings.

 

[Coyo5050]

and i thought i could just remove the rust and use anti rust paint. Guys on one of the pinball forums love evaporust for legs.

What should i expect to pay for some one to do this for me sandblast and powdercoat?

 

[Derick2k]

Problem is that usually you will miss something and the finish will most likely fail somewhere, plus a baked on finish looks amazing.

 

[twistedsymphony]

What should i expect to pay for some one to do this for me sandblast and powdercoat?

it can vary a lot... I'm unfortunate enough to only have 1 powder coater anywhere near me and they charge about twice as much as anyone else. so definitely call around to get different quotes if you have options.

Most places will have a minim charge between $80 $120. and they might have flat rates for standard parts. Wheels are really popular with powder coating and I see prices range from $40-$75 per wheel depending on the shop. Sometimes you can get a discount if you're getting it done in a common color like matte black. since they can coat it at the same time as another job.

Most people in the arcade world get coin doors and trim/bracket pieces from wood cabs done and can get 2 or 3 machines worth of parts coated within the minimum charge.

Last job I had done was the upper and lower coin doors from a midway cab, along with the monitor glass bracket and lower marquee trip piece. Plus most of the black metal parts from my virtual on twin: the the seat bases, all the parts from the coin box, hinges from the lower base and a few other trim parts for about $220.

 

[Coyo5050]

Im in a big enough city i should be able to find multiple places.

I was originally thinking instead of repainting black to remove rust sand it down polish it up and put protective clear over the metal. Thought maybe that would look good depending on how it cleaned up like im planning with my pinball legs. The pinball legs were replaced with new ones so being spares with no purpose thought would be good to experiment on. Ive refinished / regrained side rails and lock down bars with good success before but they never were rusty just badly scratched.

The cab is in good shape maybe ill take it apart and see if i have any other parts between that and my pinballs that could be powdercoated at same time to make more economical.

I put the bolts and nuts in vinegar last night they actually cleaned up well then started rusting again lol

 

[Coyo5050]

tried out the evaporust and some parts works great.

Found a top and bottom plastic for the control panel if i ever want to swap back and forth to fighting games. Are there special metal brackets or screws i will need?

Still would need the metal control panel for the stick and buttons. Good place to find that? I wouldnt need the actual buttons. I have a WS baseball panel to use currently.

 

[Coyo5050]

cleaned up a lot of the rust on the foot panel. Used my metal grinder and a wire cup which was fun. Looks a lot better.

 

[Derick2k]

Not bad, but you gotta get rid of all that pitted in rust. You should really try to get it blasted and powder coated. It shouldnt be too expensive to get it done. I powder coat small parts at home with good result, key is to have a superclean surface. For large parts that dont fit in my oven, have to get them done in a shop. I had my sisters metal lawn/patio furniture powder coated a few years back and they still look amazing, got tired of having to paint them every year.

 

[Coyo5050]

I probably will get it blasted and powder coated. Figured this would be a good piece to practice various things.

Still need to find a new wheel for this cabinet.