IT BEGINS!

[herm99]

So next week I begin my project of repainting my table. I purchased this table about 3 weeks ago and I've already begun the process of printing the player names and numbers and board adverts onto full page labels.

I had a carrom elite stick table before, that I painted to replicate the 2001 Cup final, COL vs NJ, being an Avs that I am. However, this table i've decided to go more native with it, since it's already the US v Canada program, i've decided to do a dream team of each country. Here is my lineup!

(Granted some of the players are out of their native position but alas, this would be my dream team)

USA
Center - Mike Modano
LW - Pat Lonfataine
RW - Patrick Kane
D- Chelios
D- Leetch
G - Richter

Canada
Center - Gretzky
RW - Crosby
LW - Lemieux
D - Coffey
D - Bourque
G - Roy

I know some of you may ask where the heck is Orr and Howe, but I decided to stay somewhat more modern and to only use players that played after 1980. IMHO the game just changed so much more after the 80s I felt the need to stick to a theme.

Here is a pic of my table and the labels ready to go! Painting starts next week.





Wont' look like this much longer!

[Deleted]

hi herm

Good choice of lineup ! i grew up with Patrick Roy, i am from Montreal and saw both 1986,1993 stanley cup, and this is the best goalie of all time in my book without any doubt.

i am curious, what year is your table ? it seems to be in good condition, looks likes mine except youre top table is red with a white boo button, mine is white with red boo buttons, it feels like yours has been facelifted. (just wondering).

Also, what is the exact model and part number of the stickers you used to print your logo's ??
i was looking for some since last week, i am doing the same thing with my boards. I am using a laser printer though, did you use laser or inkjet ?? let me know

can't wait to see your paint job, i am still working on this too, but i have yet to determine the exact paint i will be using, if you have a suggestion i would be glad to hear it. I wish i could get the exact paint, and brand to use. So if you happen to know, please let me know.

On my part, I bought some new coinmechs which i should be getting today, see the machine i bought had the american quarters coin mechs, so i couldnt use them i live in Québec, canada. I bought some canadian looney coin mechs, along with some cleaner polish novus #2, too polish my dome, and a new puck, can't wait to work on these tonight.

Herm, nice job keep up the good work, can't wait to see youre finished product.
Let me know about the stickers, and the kind of paint to use
have fun !

[Deleted]

oh herm !

here's my temporary boards, just for fun.
Simply done with some 11 x 17 ordinary white paper, and a laser colour printer. Applied with some mactac all over the paper. its does the job pretty well for now.

I wanted to go all around the dome base, but i found out that it blocks the view of the puck whenever the puck gets stuck at the very ends of the table and corners, so for now i will keep it that way.

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[herm99]

Apr 26, 2013 7:18:05 GMT -5 @blaaze3 said:

hi herm

Good choice of lineup ! i grew up with Patrick Roy, i am from Montreal and saw both 1986,1993 stanley cup, and this is the best goalie of all time in my book without any doubt.

i am curious, what year is your table ? it seems to be in good condition, looks likes mine except youre top table is red with a white boo button, mine is white with red boo buttons, it feels like yours has been facelifted. (just wondering).

Also, what is the exact model and part number of the stickers you used to print your logo's ??
i was looking for some since last week, i am doing the same thing with my boards. I am using a laser printer though, did you use laser or inkjet ?? let me know

can't wait to see your paint job, i am still working on this too, but i have yet to determine the exact paint i will be using, if you have a suggestion i would be glad to hear it. I wish i could get the exact paint, and brand to use. So if you happen to know, please let me know.

On my part, I bought some new coinmechs which i should be getting today, see the machine i bought had the american quarters coin mechs, so i couldnt use them i live in Québec, canada. I bought some canadian looney coin mechs, along with some cleaner polish novus #2, too polish my dome, and a new puck, can't wait to work on these tonight.

Herm, nice job keep up the good work, can't wait to see youre finished product.
Let me know about the stickers, and the kind of paint to use
have fun !

Hey Blaaze, thanks for the kind words. And yes I'm with you on Roy, best goalie to ever play the game!

Regarding your questions, you are about spot on, my table was made on May 30, 2000. So it's a bit older then your table, and I did indeed do a refresher on it. It originally had the older style all white "super chexx" sticker on the edge. One of them was totally missing and the other was pretty tore up. So i removed the last one and bought all new sticker pack from ICE, not cheap, but worth it! And the base did NOT have the big round super chexx stickers on it before, I added those as well.

Regarding the full page labels, i do not have a part number for them. I went to my local print shop (laser printer) and just brought the files to them on a thumb flash drive, i created the files in photoshop CS5. If you have a local print shop just ask them to print onto full page labels, that way you can just cut out/exacto knife them out.

The paint I use is just Testors model paint, you can buy at any hobby store. Getting the exact color match (like the USA blue) can be tricky, here is my suggestion. Buy the closest color you think matches, do a test strip on a piece of plastic similar to the players, if it looks too dark, add a drop of white paint, if it looks too bright, add a drop of black paint. And continue that method until you are happy with the colors.

However if you buy a really sharp exacto knife and trim the numbers and names very tightly from the label paper, you shouldn't have much to worry about trying to match the label color to the paint color.

I'll be posting updates in this thread as my progression continues. And your table looks great! Should be an easy one to paint.

[Deleted]

well great great Herm ! i knew testor was the one, but now that you confirmed it, that's the one i will get. I know where to go.

The only item i am still wondering, is the CLEAR COAT to protect them, Do you know the exact kind to get ??

Also, i saw a thread here that talked about HEAT DRYING or LIGHT DRYING the coat after being applied, do you know how that works ?

let me know again.

once i'm done painting players later, i have to find a place where i can have all real stickers printed, for both side of the table with the teams on it, also the huge 2 LOGOS of each team, that appears on each side of the podium + the center ice logo, that would be great. the rest you can customize yourself at home easily.
I am still looking for someone who does that, i went to Staples but they do not print on vinyl stickers.
i have to find a real specialise printer who can print real color vinyl stickers.

anyway, that's for a later project.
Keep it up, can't wait to see your players finished.
I was thinking of doing the montreal canadiens vs boston bruins, or i also thought of replicating the montreal canadiens 93 stanley cup finals, agains the los angeles kings, back when patrick roy and wayne gretsky we're at their best ! But i thought of waiting for this years playoff to start and see what might inspire me, we never know.

talk to you soon, let me know about that clear coat and drying method if you know anything about that process.

thanks

[cntrfld17]

I am interested in painting my players as well but kinda scared to do it. I have done the boards with labels and it looks great, but dont want to ruin my players.

If any of you want to give step by step of your progress and pictures that would be awesome as I am very hesitant. Not sure yet what I would do for my teams other than the Blackhawks.

Any help would be great, thanks guys!!

[herm99]

Apr 26, 2013 12:35:07 GMT -5 @blaaze3 said:

well great great Herm ! i knew testor was the one, but now that you confirmed it, that's the one i will get. I know where to go.

The only item i am still wondering, is the CLEAR COAT to protect them, Do you know the exact kind to get ??

Also, i saw a thread here that talked about HEAT DRYING or LIGHT DRYING the coat after being applied, do you know how that works ?

let me know again.

once i'm done painting players later, i have to find a place where i can have all real stickers printed, for both side of the table with the teams on it, also the huge 2 LOGOS of each team, that appears on each side of the podium + the center ice logo, that would be great. the rest you can customize yourself at home easily.
I am still looking for someone who does that, i went to Staples but they do not print on vinyl stickers.
i have to find a real specialise printer who can print real color vinyl stickers.

anyway, that's for a later project.
Keep it up, can't wait to see your players finished.
I was thinking of doing the montreal canadiens vs boston bruins, or i also thought of replicating the montreal canadiens 93 stanley cup finals, agains the los angeles kings, back when patrick roy and wayne gretsky we're at their best ! But i thought of waiting for this years playoff to start and see what might inspire me, we never know.

talk to you soon, let me know about that clear coat and drying method if you know anything about that process.

thanks

Clear coat is really optional, I did it to my carrom table, however I wont be doing it to this table. I didn't care for the glossy look it gave them, I liked the more flat look. The amount of protection clear coat provides is negotiable, as some clear coat dries harder then paint and can actually be more brittle then the base paint. If you want to get some though, testors does make some spray on clear coat, should be right next to the model paint.

And lamp drying is great, I do it as well. I just set up a basic room lamp and cover it with foil to create a box effect and bake the paint on. You can do it between layers and after the last layer. Cures the paint faster.

And yea staples kind of sucks, I tried to use them a couple times with no luck. You'll have better luck finding a local print shop, they most likely have better quality printers anyways.

[herm99]

AND FINISHED!!

I finally finished my table last night, painted all the players, got all the board adverts on, and after letting the players dry overnight I put them back in their home! I'm happy with the results, I have a few pics, let me know what you guys think.

Cheers!















Bubble on!

[cntrfld17]

Solid work. Did you just paint over the top of your original players or do you have to apply some sort of primer? If you could give me some sort of step by step and what you used that would be awesome.

Look really good.

[Deleted]

Hi Herm,
Its been a while

GREAT PAINTING JOB !! looks a lot better than the original players.
Which keeps me thinking why the hell they still sell their tables with those basically non-painted players ?? it would not be that expensive for them to offer good colored painted players, at least with nice colors....anyway....

I am also doing the same as you read this, thanks to all your previous tips...i was able to buy testor paint + testor coating and so far....it does super great results. I started 3 weeks ago, and i'll post pictures very soon. I decided to go with current NHL teams. And what can be more classic than Montreal Canadiens VS Boston bruins.

I just finished painting and coating monteal last night and i'll start with boston next week.

I have to agree that it is a lot more work than i thought. For all of you guys who wishes to do this, be patient and take your time. It takes skills too. and PATIENCES...i only do 2 players a week since you also need to let them dry well (around 72 hours) per players + another 24 hours for coating (if you like glossy players) it also protects them.

So herm keep up the good work,
I'll post my montreal set soon, i had issues with my stickers, i was planning to use transparent stickers until i found out that the color laser printer would not print white colors....yeah white is not a color and since the printer uses only primary colors to do most colors, well it takes for granted that the white is done by the paper so...anyway

well now enjoy your new repainted table
talk to you soon

blaaze

[herm99]

Thanks Cntrfld, the process isn't all the complex, it's just a bit time consuming. Although I've done this a few times now so I can do these relatively fast now. I think I did the entire thing in about 4 days of work and about 3-4 hours per day. I averaged it out to about one hour per player, and about 2 hours per goalie.

Anyways, here is what I do. Go to your local auto store that sells automotive paint supply and ask them for a GRAY scuff pad, there is gray and red ones. I prefer the gray ones as they are less abrasive then the red ones. Then just simply pop the players out of the table and scuff them all very thoroughly, get in between the legs, all the small crevices, stick, etc. Scuff them up, then I take lacquer thinner and wipe them down thoroughly. This does 2 things, removes some of the crappy paint they have on their, and removes any grease or grim as well.

Also, get some q-tips and clean the overspray off the players neck and ear areas. Not sure if all tables were like this, but my players had such a poor factory job that there was paint on their neck, jaw, nose, all over. What a mess, lacquer thinner and q-tips will clean that stuff up.

Then I just start painting! I use testors model paint, and find yourself a good set of brushes. Go to a local hobby store and find a good set of brushes with multiple sizes and different tips. I spent about $15 on my brushes and they have lasted me for years now.

Also, the lacquer thinner that I used to clean the players with, cleans the brushes as well. Every time you switch colors, make sure you clean the brush thoroughly. Get a little cup or saw a beer can in half and dump lacquer thinner into the cup. Drop the brush in there and let it soak for a few seconds, then dry it before switching colors. Change the lacquer thinner out after it becomes real nasty and you feel your brushes are no longer coming out clean.

I set a lamp up on my work station and bake the coats on, if you get your rhythm going, you can get a good pace going, I work on 2 players at a time. I do one or 2 coats at time, move that player under the heat lamp, bake it. Jump onto the next player, one or 2 coats, bake him. And keep alternating the players until you have adequate coverage. Then switch to your next color, rinse and repeat.

Also, don’t waste your time trying to have perfect lines, get all the base colors on, get your lines going and once you have a player mostly finished, you can go back over him and retouch everything and straighten the lines. You will be switching colors a lot but trust me its way faster this way. You will be going over the lines again and again, so don’t waste your time trying to get it right with the first coat, you can waste hours doing that.

And don’t worry if you majorly fugg it up, lacquer thinner will remove anything you messed up. And lastly, relax and have fun with it, and sit up STRAIGHT or your back will quickly remind you of how tedious this can be. You will probably only get to do this once and if you’re like me you will love doing it, so have fun and don’t take it too serious.

Cheers!

[herm99]

Blaze, thanks again! I believe ICE does now offer custom painted players for additional money, but that is pretty new i believe. I agree, the factory paint jobs were complete crap. I couldn't believe the amount of over spray on their necks, faces, etc.

Anyways, regarding the labels, pay close attention to that pic in my first post. Notice the background of each label coincides with the jersey color. This is because (as you mentioned) you can't print color on clear labels. You have to print color on white labels. For example a blue jersey with white font, you would just create a document (I used photoshop CS5) with a blue background and white font. Once you print the labels, you want to cut the numbers out as closely as possible to the edge of the letters because you want to make it appear there is no background color on the number itself. I know that sounds a bit confusing, but once you do it a couple of times you will get it.

The biggest issue is trying to color match the jersey color to the label color that you created. But a tight cut on the labels with an x-acto knife will cure that!

Can’t wait to see your table, those 2 teams should look really cool!

[Deleted]

damnnn RIGHT about the matching color problems.
I've done one try on white glossy stickers, and it worked perfectly, however when i tried to put them up agains the red canadien jersey, the red of my sticker was just a bit lighter than the red paint jersey, and unfortunatly, it creates a contrast. So i did another try by darking up the red of my stickers, and its much better now.

I also bought the exacto knife yesterday so i will cut them out completly and apply them individually so it should look great.

Just want to say that i painted directly with TESTOR paint, over the original paint, and yes they we're oversprayed big time... all of them. But i didnt have to scuff them because mine we're good as new. i just used some alcool and rubbed them to remove any grease or dirt. But i do agree that scuffing them is a good idea. because there some imperfections in the plastic sometimes and when you put paint over those imperfections, they now seem to be more visible. But most of my players we're OK overall.

I also dried them using my dehumidifier + one fan, i put the players in between and believe me, the dried !! and for about 48-72 hours each. then i applied the coat + another 24 hours of dehumidifier + fan.

So be warned, and before everybody start complaining about the glossy look of my players, i like glossy players. But i only applied one coat of vernish so its not overcoated, they just look great to me. And i know when you order the NHL ones from ICE you get very glossy players, mine are just half glossy and that's exactly what i wanted.

I will try to post some pics of my new montreal canadiens tonight.
Talk to you soon.

[cntrfld17]

Thanks for the response guys, I really appreciate. I am not sure if I have the time or creativeness to do it, but I am definitely thinking about it.

I did do the stickers on my boards and think it looks great. I had to go to staples to get them printed, so getting the exact colors on the back of the jerseys may be pretty darn tough. How long did it take to match the colors exactly?

[Deleted]

AS PROMISED

here are my MONTREAL CANADIENS

TAKE NOTE THAT STICKERS ARE CURRENTLY ONLY AT A STATE OF TEST. I am not done yet.
This is what happens when the jersey color wont match youre sticker color. Dont worry i have another darker set that will probably be more subtle and will be cut with the exacto knife instead of scisors which leaves a white mark all around them.

Overall i am almost done with my montreal players, just need to make the eyes and mouth on all other players and of course, i have to paint SUBBAN'S FACE BROWN ! and that should be it.

Next week...BOSTON BRUINS

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