Beginning 222 Restoration

[emelaich]

Oak-veneered a Wurliltzer 2300S' sides some years ago and an M100B more recently but for my 222, I'm thinking about a matte, satin-black Formica on the wood grained part vs paint. Figured this would go well with the pink and gray on the side glasses, mech cove, etc. but need to clean up the bottom edges. Was surprised that particle board was used for the cabinet construction this early. Was the 220/222 the first series? For the bottom edges, what's recommended to fill the small gouges and dings--Bondo, Plastic Wood, some sort of resin? 

I'll need the usual plating done so what could I reasonably expect to pay (range) for this 'box? And I note that Victory may have the grilles and side pieces available vs having these rechromed so have to make a judgment call there. are the reproductions as heavy gauge as the original?

Is the quality of the side-glass decals equivalent to the silk-screening on the reproductions?

Had been following Faza's restoration awhile back on MAACA and enjoyed the photos; would like to see some others as well if there are some links I'm missing.

Many thanks!

Michael

[jukeboxmarty]

In my experience only the divider board between the speakers on the 222 is particle board. I believe the balance of the cabinet the same material Seeburg had used for years, board core plywood.

I would use a two part wood filler (similar to Bondo) to fill in the gouges and dings; I don't like to wait for traditional wood fillers to dry!

The price of plating is getting crazy, and varies greatly by region. I would contact the chrome shops directly for a quote. Try to select a chrome shop that has experience with jukebox castings. I've heard of guys paying a couple of thousand dollars to have their machine plated.

As far as reproduction parts vs original... It's had to say. I've received some excellent reproduction parts only to be disappointed when re-ordering. If you are wondering about the quality or construction of some of the reproduction parts I suggest talking to the vendor. For instance I'm sure Victory Glass would be happy to answer questions about their products.

The 222 is a great machine and fairly easy to restore. There are some parts (such as the channel 1 & 2 panels) that are not available; Hopefully those parts are in reasonable condition on your particular machine.

[Hildegard]

The original colour layout of the cabinet was called "Silver Grey Oriental Walnut". I guess this was printed on the wood back then, not a veneer. Of course keeping this as much as possible would be best. But mostly the sides are worn too much or painted already ... so one has to find an solution.
On Fazas original 222 the cabinet sides did get yellowish/greeish on the sides, probably by UV and Nictotine.
Instead of black sides I'd prefer a lighter color, so why not dealing with a silver-grey. But this is up to you of course.
One of our customers gave us ome photos of his 222 which cabinet wood sides were redone: www.jukebox-world.de/Forum/Archiv/Seeburg/Seeburg222.htm
Not bad I think.

If the decals are not silk-screened but a digital print, then the quality can't be matched I'd say. Those might look ok when you just look at them. But with slightly light from behind the colors look watery often. With silk-screen the colours come as a real paint while it is more a kind of ink with digital printings.
So I agree with jukeboxmarty: Check with Victory Glass in advance.

Hildegard

[emelaich]

Thank you both for the excellent advice! May well try and reproduce the original finish(-es) per your suggestions. I like to get as much information as I can before I jump in as I'd like to only do this once! Links to others' efforts, photos, etc., are always so welcome and it's always great to join in their enthusiasm for their accomplishments.

I'd looked at some of the epoxy products to fill voids and didn't realize some of these were such a premium ($75+) product. I've used Bondo in automotive applications and it worked well there; guess I hadn't considered it for wood until reading about it on the forums. My only concern here was an 'on the edge' application as it might be vulnerable to foot traffic bumping it inadvertently.

Again, thank you and kindest regards,

Michael

[emelaich]

So everything's apart and cleaned and now wondering--just wondering--about a ballpark estimate on rechroming. I know it varies (greatly!) by location, by facility, etc. Looking at keyboard panel, speaker grilles and related triangle side panels. Channel 1 & 2 chromed pieces are OK and overall, there's nothing that's really awful.

What's a reasonable sum on rechroming--$1000, $1500, $2000? Understand that I need to make the decision between a daily driver and a show piece. Thus toying with the idea of reassembling everything just to get a better idea of how far I want to go. Cabinet's in otherwise nice shape, will start amp and selector work next week as well as some glass touch-up.