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Chat Area => General Chat => Topic started by: chris_hhh on September 16, 2019, 11:28:21 PM
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Hey all,
I recently bought a Mirco table and refurbished it ... but because I made some missteps a long the way, I thought I'd post here in case it's helpful to folks who are also looking to fix up a table. Also, I'm selling a whole bunch of extra Mirco parts (http://ebay.us/hh72Wv?cmpnId=5338273189) and players (https://www.ebay.com/itm/113891181956), too in case you're looking for them.
I bought one of the Championship Soccer tables, which were made in the early '80s and available by mail-order, according to this great blog post (http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2014/11/company-profile-mirco-games.html). Not sure if it was the Mirco connection to Minnesota or something, but there are a bunch of their tables scattered around the upper Midwest, available periodically on Craigslist.
I picked up the table for $200, but in pretty rough shape. I had one growing up and *loved it* -- but had to sell it during the Great Recession. So, when I picked it up in some random farm house in the middle of nowhere, and the Craigslist seller challenged me to a game ... it was like finding a long-lost relative or something. Meaning, I ... may have overlooked some issues with the table itself, and happily hauled it back home.
Here's how I handled some of those problems, in case it's helpful for folks .........................
- First off, those (infamous?) hand-painted players with the bowler hats (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1omyMXwDnxW_riAZijiftVAfv1MtGQY_t/view?usp=sharing) (that were apparently made in order to be chipped?). They are a strange but wonderful addition to several of the Mirco tables (but fit all 5/8 rods). Unfortunately, the color gets dull or the players get grimey-looking over time, as the pic shows. I sprayed these down with White "2X Ultra Cover" Rustoleum, then re-painted them with Testors white, matte black, red and yellow enamel paint, and then used Valspar "Anti-Rust Armor" clear-coat to give it added protection. They turned out pretty good! (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AaocYLoDdRyx9zIYsiVU92pyw_02JjPF/view?usp=sharing) And, there's no chipping, which was what I was most worried about. I fixed one guy's hat with some mortar caulk (https://www.menards.com/main/flooring-rugs/tile-stone/tile-installation-maintenance/tile-mortar-mastics/tec-reg-ultimate-premixed-mortar-130-10-5-oz/7046166711/p-1444432138648.htm) and it turned out pretty good (basically the only stuff out there that's malleable and strong and sticks to the material these players are made of).
- Screws, player pins, score rods, etc: these were all rusty and full of grime. I got a lot off with CLR and some steel wool. Some screws (the ball cup screws especially) were beyond fixing, so I just replaced them -- it was a beast.
- The wood frame: laminate wood is tough to fix. I just used some Soft Scrub to get out stains. That worked well ... then, I restained the legs -- and could've done a better job. Big thing is to remember there is to adequately sand near the joints -- or else the stain will be extra dark there and look weird.
- Scoring cubes: they get discolored or scratched over time. I tried to sand them with plastic-specific sandpaper (often used for miniature figurines, available at Hobby Lobby) … supposedly that fixes discolored plastic, but it didn't work for this project. I then just painted them with Testor enamel paint … which looks nice but didn't slide as easily. I threw on some Silicone Spray Lubricant on the scoring rod and that works great.
- Player Rods: This was ... tough. I had the original rods used with the table -- but two were pretty rusty and chipped. I washed and sprayed them down with Rustoleum "Mirror Effects" paint. That ... wasn't durable (which it basically says on the paint's instructions). I then tried Rustoleum Silver "Metallic Accents" Paint. That just fell off -- it didn't stick. I learned that many foosball rods are chrome-plated, meaning you need Rustoleum Primer in order for the paint to actually work. Before I got to that though, I found eight new rods on a table another guy was trashing, so I just used those. Despite it being a different Mirco table, it still worked well.
All this took a couple Saturdays, and now I have my Mirco table back -- but most importantly, it'll be a fun game for my three-year-old and I to play over the long Minnesota winter :)
(https://i.imgur.com/lsU8Wri.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xQQjfgx.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/h87Mpbo.jpg)
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Great restoration job Chris. Thanks for sharing details and pics! Happy Foosing!