I used quotation marks around restored because I wouldn't necessarily call it a restoration, since I didn't fix it up to brand spanking new condition. haha A.) I didn't have the funds for that right now, and B.) I actually liked the patina of an older table like this, shows its character and tells the story of it's life!
I know Sport Kings aren't the highest quality table, but me buying this was more for sentimental value. My dad had a pool hall when I was growing up, and I remember him having one of these, so it brings back a lot of good memories.
We just moved into our first home (that we've bought) back in June, and over the winter I came across a Sport King on craigslist that was pretty cheap. Now that we were going to have a finished basement, I figured I should jump on it! Here's how it looked when we picked it up...
The list of repairs...
-Spent a few hours with some goo gone and LOTS of elbow grease getting all the crap off the rails. Smooth as silk now!
-Repainted the skirts the original color.
-Wiped down the frame and legs with cleaner. Could probably use a repaint, but like I said, I like the character it has now.
-Steel wool to the corner castings to get the rust specs off.
-Wet sanded the aluminum upper castings, and hand buffed them. Did 320 on a DA sander, 400/600/800/1000/1500/2000 by hand, then hand buffed them with some aluminum polish.
-Had my dad's old table mechanic set it up for me. Install/setup, new Championship - championship green felt, and new rails...for $300!
So, between buying the table, materials to fix it up, and paying the mechanic, I have a little less than $800 in it, and that includes a $160 light I bought off eBay!
Came out EXACTLY like I wanted though, I couldn't be happier! I was worried about buffing the aluminum too much, I wanted them to match as closely as possible to the steel bottom pieces, so there's just enough shine to satisfy me. As much as I like seeing tables with pieces shined up to a chrome like finish, I was going for a "stock" appearance, since that's how I remember the table in my youth.
I know Sport Kings aren't the highest quality table, but me buying this was more for sentimental value. My dad had a pool hall when I was growing up, and I remember him having one of these, so it brings back a lot of good memories.
We just moved into our first home (that we've bought) back in June, and over the winter I came across a Sport King on craigslist that was pretty cheap. Now that we were going to have a finished basement, I figured I should jump on it! Here's how it looked when we picked it up...
The list of repairs...
-Spent a few hours with some goo gone and LOTS of elbow grease getting all the crap off the rails. Smooth as silk now!
-Repainted the skirts the original color.
-Wiped down the frame and legs with cleaner. Could probably use a repaint, but like I said, I like the character it has now.
-Steel wool to the corner castings to get the rust specs off.
-Wet sanded the aluminum upper castings, and hand buffed them. Did 320 on a DA sander, 400/600/800/1000/1500/2000 by hand, then hand buffed them with some aluminum polish.
-Had my dad's old table mechanic set it up for me. Install/setup, new Championship - championship green felt, and new rails...for $300!
So, between buying the table, materials to fix it up, and paying the mechanic, I have a little less than $800 in it, and that includes a $160 light I bought off eBay!
Came out EXACTLY like I wanted though, I couldn't be happier! I was worried about buffing the aluminum too much, I wanted them to match as closely as possible to the steel bottom pieces, so there's just enough shine to satisfy me. As much as I like seeing tables with pieces shined up to a chrome like finish, I was going for a "stock" appearance, since that's how I remember the table in my youth.
