Jump to content
Board will be offline for a little while tonight ×
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Clear part help


Recommended Posts

I have a situation where I have windows with the trim molded into them......hate this kind. they are scratched, and need to be polished, but heres my problem; if I polish them, will I be able to paint the flat black trim, or will the paint refuse to stick? I hate polishing clear parts, so usually I keep buying the same kit until I get a clear window, but i'm trying to calm that habit down. the polishes I have, are: Micro Mark System, and the Turtle Wax Headlamp Repair Kit. I.ve heard that Tamiyas Modeling Wax works great on clear parts, but can I apply paint over it?  If you can shed some light on my situation, it would be much appreciated!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have successfully polished clear parts using Micro Mesh 3600 grit followed by Tamiya Coarse and Fine rubbing compounds.  These compounds may be painted over. I hope this helps.  You could also try Future, there are several threads about this somewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've polished clear plastic with Trim nail sticks (Walmart hasn't had them for a few months, but they reappear sporadically) and with Wright's Silver Cream, a silver polish available in the house cleaning supplies section. It's water based and leaves no residue that would interfere with your painting. Been using the stuff for at least 20 years now on clear plastic. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, maltsr said:

I have successfully polished clear parts using Micro Mesh 3600 grit followed by Tamiya Coarse and Fine rubbing compounds.  These compounds may be painted over. I hope this helps.  You could also try Future, there are several threads about this somewhere.

I second this, but use the full polishing kit from 3200 grit on down. I almost always "tint" my glass with Tamiya clears and polish it out using this exact method. Never had any problem with putting the black band on after.

Thing is, true "polish" does not add anything onto the surface. Think of it more like super fine sanding, which is exactly what it is. Wax is just that, wax and does nothing to get rid of the scratches, it just covers them. Same with Future, which most people call "polish" , which it definitely is not. It's just a thinned acrylic clearcoat. Dave's right about it filling small scratches and smoothing over them but if they're any size at all you should use a polishing kit and get rid of them properly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

I second this, but use the full polishing kit from 3200 grit on down.

Exactly. Once you finish with the 12,000 grit sanding cloth, it shouldn't need anything else.

 

 

Edited by Casey
Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.koalaproducts.net/polish.htm

I use this product now.  It is not cheap though.  It is a very nice product.  When I first got back into modeling in 2005, I bought a bottle of Bare Metal Foil plastic polish.  Once I ran out, I found out it was no longer available.  I have spent a lot of money on plastic polishing liquids.  Koala is the only thing I have found that is close.  While this product is very thin like water and appears to have no grit it does a nice job, great on polishing paint too.

https://www.bare-metal.com/model-building-molding-specialty-items.html

WOW, I just went to their site and see it is in stock and available!  I'm just going to get a bottle to see if it is still the good stuff it was back then.  Only $4.50 a bottle.  And if you happen to do resin casting their $5.00 price for a pound of Klean Klay is good too.

Edited by Greg Wann
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, thatz4u said:

I repaired a scuffed windshield with Wrights silver cream & a cloth, no sanding at all

I keep telling people that, but they just insist on spending big bucks on "special hobby" products that don't work any better. Ah shucks oh well. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎1‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 9:59 PM, maltsr said:

I have successfully polished clear parts using Micro Mesh 3600 grit followed by Tamiya Coarse and Fine rubbing compounds.  These compounds may be painted over. I hope this helps.  You could also try Future, there are several threads about this somewhere.

I appreciate everyones input, but after watching numerous videos on all the various types of window treatments, I've decided to go with the complete Tamiya polishing compound kit. The video I saw of it being used, was the only one that showed it being masked over and painted. It looked great! Thanks for this suggestion, maltsr!, I use to use Micro Mark, but have had inconsistent results with it, so I decided to look elsewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Tamiya polishing compound will work great. Clean the window well with warm water and soap to get rid of all trace of polishing compound residue. After the paint has been applied and cured, apply some Tamiya wax to the glass. It really makes the glass come alive, but no painting can take place after the wax has been applied. The same goes for glue on waxed surfaces.

When using the polishing compounds, be careful to not stress the glass. I find that as I am polishing, my slippery, polish covered fingers tend to grip the glass tightly which can cause it to flex and induce micro stress cracks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Bainford said:

When using the polishing compounds, be careful to not stress the glass. I find that as I am polishing, my slippery, polish covered fingers tend to grip the glass tightly which can cause it to flex and induce micro stress cracks.

If you're getting stress cracks, it means your polish has something in it that the plastic doesn't like--possibly naphtha or something similar. You can flex a piece of clear plastic until it cracks or breaks outright, but it won't get "stress cracks" unless some chemical is affecting it. This is why I stopped polishing with Brasso 30 or 40 years ago. 

I've never had stress cracks when polishing with Wright's. There are no chemicals in it. It's water-based. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you are worried about pain adhesion, once the part is polished, wash it in a warm water and dish detergent. That should clean off any polishing compound residue. Or if you are really paranoid, rinse the part in 91% isopropyl alcohol. Or do both. :D  In any case, paint adhesion is usually negatively affected by silicone-based waxes (not polishing compounds)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

59 minutes ago, peteski said:

If you are worried about pain adhesion, once the part is polished, wash it in a warm water and dish detergent. That should clean off any polishing compound residue. Or if you are really paranoid, rinse the part in 91% isopropyl alcohol. Or do both. :D  In any case, paint adhesion is usually negatively affected by silicone-based waxes (not polishing compounds)

:huh: Uh, what I said... :rolleyes: (except the alcohol thingy... :D)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...