restoring clear plastic

[wgflatliner]

are there any products that would help restore plastic? some clear on one of my models has clouding effect on it. apparently i was trying to remove windshield trim paint.. sanding didn't work, so i tried thinner, now there's clouding.

anybody?

thanks

[Pete J.]

are there any products that would help restore plastic? some clear on one of my models has clouding effect on it. apparently i was trying to remove windshield trim paint.. sanding didn't work, so i tried thinner, now there's clouding.

anybody?

thanks

If the clouding doesn't go all the way through, yes you can restore it but it is a lot of work. Sand it down with consecutively finer grades of sanding medium. I use Micromesh. Start with 3600 grit and take it all the way down to 12000. That would be -3600, 6000,8000,12000. Once you have done that there should be some fine scratches left. Get a fine polishing compound(I use Tamiya) and polish it out until you get a gloss. There will still be some very light scratches left, but they should be very fine. Now get some future floor wax(a misnomer it is actually a clear acrylic paint) and cut it 50% with 91% isopropel alcohol. Pour it over the part and set it in a dust free environment to dry. The Future may take a couple of times to get the hang of it, but if you mess it up, soaking the part in the 91% IPA will get the coating off in a matter of minutes.

Good luck.

[charlzrocks]

as far as Future is concerned...you cannot add successive coats as it dissolves the previous coat when coated over with itself. I know this because I tinted a windshield with Future and food dye. I had to clear out a small area of the screen and just used a q tip dipped in future to take off the old coat. Although one coat should be sufficient for your surface and I don't think you need to thin it with anything, it will fill the scratches, but I am not sure on the clouding.

[Guest]

as far as Future is concerned...you cannot add successive coats as it dissolves the previous coat when coated over with itself. I know this because I tinted a windshield with Future and food dye. I had to clear out a small area of the screen and just used a q tip dipped in future to take off the old coat. Although one coat should be sufficient for your surface and I don't think you need to thin it with anything, it will fill the scratches, but I am not sure on the clouding.

No more than any other paint. I spray multiple coats and have no issues at all.

[charlzrocks]

You might be correct about the spraying ..........I always just brush mine on!

[clarou]

Hi,

I had a similar situation when I had sprayed my windows with tamiya ps-31 smoke and I didn't obtained the effect that I was looking for. So I had to remove the paint but I couldn't do it. So I decided to remove it with some easy-off and brake fluid. But the damage was already done.

So, I tried to buff the part to get back the shine and transparancy. Indeed, it was a long process. From 3200 grit up to 12000 grit. I also had some tamiya polishing compound.

Here are the pics during the whole process:

The stuff used

The part at the beginning

Then some polishing done

At the end

Hope this will help

Clarence Prigent

Gatineau, Québec

the new guy!!!!

[Ddms]

I get excellent results using Future straight up, undiluted. That way, it will "gloss over" fine scratch patterns (cloudy or hazy areas) nicely.

Since I only use Future on small parts and dashboard instruments, I don't spray it on. I either dip the part in it or use a soft brush to flood the area. It dries very thin, so I usually leave it alone after its bath. But you make the coat even thinner by immediately wicking up excess liquid - just touch a soft tissue to an edge and it will pull up any Future that's accumulated in corners. It's important not to disturb the surface; don't touch the part until it's completely dry.

Future can be removed by dipping the part in household ammonia. Rinse, dry, polish some more and try again.