question re : polishing clear plastic

[phil55]

hi all....can anyone suggest a good product / method to polish a clear plastic body ...thanks for any feed back ~ phil

[Harry P.]

A regular polishing kit works. Same process as polishing paint, you go through the steps using progressively finer and finer grits until you have a smooth, glossy surface.

There are also many commercial plastic polishes available, some made specifically for clear plastic (like headlight lenses). Check your local auto parts store. Novus is one well-known brand of plastic polish.

http://www.containerstore.com/shop/cleaning/cleaningSolutionsAccessories?productId=10025445

[crazyjim]

Novus #1

[kalbert]

I have heard... but not personally tried... that if the scratching isn't too deep or the polishing didn't quite get you all the way there, that a dip in Future will make them just about unnoticeable. The Future bath also leaves a somewhat resistant coating on the glass to make it less prone to scratching and scuffing.

[1930fordpickup]

I have used a product from Bob's Paint . It is called Snap . It polished out an old promo glass very nice, they had used a cleaner that put a rough haze on the plastic.

[sjordan2]

I have found that Meguiar's Scratch-X is killer for plastic model parts and has the bonus of working great on your car.

[TurboKitty]

I use Meguiar's PlastX Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish. It works great on scratched cds & dvds too

[charlie8575]

I use toothpaste for polishing plastic and then follow with Novus #2 to restore the lustre. Works well.

Charlie Larkin

[MAGNUM4342]

KEEP THIS IN MIND! Clear styrenes are more brittle than standard styrene. If this is an old (vintage) body, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT ATTEMPTING IT. What you will end up with is a body filled with spiderweb cracks and broken chunklets. Trust me on this. A friend asked me to polish an original Pety Charger.

If the body is not too bad you are better of with a coat or two of Future.

Not gospel, not law, just my experience so my 2c.

[charlie8575]

KEEP THIS IN MIND! Clear styrenes are more brittle than standard styrene. If this is an old (vintage) body, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT ATTEMPTING IT. What you will end up with is a body filled with spiderweb cracks and broken chunklets. Trust me on this. A friend asked me to polish an original Pety Charger.

If the body is not too bad you are better of with a coat or two of Future.

Not gospel, not law, just my experience so my 2c.

I used the technique I described on an original SMP 1960 Valiant window unit with perfect results. The key is to use very light pressure and even, large circles.

Kevin is right, though. Old plastics can be quite brittle, so if the part you're looking at looks compromised beyond some hazing or a scratch or two, it might be worth it to try Future, or, if you must try to polish, be VERY, VERY careful.

Charlie Larkin