(OT) sort of, Plexiglass polishing?

Bobbykart

Bobbykart

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All,

I have 6 panels in my backyard, 2'X6', they look weathered, I know they will polish up nice. Any thoughts on pad and polish combo?
 
My neighbor once asked me if I had anything that could polish up the instrument cluster plastic aka plexiglass that he had removed from his old Ford Bronco [I’m not sure what year but I’m guessing it’s like a 76’. Real big truck]

So I came over and brought along my HF DA with a 3” Orange Lake Country Flat Foam Cutting Pad and some McKee’s AIO Headlight Restoring Polish since afterall it is plastic.. I let him do it himself and he had never used a polisher in his life but the results turned out perfect! Got rid of all the fine swirls and left it crystal clear like brand new. I was almost jealous. Lol.

That McKee’s AIO Headlight Restoring Polish works great on plastic, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use it on that plexiglass you’re dealing with.
 
I would think it would be like anything else, start with the least aggressive. Optimim HyperPolish is supposed to be great for polishing plastic. I would think that with an orange pad, maybe slow down the speed a little should give great results.
 
DaveT435 said:
I would think it would be like anything else, start with the least aggressive.
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I doubt this general detailing advice would apply in this case, because 1. plexiglass scratches relatively easy (well, at least compared to polyurethane clear coat anyway), so most scratches will be relatively deep, and 2. plexiglass is not only around 100 microns thick (like car paint), but at least 100 times thicker - so, it doesn't matter much if you're abrading even dozens of microns, because there will be still plenty left.

I mean you can still start off with the least aggressive method first - but it wouldn't make much difference anyway.
 
itsgn said:
I doubt this general detailing advice would apply in this case, because 1. plexiglass scratches relatively easy (well, at least compared to polyurethane clear coat anyway), so most scratches will be relatively deep, and 2. plexiglass is not only around 100 microns thick (like car paint), but at least 100 times thicker - so, it doesn't matter much if you're abrading even dozens of microns, because there will be still plenty left.

I mean you can still start off with the least aggressive method first - but it wouldn't make much difference anyway.
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I'm aware of what plexiglass is. I think the HyperPolish would be a good option to try. You seem to have the answers though, so by all means tell him how to fix it!
 
Eldorado2k said:
My neighbor once asked me if I had anything that could polish up the instrument cluster plastic aka plexiglass that he had removed from his old Ford Bronco [I’m not sure what year but I’m guessing it’s like a 76’. Real big truck]

So I came over and brought along my HF DA with a 3” Orange Lake Country Flat Foam Cutting Pad and some McKee’s AIO Headlight Restoring Polish since afterall it is plastic.. I let him do it himself and he had never used a polisher in his life but the results turned out perfect! Got rid of all the fine swirls and left it crystal clear like brand new. I was almost jealous. Lol.

That McKee’s AIO Headlight Restoring Polish works great on plastic, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use it on that plexiglass you’re dealing with.
Click to expand...

Slightly off-topic but LOL-worthy, regarding McKee's AIO Headlight polish, my son's swim goggles were pretty scratched up and my wife was going to toss them so I asked her to give them to me to see if I could "restore" them. I first tried by hand with a microfiber towel and my index finger. I learned these goggles have a coating on them, pretty lousy coating in my opinion and the AIO took it right off. A little clearer but the scratches were persistent so I tried a drill with 3" polishing pad and it actually worked well....for the OUTSIDE lens surface.

The inside of these goggles is another matter. The problem is, too many saliva and defogger rubdowns with the finger (to cut back on fogging) so the inside surfaces were pretty scratched up, too. I looked around my shop I gravitated to my Dremels (I have 5 of them) and used a 1/4" round wool polishing pad. I cranked the Dremel down to the slowest speed, added some AIO to it and started polishing the inside. So far, so good.....I thought. Suddenly, the wool pad started slinging and the lens surface had a massive melted gouge in it. OOPS!!! I pulled out another wool pad and tried to clean it up. OOPS!!!

Tossed both goggles into the trash and immediately ordered new ones on Amazon...end of story. LOL!!!
 
I have used regular paint polishes and compounds on plexiglass windshields on motorcycles and boats many times. Not really all that different from trying to clean up a headlight that you don't want to do the whole wet sanding routine on.

Plexus or M37 Plex-All on a like 4" white pad is a good way to finish it off. That also works well on the soft rear windows on convertibles. You can't really remove much scratching because you can't put much pressure on the soft plastic window, but it does a good job removing the yellow tinge that those windows suffer from. You can also use it on the interior side of that window if you can reach it.
 
DBAILEY said:
I have used regular paint polishes and compounds on plexiglass windshields on motorcycles and boats many times. Not really all that different from trying to clean up a headlight that you don't want to do the whole wet sanding routine on.

Plexus or M37 Plex-All on a like 4" white pad is a good way to finish it off. That also works well on the soft rear windows on convertibles. You can't really remove much scratching because you can't put much pressure on the soft plastic window, but it does a good job removing the yellow tinge that those windows suffer from. You can also use it on the interior side of that window if you can reach it.
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Not to hijack the thread, but I have a golf cart with some minor swirls in the windscreen. I use M37 Plex-All to clean it with, but would have never thought about spraying some on a white polishing pad and trying to remove them that way... thanks for the tip! Will definitely give that a try.
 
Route246 said:
Suddenly, the wool pad started slinging and the lens surface had a massive melted gouge in it. OOPS!!! I pulled out another wool pad and tried to clean it up. OOPS!!!

Tossed both goggles into the trash and immediately ordered new ones on Amazon...end of story. LOL!!!
Click to expand...

Oh, that made for a good laugh. Thanks man.
 
And just to note....


I see a lot of people refer to all types of plastic as

plexiglass


When in fact it turns out to be Lexan.


Plexiglass is VERY easy to buff out as it's very soft. I've never seen Lexan fixed perfect.


FWIW


:)
 
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