when you did the sanding did you go by hand or use an orbital. by hand each grit goes in one direction up/down 800 left/right 1000 this way you can see the cut lines for the previous grit have been completely removed before moving on. long process.
Another Acrylic Swirl After Buffing Situation
- Thread starter Steve and his Animals
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Steve and his Animals
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I did it by hand but just went in small circles
polyppal
2500 Club Member
Buffing acrylic can be tricky, crazing will have to be sanded off then rebuffed. It takes quite a bit of buffing to work out even fine sanding scratches, and you want to take it slow to prevent the heat buildup again.
your buffer looks pretty weak too honestly, might need to borrow a stronger random orbital
you also need the right pad or buffing can be almost useless. - I recommend Uro Buff pads if you can find them, but a good pad is gonna run around 8$+
buffandshine.com
source: I own a car detailing company and have been buffing cars/plastics/etc for 15 years
your buffer looks pretty weak too honestly, might need to borrow a stronger random orbital
you also need the right pad or buffing can be almost useless. - I recommend Uro Buff pads if you can find them, but a good pad is gonna run around 8$+
Uro-Fiber Pads
Buff and Shine Uro-Fiber Pads are designed to fully maximize the detailing potential already seen in microfiber pads. With a 25% lower pile than traditional microfiber pads, Buff and Shine Uro-Fiber Pads also feature a blend of two different microfiber grades into just one pad. These two...
buffandshine.com
source: I own a car detailing company and have been buffing cars/plastics/etc for 15 years
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Steve and his Animals
Well-Known Member
Stronger how? Speed? Is 3,500 RPM not fast?
SteveMM62Reef
Valuable Member
I’ve never been able to get away from hand polishing as the final step, even when I restored a 25 year old Fiberglass Whirlpool Tub. For Plastics and Acrylics, I prefer 3M Headlight Polish.
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Steve and his Animals
Well-Known Member
PE ProElite? I borrowed it from work.
polyppal
2500 Club Member
Oh that m
a random orbital will be much easier to work with if you have a friend with one you can borrow though. The random pattern vs a standard orbital is meant to lessen the danger of damaging your surface
Oh that might be fine, I thought it was like a $20 Home Depot ryobi from the pic
a random orbital will be much easier to work with if you have a friend with one you can borrow though. The random pattern vs a standard orbital is meant to lessen the danger of damaging your surface
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Steve and his Animals
Well-Known Member
If I move around in a smaller area would that be better? And should I be putting a good amount of pressure down?Oh that m
Oh that might be fine, I thought it was like a $20 Home Depot ryobi from the pic
a random orbital will be much easier to work with if you have a friend with one you can borrow though. The random pattern vs a standard orbital is meant to lessen the danger of damaging your surface
malacoda
Valuable Member
Is 3000 grit fine enough as a final before moving to pastes/creams like Novus?
I've not tried re-polishing a tank yet, but for all the acrylic, plastic, or CA or epoxy-coated straight razor handles, headlight covers, etc. that I've polished over the years, I've had to go past 3,000 grit automotive sandpaper to the full Micro-Mesh series of grits ... ending at a micro-mesh grit of 12,000 ... in order to get a crystal-clear finish.
I've not tried re-polishing a tank yet, but for all the acrylic, plastic, or CA or epoxy-coated straight razor handles, headlight covers, etc. that I've polished over the years, I've had to go past 3,000 grit automotive sandpaper to the full Micro-Mesh series of grits ... ending at a micro-mesh grit of 12,000 ... in order to get a crystal-clear finish.
I know it's something you probably do not want to hear but I would recommend you going back to the wet sanding. Starting with 800 or 1000 grit working left to right then up and down with the next grit.
It's the only way you're truly going to know all of your micro scratching is out of the acrylic.
As the individual sanding grits get higher the amount of time you will need to spend on each grit will increase. Work them slowly it's a tedious process but you will be very happy with the end results.
I've had good luck with polishing acrylic at 3,000 grit you will just need to use a cutting foam pad with the proper cut polish.
Here are a few pictures from my 400 I started with 1000 grit and worked up to 12000 and I didn't need to use any liquid polish.
Good luck, looking forward to seeing the finished product!
OrlandoAIOReef
Active Member
Hey, how long did it take? & did by hand ?I know it's something you probably do not want to hear but I would recommend you going back to the wet sanding. Starting with 800 or 1000 grit working left to right then up and down with the next grit.
It's the only way you're truly going to know all of your micro scratching is out of the acrylic.
As the individual sanding grits get higher the amount of time you will need to spend on each grit will increase. Work them slowly it's a tedious process but you will be very happy with the end results.
I've had good luck with polishing acrylic at 3,000 grit you will just need to use a cutting foam pad with the proper cut polish.
Here are a few pictures from my 400 I started with 1000 grit and worked up to 12000 and I didn't need to use any liquid polish.
Good luck, looking forward to seeing the finished product!
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