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Perspex polishing and cleaning?

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Jim Lee

Jedi Trainee
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Hi,
Does anyone out there have any advice for polishing the back window of my tr3a hard top which I believe is perspex (sp?) otherwise known to us Colonists as plexiglass. I have been using 1500 wet paper with soap and water and it has removed the tough stuff and I don't have very high hopes but is there any compound or technique to get some of the haziness out?

Thanks very much,
Jim Lee
 
Jim
I used an old fashioned method on my motorcycle visordeflector. Over time it became badly scratched from insects, etc.
I used a good quality corn flour, a lambs wool polishing pad (synthetic will burn the perspex) and a high speed buffer (or drill).
With lots of patience I had the perspex looking like new.
I'm sure there are commercial polishes available, but I found this to work well while being gentle on the soft perspex.
Regards
Craig
 
The best stuff I've used for acylic plastic (Plexiglass) is Novus Plastic Polish. They have Novus 3 for heavy scratches, Novus 2 for finer scratches and Novus 1 which is a protectant, anti-fog, anti-static. I've always bought it at stores that sell plastic sheets, rods, etc. but I'm sure you can find it on-line if needed.
 
novus is great for fine stuff, but start with the wet dry sand paper, then work to the novus. i polished my rotary dial phone a while ago, and it took forever even using novus 3.

oh, you have gotten to a point to use novus, now that i reread. and like a sandblaster, you'll always find something to use novus on.
 
Yes, it can take a long time /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/sleep.gif but it keeps getting better and better with each application. I hope you're not still renting that rotary phone from Ma Bell! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
#1500 grit paper is very coarse when you’re planning to polish to optical clarity. The buff out will go much easier if you step through finer grits before polishing (at least to #2500 or #3000 but the finer the better).

The consistency of grit also makes a big difference in ease of polishing. Papers are graded by their average grit but the amount of polishing needed is determined by the deepest scratches.

Different brands of papers that are rated the same grit# can have very different scratch patterns due to the consistency of their grits. I’d recommend using Meguiar’s or Micro-Mesh abrasives. (Note: that diynetwork article bobh linked used Micro-Mesh. If you do use Micro-Mesh be sure to check their grit chart, they grade differently from the rest of the world.)

Using a foam sanding block gives best consistency. I wouldn’t use glass cleaner for wet sanding like they did in that article, not enough lubricity. Keep using soapy water like you’re already doing.


PC.
 
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