Help - Polishing Clear Parts

[brysonwong]

Hi everyone,

I've searched through the web to find tutorials on how to polish clear parts or to enhance clear parts to look better.



I used Tamiya's 1500 then 2000 grit sandpaper. I sand it dry as seen from the tutorials. Then I used Tamiya's coarse > fine > finish compound. Still swirl marks appear even though I apply light pressure. Am I doing something wrong?

Cheers,
Bryson.

[lemansnut]

I'm not sure what it's called in your area but the last thing I do after polishing is to dip the part in Future floor finish. The trick is to pull it out slowly so the Future can wick off the part. It should "clear" things up!

Mike

[JesusM]

please, check the following link before do it with future: http://blog.maquetea.com/?p=1683
(change the language to English and if you need more info, please let it me know!)

[eyckles]

Maybe i can help. I did it ones and had great results with it. Started wet sanding with 1500 grit micromesh and worked my way up to 12000 grit micromesh. I could have polished after with tamiya compounds, but i didn't. It took about 4 hours of sanding and a numb arm, but i was happy with the result. Here's a pic of the result:



Here's a pic of a friend of mine, who did the same thing:



I hope this helps.

Best regards,
Lesley

[hirofkd]

Micromesh system is very good, but if it's hard to obtain, you can still use the Tamiya sand paper.

Wet sand with the same Tamiya 2000 grit sand paper, and repeat the coarse and fine compound work, and you should see the difference. If you still see deep swirls, do the wet sanding again (but based on the picture, it's probably unnecessary). If the swirls seem light, repeat the compound work.
You just have to keep repeating the process until the marks are gone.

One trick you can use is to moisten the polishing cloth. Sometimes, the dried compound residue causes the scratches, but you can reduce the risk by keeping the cloth moist. Also, use a high-quality polishing cloth.

Tamiya's "Finishing" compound doesn't do much when trying to remove swirls. Save it until all swirls are gone.

And be careful not to crack the clear part. It happens quite often during an intensive polishing work.

[RonCla]

I've gotten rid of the fine swirl marks by using either Meguiars Scatch X2.0 or Turtle Scratch & Swirl Remover applied with a micro fibre cloth.

They both work equally as well and take heed hirofkds' advice of being careful when polishing.

[corvettekid_7684]

Micromesh is what I use...wet

[brysonwong]

Thanks for the advices everyone, still new to the hobby. I do have a set of micromesh craft kit, shall try using it to polish the clear parts for the time being. As far as other commented about Meguair's Scratch X2.0, I heard it works too but does it clear fine swirls to have a smooth finish on clear parts?

[corvettekid_7684]

I have used a plastic polish compound to finish off parts before, but if all stages of micromesh are done properly, it should come out very clear. I haven't used the other brands, but I've been happy with my results. They come out looking more like glass than clear plastic also

[RonCla]

Originally Posted by brysonwong

Thanks for the advices everyone, still new to the hobby. I do have a set of micromesh craft kit, shall try using it to polish the clear parts for the time being. As far as other commented about Meguair's Scratch X2.0, I heard it works too but does it clear fine swirls to have a smooth finish on clear parts?

This is just a old window I've scuffed up and then buffed out with Meguiar's Scratch X2 and then wiped over with Johnson wax. I can't see any swirls even when wearing +4 reading glasses.

Another option for use on clear parts is Meguiar's Plastx Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish.

http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotiv...leaner-polish/

I've compared it back to back with Scratch X2 and it is equally as good.

[brysonwong]

Finally got myself a bottle of Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0, it really makes the job easier than micromesh. Thanks for the recommendation everyone.