torch+plastic= shiny??

[wayfastwhitey69]

i heard that if you take the torch to your plastics and just skim over them it will get rid of stains, stressmarks, and scratches. is this true?

[BuB400]

torch+plastic=melty

[Ron89]

I use a buffing wheel on a drill. It heats the plastic up just enough to smooth it out. Make sure you use compound of course.

[xrdrsux]

i know that re painting them gets rid of it..lol try the torch thing and tell us how it goes.

[wayfastwhitey69]

i have an old set im gunna try it on but my friend did it and it worked well

[<DRS>GPF]

have you considered a hair dryer or heat gun?:confused:

[Ron89]

It's probably just going to leave big black marks in the plastic that will stain once it bonds with the melted plastic.

[Ruby Soho]

guys let me know how it works out for you

i have rears that need some work

[mc_racer]

It works just fine. I have a Blaster with blue plastics. They had white stress marks all over when I bought it. I removed them from the bike and ran a propane torch lightly over them. It didn't take them out completely, but they are alot better. I still do it now and then to touch them up.

[dirtybird]

ya, I did that myself when I shaved my front fenders-after cutting and sanding down the plastics were white where I had cut. So I used the torch on it and it brought them back bright factory red.

[yfzrider45]

YEAH, i herd if you torch them they'll get shiny too!!! but i never belived it...torch ur plastics and let us no!

[dustin_j]

I've heard the heat gun or hair dryer idea to take out stress marks works, but it makes the plastics brittle so they're more likely to crack the next time.

[Scro]

I've used a torch before on an old set of black plastics. It worked well as long as you do it in stages. If it gets too hot it will start to loose the contours, and shape of the plastic. It made them shinier, not a new plastic shine, a little duller of a shine if that makes sense. It also did a good job of getting rid of the tiny cosmetic scratches, but anything real deep I couldn't get the plastic hot enough to melt those without the plastic loosing its shape.

I never did wreck with these plastics on, so I can't vouch for them being any more brittle than before. They seemed just as flexible by hand.

[dustin_j]

It may not make them brittle, that's just what I heard. I'd be interested if anyone has heated their plastics and wrecked hard.

[Ruby Soho]

i tried it on my gas tank cover

worked pretty well but didnt take out the big gashes. it made them much more red though

[tedwilley]

I use a heat gun that's made for heat shrink tubing. Hair dryers may work also, don't know.
It works pretty good without the drawbacks of Plastic Renew.
1. Wet sand to remove gashes and scratches
2. Fine steel wool to remove sanding marks. This will leave the plastic foggy.
3. Using the heat gun about 4 to 6" above the plastic, move it in a spray painting motion back and forth. I do small 6 to 10" areas at a time. You will see the plastic become shiny as the heat smooths the surface of the plastic. Do not get too aggressive.
4. Patiently repeat this until you have completed the area you are trying to fix.
5. Apply a wax or plastic treatment like Mothers, etc. to get the most shine.
My black plastic was pretty ugly before. Now, it does not look brand new like the plastic restore products. But, it looks a lot better and isn't subject to gas spills etc. like Plastic Renew.
Obviously, you will loosen any graphics applied to the plastic, so be careful.

[TRX_450]

think it would work very well for my faded factory red plastics?

[tedwilley]

I've only tried on my black plastics, and black show wear the worst. Also mine is only a year old.
Just try a small area and see how much difference it makes before you get into the whole bike.

[f4istunna]

so the plastic renew isnt worth it? Ive never tried it but was planning on it until i ready this thread, now i may try heat.

I was planning on cleaning all my bikes up real good over winter, for that fresh n purty look when i break em out in spring lol

[tedwilley]

I bought Plastic Renew, but didn't use it. I read cautions about spilling gas or other chemicals on it and how others needed to redo after it start to wear off. It looks great from pics I've seen, but I'm not one for a showroom finish that needs maintenance a lot. So, I decided not to use it for now.
As I personally haven't used it, I can't say if it's worth doing or not. I just chose to try a less expensive, easier way to maintain a quad that gets ridden a lot and has occasional crashes (my 13 y.o. LOL)

[f4istunna]

ya if you have to keep up on it its not fo rme either lol. I ride my bike and get it filthy everytime out :D Sometimes been known to go off trail though a tree or jaggerbush or 2 lol.


I have been cleaning my plastics w/ a soft brush and simple green then using tire shine which works great. But im def gonna try the torch idea, one of the sets of plastics i have for my yfz have stress marks im gonna practice on those w/ my little propane torch or heat gun

[tedwilley]

Just be careful using the torch. The temperature will be higher than a heat gun, and I'd use a flame spreader tip. Using a regular tip would be real touchy.
I've only had to do it once this year. I'll probably do it again before Spring, unless he rolls it AGAIN! LOL!