sanding and buffing plastics?

[pro-rider46]

I got this crazy idea of wet sanding clear plastic to get some scratches out of it, and it dulled as i new it would, then i took peanut butter compound arcross it will a buffer, and it worked really well and look brand new. does anyone know if this can be done to colored plastics on cars, or even quad. I always thought if you put a pastey wax or compound on smooth plastics it would leave streak marks.

[ZeroLogic]

I did it to my old 300ex's red Maiers plastics. It was red and scratched to ****. Came out good but I don't know how to keep the shine. Lots and lots of work. It goes by a little bit faster with a torch too.

[fastredrider44]

Buffing plastic is a lot like work. Sand where its scratched, spray on armor all or wd40 and be done.

[Scro]

I went over a set of plastics with a blowtorch one time, and they turned out nice. Just do it in stages, and don't let the plastic get so hot it looses its shape.

[smr]

an SOS pad works really good.

[pro-rider46]

thanks for the replys guys. i will have to try the torch thing. and i may try wet sanding and buffing.

i know on the cars that my school paints, we will wet sand the runs out of the clear, then buff it will buffing compounds,and finesse it, and perfect it compounds. and you couldnt even tell where sandpaper touched the car, so i may try that on some unseen plastics.

[j_cyrus3]

What grit are you using? I wouldn't go below 1000 or 1500. always go back over it with something smoother also, like 3000

[pro-rider46]

well, if i do my plastics, i will probably start with 600, depending on the depth of the scratch, and then move to 1000, and then buff, i have 2000 grit here too but i probably wont need to go that high. i have lots of experiance with sanding to make it supersmooth, i also know how to polish aluminum.

[bwamos]

Wash w/ simple green.
Dry.
Apply Mop&Glow on a sponge.

Done.

Just reapply whenever you wash the quad.

[trx310R#24]

alot of pros use a heat gun to get it to shine

[pro-rider46]

Originally posted by trx310R#24
alot of pros use a heat gun to get it to shine

hmm, i just so happen to have a heat gun

[Flyin-Low]

I've done the torch trick to my old 400ex plastics, it worked really well with one of those hand held propane torches. The oxy acetylene torch with a heater tip was way too easy to mess up with.

Here's some idea of what they looked like after, trust me they were BAD before.