Removing Scratches

[IamSpartacus]

Has anybody found a way to remove scratches in lexan lips? I was wondering if eyeglass scratch remover would work, but as a poor college student I thought I would ask before spending money.

Thanks, Mike

[Hoodaddy]

Man thats a tough one ....at least for me. Other than possibly applying a thin coat of clear or spray clear I would'nt have a clue. Hopefully someone else will enlighten us.

Maybe light buffing with a soft wheel and dremel if available.

[Vodkaman]

It is best to take the surface down gradually using finer and finer wet-n-dry emery, dipped in soapy water. The water stops it from clogging up. Finally a buffing wheel with a light cutting compound. Buffing wheels can remove material faster than you think and will leave a rippled surface if you are not careful. Keep the wheel moving and don't press.

This method will remove scratches, but it will never be as good as the original. Hoodaddy's method might be the way to go, as the clear fills the scratch grooves.

Try the methods out on a piece of scrap to get a feel for each method.

[Lure--Prof]

I polish lips with micro-mesh abrasives--they're not cheap, but they'll last a long time. You can find automotive sandpaper to 2000 grit in Wal-Mart; the Micro-abrasives in hobby shops in grits from 1,500 to 12,000. A set of 6, 3" X 4" sheets from 3200 to 12000 is around $17, but will last many lips. Start in the vicinity of 400 to 600 depending on severity of the scratches. After you get to 6000, you're back to clear again. It isn't easy, but nothing does a finer job.

Dean

[IamSpartacus]

Thanks for all the help!

Mike

[SFCBassman]

I have had good luck using a dremel as suggested above. The key is don't go any faster than 10,000 RPM. I have a cheap (21.00 @ Wal-Mart) battery operated one that only has 2 speeds, 5 and 10 thousand RPM. I used my corded Dremel and it only has 1 speed and thats fast (I think 35,000). It would damage the lips.

Begin by using 400 Grit to remove the deep gouges. If its just scratched, you can use higher. WalMart sells 1500 and 2000 grit in the automotive section, so you should be able to find that anywhere car parts are sold also. When you have just the scratches from your sandpaper, you can use a buffing wheel on a Dremel. I have better luck using rubbing compound on the buffing wheel and I use the larger wheel that Dremel Makes (they have 2 sizes). When using the larger wheel, I find that its easier to use the top rather than the side of the wheel. This gives you greater surface area to buff with and also helps with heat dissapation which is what causes the dremel to cut into the plastic. I have not damaged any lips using the slower speed and rubbing compound. I have pressed down pretty hard just to see and it takes quite a bit of pressure at 5000, where you can lightly touch it at 35000 and cut the lip. Use the rubbing compound like you would car wax, only it actually sands the lip. I have no Idea what equivalent sand paper grit it is, but I'm sure its better than 10K. I've been doing this with my repaints instead of using clear on the lips and it seems to protect the paint job better. What I mean by that is, the paint can't chip (since its not there) off the lip when banged off rocks. This seems to allow my paint to hold up, espicially when using devcon. In fact, I discovered this when I had no other options for a topcoat.

Hope this helps someone. I may have finally found something that I can contribute here. Usually everyone feeds me information and I thank everyone very much for that.