Acrylic sanding advice

[JCOLE]

I drained my 480 gallon acrylic peninsula this weekend for a reset I am doing. I would like to sand out some scratches on the acrylic. I buffed out some scratches before with Novus 1,2, and 3 but never used sandpaper before. I am seen some videos on YouTube, etc but if anyone has any advice, links, tips, etc then I would love to hear them.

Thanks for the help!
Josh

 

[Misled]

Got Scratches in your Acrylic?? This IS how you remove them while your tank is full. - Reef Central Online Community

Got Scratches in your Acrylic?? This IS how you remove them while your tank is full. Do It Yourself

www.reefcentral.com

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Tape the panels into sections on the opposite side you work on, so you get it all.

 

[JCOLE]

Got Scratches in your Acrylic?? This IS how you remove them while your tank is full. - Reef Central Online Community

Got Scratches in your Acrylic?? This IS how you remove them while your tank is full. Do It Yourself

www.reefcentral.com

Thank you. I have watched those videos before and purchased the Mighty Magnet scratch removal pads because of them. I haven't had a chance to use them yet. The tank is currently drained and I will be sanding it dry. I am curious to know if there is a different method for dry sanding as opposed to wet sanding the tank.

 

[JCOLE]

Tape the panels into sections on the opposite side you work on, so you get it all.

That is a good tip. I saw them do this on public aquariums as well. I can see how you would get lost without it.

 

[JCOLE]

Does anyone know if I can use an orbital sander or a back-and-forth palm sander instead? I have read mixed reviews that say an orbital sander will cause swirls in the acrylic.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

You can use an orbital but just the weight of the sander to do the work. DON'T PUSH ON IT.
Take your time, it's a process.

 

[JCOLE]

You can use an orbital but just the weight of the sander to do the work. DON'T PUSH ON IT.
Take your time, it's a process.

Ok, that is good to know. I picked up a palm sander and some sheets ranging from 400-15000 grit. I will go to the orbital if that doesn't work out for some reason. I don't have heavy, deep scratches. My worst are urchin bite marks and some minor scratches from using a metal paint scraper for coralline. I don't use the scraper anymore. I have a Mighty Magnet now and should have had that a long time ago. I have a ton of smaller swirl marks but you can only see those when the tank is empty. What grit would you recommend I start with? I don't want to go to low and make more work for myself if I don't have to. It is what it is, if I do though.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

I never had an acrylic tank but there are videos on YouTube describing the process.