Acrylic scratch remover

sruiz

Reef'R
Anyone have a scratch remover kit they don't need ? Or know where I can buy one locally at a good price?
I just got a free 40 gallon hex , and this is my first time messing with acrylic.

thanks in advace,
Saul
 
Just get some wet dry sand paper I start with 1200 then go to 3000 after you finish sanding out the scratches Use Novus #2 to polish it back clear.
You can get Novus at Tap Plastics I wouldnt waste my time with Novus #3 it dont seem to help any.
Get a bottle of #1 Novus also use it as a final and in the future use it to clean the out side of the acrylic makes it crystal clear
 
I just did this on my current 75g tank. You could borrow my buffer if you want. I bought it just for buffing my tank. I just used Novus #2, and it removed 90% of the scratches on my tank. With the buffer, it only took about an hour for the whole job.
 
Steve what kind of buffer did you buy Im in the process of buying one I saw a couple at Home Depot and Walmart in the $25.00 to $60.00 range I don think you need a really big buffer maybe just a car buffer but I could be wrong.
TIA
 
Thanks for the heads up guys. I guess I'll have to go with the #2. Good to hear it did not take long on a 75 because this is a 40 , but then again it's a Hex.

STEVE: thanks for the offer on the buffer? What type of buffer did you buy for your tank? I think I might be better off buying one to have around.

PAUL: I will have to check out the "W" to see what they have. thanks
 
This is what I used from Harbor Freight:
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Product Link: Link

It was on sell for $30. I just used the terry cloth bonnet thing on a low speed with Novus #2 and a spray bottle to keep the areas I was working on moist. I read a post somewhere that you know you have the right amount of water and novus when the novus is flinging around from the spinning.

Before I started, I didn't have much confidence. But I tested a scuffed part on the top rim for a moment with the buffer, and with just a few seconds of buffing, the scuffed part had pretty much vanished. There were hundreds of micro-scratches on this spot, and when I was done, just a few tiny deeper scratches were left, and they were only visible because I was looking for them.

The above buffer may be to large for a smaller tank though. But what I did was buff the tank, clean, and repeat two more times. All the normal scuffs and scratches were gone. A few deeper scratches remained, but they were MUCH less noticiable. I'm sure I could have gotten them out in a few more minutes.

Oh, on choosing a buffer/sander, many of the cheaper ones do not have variable speeds. I read that you want low rpm, to avoid heating the acylic. If you heat it up, it will cause a visual distortion. So make sure you can control the speed.
 
Thanks Steve good point about speed control.
I forgot about that.Also from what I had read befor they say not to stay on one spot to long that it's better to move around back and forth so you dont burn the acrylic.
Well time for me to order another 64 ounces of Novus #2 and 64 ounces of #1 I figure if Im starting my 360 Peninsula and its acrylic I will need it at sometime
 
Not sure what the mail order price is, but Tap on Auburn had the big size for around $15 bucks. I got the medium size, and it was like $8.00 and I have enough to buff another 5 tanks probably. This stuff goes quite far.
 
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