buffing out acrylic

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
T

troutking

Piranha
MFK Member
Mar 18, 2008
2,485
39
81
ive recently bought a 240 gallon acrylic tank and i was wondering wat is the best method of buffing it out. I already have novus 1,2,3, but what sand papers should i use? ive read to alternate directions with each grade of sand paper. also theres one scratch on the front pane on the outside which is bothering me. I dont know if its considered deep or if its not tat bad but ive attached a photo of it. my fingernail gets caught wen i run over it though. one other thing theres another blemish on the bottom right side of the front pane, almost like a burn mark, is this buffable?

IMG_8632.jpg

IMG_8635.jpg
 
The burn mark may be able to be "flame polished" with a benzo torch from home depot. Just have to be careful not to melt the acrylic or it will bubble and turn brown. The Novus kits work very well and will take out just about everything but your large scratch u have pictured. As for the large scratch theres no way around going through all the grits of sandpaper from like 80/100 all the way to 1200/1400/2000 that they use for wet sanding car paint. I'd use the sandpaper first then save the novus kit to clean everything up when ur done. Buffing is not a quick or easy process and hand sanders/buffers will make it go quicker, but even then you have to be patient and just go through the motions until its clear. As an artist ive done stone carving and its basically the same thing to get rocks to a high polish finish. There are also "buffing compounds" you can use with a buffer instead of the sand paper method but again its not any quicker or better really. Just be patient and take your time. I'm sure someone else will post some pics of a tank theyve buffed. I'm lazy and learn to deal with the scratches on most of my acrylic tanks lol... i have about 8-10 that look just like urs hah no biggie but they can be annoying to look at sometimes.
 
Start with the heavy grain one. Get an orbital buffer with microfiber bonnets and go to town. I would try that first before hitting it with sandpaper. If you don't know what you're doing you can do more damage and even distort the viewing if you are not even with it.
 
if i use the novus plastic buffing kit, i wouldnt need the sandpaper? i got an estimate of 260 for 2 panes inside and outside and may just get it professionally done..i kinda dont want to screw up buffing the first time on my 240 galllon, but saving the 260 is really tempting too
 
Dont waste ur money thats getting waxed for that small of a repair. Someone will chime in with more info on buffing. Ive bought 230-220's acrylic for cheaper than that, u could have a whole nother tank lol

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom