Can anyone recommend a good plastic polishing compound? I intend to use it for both clear plastic and for polishing a NMF aircraft before painting. Is there something can get locally? Toothpaste perhaps?
Novus worked really well for me on a screwed up aircraft canopy. It comes in three types, for badly and not so badly scratched, and one for finishing. It wasn’t expensive and I got it at my LHS. Check yours and see if you can get some. I’ve heard that toothpaste works also, but given the types and brands available, it seemed a bit hit or miss to me. Smells nice and tastes good however.
Tamiya markets their own plastic polish just for this purpose, it comes in a small tube and sells for about $5 here in Oz (probably $2 or $3 US). Works great for removing small scratches and getting a mirror finish.
Cheers…Snowy.
Thanks guys. I’ll look into both of these.
Over here on the market we can get plenty of different polishing compounds.
I think Tamiya is going to be issuing a new reange of polishing compounds that are now rated according to their griddiness.
My favorite is Top Compound 2000 or similar.
Bones:
you can also use toothpaste, as long as it is NOT the gel type. Polish is hard to come by locally, so I regularly use toothpaste. I buff it with an old T-shirt; wash it off and it usually works fine–even on clear parts.
We used brass polish to polish plexiglass to a crystal clear surface…
anyone know if the Tamiya polish is available in the UK [?], i’m drawing a blank over here, toothpaste is not giving the results i’ve seen from the Tamiya product…[xx(]
Here is a trick you might want to try. Next time you are in the grocery store, go to the aisle with the fingernail polish and supplies. There you should find nail buffing boards for about $2 - $3 each. They usually have 3 or 4 grits on a board, which makes them a pretty cheap solution to your scratch problems. These are very similar to the Squadron sanding boards that cost easily twice as much.
These little buffing boards work wonders on aircraft canopies, leading edges of wings and fuselage seams. As an added bonus, there is no residue left on the plastic to interfere with painting.
Scooter_roo’s trick with the nail boards is a winner.
I saw the Squadron sanding sticks in LHS recently, at about £2.50 a shot, or about $4.25.
Trip to a local pharmacist saw me picking up a multi grade stick for £1.20, or $2!!!
Used it for the first time on my 262. Absolutely brilliant. Joints and seams dissapear completely leaving a polished surface ready for painting.
Well worth trying.
Karl