Scratches in Acrylic Tank ..... HELP ! how to remove?

SO I somehow cought an edge on the credit card I was using, or a small particle of sand got wedged..... and I now have some good crescent moon shaped scratches on the acrylic front glass of a tank inside. how do I buff them out or reduce them> I thought of using very fine sand paper and then wet sanding it, also using an automotive buffer wheel to polish it. IDEAS? or anyone seen it done, or done it? ?

oh its on a customers 220, so its a BIG deep tank.

actualy its the SAd Sad Sad Story thread tank.....X) I just cant win !

BUT the tanks is back to normal, and has 1000.00 worth of lighting ( 1200 Watts), so its good ta go @ SPS.

I have never used it before but it probably works good, check

www.noscratch.com/novus/

Thanks deacon, I dont think that will do it.

I was looking at a kit by Lifeguard systems (thanks Brandon) it aparently is just a lot of fine sand papers and a block o' wood.

I FUBARED a front glass of a tank with a credit card that had some sand stuck in it some how. perhaps a wet sanded "PALM

SANDER" from Dewalt. Of course im gunnah have to drain it and be a monkey to do it, but eh.... This tanks if FN HUGE.. I need a quick way to remove scratches from a large surface.

your welcome espi sorry it was no help though.you have helped

me a lot when i set up as i'm still a new reefer.

Never done it on a tank, but it is possible to buff acrylic with a VERY soft.... like the softest cotton flannel type buffing wheel and a special buffing compound for acrylic. The buffing wheel would be like the kind used on a bench grinder... but could be adapted to a hand tool like a drill or something.

As a side note I have used this extensively to restore severely scratched music CD's to new condition.

i heard 600 grit sandpaper works...hehe...why's my water so cloudy?

Zamboni ya, as a final buff that will work, but these are deeper.

marine substrate is rough on plastic.... and this tank has some deeeeppp scratches.

looks like a Lotta elbow grease... argh.X)

U start with about 200 and work your way to 6 or700 then use a

two part polish but thats in an empty tank with scratches.

I agree about the deep scratches, but you can buff anything out if you work at it long enough! The real problem is you need to be super carfull not to melt or begin to melt the acrylic. Heat builds up quick when buffing. Good luck though... let us know what ends up solving your problem..... The marine envionment has really taken its tole on my acrylic 12.

Take a look at the fingernail files at your local pharmacy. I have used fingernail files to buff out scratches in clear plastic model parts. There usually is one that has 3 grits on it. 2 of the grits are so fine that you can hardly feel them. I wouldn't feel comfortable using a polishing compound in a stocked tank! You also might want to check out the following link,

http://www.dxmarket.com/micromark/products/80939.html

I hope this helps, good luck

don't have an acrylic tank, but i'd say, don't buff away too much. the area will be relatively thinner and the fish n' coral will start to look like they're in fun-house mirrors (warped). good luck!

adinsxq makes a good point

.... don't buff away too much. the area will be relatively thinner ....will look they're in fun-house mirrors (warped).

ya.... the heat issue is a good point too. ill lookinto that fingernail thing, but I think a block of shaped wood and some Sand papers will accomplish the same effect.

Any one else?

i don't know about anyone else but the idea of sanding plastic just doesn't jet with me.

dave,

try this link http://m2reviews.cnsi.net/scotts/basics/buff.htm

i've used polishing wheels to polish up acrylic edges to a shine but i wasn't concerned about clarity at that time, i.e. warpage like a carnival funhouse mirror. but that link shows direct application for clarity sake.

disclaimer: i didn't use that method but my 'method' basically melted the plastic a bit for that 'shiny' finish. good luck!

Yeah, acrylic tanks can be somewhat high maintenance. My 12gal Eclipse tank has remained clear of any really visible scratches for a few months now.

Maybe you should try some stuff called micro-mesh. It's a sandpaper with tiny crystals in it that is made to be used with acrylic as well as many other things. If the scratches are pretty deep then I would just start with a rougher grit and slower work your way up. It's a long long process. After you get done with the micro-mesh sandpaper, try to get some tru vu scratch removal compound and finish it off. The tru vu compound is a 2 part compound that takes away the smaller finer scratches with a little buffing since the sandpaper wont be able to removal all those fine scratches.

HTH

Good luck and have fun

sorry, forgot to give you a link for the product

micro-mesh

The tru vu scratch removal compounds might be a little hard to track down. Not a lot of places online have them. I think I read that several fish stores in the bay area has it though.

I don't know if that's the cheapest place to get it so you might wanna look around.

Where can I find that?

Originally posted by heero

sorry, forgot to give you a link for the product

 

micro-mesh  

 

You can search RC to find out more bout the stuff to if you want more opinion on the stuff.

The mirco mesh is the same stuff as I suggested in my earlier reply. The main difference is the kit that I gave you the link for goes down to 12000 grit. Should remove more of the fine scratches.

Micro Mesh Cushioned Abrasives COPIED FROM WEBSITE.

An abrasive with crystals that float rather than remain in a fixed position best describes a cushioned abrasive. Unlike common sandpaper, cushioned abrasives have no hard makecoat or a sizecoat over the layer of abrasive as is typical of common coated abrasives. Also, the bond that holds crystals to the backing is flexible. On cushioned abrasives, crystals sit on a thin resilient layer of flexible material that is bonded to a flexible cloth backing.

The concept of cushioned abrasives, which was patented over 25 years ago by the Swiss inventor Fred Anton, first came into use for cleaning fine art paintings. The material quickly found use as an improved method for polishing acrylic windows in the aircraft industry. Since then the uses of cushioned abrasives have expanded in metal finishing with applications that include automotive crankshafts, surgical needles, mill rolls, musical instruments, and orthopedic devices.

The keys to the success of the cushioned abrasives concept have been the careful grading of abrasive crystals and the thin layer of resilient material. Cushioned abrasive crystals are graded to extremely uniform sizes thorough screening and/or a water floatation process.

The flexible layer allows the abrasive crystals to recede slightly when subjected to contact pressure. Size uniformity coupled with the ability to recede into the resilient backing matrix means that all crystal tips- the cutting edges- are at the work surface at the same level.

As the cushioned abrasive is moved across the surface, the crystals rotate slightly to cut with a positive rake. This gives a cushioned abrasive the action of a plane rather that the action of a chisel that is typical of the fixed abrasive grains of common coated abrasive products. Working on the same level, the crystals of cushioned abrasives produce fewer deep random scratches in the work piece, leaving a uniform, even surface pattern that requires fewer aggressive steps to produce the final finish.

The uniform scratch pattern of a cushioned abrasive allows the manufacturer to use finer grades of abrasives in fewer steps to finish a part. Because the abrasive crystals float on the resilient layer, relatively larger crystals can be used to produce a very fine scratch pattern. It is often found that one step of a cushioned abrasive can replace two steps of other finishing materials. For example, a 400 grade cushioned abrasive may leave a finish pattern similar to that produced by 800 or 1000 grit coated abrasive product.

The fine cutting of the cushioned abrasive generates chips that are small relative to the crystal size. Therefore loading of the abrasive with swarf is less a problem. The flexibility of the backing and the floating characteristics of the abrasives crystals help to keep the material free of abraded particles. Abraded particles that remain on the finished surface can be removed easily by flushing with water, by slapping the materials against a hard surface or by rubbing with gum rubber.

Small chips and flexibility of the backing allow the abrasive crystals to cut without fracturing and reduce loading that can cause heat build-up. The result is a product with a life that is 7 to 15 times as long as coated abrasives containing fixed crystals.

In using these cushioned abrasives, go back and forth rather than in a circular pattern. When you use the next finer grit, go over the area perpendicular (cross ways) to the previous grit.

"by slapping the materials against a hard surface or by rubbing with gum rubber." MUWAHHHH HAHAHAHAHAHAH that struck me soooo funny. Meatstick and Mushroom tatoos came tomind.... shesh Porn on the brain HAHAH

Sounds like this will work well.

LILL AND HEERO, thanks ya think it will work with a DeWalt 4x4 palm sander?

SO I EMAILED THE COMPANY.....>>>>>

Question: I have a customer with 6 foot long by 3.5 foot deep acrylic salt water aquarium that has scratches inside and out.

Your scratch/ restoration mesh kit came as reccomended. This is a big job, and I need to know how much I need and what the longjevity of a sheet is for such purposes as a large aquarium would require. ALSO will your mesh film work with a palm sander? I have a 4x4 Dewalt palm sander. I cant spend like 10 hours on this tank, I need a fairly speedy fix without the "funhouse mirror" effect. thanks.

Dave.

EMAIL REPLY... VERY FAST ! ......>>>>>

Tough questions. Probably 2-3 sheets of the various grits that you think you'll need.

Longevity is related to how much you use. The sheets can be cleaned. Though they wear out, they last longer than regular sand paper. You can use a palm sander. One of the tricks to using Micro Mesh is to not use a circular pattern. Rather, go back and forth. Using the next grit, go perpendicular to the previous motion. This allows you to "knock" the peaks off instead of cutting along the same groove. Providing that you don't over sand with the 1500 grit, you shouldn't have any optical distortion.

Michael Blair

Restorer Supplies, Inc.

303-384-9121

www.RestorerSupplies.com

my reply....>>>>>

Thanks I will be ordering within the week... any recomendations on quantities and grits>? the cross perpindicular method is a new one to me thanks, but it makes sense. the parm sander works in linear motion, so its all good. THANKS.

ELBOWS DEEP IN SALT WATER< DAVE

His reply within the 1/2 hr.....>>>

The Aquarium restoration kits have the following grits:

1800

2400

3200

4000

6000

8000

Anti-Static cream

I'm going to guess 3-12"x6" sheets of each grit

COOL BEANS.

sounds good to me. this stuff is expensive though...

Ill update when I try the stuff in a week or 2

Whatever happened with this Dave?

I just scratched the sh*t out of the front of my acrylic tank. Anyone have experience buffing scratches out of acrylic? Also, it doesn't seem like I could use any compounds since it is a fully stocked tank.

Thanks!

This system can be used while water is still in the tank. I have a Tenecor tank, almost bought the kit, but used Novus when the tank was still dry.

Scroll down to cleaning supplies.

http://www.tenecor.com/accessories.php

Sirreal63, my tank is is dry right now. Would you recommend the Novus over the micromesh.

Dave, i am curious as to how the micromesh worked out for you too?

I liked the Novus...but the tank I had was severely scratched. I used 600 to 2000 grit paper to get the deep scratches out and polished the tanks with Novus2 and a random orbit buffer. (I have a showcar and the buffer was so easy to use) If the scratches are not too deep the Novus will handle them just fine. Make sure you rinse the tank very well if you use Novus on the inside.