Help with perspex windscreen !

[rumy1]

I have been covering the front of my boat with a cheap blue tarp and yesterday my mate pointed out that the brass eyelets have been rubbing on my perspex windscreen. The scratches are very fine but all over my screen. Is there anyway of buffing these scratches out or any method to get rid of them ?
Thanks for any advice !!!

[blaze]

they tell me tooth paste works, never tried it my self. Maybe do a small test area first
cheers
blaze

[rumy1]

Blaze ... it's funny you should say that because I told my brother I was going to post here and ask and he said" someone will probably bloody tell you to use toothpaste".
Smart arse brother of mine !
Thanks for the reply Blaze.

[finga]

We used to use brasso and a chamois at school polishing acrylic
Another product to use by hand is Autosol polish which is used for soft metals.
Kitten Turtle wax and other really fine auto polishes may also take the scratches out but test on a small spot out of the way first just to be on the safe side.
:)

[PWCDad]

If you want to get really keen, Meguiars make a full range of plastic buffing and polishing compounds. They are used for helicopter bubbles and aircraft windows.

Regards
PWCDad

[Grand_Marlin]

Just remember the end result you are looking for is a highly polished, mirror finish.

Once perspex windscreens are scratched, it is very, very hard to get them back to an acceptable see through surface.
It may look good, but once the sun hits it, you see every little polishing mark.

Try calling Modular Plastics at Springwood 3290 3978 (or another plastics manufacturer) ... they may have some more advice.

Cheers

Pete

[dnej]

http://www.polywatch.de/english/polywatch_anwendung.htm
That may be helpful
David

[Steve B]

ScratchX by mcguires (in a tube) IT IS AWESOME. I had exactly the same dilema with a perspex side console widscreen scratched/rubbed by boat cover. I phoned the manufacturer and he recommended it. I have since gone on a buffing frenzy!!! the polished alloy bullbar came up a treat. sides decks with wear and tear all scratches Gooone, CD's, watch faces, all the rails in the boat, stainless prop looks like a mirror, some reels I just sold (oops shouldnt have said that!)

what I am saying is it works, easiest with one of those orbital buffer things.

cheers steve

I did a few google searches prior and found tha Brasso was good too. Computer and Gaming geeks were using it for there screens and Play station portables and Ipods etc

[finga]

ScratchX by mcguires (in a tube) IT IS AWESOME.I have gone on a buffing frenzy!!! the polished alloy bullbar came up a treat. sides decks with wear and tear all scratches Gooone, CD's, watch faces, all the rails in the boat, stainless prop looks like a mirror, some reels I just sold (oops shouldnt have said that!)


cheers steve


Thanks matey :)
I even worked out how to use it :)

[Grand_Marlin]

Thanks Steve, that will be a good one to try.

Was it ok when in direct sun?
Thats when most of these products fail.

Cheers

Pete

[Steve B]

Pete,

My perspex console was very badly rubbed and buffed by a tarpolin style cover, you could barely see thru it. it was brand new before this happened. I was devistated. I had to buff it several times, now it looks better than new over most of the area. some patches you can still see a bit of a wear mark in the perspex in direct sun as you said. I think it rubbed those patches beyond fixing. but 99% looks excellent. I wish I had taken some before and after photos. I showed the guys at autopro before and they reckoned I would never get it back to clear (transparent I mean) but it worked.

I REALLY wanted to try brasso but just couldnt bring myself to do it!! :D it just didnt seem right. :D

I'm not sure if you can use it on paintwork scratches or rub marks etc. I might try a little patch somewhere on the boat. or the missuses car! The timber at monduran has been giving my paintwork a hiding!!:-/
cheers steve

Scott (finga) mate I promise I didn't buff that reel you got...it has always been that pretty!;D

[Achjimmy]

In the old days on Helicopter bubbles they used toothpaste. If you can go to a Aircraft supply house like Aviquip on most major civil Airports they sell a polish with milspec rating (miltary specs) blue bottle (cant remember name). This works but it may be no better than the modern polish meguirs & co are doing.

Jim

[rumy1]

ScratchX by mcguires ..... where do I buy this tube ?

Thanks for all the replies !!!

[Steve B]

Rumy,

Got it at autopro. about $16- a tube. should last you ages.

Let us know how it went.

steve

[Fisher4life]

the best advice i can give you, is to treat as if your buffing scratches out of a car, very very fine grade wet'n'dry sand paper (if they are only fine scratches) and that will leave the perspex all hazy/matt looking, then go and buff it with a car polish by hand, till it comes up clear. That's what we teach our students in man arts, and it even works to bring faded indicator lenses etc back to a new shine

Being plastic, it is near impossible to get it back to the same quality as what it is after it is manufactured, but if you are that worried about it, a sheet of 2400x1200x3 will only set you back $120, then just make a new one, or 4....

Acrylic is reasonably soft plastic, and wiping it with a dusty rag or dry paper towel can leave smeared scratches in it, noticable if you are looking into the sun through it. it all comes down how particular you want to be.

toothpaste will probably be a little too course to achieve any quality results from...

Hope this helps

[dnej]

I had a look at www.Maguiars.com,and the recommendation is for PlastX,or Mirror glaze 17,clear plastic cleaner.Pretty good web site,and a special section on marine.
David

[Steve B]

DNEJ,

i actually bought the PlastX first after reading the website. I read like the right stuff for the job. When I used it just didnt work. It polished up the screen really well, but failed to remove the scratches. Hence I bought scratchX (after contacting the dudes who made the windscreen) I now use the PlastX to keep it shiny!!:D

Your right about the mcguires wbsite. it had some pretty good info, particularly marine section..

cheer steve

[FrankFWM]

I have used PLEXUS - it's a spray in a can - you polish with a clean lint free cloth - worked brilliantly for me...

It's available at whitworths too...

Frank

[ttone]

Hi RUMY1, after all these months, mhow did you get on with cleaning up your perspex windscreen?
Curious??::)
ttone

[seamaid]

:)
Seamaid thanks post's for this information.
Cheers Ged

[sheridan]

HI Rumy1

Was a spray painter for 23 yrs before 2pak came along had to nearly buff everything .done a couple show cars even part of a team who painted king Georges Daimler when he visited AUS. we used lots of things then BRASSO CORNFLOUR ETC .The best ive found for perspex is a Foam pad on variable speed buff not to fast so you don't burn it use normal car cutting compound to get bad scratches out followed by a silican glase polish or a fine wax polish to finish clean pad after using cutting compound .I also do my sun glasses this way brings up like new .Depends where you live i may be abie to do it for you i live in Brisbane

GEOFF

[megalodon]

Brasso and toothpaste used with cloth backed vinyl. Always used on visors for bike helmets so it is the best method. You think a bit of hazy glare of a day is bad try it at night with on coming cars that think they have a right to use high beam on bike riders. Dont use a buff unless you have a huge amount of experience. You will have burn marks all over it.

[baitwaster]

Novus 3 stage polish is also good. We use it on acrylic at work all the time, never seen a scratch it couldn't get out, and you can't tell where the scratch was.

Expensive though.

[rumy1]

Mate to be honest, I haven't done anything yet. My neighbour want to buff my boat with his buffer so I might get him to do the windscreen while he is at it.
He loves to make things shiney so I will let him go for it.
Great advice ... thanks fellas !!!