– synthetic polymer material, which has all external characteristics inorganic, but in many ways superior to it in physical and chemical properties. Unlike ordinary glass, plexiglass is characterized by increased strength, resistance to moisture, high transparency and light transmission, as well as much lower weight.
However, over time, small chips and scratches appear on its surface, and transparency is significantly reduced. Polishing plexiglass will help restore its original appearance and eliminate defects. You can perform this procedure at home.
How to properly polish plexiglass
It is impossible to polish plexiglass with special tools - this will lead to injury to the surface. For the same reasons, you should not use aggressive chemical solutions, such as acetone. The best way to return it to its former brilliance - manual polishing with sandpaper, however, there are rules here as well.
The first step is to prepare the material for polishing. To do this, it is best to remove the plexiglass from the overall structure. If this is not possible, the nearest surfaces in contact with Plexiglas must be sealed with adhesive tape to avoid damage.
- We clean the material from dust and dirt with a soft felt cloth or just a cotton pad.
- For the initial polishing, you will need a large sandpaper with a grit of 800, which will remove large flaws and make the surface evenly matte. Important condition: sanding must necessarily take place with the addition of a small amount of water (“dry” polishing will lead to mechanical damage!).
- The next step is grouting with a finer sandpaper with a grit of 2000, which will eliminate deep scratches and pits.
- After the main stage of polishing plexiglass, wipe it dry and apply polishing paste - special agent to bring back the shine. After uniform rubbing of the paste, the surface gradually acquires its former transparency.
How else can you polish plexiglass?
The polishing method described above is the main one, the most commonly used and the most affordable. But there are other options for updating plexiglass: for example, using GOI jewelry polishing paste. In this case, the paste with the addition of water is applied to the product and rubbed in a circular motion. soft cloth. The next step is polishing with fine emery cloth (1500 - 2000). At the end, the surface is again treated with paste and wiped dry.
Another affordable way renovation of plexiglass at home - processing with auto polish. The agent is applied to the prepared surface and rubbed with uniform efforts. Save the result will help finishing machine oil.
As you can see, it is not so difficult to return the attractive appearance of plexiglass manually - you just need to decide on the method of polishing. At proper care and timely polishing, plexiglass will retain its transparency and original brilliance for a long time.
Many people ask the question - how is plexiglass grinding done at home? This procedure is often extremely necessary, because many home craftsmen try to create various details from this unique material with their own hands.
Grinding can be done at home, without involving any specialized equipment. You can get by with what you have on hand. There are several ways you can sand the ends of a Plexiglas product, or the front surface, to the desired sheen.
Depending on the method of grinding and polishing acrylic you choose, it will depend on what tools and memory aids you will need. It is also worth noting that the conditions in which the work will be performed are important, and the dimensions of the product are also important.
General requirements for work
Acrylic polishing is performed using low-abrasive compounds. Do not use aggressive substances, they can permanently damage the surface. It is also worth noting that acrylic processing will be easiest to carry out when the part is separated from the overall structure. If this is not possible, then the adjacent parts will need to be protected with mounting tape.
As a rule, if the cultivated area is small, then the work can be done manually. Much easier and less expensive and faster to use a grinder.
Processing with sandpaper and polishing paste
For this method you will need:
- Sandpaper, grit 2000 and 800;
- A piece of soft fabric, felt and felt are suitable;
- Polishing paste.
So, first of all, you will need to use sandpaper grit size 800. The element to be treated can be pretreated with water. As a result of your actions should disappear small scratches, the surface will become smooth and matte. Do not be upset, do not think that you have spoiled the part, this is how it should be, the main thing is that the surface of the part is neat and even.
Now you can proceed to the second stage, process the part with sandpaper with a grit of 2000. As a result of the work, you will notice that the acrylic will become transparent. In order to improve the effect - you can use polishes.
Polish must be applied to a piece of soft cloth, after which uniform movements treat the entire surface. Continue your actions until you achieve the desired result.
Using GOI paste
Below we will tell you how to polish any part made of a material - plexiglass using GOI paste. This method is very similar to the one described above, but instead of polish, you must use GOI paste. The technology is the same as described above. First of all, it is necessary to process the surface using sandpaper, and then, to achieve the desired gloss result, use GOI paste.
With the use of auto polishes
If you were unable to purchase GOI paste or other polishing paste, you can use various means from a series of car cosmetics that are used to eliminate small scratches and damage.
To get started, apply an auto polish to the screen or part being processed, and then proceed to grinding using a soft cloth, you can use a grinder by putting a special nozzle on it.
Use of improvised materials
In addition to the methods described above, you can grind acrylic and improvised materials, for example, it can be tooth powder or chalk. To do this, it will be necessary to pour the powder on a piece of cloth, use a cotton pad, place it between the grinding wheel and the cloth. Now perform neat circular motions, thereby you will be able to grind the part.
As you can see, there are quite a lot of methods for grinding plexiglass, you can choose the most suitable one for you and radically change the acrylic part, which has lost its previously attractive appearance.
Over time, scratching is inevitable, so many are trying to figure out how to polish plexiglass at home. The proposed instruction will allow you to get the desired result.
It is important to understand that this work is very laborious and very long. Never use aggressive chemical substances and high quality elements.
Polishing plexiglass involves the use of only low abrasive cleaning elements.
Otherwise, the glass may lose its transparency, become dull, and it will be impossible to use it in the future.
Preparatory work: if possible, then the part should be dismantled, since it will be much more convenient to polish the plexiglass.
The work surface should be covered masking tape, it is better to do this with an overlap of a couple of millimeters.
Excess adhesive tape must be carefully cut with a clerical knife or scalpel (any other sharp cutting tool will do).
We need felt and GOI paste.
You should apply a small amount of paste on the glass and start rubbing it with neat, active movements, using felt.
This operation should be carried out before the formation of shine.
Second phase
When deciding how to polish plexiglass and what tools to use, fine-grained emery cloth should be preferred.
If you don't follow this council, then instead of polishing, you will only cause more scratches and defects. It is necessary not only to wet it with water, but also to apply water to the plexiglass.
To do this, you can use a spray bottle, because during the use of the skin, it is important to maintain the level of humidity, i.e. rub glass with sandpaper should be “wet”.
If you don't have a spray gun or don't want to use one, then the polishing process can be done underwater.
The main thing is to carry out all the work carefully and as carefully as possible, this will be the key to a quality result.
If, after using the skin, some defects and irregularities are still visible, then the process should be continued until the surface becomes smooth and even.
After finishing the sanding process, wipe the glass with a clean cloth and apply GOI paste with felt. This type of processing is suitable for polishing old glass.
Alternative polishing methods
There are also alternative ways polishing plexiglass: for this you need a colorless auto polish.
First, you should still apply auto polish to a small area of glass, if the result is good and it suits you, then you can apply polish already to the entire surface of the glass.
You can also rub the polish with felt. After completing this work, you can rub the glass with oil. For this, olive, sunflower or regular machine is suitable.
If you want to get an excellent result, but do not want to do such work yourself, then you can contact a car service.
Most of them polish plexiglass, and you don’t have to worry about the result - use professional equipment will allow you to get perfectly polished plexiglass.
Depending on the type of work, it may even be preferable to contact a car service, because the process of self-polishing plexiglass is a very laborious task, and the lack of specialized equipment will not guarantee that the result will be perfect.
Plexiglas is a great replacement ordinary glass. Plexiglas has found application in various industries, including construction. The level of strength and transparency of plexiglass has good performance, therefore, not only shower cabins are often made from it, but also lighting, aquariums, as well as various accessories for cars.
However, sometimes scratches and even chips can be found on Plexiglas. From scratches on plexiglass, it is quite possible to get rid of it on your own, at home. So, how is plexiglass polished at home? How to properly polish plexiglass, for example, on the doors of a shower cabin?
Having decided to polish plexiglass yourself, you need to learn more about how to properly polish plexiglass at home. The fact is that this is a very delicate process, during which you can both restore the former appearance of a Plexiglas product, and vice versa, completely ruin it.
First of all, you should know that the processing of plexiglass excludes the use of any aggressive substances for these purposes. If chemicals are used to polish plexiglass, then its appearance after processing will become dull and unsightly, and the product will be completely damaged.
In order to carry out the process of polishing plexiglass correctly, it is necessary to prepare the following tools for this:
- Scotch tape and paper;
- A sharp knife or scalpel;
- Zero sandpaper (for 800 and 2000);
- GOI paste.
Plexiglas polishing at home is done manually, without the use of any power tools. Using a power tool to polish plexiglass, you can quickly overheat the surface, after which the plexiglass will no longer be usable.
To polish plexiglass at home, you first need to remove the product from which it is made and place it on a flat and durable surface. At the same time, the ends of the product must immediately be pasted over with adhesive tape or paper so that they are not damaged during the polishing of plexiglass.
After such simple preparatory work, you can polish the plexiglass with your own hands. To do this, with sandpaper (at 800) and with a small amount of water, a neat and uniform grouting of the Plexiglas surface is carried out.
Having thus cleaned the plexiglass, its surface is wiped off and the first assessment of the work performed is given. If the scratches on the plexiglass are not completely or completely removed, then you should continue polishing the plexiglass again.
As soon as large scratches from plexiglass are removed, sandpaper should be changed, replacing it with sandpaper (for 2000). After the Plexiglas surface is finally smooth and without defects, the result should be fixed using GOI paste or any other surface polishing paste.
GOI paste is applied to the glass surface with a soft cloth and carefully, it is rubbed into the plexiglass with uniform hand movements. After ten minutes, you can see how the surface of the plexiglass will take on a shiny and glossy look.
On this, the polishing of plexiglass at home is completed, and you can install the product in its rightful place for its further operation.
Over time, the surface of the plexiglass becomes covered with scratches, loses its luster, various flaws begin to appear on it, and the reflection in it is significantly distorted. But it is still possible to return the glass to its previous appearance, although the process itself is laborious and rather lengthy. The main thing is to know how to polish plexiglass, be patient and not let the material become completely unusable.
Features of plexiglass
Organic glass is a synthetic polymer composed of thermoplastic resin. It has many other names:
- plexiglass;
- acrylic glass;
- transparent plastic;
- carboglass;
- acryplast, etc.
In Europe, plexiglass has been known since 1933, although it was created back in 1928. At that time, plexiglass found its way into the aviation industry. Its properties, such as transparency, shatterlessness and insensitivity to the effects of aviation gasoline, were excellent for the design of the cockpit.
Domestic plexiglass appeared in 1936, and modern developments made it possible to use it composite options even MiG aircraft. What then to say about domestic use plexiglass, which is widely used:
- in interiors;
- when glazing openings and making transparent domes;
- as decorative partitions;
- in the production of shower cabins;
- as a diffuser for fluorescent lamps and decorative elements with illumination;
- for aquariums and molded products.
It is impossible to list all areas of application of Plexiglas, especially in industry. It is released:
- colored;
- transparent;
- matte;
- corrugated.
It is safe to say that plexiglass looks great in any case, has a lot of advantages, but is prone to scuffs and scratches, which can be removed if you learn how to polish plexiglass. With a positive result, it will last for a long time.
How to restore transparency and shine to plexiglass
To begin with, it should be remembered that when polishing organic glass, one should not use highly abrasive compounds, aggressive chemicals and coarse-grained emery skins. All of them will surely lead to tarnishing of the surface and loss of aesthetics.
There are several ways to give plexiglass a second life, each of which has the right to exist. It should be noted that it is most convenient to work with glass that is removed from the structure. In this case, adhesive tape is glued to the ends in such a way that it goes a couple of millimeters onto the main surfaces of the plexiglass.
If it is not possible to remove plexiglass for a number of reasons, then the surfaces of other materials adjacent to it will need to be pasted over with the same adhesive tape. Next, the glass is cleaned of dust and dirt with a piece of soft cloth.
It is important to know that the prepared plexiglass is polished only by hand. Any machine processing leads to its deterioration due to the relatively fast processing.
Option 1
For the process of polishing plexiglass you will need the following materials and tools:
- emery skin - with a grain size of 2000 and 800;
- soft cloth, which can be replaced with felt or felt;
- polishing paste.
Polishing is started using 800 sandpaper and a small amount of water. It is necessary to monitor the accuracy and uniformity of stripping. The surface after the end of this stage is matte, but it should be so. The main thing is that there are no ruts left. The glass is wiped with a soft cloth and the Plexiglas is processed with a finer sandpaper with a grain size of 2000, as a result of which it becomes more transparent, and scratches disappear on the surface.
Next, a polish in the form of a paste is applied to the plexiglass with a soft cloth, in a wide range offered in building supermarkets, and continue polishing, evenly rubbing the composition over the surface of the glass. The effect of the appearance of glitter on it can be seen after a few seconds.
Option 2
In this case, you will need:
- paste GOI;
- soft cloth, or felt, felt, cotton pads sold in cosmetic departments.
First, the paste is applied to plexiglass and polished using one of the above materials. Then it is processed with a fine skin soaked in water. Plexiglas is also sprayed with water, its surface should not remain dry during operation.
At the final stage, the glass is wiped with a soft cloth and again treated with GOI paste using felt. This option recommended for polishing old Plexiglas.
Option 3
On the market in a large assortment are colorless car polishes from various manufacturers. They are also suitable for polishing organic glass, but before starting the application process it is not superfluous to check for small area plexiglass, what will be the result so that unforeseen situations do not occur.
With a successful check, you can safely apply the polish to the surface, carefully rubbing it with felt. After the end of this stage, it is recommended to grind the plexiglass with machine oil.
There are still quite a few options for polishing plexiglass. Home craftsmen will be able to talk about using a zero skin and a can with a burner, which is unsafe and, if used incorrectly, can lead to glass melting. Some craftsmen advise using self-prepared products, which include tooth powder or paste, wine vinegar or chalk.
But it's not worth the risk - it's better to use long-proven technologies for polishing plexiglass!
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