Polishing Agents

Polishing agents are used to provide cast or filled synthetic resin surfaces with a smooth or even glossy finish. The acrylic glass polish is especially good for polishing acrylic glass or polycarbonatebecause it is designed for use on thermoplastic plastics and tends not to cause stress or tension cracks.

The pastes should be applied with a polishing cloth employing circular strokes with a medium amount of pressure (if necessary a buffer can be used with light pressure but be sure not to produce too much heat from the friction!). For an area of about 10 cm², a column of paste about 5 cm long (like out of a toothpaste tube) is probably enough. After polishing, warm water should be used for washing off purposes.

Very rough surfaces or deep scratches will require a more robust handling: in order to make such materials smooth they should be sanded in a linear direction using a series of grits (320 – 400 – 600 – 1000) while continually adding water. Before each change of grit the surface should be cleaned; with the finer sandpapers the sanding direction should be changed 45° and the area being worked on enlarged somewhat. After the sanding work is finished, the surface should be polished as described above and washed off with lukewarm water.

Polished plastics tend to take on a great deal of static charge. This can be dealt with by employing an antistatic plastic cleaner.