Buffing acrylic back to a clear finish

Buffing acrylic back to a clear finish

[@junit483]

Always like any video that starts with an Aussie saying G'day.

[@hrawk]

How lucky am I, a lightsaber under every vid ! Many thanks !

[@shaunm2208]

So I could use this same method for my acrylic knife scales.... Thanks for sharing

[@monkfry]

7 thumbs down. Don't see your vid up anywhere and this guy did a pretty quick nice job.

[@hrawk]

@XxDollarBill I've used heat and flame polishing for some jobs. On a piece like this though, I have found it can often cause some surface deformation if you are not careful. Nasty habit of melting sharp corners too.

[@francescadee]

How did you achieve the rounded edge on one of the sides? I need to be able to get this effect, but thought I'd need a spindle moulder or router to do it.

[@BullsEyeBenny83]

Works well mate, gonna need some chrony armour too..

[@Socalshortybulls]

Which Dual Action pad would you use to buffer an acrylic aquarium? Please provide a link to purchase. Thanks!

[@nathanalaneller]

What is the buffing compound & what type of buffing wheel are you using. I have a Dremel with a fluffy buffer. (I don't know what its called.) Evey time I try to buff my acrylic it ends up ether scratched by the wheel, or turns out foggy & has a red tint to it witch I can't rub off.

[@Martin1519]

If you wax, will it show under led lights?

[@jene5]

5/7 best plastic grinding

[@versatilechicken]

@hrawk I just found some! At an art store. they had quite a few colours. The sheets are 2mm thick, but i can laminate them and its $5 for a really big sheet. You thin thats a good deal?

[@keithrowney]

Could you use this method to remove small scratches from acrylic spectacle lenses?

[@davidgoddard2599]

Turned out great eh!. I notice the motor working pretty hard , is that because you are pushing pretty good on the wheel or is the motor just that whimpy?[for lack of a better vocabulary} Thanks for sharing.

[@peteryeung111]

What is the advantage with this method vs flame polishing?

[@stevenschuster]

Nice Video. Are you just using a standard bench grinder fitted with a buffing wheel?

[@hrawk]

+Steven “Theo” Schuster Yep, nothing fancy at all

[@arunraj2183]

What compound did you use and I have 6mm acrylic, can this be manually done?

[@cdgarrett1]

Does it have to be a high speed buffing wheel? WIll the buffer work on the standard table top shop grinder? I need a dark or colored opaque plastic polished that I can epoxy to a pressure cooker handle that cracked and needs reenforsement. I need this bandage to look nice so I was looking for a way to make it attractive like a jewel adorning the handle.

[@hrawk]

+Charles Garrett Will work just fine.

[@slingshotwannabe]

cool

[@astph]

What kind of wax did you used?

[@charduff]

the heat plays a very small part. its the polishing compound that he rubs on the wheel that polishes it

[@laciewii707]

Thank you for your video, I found it very helpful. Where do you order your leather wheel ? I'm an apprentice working in a trophy shop among other things we do engraving on acrylics. I want to learn to repair acrylics .

[@hrawk]

In Australia, I just walk into a shop called Bunnings, and buy them off the shelf. They're pretty universal.

[@hrawk]

Oh, and it's not leather. It's just stitched cloth. www.bunnings.com.au/josco-150mm-polishing-buff_p6323569

[@laciewii707]

Good afternoon Mr. Hrawk. Thanks for your reply. No wonder I am no getting good results !!! I'm going to check your link. This is my story: got a leather wheel test it in a acrylic and the result wasn't good at all , that's why I contact you. Thanks again 😀

[@TheManmekus]

Thanks for this video. Please what's the grit spec of the wheel and what's that you rubbed on the the wheel before grinding the acrylic?

[@hrawk]

Stitched cloth wheel with Tripoly compound.

[@hrawk]

0.0001 - 0.0015mm

[@jcrt1]

I wish to cut 10mm diameter colored acrylic rods into 50mm lengths in quantity and polish the cut edges. These will be used in jewelry production so a finished look is necessary. A slight bevel would be nice. These could be chucked on a drill press then spun against an abrasive or buffing surface. For instance a sanding/buffing block fixed at an appropriate angle. Some guidance would be greatly appreciated.

[@tarachandkurdia5949]

How can we do this in narrow cylindrical hole of heels

[@XxDollarBill]

Ultimetly the buffing wheel generates heat which is what (In this case) makes the item become Clear again. anyway. Whatever floats you boat.

[@hrawk]

@versatilechicken I do. What country are you in? Postage will be a killer. Best to source it locally.

[@r13lethalwiresph46]

Hello sir what rubbing compound you are using?

[@katrishamays6058]

where can I find a stiched cloth wheel like the one in the video

[@hrawk]

Any hardware (home improvement) store should carry a decent range of buffing wheels.

[@jacquelineclark8548]

Do you think this would also work for epoxy resin?

[@hrawk]

It does, but you have to make sure it is 100% cured and go very slow. If you introduce too much heat, it kills the epoxy.

[@charduff]

i've used many methods in polishing acrylic. this method is far more effective

[@hrawk]

Stitched cloth with Tripoly compound

[@tusharchottai]

Can U pls let me Know the Buffer roll you are using in buffing machine thanks :)

[@77Avadon77]

I was waiting for that rag to get snagged in the buffer and take your fingers off. lol Careful man!!

[@sahadevghadigaonkar7677]

hoew much hp motor

[@versatilechicken]

Do you sell acrylic? if you do, how much for a 12" by 12" board of it?

[@ralan5527]

A Buffer, who knew !!!

[@kamran5756]

What's the RPM on the Ozito?

[@abrara.2543]

What is buff made up of.... Material name of buff??

[@hrawk]

I used a router however you can get away with using a file and some sand paper.

[@jjquintanilla264]

Que material es el disco

[@bobcatt2294]

Interesting, no mention of RPM for plastics.

[@bheagabriana2791]

What is that brown compound?

[@cartnhorse]

@SgtPiggie Could you have been less helpful? What does he say? "A fairly standard triple E compound" - WTF is that? Or was it possibly a chemical weapon invented by Col. Qaddafi? ----Use enough to blow up "A fairly standard Tripoli compound" perhaps?

[@evidencebased1]

Tripoli is the compound . Fairly easy to find.

[@niketsave8495]

It is risky to use clothes near rotating wheels don't do that. Nice video

[@626cove2]

what's the name of the compound your using?

[@hrawk]

Josco Polishing Compound - Tripoly

[@626cove2]

thank you. what kind of buffing wheel are you using? would any work?

[@hrawk]

I find the stitched cloth wheels work and hold up the best. For a final mirror gloss I switch to a loose leaf sisal wheel with the white compound (silver ?)

[@626cove2]

what size should the buffing wheels be? i found a big variety.

[@hrawk]

Match the size of the wheel your grinder originally came with. 4", 6" etc.

[@XxDollarBill]

Isnt it so much easier to use a heat gun. It instantly goes back to a clear finish. Check this vid, Not Mine, and certainly not the best job but i assure you thats how its done.

[@andjcuhevagu]

Hey Hrawk, I new to casting acrylic, and I want to cast a volume of 20x20x25 cm on the top of a wooden beam like this: nl.pinterest.com/pin/65724475789381102/. I was wondering if you could answer a couple of questions. 1: what is the best option to cast; in layers or at once? becouse I don't know if it will dry if you pour all the acrilic at once, and if you pour it in layers I don't know if you see different layers. 2: What is the best priced clear acrilic? 3; any other things I need to pay attention to when casting the lamp? I would really apreciate if you could help me out. Cheers Daan

[@hrawk]

+Daan Gerritsen Wow, those lamps look fantastic. I know what I'm making over the weekend. As for question 1, that would be best answered by the company that supplies the acrylic you use. The casting resin I use is fine to do multiple layers provided you keep it absolutely clean between pours. What is the best priced ? Can't really comment on price as that one as it's location specific. The stuff I use is purchased locally and may not be the cheapest, but it's reasonable. Pay attention to heat as resins can produce a LOT of it when curing, hence it's often best to do it in multiple layers. Be sure to use a good release agent such as Carnauba Wax. Good luck!

[@andjcuhevagu]

+hrawk +hrawk Thanks for the tips. You mentioned that I should use a releasable agent such as a wax. Do I need to grease the wax onto the layers before I poor the nexy later of resin? Also, please sent me some pics an share your findings when you made the lamp! Thanks, Daan

[@hrawk]

+Daan Gerritsen The release agent / wax goes onto the sides of the mold you make to pour into so it's easy to pull off when fully cured and not damage anything. Also, those lamps in your link look like they were flame finished. You can notice some slight scorching of the wood in some pics, also the soft edges with no sharp line. Flame polishing can be easier but is not as nice a finish as buffing IMHO.

[@andjcuhevagu]

+hrawk thanks again :) I'm looking forward to hear from you after the weekend with your results!

[@kunimahana172]

Ji buffing poiccyinngg metall poiying

[@mariav957]

wrong! I tried buffing without polishing compound and it does NOT work without it.... I am an expert is acrylic and polishing it up to a high shine that looks like glass without one scratch on it and I used tripoli first like the video and then I used rogue and it's unbelievable.

[@brentbradley6711]

5 minutes of nothing..................