I know there are one or two products about for doing this but is there
a totally DIY way of doing it, i.e. is it possible with materials etc.
that I'm likely to have already?

I know basically what one needs is a *very* fine abrasive followed by
polishing - or even just polishing as that is just the next level of
fineness really. But what polishes etc. have I already got which
might work on plastic lenses? Would something like T-Cut be too
fierce?

--
Chris Green

wrote:
I know there are one or two products about for doing this but is there
a totally DIY way of doing it, i.e. is it possible with materials etc.
that I'm likely to have already?

I know basically what one needs is a *very* fine abrasive followed by
polishing - or even just polishing as that is just the next level of
fineness really. But what polishes etc. have I already got which
might work on plastic lenses? Would something like T-Cut be too
fierce?


I have heard that Brasso works. But wait for some other responses before
starting.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

On 12/03/2008 16:53, wrote:

I know basically what one needs is a *very* fine abrasive followed by
polishing - or even just polishing as that is just the next level of
fineness really. But what polishes etc. have I already got which
might work on plastic lenses? Would something like T-Cut be too
fierce?

Wave goodbye to any anti-reflective coatings the lenses have.

wrote in message
...
I know there are one or two products about for doing this but is there
a totally DIY way of doing it, i.e. is it possible with materials etc.
that I'm likely to have already?

I know basically what one needs is a *very* fine abrasive followed by
polishing - or even just polishing as that is just the next level of
fineness really. But what polishes etc. have I already got which
might work on plastic lenses? Would something like T-Cut be too
fierce?

Yes. Try toothpaste. But, as another has said, this will lose any optical
coating.

wrote:

I know there are one or two products about for doing this but is there
a totally DIY way of doing it, i.e. is it possible with materials etc.
that I'm likely to have already?

I know basically what one needs is a *very* fine abrasive followed by
polishing - or even just polishing as that is just the next level of
fineness really. But what polishes etc. have I already got which
might work on plastic lenses? Would something like T-Cut be too
fierce?

I have most of the equipment to do this, including abrasive cloths that
go from about 100 grit to 5000 grit and the final polish, but what I
don't have is the intermediate polish.

The only problem with removing scratches is that you have to be very
careful not to alter the optical properties of the lens. Concentrate on
one particular scratch and the lens is ruined.

In the aerospace industry, canopy and windscreen polishing is quite
normal and the rubbing down has to be blended in in as wide an area as
possible. But to test the job after, one man holds a card outside the
polished area at about 20 to 30 feet, holding a 2 foot white board with
black lines every 3/4 to 1 inch apart, in a criss cross pattern. The
idea is, that the person looking at the board moves his head about to
see if there is any movement in the parallelnes of the lines. If there
is, he has to start again. With a large area to blend in the polishing,
it is relatively easy. To do this with a pair of spectacles would take a
lot of practice. My advice is go and buy a new pair, or if they are
extremely fine marks, pay a visit to a local caravan emporium and ask
for some perspex polish and try that. If you have no luck, you will have
lost the cast of a bottle of polish.

In a few days, I hope to have a league table of polishes that are freely
available from someone that is restoring very old pipes.

Dave

After serious thinking Rod wrote :
wrote:
I know there are one or two products about for doing this but is there
a totally DIY way of doing it, i.e. is it possible with materials etc.
that I'm likely to have already?

I know basically what one needs is a *very* fine abrasive followed by
polishing - or even just polishing as that is just the next level of
fineness really. But what polishes etc. have I already got which
might work on plastic lenses? Would something like T-Cut be too
fierce?


I have heard that Brasso works. But wait for some other responses before
starting.

Brasso and/or T-cut work fine.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Anne Jackson wrote:
The message from Rod contains these words:

wrote:
I know there are one or two products about for doing this but is there
a totally DIY way of doing it, i.e. is it possible with materials etc.
that I'm likely to have already?

I know basically what one needs is a *very* fine abrasive followed by
polishing - or even just polishing as that is just the next level of
fineness really. But what polishes etc. have I already got which
might work on plastic lenses? Would something like T-Cut be too
fierce?


I have heard that Brasso works. But wait for some other responses before
starting.

Brasso, or jewellers' rouge - which probably isn't all that readily
available. It will affect any coatings on the lens, though.

Thanks, yes I had this vague memory that metal polish was the thing to
try. These aren't coated lenses, or at least if they were the coating
has long gone. They're not photographic or high resolution lenses so
incredible precision isn't an issue.

--
Chris Green

wrote:
Anne Jackson wrote:
The message from Rod contains these words:

wrote:
I know there are one or two products about for doing this but is there
a totally DIY way of doing it, i.e. is it possible with materials etc.
that I'm likely to have already?

I know basically what one needs is a *very* fine abrasive followed by
polishing - or even just polishing as that is just the next level of
fineness really. But what polishes etc. have I already got which
might work on plastic lenses? Would something like T-Cut be too
fierce?

I have heard that Brasso works. But wait for some other responses before
starting.
Brasso, or jewellers' rouge - which probably isn't all that readily
available. It will affect any coatings on the lens, though.

Thanks, yes I had this vague memory that metal polish was the thing to
try. These aren't coated lenses, or at least if they were the coating
has long gone. They're not photographic or high resolution lenses so
incredible precision isn't an issue.

Many years ago I used Brasso wadding to lightly polish out a scratch in
a perspex looking record deck cover. I can still remember the horror of
watching the small scratch widen into a crack that propagated straight
through the material. I assume the solvent in the wadding was to blame.

Jon McD

Jon McD wrote:
wrote:
Anne Jackson wrote:
The message from Rod contains these words:

wrote:
I know there are one or two products about for doing this but is there
a totally DIY way of doing it, i.e. is it possible with materials etc.
that I'm likely to have already?

I know basically what one needs is a *very* fine abrasive followed by
polishing - or even just polishing as that is just the next level of
fineness really. But what polishes etc. have I already got which
might work on plastic lenses? Would something like T-Cut be too
fierce?

I have heard that Brasso works. But wait for some other responses
before starting.
Brasso, or jewellers' rouge - which probably isn't all that readily
available. It will affect any coatings on the lens, though.

Thanks, yes I had this vague memory that metal polish was the thing to
try. These aren't coated lenses, or at least if they were the coating
has long gone. They're not photographic or high resolution lenses so
incredible precision isn't an issue.

Many years ago I used Brasso wadding to lightly polish out a scratch in
a perspex looking record deck cover. I can still remember the horror of
watching the small scratch widen into a crack that propagated straight
through the material. I assume the solvent in the wadding was to blame.


I was talking about the stuff that is liquid in a tin. (Never crossed my
mind that there are two sorts of Brasso - which there are - and still
less that someone would use it for this purpose.)

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org