How to smooth plastic?
 

I've got some plastic - the kind of plastic a hairdryer, or the main
body of an iron might be made of - and I need to smooth it to something
like its flawless moulded surface before I gouged one of the edges...

What will be a good way to do this? Very fine sandpaper? A very sharp
blade to pare off some sharp bits sticking out? Heated metal to smooth
it down?

Thanks,

Daniele
--
Apple Juice Ltd
Chapter Arts Centre
Market Road www.apple-juice.co.uk
Cardiff CF5 1QE 029 2019 0140

How to smooth plastic?
 

"D.M. Procida" wrote in message
...
I've got some plastic - the kind of plastic a hairdryer, or the main
body of an iron might be made of - and I need to smooth it to something
like its flawless moulded surface before I gouged one of the edges...

What will be a good way to do this? Very fine sandpaper? A very sharp
blade to pare off some sharp bits sticking out? Heated metal to smooth
it down?

Thanks,

Daniele


You won't get it back to a perfect finish. The acrylics and urethanes that these are
made from are mostly blow moulded and once cured the material changes character and
remains in the shape that the mould gave it. The only real way to make anything like
this smooth and perfect again is to lay another coating of the same or similar
material over it and fill in the broken sections underneath it.

How to smooth plastic?
 

On Wed, 5 May 2004 20:17:06 +0100,
(D.M. Procida) wrote:

I've got some plastic - the kind of plastic a hairdryer, or the main
body of an iron might be made of - and I need to smooth it to something
like its flawless moulded surface before I gouged one of the edges...

What will be a good way to do this? Very fine sandpaper? A very sharp
blade to pare off some sharp bits sticking out? Heated metal to smooth
it down?

Thanks,

Daniele

Some wet and dry "sandpaper" would get it nice and smooth but
obviously take the shine off the plastic.

Mark S.

How to smooth plastic?
 

Try rubbing hard with Brasso - its just a mild abrasive

How to smooth plastic?
 

In article ,
Mark S. writes:
On Wed, 5 May 2004 20:17:06 +0100,
(D.M. Procida) wrote:

I've got some plastic - the kind of plastic a hairdryer, or the main
body of an iron might be made of - and I need to smooth it to something
like its flawless moulded surface before I gouged one of the edges...

What will be a good way to do this? Very fine sandpaper? A very sharp
blade to pare off some sharp bits sticking out? Heated metal to smooth
it down?

Thanks,

Daniele

Some wet and dry "sandpaper" would get it nice and smooth but
obviously take the shine off the plastic.

You could followup with finer polishes, ending up with something
like brasso. Might need lots of elboe grease though...

--
Andrew Gabriel

How to smooth plastic?
 

How to smooth plastic?
 

D.M. Procida wrote:

I've got some plastic - the kind of plastic a hairdryer, or the main
body of an iron might be made of - and I need to smooth it to something
like its flawless moulded surface before I gouged one of the edges...

What will be a good way to do this? Very fine sandpaper? A very sharp
blade to pare off some sharp bits sticking out? Heated metal to smooth
it down?


Progressively finer abrasives down to T-cut level.



Thanks,

Daniele

How to smooth plastic?
 

N. Thornton wrote:

(D.M. Procida) wrote in message ...

I've got some plastic - the kind of plastic a hairdryer, or the main
body of an iron might be made of - and I need to smooth it to something
like its flawless moulded surface before I gouged one of the edges...

What will be a good way to do this? Very fine sandpaper? A very sharp
blade to pare off some sharp bits sticking out? Heated metal to smooth
it down?

Thanks,

Daniele



One can get it flat and smooth with very fine abrasive, but the
surface will be matt not shiny. A year later you'll notice that the
matt bit is dirty but the rest is clean. No practical way round that
I'm afraid.



That means you haven' gone fine enough on teh abrasive.

T-cut is used in the car world to polish out scratches in paint.


I'd carefully slice off the protruding bits and leave it at that.


Regards, NT

How to smooth plastic?
 

The Natural Philosopher wrote in message ...
N. Thornton wrote:
(D.M. Procida) wrote in message ...

I've got some plastic - the kind of plastic a hairdryer, or the main
body of an iron might be made of - and I need to smooth it to something
like its flawless moulded surface before I gouged one of the edges...

One can get it flat and smooth with very fine abrasive, but the
surface will be matt not shiny. A year later you'll notice that the
matt bit is dirty but the rest is clean. No practical way round that
I'm afraid.

That means you haven' gone fine enough on teh abrasive.

T-cut is used in the car world to polish out scratches in paint.

I guess thats true in principle, I just cant imagine spending that
much effort to shine up the toaster.


Regards, NT

How to smooth plastic?
 

N. Thornton wrote:

The Natural Philosopher wrote in message ...

N. Thornton wrote:

(D.M. Procida) wrote in message ...


I've got some plastic - the kind of plastic a hairdryer, or the main
body of an iron might be made of - and I need to smooth it to something
like its flawless moulded surface before I gouged one of the edges...


One can get it flat and smooth with very fine abrasive, but the
surface will be matt not shiny. A year later you'll notice that the
matt bit is dirty but the rest is clean. No practical way round that
I'm afraid.


That means you haven' gone fine enough on teh abrasive.

T-cut is used in the car world to polish out scratches in paint.


I guess thats true in principle, I just cant imagine spending that
much effort to shine up the toaster.




Get a buffing mop and put it on a leccy drill.


Regards, NT

How to smooth plastic?
 

Why not just buy a plastic smoother?