Help with Scratch Removal on Clear Plastic

[tmanthegreat]

I saw 15tango's post/thread about removing fogging from clear plastic and that got me thinking of a similar question - how does one remove small, shallow scratches from clear plastic?

This is assuming it can be done, of course

Does Future floor wax do the trick or is there another professional solvent for scratch removal on clear plastic?

I tried a couple "homemade remedies" I found online, but those didn't have quite the desired effect. Actually, they didn't do anything other than clean up the non-scratched parts nicely...

Thanks for any help you can provide

[Axis Nightmare]

I've used a product called Novus Plastic Polish No.2. Says: "Removes fine scratches, haziness and abrasions from most plastic surfaces." Don't think it's designed to take care of deep cuts or scratches from, say a slip of a sharp blade, but I've had sucess with it on abrasions and scuffs on a clear canopy. Novus No. 3 is for heavier scratches. Got it at a local hobby shop. http://www.novuspolish.com. Made in the U.S.A. , Savage, MN.

[flyboy_fx]

I put a scratch in a 1/48 HE111 canopy while masking. Future fixed it. I used a fine brush and applied it in the scratch. You can dip the part in future, let it drip, then transfer to a place to dry with NO dust. Or use a soft brush. Alcohol can remove future.

[Yoxford]

Tman, I concur with flyboy. if not too deep future will do wonders...it flows into all the imperfections and makes plastic look like glass...the stuff is the bomb. Been using it for years and never a problem. One quick example, if you own a 1/18 BBI F16, pop the canopy and give the cloudy HUD/gun sight a coat of future...like magic it turns crystal clear...
And as a base & top coat for decals, it gets rid of the nasty "silvering" effect and helps make your decals look painted on.

If I could pour this stuff on pancakes I would...love it

Cheers,

Mark

[flyboy_fx]

Yes, I agree! LOL

[granch]

Does somebody know an equivalent to "Future" that can be found in Europe??? Or any input from other european members!

[flyboy_fx]

In the US, it is now known as Pledge with future. In Europe, maybe Klear?
It can maybe be found here, this stuff is the real deal.

http://www.modellbaufarben.de/

This will help all!

http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html

[granch]

Thanks, Flybox, foryour information!

[tmanthegreat]

Yes, thank you very much! That second link was particularly helpful in terms of suggesting technique and showing what the bottle of the stuff should look like. I didn't see any at a Target store I was in last night, but plenty of other places to check.

[tmanthegreat]

Hate to double post, but I found a bottle of the Pledge with Future at Wal Mart and tried it out. Very pleased with the results! Brused on easily, dried smooth and clear after about 20-30 minutes. Excess residue also cleaned off easily with Windex. Best of all, it took care of the scratch. I may need to re-do the section where I applied the coating as there are some slight imperfections where I was brushing the solution on, but overall, it came out better than expected!

Just for the record, I was trying to fix a finger-print-sized scuff mark that got on the canopy of one of my 21c AH-1W Supercobras (S2 "Land Cammo" scheme). It wasn't too visible viewed dead-on, but in the right light and reflection, you could see it clearly. Since spare parts for the Supercobras are non-existant and a new one costs about $300, I needed a way to abate that shallow scuff mark and also not risk destroying the canopy. Kind of a high-risk operation

Thanks for the help as Future did the trick