Polishing Acrylic and Resins

[Hawkeye53]

Hello folks,

I'm new and have been lurking for a while. I'm around a dozen pens into this hobby that I love and hate (kidding). My latest effort was a wood/resin blank. After turning, sanding, then polishing with the full range of micro mesh I noticed that the wood portion looked awesome, but acrylic portion looking cloudy. So, being the obsessive that I am, I broke out my USB microscope/camera and took a more detailed look. Sure enough, there are still microscopic nicks and circumferal (sorry if this is spelled wrong. I'm trying to say, scratches around the blank and not tip to tip) which make sense since I've not been sanding/polishing in any other direction!

So, here's the question...did I begin the micromesh process too soon? Should I be sanding at 400-800 until I see under magnification that all scratches/nicks are gone?

I guess I could use some guidance as to when the sanding stops, when micromesh starts and stops, when buffing wheel starts and stops. What grades of MM, and grits of polishing compound and wheels, etc.

Thanks in advance. And, if all this is covered in something I should have read in a Sticky or something...feel free to point me there

 

[CREID]

Take a look at the threads real close to this one in the list, I see it as the one before or after this one and it covers the same thing.http://www.penturners.org/forum/f28/plastic-polish-140520/


Also you can do a search and get tons of stuff.

 

[Charlie_W]

Also, when you have a wood/resin blank, most folks will put a finish on it (usually CA) and then sand and polish the CA finish.
Always finish sanding lengthwise before going to next finer grit.
Same with polish and with buffing....lengthwise to remove the rotational scratches.

 

[Joey-Nieves]

1. Sand as you do any pen.
2. use a fine grit or steel wool to remove any scratches. do this by hand not spinning the lathe.
3. Clean surface, Blast of air, DR. Kirk's sanding wax or similar, thinner, whatever works for you.
4. Apply thin CA at the slowest speed of your lathe, until it is even and the wood looks shinny, this means the wood has absorbed the CA. the acrylic will also look shinny and small scratches should have disappeared.
5. Apply Medium or thick CA, various coats, let air dry a few minutes, then apply some more. Allow time to cure. 5 first 5 after should do.
6. Wet sand to 12000 grit, apply a dab of blue magic or plastic polish if you have.
7. Mail to me:biggrin:

 

[magpens]

Welcome to IAP !!!

 

[jsolie]

First, welcome from Southern California! Second, I agree with Joey-Nieves. To paraphrase the commercial: "I do not always turn mixed media pens. But when I do, I use a CA finish."

 

[TonyL]

Welcome! Use the search tool and enter "radial scratches" (without the quotes), read, and enjoy! You will find dozens of great tips in addition to the ones above.

Ed Brown of Exotic Blanks published an excellent video on finishing acrylic. Simply Google it.

I turn many mixed material pens, and use CA. I also on a 10x, 20x and USB micro scope. I am happy when I can't see any scratches under the 10 or 2x loupe. The USB is just fun for me to play around with.

Enjoy the journey!

 

[farmer]

MM

I use the Meguiars polishing creams

I don't used MM, I don't like it....