Due to small accidents or errors in the parking process, there are chips and scratches on the surface of the body. To scratch the plastic bumper, a small collision with any foreign object is enough. Sometimes there are dents. To eliminate them is much more difficult. And here from scratches the special technology - polishing of plastic will help. Often it is necessary to handle and plastic parts in the cabin. Let's look at how this operation is performed, what tools should be used and what tools are needed.
What is technology like?
Under the polishing, many people mean the processing of metal surfaces, but not plastic parts. And this is true, since metal is more durable. Plastic, in contrast to metal, is distinguished by increased fragility. It is for these reasons that car polish should be polished using a special technology. Where acrylic enamel on metal easily withstands loads, plastic simply melts or deforms. In order to polish plastic parts, two methods are used, which allow to restore minor damages. This is polishing or other restorative procedures. For those who are going to restore plastic parts, it must be said that the restoration work does not require special skills. To get it right, you should try to handle the damage with suitable abrasives. Grind only with fine-grained skins. For polishing, use abrasive materials and felt. All work is usually divided into two stages - it's restoration processes with polishing and polishing itself. It is understood as the removal of a very thin layer from the part to equalize the damage. Also for processing, water should be used - it is wetted with sandpaper. It is very interesting that many home masters recommend performing these operations under the stream of water: it easily removes particles from the surface and protects them from overheating. However, do not get too involved: increased moisture reduces the effectiveness of fine-grained abrasives.
Necessary materials
If you need to remove large enough scratches, namely more than 0.2 mm, we recommend using P400 or P600 sandpaper. In the case where the plastic is polished to restore the gloss and eliminate small scratches in the form of a mesh, apply P1000-P5000. If with the acquisition of materials there are certain difficulties, then toothpaste will do. Naturally, the effect of such work will be slightly different.
Polishing using special tools
Manually it is very difficult to achieve a qualitative result. Experts advise using a hair dryer or a grinder. This will greatly speed up the process, and the result will please you. The technology of work is different from each other. Let's consider both ways.
How to polish plastic parts with a grinder
Even in order to process the torpedo, it is necessary to spend a lot of time and effort. But polishing plastic is performed much faster with a self-made grinder. Some home masters use motors for this purpose from a tape recorder, but the drill is best for these purposes. At the end of the drill, a nozzle, treated with polishing or toothpaste, is wound. With this mechanized polishing, the main thing is not to press the surface. To get a spectacular result, the number of revolutions is important. If the process is carried out using a conventional hand drill, then you should start a special attachment with a lock. Also, in the process of working with a drill, it is important to watch so as not to overheat the part. Using an eccentric machine, it is difficult to constantly control the force of pressing. Because of this, the plastic parts are easily melted.
Polishing with a hair dryer
Plastic parts are exposed to high temperatures. High temperatures can cause deformation. But to polish the plastic from scratches was the most effective, temperatures can help. So, if you pre-heat a detail with a construction hair dryer, this will greatly simplify the work. It is worth remembering that heating the hair dryer does not have the best effect on the paintwork. Therefore, if the plastic is painted, this method is not suitable. The phenol is heated not by the individual parts of the surface on which the damage is located, but by large areas. This is done for uniform warm-up. Scratches and other defects will disappear due to the melting of the plastic. This process is almost uncontrollable due to unpredictability of the material: it is only necessary to overheat a little, and cracks with scratches will begin to swim, but not tighten. It is recommended to raise the temperature slowly and at the same time constantly monitor the process in order to have time to stop in time. Such high-temperature polishing of the car's plastic does not always work, it depends on the type of plastic, and also on the size of the damage. Do not expect that a large scratch will disappear completely. It will be necessary to additionally handle a large scratch with polishes and a typewriter.
Polishing pastes
Polishing plastic at home, or rather its quality, depends on the properly selected paste. The choice of the appropriate depends on the size of the damage. If this is just a slight abrasion on the bumper varnish, then fine abrasive 3M 09375 will do. After it, you can treat the defect of non-abrasive ZM 09376 - it serves for shine. These compounds are in good demand and reputation. Each room has a separate circle for polishing. For coarse abrasive white is used - it is the most rigid. Black is the softest.
Preparatory work
For example, you need to process the bumper. Polishing the black plastic bumper will be more effective if the element is previously removed. So you can access each site. Next, the bumper should be washed with shampoo and completely dry. Then degrease is performed. A white spirit or anti-silicone will do.
The polishing process
The work will be done using the machine. A white hard circle is set on it. If the scratches are deep, they are pre-treated with P2000 wet sandpaper. Then, polish with a large fraction is applied to the surface of the plastic and at a low speed, with minimal effort, the composition is spread through the entire area with maximum progressive movements. It must be ensured that the entire surface is treated. Then the revolutions increase to 2500 and continue the process. Do not polish "up holes". If you get carried away with the process, you can damage the paintwork. After the completion of this step, the part is wiped with a soft and dry rag, this will remove the remnants of the paste, which will prevent at the final stage. Then apply abrasive paste 3M 09375 on the appropriate circle. Technology is no different from the previous process. Gradually the polish is applied to the entire site. Then, the final polishing of the plastic for shine - the bumper or any other part is treated with 3M 09375 paste on a black circle.
Conclusion
Here so it is possible to give a kind of a new product of a plastic detail. After finishing polishing, it is recommended to apply wax or Teflon on the plastic for better protection.