scratches
- Thread starter SUSHIBOY
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Zephrant
Engineer
I've done several tanks now- Not much fun at all.
I start with a 1/4 sheet palm sander, and 220 wet/dry paper. I dry sand the entire inside until it is a uniform haze. Any scratches still visible will not come out in later steps, so get them now. Avoid the corners, as your buffer in later steps will not get in to them.
Change to 440 wet/dry and use a spray bottle of RO/DI water to keep the acrylic wet. Move around a lot, so you don't overheat any areas. Getting an area too hot from sanding will cause issues later- think micro-cracks.
At this point I move to a double buffing wheel and a buffing compound called LeRoc, available from Laird plastics. The wheel is mounted in a high-power 1/2" drill.
Then you buff the snot out of it. Go back to the sander where needed. Be sure to check from the outside often, to locate areas you missed.
It's a real pain, but if done right, the tank will look very good. Not "new", but very good.
Zeph
I start with a 1/4 sheet palm sander, and 220 wet/dry paper. I dry sand the entire inside until it is a uniform haze. Any scratches still visible will not come out in later steps, so get them now. Avoid the corners, as your buffer in later steps will not get in to them.
Change to 440 wet/dry and use a spray bottle of RO/DI water to keep the acrylic wet. Move around a lot, so you don't overheat any areas. Getting an area too hot from sanding will cause issues later- think micro-cracks.
At this point I move to a double buffing wheel and a buffing compound called LeRoc, available from Laird plastics. The wheel is mounted in a high-power 1/2" drill.
Then you buff the snot out of it. Go back to the sander where needed. Be sure to check from the outside often, to locate areas you missed.
It's a real pain, but if done right, the tank will look very good. Not "new", but very good.
Zeph
DisturbedReefer
Lionless :(
How about a chip in a brand new tank? I have a nice little chip in the front panel of my new cube...don't ask...but I was considering filling it with weld-on 40 then buffing it. Any comments or suggestions for a chip/gouge?
bigdave
bigdave
It is best to wet sand the tank up to 2000 grit before buffing. You can get this at most Napa auto parts stores or automotive finish places. You can drop Larry at IAP a PM and he will tell you the same thing. Yes you can use Weld on 40 to fill a chip and sand it out the same way.
I would be a bit wary about trying to fill a chip with a solvent-based material. There are often residual surface stresses in acrylic sheets. Unless you are very careful with filling the nick (not letting the weld-on spread to surrounding areas), the solvent can lead to a bunch of small cracks showing up in the surrounding surface (release of the residual surface stresses). Though I have never done the nick filling on an aquarium, I have had the small cracks appear on laboratory equipment when exposed to too much solvent.DisturbedReefer said:
H22ATypeS
New member
I used micro-surface....Works perfectly find underwater in a heavily stocked SPS tank. It just takes a lot of elbow grease...!
There are two kits..the aquarium kit and the NC-78-1 ACRYLIC restoral kid I used the NC-78-1 on my 180..
https://www.micro-surface.com/default.cfm?page_id=175
There are two kits..the aquarium kit and the NC-78-1 ACRYLIC restoral kid I used the NC-78-1 on my 180..
https://www.micro-surface.com/default.cfm?page_id=175
snobanker
Well-known member
I would fill it with fresh water first and see how bad the scratches really are, if the tank is dry its gonna look way worse that when it's wet...I think 
Oscapus
Well-known member
I agree, fill it with water before you decide if you have the energy to buff it out. I recently buffed out a horribly scratch 120gal. I used the same route as the Rainbow Lifeguard scratch removal kit, except saved lots of $ by buying the fine Micromesh sandpaper from Rockler's woodworking at Southcenter (Seattle). Micromesh has a great website too.
I started with 400 grit sandpaper and sanding block, then progressively worked my way through the different grits of Micromesh (1800, 2400, 3200, 4000, 6000, 8000, and 12000) at right angles to each other, using a spongy sanding block. Don't be afraid to really use the coarser grit at first, if you don't, all the subsequent work with finer grit is wasted.
Works great, the clear plastic leaps out at you about 8000 grit.
I started with 400 grit sandpaper and sanding block, then progressively worked my way through the different grits of Micromesh (1800, 2400, 3200, 4000, 6000, 8000, and 12000) at right angles to each other, using a spongy sanding block. Don't be afraid to really use the coarser grit at first, if you don't, all the subsequent work with finer grit is wasted.
Works great, the clear plastic leaps out at you about 8000 grit.
