Many positive features of plastic can significantly spoil the only drawback: this material is easy to scratch. Fortunately, there are simple ways to remove scratches from plastic without a trace. We will figure out how to remove scuffs from plastic products, returning them to their former beauty.
Varieties of scratches on plastic in the car
During operation in the passenger compartment, damage will certainly occur. They are left with bags, transported items, passenger clothing items, heels, etc. These cosmetic defects, of course, do not interfere with the use of the machine, but spoil the impression. In addition, scratched parts are the basis for lowering the price of a used car.
All scratches can be divided into three categories, differing in appearance and origin:
- The effects of aging plastic under the influence of solar ultraviolet radiation. In places where the rays of the sun fall on polymer parts, the material begins to change its structure. Such areas look lighter, in addition, their texture may vary by touch.
- Scratches from objects devoid of sharp edges. It can be buckles from bags, buttons and decorative elements on clothes, etc. When daily touching the details of the trim, these objects leave small traces that resemble spider webs.
- Traces of contact with sharp objects. Such scratches are left by the tools carried in the cabin, bulky cargo, metal products, etc. Such damage as a deep cut looks. If you carefully examine the inner surface, you can see the polymer layers. In addition, part of the plastic will stick out, forming burrs.
The deeper the damage, the more difficult it is to remove it. Determining the nature of the damage will help you choose the right remediation strategy.
We remove scratches from a torpedo with a hairdryer
The first method is based on the thermoplasticity of plastic - the ability to soften when heated, tightening damage. This method will remove a cobweb of small scratches from the torpedo. It is better to take a building hair dryer, but you can also use a household appliance.
The procedure looks like this:
- We wash off the dirt from the panel surface, carefully degrease it. The fact that the film of fat prevents uniform heating.
- We heat the plastic with a hairdryer. Set the temperature controller to 300 ° C.
Do not bring the hairdryer too close! When directing the flow to a scratch, do not stay in one place for a long time. If the plastic is overheated, untidy stains will appear on the surface, which will be difficult to get rid of.
- The heated surface is left for 20 minutes. During this time, a softened polymer will tighten minor defects.
The method will not work on deep scratches. But with minor damage, he copes quite effectively.
We remove scratches from the instrument panel with polishing agents
The polishes for the panel differ in composition from the pastes used outside the body for leveling the paintwork. They have a different composition, using softer abrasives. Good results are obtained by aligning the plastic with MOTUL E8 Scratch Remover, Liqui Moly, Scratch Remover, Sonax.
For work, they take a grinding machine, a nozzle on a drill or grinder. Work is carried out in a place protected from sunlight. The dashboard plastic must be cold. The algorithm of work looks like this:
- Remove all contaminants from the surface, dry thoroughly.
- Apply polishing agent to the area.
- Wait a few minutes until the paste dries, turning into a dry coating.
- Polish the surface until the entire paste turns into fine dust.
It remains to brush off the remaining polish with a soft flannel. The method is effective against shallow scratches and areas lightened due to ultraviolet radiation.
We remove damage on the plastic of the car outside
External parts of the car made of plastic are also subject to ultraviolet radiation and mechanical damage. Therefore, periodically, and they have to be polished. In general, the procedure is similar to the options described above (heating with a hairdryer, polishing with special compounds). But there are several nuances:
- External parts are usually more dirty and covered with grease. It is worth paying more attention to cleaning them.
- Better results are achieved if the part can be removed. In this case, you can remove it from the sun, give the polymer time to cool and stabilize properly.
A specific task when polishing external surfaces is to remove the effects of mechanical damage from transparent plastic. These are headlight caps, turn signals.
How to remove scratches from transparent plastic?
The surface of the transparent headlamp during operation is gradually covered with a net of small scratches or becomes cloudy. The cause of such damage is a suspension of sand and dust flying towards you when moving. The pebbles thrown by the wheels of the vehicle in front can leave more serious traces.
blockquote> Transparent plastic is particularly demanding on polishing quality. When viewed through the gap, all surface defects will be especially noticeable.
For polishing transparent plastics, you can use several compounds:
- Small toothpaste does a good job of minor damage. This is a cheap and affordable tool, but the effect of polishing will not last long.
- Composition for polishing jewelry made of precious metals. It can be purchased at a jewelry store. A small portion of the composition is applied to the damaged area, and then polished with a microfiber cloth.
- A mixture of petroleum jelly and wood polish ensures gentle surface leveling. Polishing is not completed until traces of petroleum jelly disappear completely.
- A good result is the use of paste to remove scratches from laser discs. Such a composition can be found in computer parts stores.
Knowing how to polish transparent plastic is useful not only to a motorist. For example, in this way it is possible to eliminate a cobweb of traces from glasses, watch glasses, walls of containers and other household items.
We remove deep scratches on the plastic of household appliances and furniture
A deep scratch can spoil the look of a plastic window sill, furniture, household appliances or other things. Polishing in this case will not give significant results, because you need to remove a lot of material to level the surface. Therefore, methods are used to mask a scratch or seal it with a putty composition followed by grinding.
Close up a scratch on a plastic countertop
To eliminate scratches on the countertops, the burrs are first removed from the surface. This will help to make sandpaper brand "00" or "0". It's not scary that traces of abrasive particles will remain on the surface: it will still have to be polished.
When the edges of the cut are aligned, you need to fill the void with a suitable mass for the texture. It is best to purchase Displex pasta in the hardware store. It contains plastic particles and fills damage well.
The procedure looks like this:
- The surface is cleaned of dust remaining after deburring.
- A little paste is applied to the scratch.
- Taking a piece of flannel or a cotton pad, rub the paste in a circular motion. In 2 minutes, the composition should fill the cut.
After processing, you need to wait a few minutes, allowing the composition to solidify. If after the first treatment the scratch has not disappeared, you need to apply the product again 1-3 times.
You can make a mixture for fixing scratches yourself. It is enough to dissolve a piece of the same plastic in white spirit.
We remove damage from the plastic of the phone
The gadget constantly has to be put in your pocket and removed. During operation, the phone case is quickly covered with a net of scratches. To polish the case, soft abrasives are needed:
- talcum powder for children;
- toothbrushing powder;
- baking soda.
The abrasive is diluted with a few drops of water, so that the paste has a concentration of thick sour cream. The composition is applied to a cotton pad and gently rubbed into a scratch. Residues of polishing compound are removed with a clean cotton pad.
Being engaged in polishing plastic, there is no need to rush. The invested time and effort pays off handsomely - after all, your things will look like new!