We've done this several times, I strongly recommend that if you'd like to try this yourself, use a test piece first! I want to share this info but please take into consideration this requires a light touch and some finesse. This is an overview of the process of Scratch Removal. If you have a nice piece of Hollywood Regency Lucite furniture, like a chair or table or desk, consider professional restoration. Look in your Yellow Pages for plastics companies in your area.
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Expect costs to start at around 70.00 an hour for scratch removal and flame polishing. This is part of the reason that real vintage lucite furniture is not inexpensive. The finishing process is a hands on experience!
Flame polishing is something I can't do. In a nutshell, flame polishing is taking a blowtorch to a piece of Lucite or Acrylic and passing the torch back and forth over an area. Done properly, it melts the surface and creates a glassy sheen. Done improperly, it will burn your Lucite piece and create a fine foam of bubbles. The bubbles will be on the surface and within your piece.
DO NOT attempt to flame polish on anything but a test piece.
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Again, this is just an overview, please consider having a professional repair your fine piece of Hollywood Regency Lucite.
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Ok. So on to your scratches. I have taped off an area of scratches. These are deep enough that they require a series of steps instead of just the compound paste.
So after taping off your area, you'll start with sandpaper in a 400 grit. Wet your sandpaper and sand in the opposite direction of the scratches. The scratches are vertical, so you'll sand in a horizontal motion. This will sand out the scratches. You don't need to really GRIND at the scratches, they'll come out without too much pressure.
Next, use a piece of 600 grit and sand in a vertical direction. 800 grit horizontal. End with 1200 grit in a vertical direction. Your piece will look something like this.
I removed a portion of the tape to illustrate that it is still fairly fuzzy, but the scratches are gone.
Next you'll need your polishing compound. I use Novus Level 2 and 3
Novus is a liquid polishing compound, available at most plastics shops and some intensive hardware stores. Not likely to be found at Big Box hardware stores. Novus is a specialty product.
In the Image below, the last of the scratch is a dot towards the bottom of the image below the word Koefeds and over the N in chandelier.
Grab that pink and blue can of cleaner from yesterday and clean the whole piece again to get the last of the polishing compound off.
You are a few steps closer to having a clearer cleaner piece of Hollywood Glam furniture!
More images and progress pics tomorrow!
And in case you are wondering about the make up of Lucite, Acrylic, Lexan and Plastics I have this info from Wikipedia
Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a transparent thermoplastic.
Chemically, it is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate. It is sold under many trade names, including Policril, Plexiglas, Gavrieli, Vitroflex, Limacryl, R-Cast, Per-Clax, Perspex, Plazcryl, Acrylex, Acrylite, Acrylplast, Altuglas, Polycast, Oroglass, Optix and Lucite and is commonly called acrylic glass, simply acrylic, perspex or plexiglas. Acrylic, or acrylic fiber, can also refer to polymers or copolymers containing polyacrylonitrile. The material was developed in 1928 in various laboratories and was brought to market in 1933 by Rohm and Haas Company.
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