Composite Plastic Chassis Restoration

[duckhead]

Has anyone had any experience removing scratches or small gouges from composite plastic chassis, specifically of the B2/B3 variety?

If so, what method(s) did you find yield the best result?

Thanks!
->Mark

[RC10th]

I haven't done but I would guess sand scratches out then polish with automotive polish till it's the same appearance as virgin plastic.

[Dadio]

I've done this on a Team C chassis and sanding out the scratches is easy but don't use polish ! The polish soaks into the plastic and turns white as it drys ,you can't wash out the polish as it soaks in , just sand down with progressively finer wet and dry paper , finishing with a 1600 or above grit . I toyed with a fine dusting of lacquer but did not in the end try it as it was to be run again or you could rub in some silicone grease to give it a little lustre .

[Mr. ED]

Medium blasting?

[tamiyadan]

.

[NomadRacer]

Me?

I'd block sand it with silicone carbide sandpaper (black kind) under water. Sand in one direction only. The starting grit would depend on how deep the scratches are. Increase the grit (400,600,etc.) to the level of "shine" you want. Finally, spray with WD40 and rub it in with a microfiber cloth.

[sandkil]

I tried wet sanding, but not enough as the result shows.
I would vote for media blasting as well.

[Dadio]

The answer is probably to use both graded wet n dry paper to remove the scratches and then media blasting for the correct surface finish .

[mikea96]

I sand mine with progressively finer paper then use armorall trim and plastic restorer to bring back the color.

[duckhead]

Started with 360, to 600, and finished with 1500, all wet sanded. Still have some deeper scratches to go, but I was getting disappointed with the result as it seems to be polishing the plastic too much and rounding the sharp lines. Media blasting sounds interesting, I might have to research that a bit. Was also considering getting a finish dual action sander and trying that.

Maybe the polish look will grown on me, and I'll try either WD40 or the Armorall.

More to come...

[Dadio]

To keep the crisp edges you need a large flat block under the wet and dry paper or ever use course diamond Hone's , they are basically used for sharpening machine tools etc but are very flat metal plates impregnated with industrial diamond dust , great things to have for sharpening anything really from knives to scissors and a good set of 3 only costs £10 , much better than any kitchen sharpener or a wet stone etc .

[NomadRacer]

I agree with Dadio. To get the crisp edges you must block sand.

[RC10th]

Sand different grades in different directions so you know when you've removed your previous sanding marks.