Sanding Plexiglass?

[list249]

Hello all, I've been rebuilding a 71' Starcraft Chieftain for the last year and am now replacing some Plexiglas. I bought the plexi last year and did not remove blue protective film, it is now very stuck on. After looking around various forums I've tried several methods to remove the film; heating, wd40 and a plastic putty knife, VM&P naphtha and a putty knife. All have had almost no effect and the putty knife is definitely scratching the plexi. I have not worked with plexi before this, but i'm assuming i could sand it and polish it clear again? Any knowledge on the subject would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[Scott Danforth]

you can, however there are coatings applied to the acrylic to give it UV stability. sanding removes them.

I would simply buy new panels

 

[list249]

lol, these are cut panels, $400, new ones are not an option

 

[racerone]

Perhaps a trip to your local scrap yard , boats or cars.-----Many car headlight lenses are a plastic material.----Ask if you can experiment on a few.-----I find 2000 grit wet/dry paper work well.----Followed by fine diamond paste / aircraft paint polish and others for the finish.----Soft ladies lingere / underwear works the best for the polishing..

 

[sphelps]

If you could cut a small piece then as racer said sand it going as high grit as you can . Follow up with compound and polish to see if you can get the desired look you want .. Just as if you were buffing paint with a buffer ..

 

[Scott Danforth]

lol, these are cut panels, $400, new ones are not an option

a full 4x8 sheet of 3/8" acrylic is less than $400. how big are these pieces?

as I stated, you can sand them, you can buff them. however you loose the UV coating and the scratch-resistant coating when you do

use the hook and loop 6" discs for your DA and go up to 3000 grit, then buff until perfectly clear.

you will see a haze along the edge where the coating is feathered by your sanding and buffing. only way to remove the haze is to sand and buff the whole surface

 

[AShipShow]

After you sand and buff them, you can reapply a UV coating to them to help protect them... I think Meguiar's makes one, as I'm sure other companies do, but its meant for headlights...

 

[list249]

Thanks everyone, i managed to get the film off with a razor, didn't scratch it too badly.

 

[kcassells]

I like the boat. Looks great. Glad it worked out for you.