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Re: [TCML] Polishing Lexan (small, recessed areas)



bunnykiller wrote:
Hey Daniel...

how important is it to maintain the cut "quality" of the pocket? are you going to need a tolerance fit to mate with the pocket or is it going to fall under cosmetic appearence? If it is only a cosmetic value, then flame polishing is your best bet to get the surface to go back to a clear finish. You will lose the sharp edges from machining the pocket but you will get the clear coat as in unmachined lexan. Be careful on the time of flame contact, it can invoke surface bubbles on the lexan.

MEK leaves a milky finish as the same as Acetone, which will eventually lead to "crazing/alligatoring and yellowing" in months to come. Other than that, a labor intensive option is to use a Dremel with a cloth disc and a mutiple barage of fine grit pastes to finally get to the clarity you need. Altho this system is good, it can be an issue if you have a less than delicate touch with the Dremel. gouging and "burning" are the main issues with the Dremel....


My experience has been that it's easier to have a steady hand and get a good result with the flame than with the mechanical polishing. Both require some amount of finesse, but a stream of hot air is inherently a "fuzzier" tool than a grit loaded wheel/disc.

OTOH, there are folks I know who are positive artists with the dremel...

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