What Is The First Step In The Repair Process For A Plastic Bumper Or Other Plastic Part?

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Over time, the clear glaze used on plastic car components like headlights and taillights tin outset to flake, yellow, get scratched, and otherwise vesture out. Getting rid of the old clear coat is the outset step towards restoring your vehicle's lights or other articulate-coated plastic components to similar-new condition. You don't need much to go the task done, but be prepared to utilize a lot of elbow grease! With some bones detailing supplies, a free afternoon, and plenty of patience, you lot should be able to take off the clear coat and shine up the plastic to become it looking like new again.

one
Wash the plastic car part you lot're removing the clear glaze from. Clean the area well using soapy h2o and a sponge, then rinse off the lather suds thoroughly. Wipe the expanse dry out using a make clean towel or let it air dry out completely, and then yous're set to really get started.^[ane]
- If you don't clean the plastic function well before you get started, you might rub bits of dirt and grit into the plastic while you're sanding it and cause scratching and damage that's more piece of work to prepare.
- If yous don't have a sponge, you lot tin use a clean rag or fabric instead. You could besides have your car through a motorcar wash if you're removing the clear coat from a plastic part attached to your car.
- Clear coat is a type of clear paint used on cars, and then this process applies just to clear-coated plastic motorcar parts, such as lights.
2
Tape off the area surrounding the plastic with bluish painter'south tape. Carefully apply blue painter's tape around the edges of the plastic part yous're removing the clear coat from to protect the surrounding surfaces from scratches. Be equally precise equally possible and stick the tape right up against the edge of the plastic, without covering any of the plastic itself.^[2]
- For instance, if you're removing the clear coat from a headlight, mask effectually all the surrounding metal using blue painter'due south tape.
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3
Moisture-sand the plastic past paw using soapy water and 600-grit sandpaper. Spray down the entire clear-coated plastic surface with soapy h2o in a spray bottle. Wrap a piece of 600-grit wet and dry sandpaper effectually a sanding block. Rub the sandpaper back and forth in all directions over the entire plastic surface for about 5-10 minutes to remove most of the articulate coat.^[three]
- You can just mix water with a couple spoonfuls of liquid dish detergent in whatsoever spray bottle to make a lather-water solution for wet sanding the clear coat off.
- Spray more than soapy water on the plastic part as y'all're sanding if the plastic dries out. Attempt to keep it moisture at all times during sanding.
- Make certain you sand right up to all the edges of the plastic and not just in the heart.
4
Wipe off the plastic subsequently the outset round of sanding using a clean towel. Rub all the soap-water solution and dust from sanding off the plastic to make clean it off. This prepares it for the next round of sanding.^[iv]
- You lot can rinse the plastic off with a little plain water before yous wipe information technology downwards if it helps get rid of all the sanding grit.
- The plastic should look uniformly foggy and dull all over after you lot sand off all the clear coat. If you notice whatsoever spots that still wait clear, moisture the spots with soapy water again and get back over those areas with your 600-grit sandpaper until everything looks compatible.
5
Switch to 1000-grit sandpaper and repeat the sanding process. Wrap a piece of m-dust sandpaper around your sanding block. Spray down the plastic surface using your soap-h2o solution and sand it all over using the yard-grit sandpaper. Keep the plastic wet and rub the sandpaper back and forth while holding it flat against the surface.^[5]
- The 1000-grit sandpaper removes whatever remaining traces of the clear glaze and starts smoothing out the plastic.
- Spend nigh five-10 minutes on this second circular of sanding.
vi
Make clean off the plastic and repeat the procedure using 2000-dust sandpaper. Wipe off the soap-water solution and sanding grit using your towel. Spray it downward once again with your soapy h2o, wrap a slice of 2000-grit sandpaper effectually your sanding cake, and rub it back and forth all over the plastic in all directions.^[6]
- The 2000-dust sandpaper finishes smoothing out the plastic to go information technology ready for polishing.
- Merely like with the outset 2 rounds of sanding, you only need to spend about 5-10 minutes using the 2000-dust sandpaper.
- The plastic should look completely cloudy and feel very smooth at this indicate.
7
Repeat the procedure with 3000-dust sandpaper. Wipe the plastic clean using your towel. Moisture information technology completely using your spray bottle of soapy water. Wrap a piece of 3000-grit sandpaper around your sanding block and rub it all over the plastic surface in each direction, keeping the plastic moisture as you sand, until it starts to clear up and look shiny again. Wipe the plastic clean again with your towel when you finish.^[7]
- This round of sanding may take longer than the previous rounds. Information technology'due south the last sanding step before polishing the plastic, so have your time and make certain y'all get a really articulate, smooth finish earlier moving on.
- For example, if you lot're doing this on a headlight, yous can stop one time you can see through the entire headlight over again.
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1
Apply a glaze of lens polish using a cotton cloth. Dip a clean cotton material into a tub of lens smooth. Rub it onto the plastic surface using firm circular motions until you embrace the unabridged plastic piece in an even coat of smoothen.^[8]
- If you don't have a cotton cloth, you can cut upwards an old cotton T-shirt and utilize that to employ the polish.
ii
Vitrify the smoothen off using a make clean microfiber material. Catch a clean microfiber textile in your easily. Rub the cloth or wheel all over the plastic surface in firm round motions until you vitrify off all the polish and the plastic looks clear and shiny.^[9]
- You can stop polishing at this indicate if you're happy with the finish or repeat the process to apply and vitrify off another coat of smooth.
- You could also put a buffing wheel on an orbital ability tool and use that to buff the smoothen off instead of doing information technology by paw with a cloth.
three
Apply a coat of carnauba wax to the plastic to protect it. Put a blob of carnauba wax in the middle of a waxing pad and rub it all over the surface of the polished plastic piece. Let the wax sit down for well-nigh x minutes to dry out on, then rub off the excess with a clean microfiber cloth or other lint-free cloth.^[ten]
- You lot can as well use liquid car wax instead of carnauba wax.
- You lot can practise this by hand or using a waxing pad attached to an orbital power tool.
- If you want to apply a new clear coat to the plastic, do information technology instead of waxing the surface. Both wax and clear coat serve to protect the plastic from scratching and other harm, but clear coating is a much more involved process and isn't completely necessary.
4
Peel off the record from around the plastic. Advisedly peel off each piece of blue painter'south tape you lot stuck to the surrounding surfaces to mask effectually the plastic. Toss the tape in the trash.^[11]
- Yous can also remove the tape before or during the buffing stage if it'due south getting in the manner. The buffing won't hurt the surrounding surfaces.
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You can become all the sanding and polishing supplies you need for this project at a dwelling improvement center, online, or at an automotive detailing supply store.

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E'er mask the areas surrounding the plastic that you lot're removing the clear coat from to avert damaging them during the sanding process.

Things You lot'll Need

Soap
H2o
Sponge
Towel
Blueish painter's tape
Liquid dish detergent
Spray bottle
Sanding block
600-grit sandpaper
one thousand-grit sandpaper
2000-grit sandpaper
Lens polish
Cotton cloth
Microfiber cloths
Buffing wheel (optional)
Orbital power tool (optional)
Carnauba wax
Waxing pad

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