Scratched windscreen HELP

[VS700]

HI

Can someone please inform me how to remove (from experiance) HEAVY and light scraches from a polycarbonate screen,

Please no hearsay

Thank you very much.

[FROSTY:Me]

Heavy scratching is really hard to remove. Light scratching Ive had some success with a fine cutting polish. Just be carefull

[Big Dave]

Dremel tool with the buffing pads and some abrasive polishes of varying grit.

Slow & steady. You can get a kinda result - never be as good again.

[vifferman]

As said, light scratches you can remove easily, especially if you use an electric polisher or similar. Choose a polish of appropriate abrasiveness. I last used Maguiars "Swirl Remover", followed up by Plast-X or PLastix or whatever it's called.
Deeper scratches require that you take the surrounding plastic down to the same level, so you'll need aggressive abrasives and techniques, then get progressively lighter with the abrasives and polishes.
There's a video somewhere on NoobToob where a hot-air gun was used to lightly melt the surface, and it came up pretty well, but that has a real risk of disaster. It's something you'd need to practice first on an old piece that didn't matter.

[CookMySock]

You can remove really severe scratches by sanding back with progressively lighter and lighter sandpaper until you get to 2000 grit, carefully removing the scratches made by the previous sanding, and then buff it out with polishing compound. Good as new. Theres a thread somewhere on KB about it.

Steve

[Swoop]

As Viff says, practice on a scrap piece of material.
A naked flame from a gas torch can be used to clean up areas of poly.
It must be done very carefully and with a smooth hand. Too much heat will start to burn it so keeping the flame away from the surface and moving quickly is a safer starting technique.

[dipshit]

Have you tried pricing a new one? They may not be very expensive anyhow.

A brand-new bike i have got came quite badly scratched on the screen from the dealer's showroom. It looks like the kind of scratch marks you get from rubbing dry dusty plastic hard with a cotton rag.

If it bugs me enough, i may see how much a new one is... or maybe look at trying to polish it out. I will be interested in following this thread too.

[Mystic13]

I've used Brasso before after someone else recommended it and that worked well. Basically you're wanting to polish the surface up so I'd have thought even cutting compound and polish would work.

Next time round I was planning to look into the stuff they use for cd's to see what that was about but haven't tried it.

[FROSTY:Me]

The people to talk to are Aircraft people. Gliders and light aircraft.
"somewhere" I've seen an extensive article about this very issue --Might have been Airplane magazine.

[VS700]

Cheers Guys. Ta the advice. VS700

[dpex]

HI

Can someone please inform me how to remove (from experiance) HEAVY and light scraches from a polycarbonate screen,

Please no hearsay

Thank you very much.

Nup! All the contributors are working from the wrong end of the tunnel. I know this on account of my windscreen, having been dipped into the pebbles at Manfield, can never be restored, despite the fact the scratches are less than four or five microns deep.

Here's the solution....one which, may I add, that I am currently using.

But first, consider this. Unless you're on some nana bike with a windscreen which is actually in your line of site (and if it is, ignore the following and seek counselling for having such a nana bike) it follows that you do not need a clear windscreen.

Solution to problem. Using 1,000 grade wet and dry, sand the outer surface of the windscreen till all scratches have been removed. Take screen to your local car-painter and request the addition of a clear-coat. Lo and behold, the screen will look like new.

However, the prob is, the screen now has a coating which can be as easily chipped or scratched a the original.

Solution. Using said fine paper, sand the inside of the screen, then get the painter to blow on a colour coat.

When next the external (clear) coat gets damaged, you will hardly notice because th colour coat on the inside will mask the damage.

[Owl]

Peezy!