Any tips on brightening old white plastic?

[parrisw]

Has anybody tried bead blasting??? I have some ultra fine glass beads in my blast cabinet right now, I might give it a go.

 

[Texas Traveler]

Has anybody tried bead blasting??? I have some ultra fine glass beads in my blast cabinet right now, I might give it a go.

For years gunsmiths used bead blasting on plastic stocks but oiled them afterward.
The problem with Dakota Shine is you may need to wear dark sunglasses .

 

[Mitymouse]

I have read somewhere before that flour can be used as a blasting media for delicate surfaces. This may be worth.

 

[PatrickIreland]

Baking soda is the blasting media of choice here for expensive cars - keeps the panel cool enough not to warp it but takes off the paint. Mine's all metal so I can blast it with pumice as much as I want.

 

[motosierra]

I've worked on heavy equipment before and understand the processes involved in refinishing various types of plastic, rubber, vinyl, powder-coated parts, and old baked-on enamels. Mine and others' points were that the glass fiber-filled plastic used in Stihl applications is unlike most other types of plastics used in OPE. If there is a product, like possibly this Dakota Shine, that works well on Stihl plastic- I'll be first in line to buy it.

Hey JJ,,,

....if it is fiberglass ...how about mixing up a batch of white resin and recoating the fiberglass.....?

 

[Jacob J.]

Hey JJ,,,

....if it is fiberglass ...how about mixing up a batch of white resin and recoating the fiberglass.....?

It's not fiberglass. It's a plastic impregnated with fine nylon fibers but it's not constructed the same as fiberglass. You can repair some Stihl tanks with a fiberglass patch though. I don't know how long they hold.

 

[retired redneck]

Not saw plastic, but what will clean the plastic on car headlight plastic covers that turn yellow and block the lite????

 

[Urbicide]

I have read somewhere before that flour can be used as a blasting media for delicate surfaces. This may be worth.

Be careful as a spark can ignite the airborne flour and you would basically have an explosion. Happens in grain mills periodically.

 

[Mitymouse]

Be careful as a spark can ignite the airborne flour and you would basically have an explosion. Happens in grain mills periodically.

That is actually true of any fine powder or dust, but it is a very good point to consider.

 

[Texas Traveler]

That is actually true of any fine powder or dust, but it is a very good point to consider.

It looks to me you could use corn meal to blast with as well to polish ammo brass with in tumblers.

 

[Texas Traveler]

It's not fiberglass. It's a plastic impregnated with fine nylon fibers but it's not constructed the same as fiberglass. You can repair some Stihl tanks with a fiberglass patch though. I don't know how long they hold.

I am sure it is made up like a high strength concrete mix, chopped nylon strands mixed up in the plastic compond before pouring in the molds.

 

[pioneerguy600]

I have read this thread every day hoping that someone has a better way of doing the white plastic/nylon on the Stihl saws. I own a few and do some restoring work, I am not as good as Brad but I do the same procedure as some others have posted . I scrape the entire area with a sharp snap off blade held between my fingers in a near vertical to the tank surface, round off the very tip slightly to prevent digging in. Once the entire area is scraped down I sand the area completely with 320 grit, I know this has all been done and posted before but I then take a piece of plastic to polish the surface with it. I use a strip of the white body fill applicators that we have around the shop in plentiful supply, a strip about 3/4 " wide by as long as it fits comfortably in your hand. I place it under one of my fingers and with moderate pressure rub the entire sanded area, with a little effort the surface will take a shine.You may notice a few dark streaks appear but don`t panic, its just residual sanding dust and it will wipe off easily with alcohol or a little brake cleaner on a cloth. I have done this on dozens of Stihl chainsaws and the white areas will stay cleaner for a longer time after doing this than if just scraping and sanding were done.
Pioneerguy600

 

[whitedogone]

uppidy for answers

 

[blsnelling]

I then take a piece of plastic to polish the surface with it. I use a strip of the white body fill applicators that we have around the shop in plentiful supply, a strip about 3/4 " wide by as long as it fits comfortably in your hand. I place it under one of my fingers and with moderate pressure rub the entire sanded area, with a little effort the surface will take a shine.

Pioneerguy600

Are you using any kind of compound with the plastic rub?

 

[pioneerguy600]

Are you using any kind of compound with the plastic rub?

No Brad, I just leave the sanding dust on and rub the case with the plastic strip as posted above, its the best method I have found so far, it closes or burnishes the surface and seems to seal it up so that it does not get dirty as quickly. I have tried cutting compound on some but the results were not worth the effort.
Pioneerguy600

 

[redunshee]

That's an option but it gets very expensive very quickly. To professionally paint just about anything you need:

1. Primer (two part if epoxy, then a reducer made for that type of primer)
2. Paint (usually 1 qt is the minimum purchase for a custom color). There's often a special charge for custom matching unless you can match it with an industry standard color. Most paints also require a catalyst for best results. They also require a reducer and it's often not the same as what's used in #1.
3. If you want a clear coat then that's another quart of paint. Usually the reducer and catalyst is the same as what's used in #2.
4. Don't forget things like strainers, sandpaper, scotch brite, wax and grease removers, etc.

In my experience it's rare that you come out of an auto body supply shop without dropping at least a C note. However the results will be far superior then what you can achieve with a can of Krylon.

If you want to renew things like shrouds/covers, it's often cheaper to shop for some nice ones on Ebay.

Has anyone tried Stihl Gray Paint(as they call it). Ordered some from my Stihl dealer and repainted an old 015AV bar cover. Course it was metal and haven't tried it on Stihl plastics as yet.