Faded Plastic Restoration

[gary courtney]

I am restoring a 10mm 044 Sent the metal parts to Glock37 and ordered all oem parts in the build. The plastics were faded and I cleaned and wet sanded them with 220 grit. Been coating them with wd-40 and have them by the wood stove. They are starting to liven up. Any thoughts are tips?

 

[Paul Silvestri]

Is Flitz still a thing? That worked really really well on faded plastic and other materials.

 

[joe25DA]

I am restoring a 10mm 044 Sent the metal parts to Glock37 and ordered all oem parts in the build. The plastics were faded and I cleaned and wet sanded them with 220 grit. Been coating them with wd-40 and have them by the wood stove. They are starting to liven up. Any thoughts are tips?

Try some panther piss. 50/50 boiled linseed oil/paint thinner. I use it to get the sheen back on everything.

 

[gary courtney]

 

[Plowmaster]

I am restoring a 10mm 044 Sent the metal parts to Glock37 and ordered all oem parts in the build. The plastics were faded and I cleaned and wet sanded them with 220 grit. Been coating them with wd-40 and have them by the wood stove. They are starting to liven up. Any thoughts are tips?

Boiled linseed oil . plenty of it in a zip lock bag... it takes a few days but it will absorb alot...

 

[gary courtney]

These were oxidized extremely bad. This is 1 week of daily spraying. Will get some linseed oil tomorrow.

 

[TheTone]

If the plastic is just faded and dull, I use Meguiar's Endurance Tire Gel. It penetrates enough to bring out the sheen. Rub in a couple of coats until it stops taking it up , then wipe dry and buff with a clean cloth. Trouble is, when the plastic has reached that stage, there is usually grime that has worked into the plastic. Removing this is a big problem. I've tried lacquer thinner on a Scotchbrite pad with some success. If it's really dirty and/or highly oxidized, graduated sanding or rubbing compound with a buffer is often required.

 

[BrettS]

Some good tips, now how to whiten yellowed plastic.

 

[Jasonrkba]

I like the wet sanding method. It can be a lot of work though.

 

[TheTone]

Yellowed (white) plastic is more difficult. There's also the grime problem. I've had no luck with bleach, but wet sanding with bleach might help. I have not tried it, and it might tear up the sandpaper, don't know. Wear gloves. A good thing to have around when you're dealing with bleach is a solution of sodium metabisulfite and citric acid used by brewers as a disinfectant. It instantly neutralizes chlorine bleach. Rubbing or polishing compound and a buffing disk would be worth a try - like what you would use to restore clear plastic headlights.

 

[Plowmaster]

Some good tips, now how to whiten yellowed plastic.

Can't remember what thread it was on...someone said Peroxide in a zip lock bag leave in the hot sun ... just rember it was on a large stihl restoration...

 

[SweetMK]

Hold on to your pants for this one,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
You know those faded, cloudy headlights that look horrible,, and everyone sands and/or polishes them to make them look decent??

Well,, apply OFF! insect spray,, the insect spray will instantly turn the headlights back to clear.
OFF! may do the same thing for faded chain saw plastic??

 

[Jeekinz]

Check out dirtbike plastic restoration videos.