Polishing ultem cap

[gpjoe]

I picked up an ultem cap for one of my Hadaly RDAs from fastech for a few bucks and it fits and works fine but it is frosted. What is the best way to polish ultem to get a clear/glossy finish on the cap?

I don't want to go straight to fine-grit sandpaper and remove material, and I'm worried that some paste polishes may attack the plastic and soften it or fog it even more.

What do you guys use?

Thanks.

 

[Don29palms]

I thought ultem is frosty. Acrylic is clear.

 

[Train2]

Interested in the answer too.
I know Big Apple mods has developed a really complex method to make ultem SUPER clear - like glass - but it involves "dipping" in dangerous gas and is a some kind of chemical reaction. Crazy, but his mods are STUNNING.
For a cap, I think I've heard "toothpaste" - but I'll wait to hear from someone who's done it!!

 

[gpjoe]

I think it's called "vapor polishing" but definitely out of my wheelhouse.

 

[puffon]

Here is Turbocad showing the method:

 

[Train2]

Yep - that's it.
Still though - I'd like to do a cap, if there's an easy way, with a compound rub or something.
I have one frosted (it was called clear, but it's frosted) - and a couple Ultems, that I might want to polish.

 

[gpjoe]

I may just try some toothpaste. It's non-toxic and available.

 

[gpjoe]

Here is Turbocad showing the method:

Man that vapor polishing is amazing to watch. Gotta be toxic though - the process, not the finished item.

Very cool.

 

[gpjoe]

I thought ultem is frosty. Acrylic is clear.

I don't know? I thought it could be polished near clear. Hopefully.

 

[gpjoe]

Well, I have a homemade mandrel comprised of a screw, two rubber cone washers, two flat washers, and a nut that I use to polish and brush metal caps:

Here is what it looks like on the cap:

I'm going to chuck it into a cordless drill and lightly apply some Colgate toothpaste on a soft rag and see what happens.

The cap came from Fastech and cost 3 bucks, but the wait was three weeks. To me it's more about the wait than the cost of the cap itself.

 

[gpjoe]

Well, I tried toothpaste, Simichrome polish, a Cape Cod cloth and finished with some Meguire's plastic polish. After a good wash, I ended up with this:

It's a bit clearer but still has some machining marks - though it looks much better to the naked eye than in this macro shot. I suppose I could get it cleaner with some more work but have decided it's not worth the investment of my time.

 

[Train2]

That is a cool "spin the plastic" gadget that even I could assemble! Nice!

Well, I have a homemade mandrel comprised of a screw, two rubber cone washers, two flat washers, and a nut that I use to polish and brush metal caps:

View attachment 665201

Here is what it looks like on the cap:

View attachment 665203

I'm going to chuck it into a cordless drill and lightly apply some Colgate toothpaste on a soft rag and see what happens.

The cap came from Fastech and cost 3 bucks, but the wait was three weeks. To me it's more about the wait than the cost of the cap itself.

 

[ccwaters]

did this back a couple months ago, turned out alright, 2500 grit wet sand, and some jewelers rogue which added no taste or smell to the ultem, unfortunately next to impossible to do the interior. Still an improvement to me.

Going to try some tanks next time I have a chance.

 

[jared_garrett93]

I picked up an ultem cap for one of my Hadaly RDAs from Fastech for a few bucks and it fits and works fine but it is frosted. What is the best way to polish ultem to get a clear/glossy finish on the cap?

I don't want to go straight to fine-grit sandpaper and remove material, and I'm worried that some paste polishes may attack the plastic and soften it or fog it even more.

What do you guys use?

Thanks.

I was told that polishing ultem can release a toxic chemical that could kill you. Seems like you got out okay though. I'm gonna have to do some research on this. Looks good btw

 

[gpjoe]

I was told that polishing ultem can release a toxic chemical that could kill you. Seems like you got out okay though. I'm gonna have to do some research on this. Looks good btw

Well, that is certainly disturbing to hear but I have suffered no ill effects, thankfully. If you happen across a trusted source of information, I'd love to have a link.

 

[Train2]

You may be thinking of the vapor polishing process documented about 10 posts up? That does require the uses of some toxic gas... But that's not what we're talking about - we're just buffin some plastic.

I was told that polishing ultem can release a toxic chemical that could kill you. Seems like you got out okay though. I'm gonna have to do some research on this. Looks good btw

 

[jared_garrett93]

You may be thinking of the vapor polishing process documented about 10 posts up? That does require the uses of some toxic gas... But that's not what we're talking about - we're just buffin some plastic.

Gotcha, that is most likely the case. It kinda threw me off when I heard it to I wondered how it could be dangerous lol.

 

[r77r7r]

How come everyone likes yellowed plastic nowadays?