This is the first time I'm attempting this, and afterlooking around for 10hrs I couldn't find what I needed. So, knowing that many of you guys 'n girls sit on my intel, please cough it up. I'm trying to frost some plexiglass, but after 3 hrs of sanding it's merely heavily scratched. What I did was this: started out with 180 grid, gave it 30 minutes. Then, 2 hrs with 240 and then 2 hrs with 600. All wet sanding. What I'm looking for is a matte finish, not alot of weak scratches I have not been able to get my hand on any fancy sprays or films, and using a dremel wasn't really that good when trying to frost the entire surface. Anyone?
i've seen frosting turn out well when its bead blasted or sandblasted. i don't know how to replicate that look otherwise tho.
Thats one other point, I cannot get my hands on any more equipment. I've got al kinds of sandpaper, thats pretty much it.
First off, if you want to make it frosted, there's no point in sanding with a lower grit and working your way up. That's only when you want to remove imperfections that high grits aren't capable of doing. You should be starting at a high grit like 600. You could try some 800 or 1000, maybe even 1,500, but anything after that is just going to make it clear again. You won't get rid of the scratched appearance completely, so your best bet is to use a cheap sanding block (even just a peice of wood) and make even strokes in one direction (one stroke at a time, not back and forth). Sandblasting is the best. If you don't have an air compressor, Google for glass sandblasting kits or aerosol sand blasting. They have these little aerosol cans for sandblasting glass, it has sand and CO2 in it...when you push down on the nozzle sand comes out and frosts the glass. If it can frost glass (which is a very hard material) anywhere near what they claim, it can frost acrylic without a problem.
highest I've got is 600, did about 2 hrs wet with this, got a slight diffuse.. not enough IMO, cause I've covered the backside with ductape, and i can clearly see the patterns and fibers of the tape. damn. thats 7 hours sanding to do what 14 day old bad breath could have done
Why...would you sand for hours? It would take no more than a few minutes. All you'd be doing is keep sanding away the material...it won't make it more frosted.
i spent like 4 minutes with the fine grit dremel sanding attachment, and got a fine frosted look on some plexi. just moved in straight lines, circles make it look really bad. best of luck anywho.
try to find some local workshop that paints cars, or some sort of metal treatment company... ask if they have sandblasting equipment... mabye they will let you use it for a few minutes..
Well thanks alot guys. think I'll have a go with the sandblasting. Just need to find a nearby workshop or something. the only thing that got frosted from the sandpaper, are my fingerprints. Oh, and btw - anyone actually seen somwhere one can get these "aerosol can" sandblasting kits?
You could try and pick up a can of spray frosting - that might work. You could also try rubbing a pc of acrlyic with acetone - again that might give you some sort of effect. Otherwise if you willing to pay for postage u can send it here and I'll do it for you
Ah, finally - something I DO have. I'll have a go at some scrap acrylic with acetone. If this doesn't work, I'm seriously thinking about coughing up some cash for postage
stormtrooper: Thanks, but I think I'll try other solutions before stretching towards acid. That stuff is seriously hazardous. Gotten too close to sulphuric and battery acid before. It will be a last resort. How hard can it be? eddie dane: Thanks. I'll have a go with it. Only got 80 tho. dong it by hand may take some time, but what the hell - it have taken me so many hours now, so what would a couple more do. If it gets all messed up, I'll have to get new plexy monday anyway - the area I'm frosting is now 12mm, the rest is 20mm. - Couldn't wait, just made a 20 min go. It's getting along just fine one thing is for sure, I'll never again wet sand plexi, unless for polish and smoothing. Guessing 20 min more at my rate, It'll be just about what I'm looking for. Btw, it was mentioned further up the page about rubbing the plexi with acetone. (do NOT do this with Lexan, it will be utterly f**ked up). I very fast got to the point where I was about to shout from the pleasuring ease.. but then just with 5 rubs in 2 seconds, the whole plexi seemed like someone spilled "plastic milk" on it. Does anyone know how to do this successfully? I understand that acetone is a component in production of Plexiglass (?), and it will "melt" and dissolve the plexi. Now - furthermore, braking small shards of plexi and dissolving them in acetone, you can make a plastic "glue". Now, corect me if I'm wrong - but what would be better to glue or repair plexiglass with - than plexiglass? This, if in a very thin acetone solution, will arc very efficently, clearly and smooth in the scratches and caverns of your damaged plexi... so with a needle and some super fine grit, you could set it back to ground zero. in theory that is.
Not sure ...heard you can buy a can of window frosting My next mod ill be making a stencil of fire. Then placing the stencil over the window then spraying it to give it a frosted fire look.
Acetone isn't much for a solvent for acrylic...I've used it for cleaning acrylic (by mistake), it hardly frosted it, only helped my cloth scratch and mar the surface. Brake cleaner will dissolve it quite nicely, just fit it with a CLEAN spray paint nozzle to get an even spray. Try thin coats and let it evaporate between coats. Putting it on too heavy tends to smear the plastic.
