cleaning up acrylic

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Mike
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cleaning up acrylic

I have been meaning to try this for ages and finally got there today, Brasso!

When engraving or cutting acrylic I often get residue that I can't remove with anything, but a bit of brasso and some elbow grease has done the trick + it doesnt cause cracking in extruded acrylic.

it is slighlty abrassive but leaves a good shine too
Pedro_Hernandez
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Re: cleaning up acrylic

Post by Pedro_Hernandez » Thu Apr 28, 2011 11:45 pm

I agree Brasso is great for cleaning up, for deep scratches on perspex after its been cut I recommend Autosol or peek metal polish, then brasso then white spirit.

Peter

HPC1290 User HPC 3020 Owner

Spooky
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Re: cleaning up acrylic

Post by Spooky » Mon May 02, 2011 11:52 am

Arm & Hammer toothpaste also works very well :)

best wishes

Dave

Please note I am not employed by HPC, any advice or recomendations I give are based on my own experience and are not necessarily the same as HPC's. First point of contact on any hardware issues should be with HPC
Dave@OpticalPower.co.uk

PhillyDee
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Re: cleaning up acrylic

Post by PhillyDee » Sat Sep 03, 2011 4:03 pm

Just my 2p worth here :o

I supply Acetone (99.5% purity) and Isopropanol (99.9% purity) as well as cloths for cleaning.

Have tried them with MicroFibre Cloths, Kitchen Roll, Paper Roll (Workshop stuff) and Terry cloths.

The Acetone + Microfibre cloths are fantastic for removing of smut. The ones I sell are very fluffy, and very thick. They do not scratch, even with the acetone. It does discolour the cloth with the plastic colour, and requires frequent moving of cloth areas otherwise it smears the already removed stuff and leaves lines.
The isopropanol requires waaaay too much pressure, and is no good at all for smut removal!
Paper towels and kitchen roll scratch the plastic with tiny tiny tiny scratches.

So my top tip - Acetone and a Microfibre cloth!

http://www.tmbelectronics.com - Electronics, tools, hobby tools, power tools, and much more!

An ex LS3020 user now playing with an LS6840PRO (60W) and an LS1290PRO (80W)

Daven
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Re: cleaning up acrylic

Post by Daven » Sat Sep 03, 2011 4:38 pm

Thats handy to know Phil - I'll be in touch when I need some more acetone :-)

I have been using a spray I got from 908 Ltd called Würth Industry Cleaner which is very good - smells good as well.

Cheers

Dave

Using two LS3060's and an ex 3020 user
Please note I am not employed by HPC, any advice or recomendations I give are based on my own experience and are not necessarily the same as HPC's. First point of contact on any hardware issues should be with HPC

StarLoc Adhesives
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Re: cleaning up acrylic

Post by StarLoc Adhesives » Sat Sep 03, 2011 8:30 pm

I wouldnt ever put acetone on acrylic of any type extruded or cast it usualy causes micro stress cracks all over the surface and if theres any nicks or deep scratches it can shatter the sheet

Isopropyl alcohol / IPA / isopropanol is fine on it but contact between acrylics and ketones such as acetone should be avoided

for a scratched surface i use autoglym plastics polish or jewlers rouge as a polish

PhillyDee
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Re: cleaning up acrylic

Post by PhillyDee » Sat Sep 03, 2011 8:53 pm

I have wiped down 150 (plus a load of small parts) or so A4 products with this, and no incident. The cloth is moistened first, and evaporates as soon as it has left the cloth. Although I would never bath it in there, as it will dissolve!

And of course, do not mix with IPA or similar, this is bad!

http://www.tmbelectronics.com - Electronics, tools, hobby tools, power tools, and much more!

An ex LS3020 user now playing with an LS6840PRO (60W) and an LS1290PRO (80W)

jpkerr
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Re: cleaning up acrylic

Post by jpkerr » Wed Oct 30, 2013 3:56 pm

I use methylated spirits to clean my acrylic after engraving i also use it to clean the edges of gold/silver on black works a treat

Intri
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Re: cleaning up acrylic

Post by Intri » Fri Feb 14, 2014 6:19 pm

I have recently started using washing up liquid onto my acrylic, a think smear just as you would do for glass and the works a treat. After the project has been cut and engraved I just give it a wash and maybe clean up with some ipa

Hps 6090 pro lasercut 5.3

Spooky
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Re: cleaning up acrylic

Post by Spooky » Sat Feb 15, 2014 4:10 pm

Docs right Phil, ketones are bad news for acrylics :( the micro stress cracks may not always be apparent for some time

cheers

Dave

Please note I am not employed by HPC, any advice or recomendations I give are based on my own experience and are not necessarily the same as HPC's. First point of contact on any hardware issues should be with HPC
Dave@OpticalPower.co.uk

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