pecman347 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Hey guys, just picked up a nice 50 gallon TRUVU tank on CL. I'm planning on making it a display tank, but before anything goes into it, I want it to be free of scratches. Does anyone have an acrylic scratch remover kit or know where I can grab one so I don't have to wait for shipping on the internet? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I bought a used acrylic tank, it was scratched. For the scratches that I could catch my fingernail on, I used 1micron wet paper and sanded them smooth, then used coarse rubbing compound by hand and removed the finer scratches and the "haze" that the sand paper caused. Followed up with a very fine compound and then cleaned with vinegar. Finally I waxed it with hard carnuba and rinsed it out. Let it sit outside, rinsed with water again and it looked brand new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Depending on how much of the tank and where the scratches are, I have found that the automotive lens restore kits (Mothers brand includes 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit) work well. Careful use of the polishing wheel renders good results. I too am working on a crack repair and refinsh of a 55 acrylic tank. The Novus works great and is preferable, but the Mothers kit works in a pinch. YMMV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warlock Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?92188-Best-Way-to-remove-Scratches-from-Acrylic-Tank&highlight=Acrylic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Dave Pettit (dpettit) had to do this to his acrylic tank a while back. You can check with him on what he used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pecman347 Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Well I'd say 90% of the scratches are on the inside... seems like they were using something metal to try and catch the fish that was in it before. Would those products be safe to use on the inside of the tank? And thanks for the quick responses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Mine were on the inside as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pecman347 Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Gotcha, is the carnauba wax safe to use inside the tank for the fish? And where'd you get the compounds? I'm wondering if I should go in search of the Novus products or the Lifegard acrylic remover. Either that or just sand paper grits to the highest and then polish of some sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warlock Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Novus you can buy the NOVUS stuff at CONTAINER STORE here in austin.. $10 ps.. they sell them ins small bottles.. just enough for a tank.. they sell other bottles.. too big you can go to their website and find the KIT 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 My scratches were inside as well. I did quite a bit of research before jumping into this project. With a quick Google search (Acrylic Repair 250Gal), you can find a guy who repaired a large 250Gal with the same process of wet sanding and buffing. Novus is a well known polishing system for acrylic and has produced excellent results in my repairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I'll second the novus. We use it on acrylic lecturns at work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pecman347 Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Wow thanks for the info on the container store. Prices are half that of online... perfect! I'll get started tonight and give updates under the tank build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Second that, thanks Warlock for the update on who carries this locally. I had to purchase online as I couldn't find it anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinB Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Another local source is regal plastics on the north side...but they do have a $25 minimum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I used std rubbing compound. Guess I got lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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