Acrylic - steel wool?

[GrahamRounce]

Usually when polishing acrylic I sand from grit 400 to 12000, then finish with cheap metal polish, but for a curved surface....
I was wondering about using steel wool. Is there any equivalence between grades of sandpaper and coarse, medium, fine, extra-fine, extra-extra-fine, etc, steel wool?

It's for clouded car headlights, btw.
Thanks as always for any knowledge!
Graham

 

[Sideways]

I'd reach for those foam backed microwhatever pads that work so well wet for putting a high gloss shine on acrylic pen barrels ... compared to the super fine grits in that range even 0000 steel wool would seem very coarse to me.

 

[Inspector]

Doing a search for steel wool grit equivalents got a bunch of hits. Here are a couple.

https://www.finewoodworking.com/forum/steel-wool-compared-to-sand-paper
https://www.craftywoodsmith.com/steel-wool-vs-sandpaper/
You are best working with the micro mesh (what you stated range is) or equivalent brands and using soapy water. Don't use the cheap metal polish as it may be a step backwards in grit size and if there are any solvents in the product they may be detrimental to the plastic. Use instead cut wax made for polishing dull paint on cars. Micro mesh was developed for polishing scratches out of aircraft canopies and helicopter bubbles before I was learning to be an aircraft mechanic in 1974/5. I spent an afternoon learning it.

You other option would be to look at headlight restoration kits. They have the papers, pads, polishes etc. Up to you to get the one you think might work based on the condition of the plastic.

Pete

 

[Fergie 307]

Best thing I have found for headlights is buffing compound, just go to your local car paint factor. You can use it by hand with mutton cloth, but will take ages, or use a powered polisher, like an angle grinder but works at lower rpm. Just mask off round it If you have to so you don't do the paintwork, or better still take the lamp out if you can. Even quite bad ones can be done in 10 min or so with the powered polisher. I also have a little one which I use on watch and clock glass, these are only £20 odd on e bay etc. Very small so would take a while but still probably faster than by hand. Sometimes you get a sort of flaking in the surface. This can be removed with 1500 or finer wet and dry. The polisher and compound will remove the marks from the paper.

 

[Blackswanwood]

0000 grade steel wool is the equivalent of 400g sand paper.

There are acrylic wools and pads which are finer. Gunsmiths and car body repair retailers sell them.

 

[pgrbff]

There are kits available for headlights, I have seen them on eBay.

 

[clogs]

I used to do it on practically every car I serviced.....
Used a medium grit auto paint compound and bought a cheapy vari speed buffing machine....looks like a 125mm angle grinder.....
5mins will sort a pair of bad headlights....

what ever the grade wire wool has very irregular grade strands.....
getting to the point I cant remeber when I last used it.......

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Decent quality stuff doesn't have irregular grade strands unless it's been badly stored - thrown in with other grades. I haven't used it since yesterday.

 

[Vintage Frames]

A cotton pad, a tube of toothpaste, and rub very hard for a few minutes.
Try it.

 

[GrahamRounce]

Thanks all! That's basically everything I need to know.... I'm equally appreciative and impressed as always!
Cheers,