Plasti-dip for joystick ball renewal?

[Well Fed Games]

Anyone ever used plasti-dip (stuff intended to coat tool handles) to coat their ball top? I've got one with some finish defects I would like to cover and possibly make a little larger. (And yes, now I regret not buying a stick with a replaceable ball top).

[Harakiri]

I believe most purists wouldn't dip their joysticks in a solution to prevent tingeing and preserve colour match.  If you attempt to do so, please post some pictures so we could discuss further on that!

[Gray_Area]

You might be able to buff those out with some very fine steel wool, then polish it if need be with a pad and some rosin.

[Well Fed Games]

You might be able to buff those out with some very fine steel wool, then polish it if need be with a pad and some rosin.

Yeah, I've done quite a bit trying to fix it with sandpaper, polishing compound, etc., but no luck. Problem is I originally tried to fix some small scratches with a dremel polishing wheel, and made some bad blemishes. If I had just put the thing in my drill chuck to begin with, I would have been fine. Or I guess if the "new" joystick I got from TwistedQuarter hadn't been scratched, I would have been more fine. 

I will probably just order another and have an extra base/switches for the future.

[SammyWI]

You might be able to buff those out with some very fine steel wool, then polish it if need be with a pad and some rosin.

Yeah, I've done quite a bit trying to fix it with sandpaper, polishing compound, etc., but no luck. Problem is I originally tried to fix some small scratches with a dremel polishing wheel, and made some bad blemishes. If I had just put the thing in my drill chuck to begin with, I would have been fine. Or I guess if the "new" joystick I got from TwistedQuarter hadn't been scratched, I would have been more fine. 

I will probably just order another and have an extra base/switches for the future.

If you're going that far, you might want to switch to a joystick that has a replaceable top.  Just so you don't end up with the same problem again.  And FWIW, Plasti-dip is kind of a rubbery coating - not really what I'd want on a joystick.

[Mario]

Yeah, I've done quite a bit trying to fix it with sandpaper, polishing compound, etc., but no luck. Problem is I originally tried to fix some small scratches with a dremel polishing wheel, and made some bad blemishes. If I had just put the thing in my drill chuck to begin with, I would have been fine.

I did the same thing. First, the dremel, which screwed up the ball. Next, I put the shaft in my drill's chuck, got a towel with some auto paint cleaner and polish, and then slowly started the drill while holding the towel around the ball (hint: wear heavy gloves for safety). It came out great. I used McGuires polish, the stuff that is supposed to remove oxidation.

Mario

[Well Fed Games]

I kept at it and I think I got it "good enough." I assume many hours of hands-on playtime will smooth it out some more.  Definitely last time I buy a stick where the ball is not removable!   Thanks for the advice everyone!

[tsaylor]

I did the same thing. First, the dremel, which screwed up the ball. Next, I put the shaft in my drill's chuck, got a towel with some auto paint cleaner and polish, and then slowly started the drill while holding the towel around the ball (hint: wear heavy gloves for safety). It came out great. I used McGuires polish, the stuff that is supposed to remove oxidation.

Mario

+1   

Ha -- I also tried a little dremel buffing recently, which damaged it only slightly but didn't help with the big seam I was trying to remove (Mag-Stik Plus).  So I took your advice and put the ball in the chuck.  I did a bit of fine wet sanding, followed by auto paint rubbing compound.  I'm happy to report that the seam is virtually gone now, feels smooth and looks great.  Thanks!

[boardjunkie]

For deep scratches I'd use clear epoxy, sand it flush, and polish it out. Shouldn't be able to tell anything was done if its done right. Light abrasions can be polished out, and shallow scratches can be filled with clear nail polish and polished out.