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Main => Woodworking => Topic started by: rablack97 on October 18, 2013, 11:34:34 am

Title: Polished T-molding
Post by: rablack97 on October 18, 2013, 11:34:34 am: Hello Folks,

Any ideas on how to polish t-molding so it looks like this.

(http://imageshack.us/a/img27/7595/imag0022uo.jpg)
Title: Re: Polished T-molding
Post by: JDFan on October 18, 2013, 12:15:01 pm: Would think that Armor-all would work (it definitely does similar on car dashboards etc. when used on them)
Title: Re: Polished T-molding
Post by: rablack97 on October 18, 2013, 12:46:51 pm: That's a shine enhancer, this was polished, I want the same finish that's on arcade buttons.
Title: Re: Polished T-molding
Post by: JDFan on October 18, 2013, 01:29:56 pm: They make polish also !
(http://www.armorall.com/wp-content/uploads/AAUS_LqdPlsh_16.9oz_0910_220x404.png)
Ultra Shine Liquid Polish
Enjoy an unbeatable high-gloss shine
Ultra Shine Liquid Polish

Now you can help restore your car’s paint to the ‘like new’ appearance it deserves with Ultra Shine Liquid Polish. A special blend of carnauba wax and advanced polymers works to help rejuvenate dull and faded paint, make fine swirls invisible and deliver a shine that will deliver a high-gloss shine.
Title: Re: Polished T-molding
Post by: 404 on October 18, 2013, 02:25:11 pm: My first guess would be an average plastic polish with a drill, buffer or dremel buffing wheel and some plastic headlight polish

(http://www.carcleaningguru.com/files/2012/07/meguiars-plast-x.jpg)
Title: Re: Polished T-molding
Post by: rablack97 on October 18, 2013, 02:36:27 pm: woohoo thanks guys.......

I read some other tuts, and they mentioned sanding first with a fine grit sandpaper and finishing off with 2000 grit....then polish.

Do you see a need for that or just use polish and a buffing wheel.
Title: Re: Polished T-molding
Post by: 404 on October 18, 2013, 02:49:19 pm: I haven't done a whole lot of buffing to plastics in quite a while.

If i were doing this, i would just test using various polishes on a scrap piece of molding. if that doesn't work out, i go the sandpaper route if you can find 2000 grit readily available at your local hardware store. Your best way to combat this with sandpaper is to do a dry run first. then wet-sand using the same final grit twice. Once with just bare water and the second time using waster and dishwashing detergent. Then polish.
Title: Re: Polished T-molding
Post by: 404 on October 18, 2013, 09:02:16 pm: I was sitting in the garage and realized i had a spare chunk of red T-molding, fine sandpaper and various buffing compounds laying around here. You can already scratch using a dremel and a felt pad from your polishing. I tested using a standard medium strength felt pad and various compounds but the T-molding i have here is just too soft for the speed of the dremel and a felt pad. Nothing i tried would prevent burn in swirls on the T-molding.

You would be better off trying a standard drill and a foam or very soft cloth polishing pad may be best.
Title: Re: Polished T-molding
Post by: rablack97 on October 18, 2013, 11:33:11 pm: Yeah i figured dremel would be to concentrated. i got some t-molding i can toy around with, gonna get some polish tomorrow. Post some pics of the results....
Title: Re: Polished T-molding
Post by: thehammer12 on November 01, 2013, 02:56:32 pm: I actually just saw what looked like stainless steel t molding, but It was plastic with a stainless steel polish "look" on it.

I was pretty impressed with it, it looked like a mirror.
Title: Re: Polished T-molding
Post by: kahlid74 on November 05, 2013, 10:41:00 am: Yeap, I would use a Dremel and do a rough/fine sand and then a buffing. Everything stated above is the way to go. Late to the party as always :(.