TaylorW Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 Here in the next month or two I'll be dismantling my 50 gallon acrylic tank as I will be relocating it to another room, I was hoping to find someone that can buff the scratches out for me (I'll pay you of course) while I have it empty, I have a holding tank for fish and corals so I won't be in a huge hurry but if possible I'd like to find someone that could have it done in about a week or less if possible. The scratches really aren't bad, no deep scratches, most aren't even noticeable when it's filled with water but there are a few that are noticeable and bother me [emoji19] I don't know how to do it and don't want to screw it up so I'd much rather have someone who's done it before do it. I don't know exactly when I'll be taking it down but it's 100% happening soon and I'd like to have someone lined up to do it in the meantime, if you're that person let me know! I will bring it to you obviously, if you already have all the tools etc even better!! Let me know where you're located and what you would charge, thanks! [emoji18][emoji120] Oh and apparently I haven't been receiving messages because my inbox was full, I went through yesterday and deleted old messages so good to go now [emoji106]Sent from my BLU R1 HD using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Z Reef Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 You may check with a local car detailer if you can’t find anyone. Same equipment. also I remember years back Woody’s (Seahorse NW) had someone do acrylic polish, they may still have a contact also. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaylorW Posted July 27, 2019 Author Share Posted July 27, 2019 You may check with a local car detailer if you can’t find anyone. Same equipment. also I remember years back Woody’s (Seahorse NW) had someone do acrylic polish, they may still have a contact also.Oh wow that’s a great idea thank you!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyCrabs Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 Try a place that details boats. I think tap can also do it but I'm sure big $$$ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaylorW Posted July 28, 2019 Author Share Posted July 28, 2019 Try a place that details boats. I think tap can also do it but I'm sure big $$$I will definitely try that as well, but now after doing a bit more research it could possibly end up costing more than I paid for the tank! I haven't gotten around to calling anyone yet since it's the weekend but I've read it can take several hours, I'm hoping maybe these types of places maybe not since they would have all the necessary stuff to do it but I don't know. I was originally hoping to spend around ~$100, the tank really isn't in bad shape at all, the scratches aren't deep most are tiny and fine with only a few more visible ones towards the top (the ones I can see that bother me) but after what I've read online it could possibly cost much more.. I'm scared to do it myself so I'll still call around but if it ends up costing too much I may just say forget it, my husband would probably divorce me if he found out I paid more to have it buffed and polished than I did for the tank itself, he's offered to do it but I want it done the RIGHT way [emoji23][emoji30] I paid $300 for the tank with the oak stand and canopy used so there's no way I can justify spending that much on something like that even though I love this tank so I guess I'll call around Monday to get an idea of what they charge. I guess I didn't understand the work that goes into it so naively I thought it wouldn't cost more than that. Sent from my BLU R1 HD using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyCrabs Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 If I had the time I'd do it. I used to polish glass so plastic would be much faster. Depending on depth/quantity it may not take very long at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaylorW Posted July 28, 2019 Author Share Posted July 28, 2019 If I had the time I'd do it. I used to polish glass so plastic would be much faster. Depending on depth/quantity it may not take very long at all. Oh I understand you’re busy moving and stuff thanks though!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxkenny90xx Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 Hey Taylor, I got my tank used and it was full of scratches so I planned on sanding it down but decided to try the Novak 3 part first and it worked great (and was less stressful then sanding the tank myself)! I used some auto polishing pads on an electric drill. Just throwing that idea out there in case you can't get it done professionally. Btw it took me and another person 3 hours to do my 112 gallon tank. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaylorW Posted July 28, 2019 Author Share Posted July 28, 2019 Hey Taylor, I got my tank used and it was full of scratches so I planned on sanding it down but decided to try the Novak 3 part first and it worked great (and was less stressful then sanding the tank myself)! I used some auto polishing pads on an electric drill. Just throwing that idea out there in case you can't get it done professionally. Btw it took me and another person 3 hours to do my 112 gallon tank. Well shoot maybe I’ll just try that if it comes to it, it has mostly small fine scratches no deep ones, probably 3-5 longer ones that are up higher and more noticeable so yeah maybe I’ll get lucky and won’t have to sand it after all. Were the scratches on your tank finer smaller ones for the most part? Did you have larger scratches at all to begin with? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyCrabs Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 The Novak stuff will not work on anything but fine scratches. Anything deeper will need wet sanded and polished or a lot of time with the course compound. Be careful not to do too much in a little area and work your way to a bigger area as you go or it'll create waves in the acrylic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyCrabs Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 If it catches a finger nail it may need sanding. If you can barely feel it with a finger nail I'd try polish first 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyCrabs Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 I've successfully used the Novak stuff to polish my glasses when they were scratched 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxkenny90xx Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 I had tons of light scratches and a couple of slightly deeper ones. The deeper ones (which really weren't that deep) did not go away but they did get a bit better and once it was filled with water weren't very noticeable at all. I gave the Novak a shot but I didn't have high hopes and had already bought sandpaper but it worked great for me! I believe that most of the people who don't like it have poor results due to doing it by hand, use a drill! Here's the polishing pads I used. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyCrabs Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 Too be honest you need a die grinder to do a good job, or a full size buffer. Drills just don't have the speed/power. It's the same idea as polishing headlights. A drill just doesn't cut it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxmonkeyboy Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 I have the polisher that you need, your welcome to borrow it. It's not rocket science and it goes fairly quickly with the right tools. Crabby was right, if it is deep, then you will need sandpaper. That is when things start to get a little tricky and exhausting. I would think a couple hours with the polisher and you would be good to go. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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