Novus polish no. 2 leaves scratches

Hi,

after reading many reports from people who succesfully removed scratches using Novus polish i tried to do the same with my dome port.

Started from polish no. 3 (heavy scratch remover) I was able to remove the biggest scratch, but introduced like hundrets of new smaller ones.

Then using polish no. 2 (fine scratch remover) I removed previously introduced scratches but introduced new, even smaller ones. I can see them when looking through the dome into a light source.

I tried to repeat last step a few times, turning the dome 90 degrees, and the scratches stay there, only changing direction.

What am I doing wrong ?

Thanks!

Piotr

Hi: On reading about Novus, it comes in 3 grades: Have you used #3 after #2 ?

Also, you may want to read users comments in the Amazon page:

https://www.amazon.com/eBoot-LM2596-Converter-3-0-40V-1-5-35V/dp/B01GJ0SC2C/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_cp_0_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01GJ0SC2C&pd_rd_r=C8QBSZDPYAEW9QS12KBN&pd_rd_w=2wOKE&pd_rd_wg=EPooN&psc=1&refRID=C8QBSZDPYAEW9QS12KBN as they might be of help.

When I used cerium oxide to polish glass, I found it necessary to use plenty of water and to polish using light finger pressure and for short times (1 minute or 2) in order to avoid adding scratches. I have used tooth polish with added water with good results to polish plastic, tooth polish comes in several grades of grit, I used medium then the super fine grade

.

Good luck and please let us know how your polishing comes out.

Hi Piotr,

The Novus #1 came as a sheet that was soaked with a really fine polish in the kit I got. It will help get the really fine marks out. Alternatively as suggested above, toothpaste can also be used, or I have also had success with other polish such as metal polish (Brasso in Australia) or a cutting compound that is used for car detailing.

My experience is that the Novus does work, but it takes a while and lots of elbow grease. It's a good option for if you're nervous about causing further damage. Once you are more confident you might want to consider using really fine grade wet and dry sandpaper. The starting grade will depend on how deep the scratch is and how quickly you want to work. If you work at 90 degree angles and gradually move up in grades of sandpaper it is a much quicker method than the Novus. In the past I have started with 1000 grit and worked up to 3000 grit. If you can get 5000 grit it'll polish up really nicely. Work over the whole dome, not just where the scratch is, otherwise you'll get a local flat spot and distortion. You should see the scratch disappearing as you work at it. Then finish up with the polish or toothpaste. Cutting compounds usually remove scratches from 1200 and higher grades. It's scary at first, as you're dome will look really hazy, but as you get up to higher grades it'll clear up and then sparkle . Do this wet. A spray bottle with a tiny bit of detergent mixed in works well.

Hope that helps!

Nick

Polish it wet.

Rig up a hose and let a slow drip flow while you polish.

Or set it in a pan or skillet and keep dipping your paper into the water.

Paper will not load up and it will cut/polish quicker.

Hi,
thanks for replies.

Like I said, I did remove the biggest scratches with Novus #3, so no need for sandpapers. Then used #2 and now it looks quite nice. The issue is that when I look through the dome into the bright light source, I see thousands of micro scratches which distort the light rays. I tried using #1 and it didn't help (I think it's not abrasive).

I think I need something less abrasive then Novus #2 and more abrasive than toothpaste (which I also tried).

I'm going to try Polywatch polish: https://www.polywatch.de/en/plastic-polish/

Hi Piotr,

No problem. I mainly gave the sandpapering recommendations in case someone searches this topic in the future. I'm not sure where toothpaste and other creams would fall on the spectrum, but really fine grad sandpaper (e.g. 3000 and up) is what often gets used when working on car panel surfaces before a final waxing. The fine grades act like a polisher more than a sander.

The product you referenced looks promising. In the "real world" I very much doubt that any really fine scratches that you can only see in the light will impact your photos at all. Even heavier scratches are hard to pick up in images and will only be visible if light is hitting them at a certain angle. I remember reading somewhere (maybe on wetpixel somewhere) that fine scratches are "filled in" by water when the dome is submerged and thus you won't be able to pick them up in photos. I understand wanting to have nice pristine looking gear though

Good luck with the polishing!

Nick

Ok,

so I polished the dome with Polywatch and must say that it improved much. I would give it a little more work, but the 5g tube runned out quickly.

It's clear to me now, that Novus #2 grit size is a bit too much, and some additional, finer polish needs to be used after it.