Help! Scratches on Perspex taxi partition

dasophster

Help! My husband recently got a brand new cab (he's a London cabbie) and when he was renting a cab before we had no problem using microfibre cloths on the partition between the passengers and the driver, or perhaps as it was a few years old the surface was lightly scratched already so any additional damage wasn't noticeable. He and I gently used a microfibre/stainless steel cloth and water to clean the screen after a passenger was sick in the cab. Dust from the absorbent granules used to soak up the vomit went all over the place including the screen, and in the sunlight it's obviously lightly scratched/scuffed all over now, and it's particularly noticeable in the area where the passenger tv screen is (he had one of those screens that show sky installed by verifone). I feel like crying now because to replace it will cost a few hundred quid at least. I have found some stuff online but it all looks very complex and involves messing around with grinders etc which we don't want to be getting into. Can anyone help? I bought a plastic polish designed for such scratches but I'm a bit wary in case it makes matters worse...? Xx

Nilrem

Stainless steel cloth?

Microfibre should be fine for plastic normally, but i've never heard of a stainless steel one.

If you can get hold of it, classic Klear by Johnson and Johnson is a wooden floor polish that was basically a very light acrylic mix and is/was used massively by modellers to cover up scratches in things like the acrylic canopies of models*, and was great for making them look like new.
So might work for what you want.

The downside is, that AFAIK it's not for sale in the UK any more, but some model stores import it from Sweden where it's still available (about a fiver or tenner for a squirty bottle).

Otherwise you might be able to find someone who can do the polishing/buffing of the plastic, iirc it is possible to fill the scratches if you get the right compound (which is why Klear worked so well for models), to if not remove them totally, make them much less apparent.

Unfortunately it's unlikely you'll be able to get the plastic "as new" without actually replacing it, but if you can give it a really thorough clean with a suitable soft cloth, then seal it the scratches should look better** (at the moment they're probably so visible due to dust in them, get that out, and fill them with something that is suitably clear and it should look much better).

*I've seen it sworn by, by a lot of modellers who really want a perfect (or near perfect) finish but have a scratched window/canopy on a model that is OOP (and those who just want an unscratched one to look it's best).


**In a similar way to how scratch repairs for windows work.

dasophster

Lol sorry late at night/early morning. Its the microfibre e-cloth designed for stainless steel and glass and other smooth surfaces. It's quite smooth on one side except for a slight texture (as that side is to remove dirt) and on the side I used its virtually completely smooth. It is approved for the Perspex type shower screens as well hence the same cloth coming in a bathroom kit and also computer monitor screens so I was quite surprised that it scratched the taxi Partition screen especially as I'd used it on the old cab, no problem. We did feel the plastic in this new cab is a lot softer and less hard wearing than the older versions and this confirms it somewhat. Thanks for your suggestion, I'll have a look into it. I'm not expecting it to be 100%, and we were expecting wear and tear over time anyway but it looks pretty bad at the moment because the scratching isn't even and just happens to be worst on the part of the partition that is directly over the tv screen (the screen is installed on the driver's side facing inwards towards the passengers) xx

marlot

Caravanners use this to get of of light scratches on plastic windows, but it sounds like yours are rather worse

http://fenwicks.info/advanced_caravan_care/index.php/caravan-exterior-care/windowize-scratch-remover

LincolnshireYokel

Nilrem wrote: »

If you can get hold of it, classic Klear by Johnson and Johnson

The downside is, that AFAIK it's not for sale in the UK any more,

you can get it in some TESCOS's, about 70p a bottle

richard734

My favorite friend will probably do the job - AutoGlym Super Resin Polish. Amongst other things, this has polished out scratches on CD's/DVD's, scuffs on my MC Helmet visor, scratch in my Kindle screen caused by my wifes ring, and the plastic rear windows on both my convertibles.
Dont buy it from Halfords as most independant auto stores carry it and it is half the price in those.
I have a big bottle and it lives in the house rather than the garage because it is the fix all for everything in our house!

neilmcl

dasophster wrote: »

Its the microfibre e-cloth designed for stainless steel and glass and other smooth surfaces. It's quite smooth on one side except for a slight texture (as that side is to remove dirt) and on the side I used its virtually completely smooth. It is approved for the Perspex type shower screens as well hence the same cloth coming in a bathroom kit and also computer monitor screens so I was quite surprised that it scratched the taxi Partition screen especially as I'd used it on the old cab, no problem.

Doesn't matter how soft the cloth was if the screen had hard granules on it then all you're going to do is move these around the screen and scratch it.

Nilrem

LincolnshireYokel wrote: »

you can get it in some TESCOS's, about 70p a bottle

Cheers, I thought they'd changed the formula for the version sold in the UK

fivetide

Otherwise cutting paste, the sort of thing used when painting a car should potentially take a thin top layer off (it's like T-Cut +). A bit of polish like the Auto Glym mentioned should then make it ok.

In used the same method to sort out the visor on a bike helmet and it came up fine.

5t.

art_for_arts_sake

fivetide wrote: »

Otherwise cutting paste, the sort of thing used when painting a car should potentially take a thin top layer off (it's like T-Cut +). A bit of polish like the Auto Glym mentioned should then make it ok.

In used the same method to sort out the visor on a bike helmet and it came up fine.

5t.

Yes, except you're just replacing scratches with even finer ones which may be visible/affect visibility under certain lighting conditions. I've tried polishing scratches out of visors but it isn't recommended for this reason. The next step in scratch removal is to use an even finer polishing compound. Google "Swirl remover". 3M do one but Meguiars and Liquid Shine are other alternatives.

fivetide

art_for_arts_sake wrote: »

Yes, except you're just replacing scratches with even finer ones which may be visible/affect visibility under certain lighting conditions. I've tried polishing scratches out of visors but it isn't recommended for this reason. The next step in scratch removal is to use an even finer polishing compound. Google "Swirl remover". 3M do one but Meguiars and Liquid Shine are other alternatives.

I missed out the bit about using very very fine wet and dry for that reason. Without sanding it back a little I don't think they'll ever get it perfect.

Witht he visor I did it was actually a big improvement on what was there before.

5t.