Have any of you tried using auto rubbing compound on your CA finishes?

[Ronald Fox]

I have been having great success using some rubbing compound that I would normally use on my car. I use one of the little plastic bags that come with the kit to apply maybe 5 or 6 drops of Medium CA to each section. Wait a day for it to dry nice and hard, then use some 400 grit sand paper on slow speed to just knock down the CA. Run through the Micro mesh and then use the Rubbing compound to go from shiny, to a flawless glass surface on the pen. Anyone else try this technique?

Ron

[Prashun Patel]

I have tried rubbing compound on flatwork and it works well. I followed up the rubbing compound with polishing compound and raised the sheen even more. Might be less of an issue on pens where 'swirl' marks from the rubbing compound might not be visible.

But I thought using the upper end of the micromesh will get you to glass without the compound (that's hearsay; I have not been successful with Micromesh)

[Chris Burgess]

I have never used Rubbing compound but I have used Huts Plastic polish. I found that I got the same results w/ only MM so I stopped using it.

[Keith Westfall]

I've used Turtle Wax cut polish on acrylic pens after the micro mesh and it seem to bring it up even more...

[Ronald Fox]

I forgot to mention I also use a automative Cleaner/Polish after the rubbing compound. I Think the Cleaner/Polish is what really makes the pen shine.

Ron

[John Pratt]

I used to use the plastic polish from PSI (onestep) and then I started using Meguiars PlastX. I will never go back. I have been getting a glass like finish on all my pens and I don't have to send away to get it. It is available at most care care centers. It works pretty good for its intended purpose of getting the fine scratches out of headlights as well. I know some people go a step further to Novus Plastic polish but I didn't see a difference and that stuff is Expensive.

[Dale Winburn]

I use CA finish on all my pens and pencils, sand to 1000 grit then polish with auto rubbing/polishing compound. Creates a hard, beautiful glass like finish.

[phil harold]

I used to use the plastic polish from PSI (onestep) and then I started using Meguiars PlastX. I will never go back. I have been getting a glass like finish on all my pens and I don't have to send away to get it. It is available at most care care centers. It works pretty good for its intended purpose of getting the fine scratches out of headlights as well. I know some people go a step further to Novus Plastic polish but I didn't see a difference and that stuff is Expensive.
I have been using Meguiars on flatwork for over 30 years

good stuff!

[Larry Pickering]

Automotive rubbing compounds can be very aggressive, you will have better luck using the polishing compounds. Try the DuPont white polishing compound. It can be found in most auto parts store, a small can will last years.

[allen syler]

i also use plas x over c/a , i ve also used neutral wax shoe polish,,

[Dave Mueller]

Take a look at Scratch Out in a yellow bottle in the auto section. I got mine at Walmart. There is another Scratch-out for polishing DVDs, but it is not the same thing. Anyway, it works great on CA finish and plastic pen blanks to produce a glass-like finish. As with all polishes, be sure the finish is fully cured or it will only make it worse.

[david press]

Ron - I'd appreciate a quick note - I'm searching for the Ronald Fox who produced a number of Lucite string design sculptures, usually numbered "74" so I'm guessing in 1974 - would that possibly be you? I'm getting back together a website dedicated to 3d string sculptures and would like to feature the work of that Ronald Fox. Thanks for a response

[Jamie Donaldson]

I have been using NuFinish Car Polish to finish off glossy surfaces on dyed work, and it also leaves a hard protective surface as a bonus. I've used it on my cars for years, and never thought to apply it to wood finishing applications until I took a workshop with accomplished turner Gary Sanders. Apply it just as you would to a car, by hand, and wipe off with a microfiber cloth. No hard power buffing required or desired!

[Jim Burr]

I use Hutts on CA finishes and acrylic work that is just wet sanded and polished. I think it's like a micro-particle polishing compound. Since I apply Ca with a papertowel, it can leave little grooves...Hutts works well to polish them out.

[Steve Busey]

Ron - I'd appreciate a quick note - I'm searching for the Ronald Fox who produced a number of Lucite string design sculptures, usually numbered "74" so I'm guessing in 1974 - would that possibly be you? I'm getting back together a website dedicated to 3d string sculptures and would like to feature the work of that Ronald Fox. Thanks for a response - David Press - you can see my work at www.davidpressdesigns.com (http://www.davidpressdesigns.com) - thank you

Hey David, this is an old thread, and Ron hasn't been on the forum since May. You could click on his name at the top of this thread, and then send him an Email - will probably be quicker than waiting on a response here. (Was the Ron you're looking for in Oregon?)

And to keep up with the thread topic, yes, I use an auto rubbing compound as my final pen polish step. Found it to be much glossier than the Hut products I've tried.

236077

[robert baccus]

In my misspent youth i was into hotrod painting & finishing. what i hear is a lot of different opinions based on marketing names, brands and labeling. The auto finishing materials are great. I use them almost daily finishing bowls/vases ON the lathe. We all tend to get stuck on one"buzz product" when in reality they are all either rubbing compounds or waxes or combinations. Think of compounds as just another abrasive that doesn.t work good glued to paper. Commonly in water based lubricating creams or pastes(often made of clays) in many grits they cut/polish finishes, plastics, metal ect. The real confusion is in the way most makers label the product--very confusing. Meguuiars and others use proper labeling. each grit has a # from 1 to 10 and is displayed on a bar graph for comparison. Use the grits just like sandpaper to accomplish your need. i usually wet sand laquer to 220+ and go to 6-8 grit compound on a wet rag for a few minutes, switch to 2-3 briefly and wax with a W2 brand carnuba which has a bit of 1-2 compound in it. All this is done on the lathe with a spray bottle of water for lubrication. This ain't witchcraft and mine varies depending on if the Smithsonian wants it or my brother-in law.