Resurfacing ~32 sq.ft of acrylic displays: Novus 2/3?

[happyclam]

I potentially will have a job overhauling two marine displays. I am interested in proposing that the front display windows be resurfaced, but I need to determine cost and expected time frame. The two acrylic windows are 4'x5' and 4'x3', and are heavily scratched on the inside, likely from sand grains caught in a magnetic cleaner. I am considering using Novus 3/2 for the job. How long do you think this will take? Is doing this by hand feasible (i.e.: under 12 hours?) or should I look into getting a drill wheel attachment?

This video shows the process I am considering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZFYfAnk0hs

[kmbyrnes]

A lot longer than the video shows !!! Especially if this is your first attempt.
Forget doing it by hand. Get a sander/buffer from Harbor Freight. Unless you have an electric drill, the wheel will be useless.
I redid a 10' x 2' tank inside and out - about 100 sq ft. It took over 80 hours of sanding, polishing, and buffing.
Do a small patch with just the Novus. You MAY find the polish is not enough and you need to sand everything, which changes the picture entirely.

[happyclam]

I hear you. I have to investigate further and see how deep the scratches are, but I am guessing you are right about needing to wet sand first before the Novus (or is Novus even necessary if you finish with 2000 grit paper?). Do you have an equipment list of everything you used, such as model numbers for the sander and buffer and the buffing discs you used? Could you talk a little more detailed about the technique you used, such as sanding direction, etc.? Thank you!

[albano]

IMO/E you'll be wasting time trying to do it without wet sanding...

[zachfishman]

Get a rotary buffer and get pads from micro-surface.com

You'll need every grit listed on their manual aquarium restoration kit (http://micro-surface.com/index.php/acrylic-aquarium-restoration-kit.html), plus a big bottle of their Micro-Gloss and appropriate pads and backer pads for your buffer.

For reference I use their aquarium kit to manually remove smaller exterior scratches at work, and it'll take me an hour to go through every grit and then polish out a 6" scratch.

[woodnaquanut]

Have you seen http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2538092 ?

[happyclam]

Using a magnet would be an interesting option. $$$, but an investment that could be continued to use down the road while the system is running, as the tank is in a high-traffic area. Is it realistic that I would refinish the entire front pane while the system is running?

This would be ideal, as it means this purchase and task that could be saved for another day, especially if the tank may get scratched anyway during the overhaul and aquscaping process.

[albano]

Using a magnet would be an interesting option. $$$, but an investment that could be continued to use down the road while the system is running, as the tank is in a high-traffic area. Is it realistic that I would refinish the entire front pane while the system is running?

This would be ideal, as it means this purchase and task that could be saved for another day, especially if the tank may get scratched anyway during the overhaul and aquscaping process.

Much easier to do inside of tank when empty

[slief]

Using a magnet would be an interesting option. $$$, but an investment that could be continued to use down the road while the system is running, as the tank is in a high-traffic area. Is it realistic that I would refinish the entire front pane while the system is running?

This would be ideal, as it means this purchase and task that could be saved for another day, especially if the tank may get scratched anyway during the overhaul and aquscaping process.

If the tank is empty, do it before you fill it. As other mentioned, machine polishing can make quick work of it. Some wet sand paper can come in handy for deep scratches.

As for whether it's realistic to do an entire tank when it's full and stocked, I did my entire tank shown in the link above which has 40 square feet of viewing panes. I did it over the course of a few days and in total it took maybe 4 or 5 hours combined. Doing it while the tank is empty is obviously easier. Especially if you have rotary polishers at your disposal.

[happyclam]

That is quite a bit quicker than I was expecting. I do not have access to power tools at the moment (university rules), and the tank already has a small amount of existing livestock, so it would be unlikely that I can convince them to drain the tank for the day(s) it would take to refinish the surface. As such, the magnet cleaner is an interesting option. The next big push is convincing them to purchase a $250 magnet. Just curious, would this sanding method work with a more economical magnet, or is not worth bothering without the Mighty Magnet?

[slief]

That is quite a bit quicker than I was expecting. I do not have access to power tools at the moment (university rules), and the tank already has a small amount of existing livestock, so it would be unlikely that I can convince them to drain the tank for the day(s) it would take to refinish the surface. As such, the magnet cleaner is an interesting option. The next big push is convincing them to purchase a $250 magnet. Just curious, would this sanding method work with a more economical magnet, or is not worth bothering without the Mighty Magnet?

The issue is pressure. The better magnets provide more strength which is key. Imagine sanding something using very little force vs sanding something while applying a bit of pressure behind the sand paper. The stronger magnet has the same effect and that additional strength will be much more effective when doing this job. That said, the Mighty Magnets are great for daily or weekly cleaning. That is all I use for my regular cleaning and I've been using mine every week on my tank for sevreral years now. They even have some special pads called algae dozers with a carbon wedge running across the pad that does wonders on coraline and other calcareous algae and doesn't scratch the viewing panes. I swear by my Mighty Magnets and it happened that they also proved to be the ideal tool for the sanding job.

[Zenkie83]

I re did my whole tank 90 gallon and it took me about 2 months time to wet sand and polish the tank using the novis Polish , but I took my time and patience , it had been about 7 months until recently my dumb but scratched it , on a side panel and it's starting to bother me , and to confirm what others say go the power tools route definite much faster

[happyclam]

The issue is pressure. The better magnets provide more strength which is key. Imagine sanding something using very little force vs sanding something while applying a bit of pressure behind the sand paper. The stronger magnet has the same effect and that additional strength will be much more effective when doing this job. That said, the Mighty Magnets are great for daily or weekly cleaning. That is all I use for my regular cleaning and I've been using mine every week on my tank for sevreral years now. They even have some special pads called algae dozers with a carbon wedge running across the pad that does wonders on coraline and other calcareous algae and doesn't scratch the viewing panes. I swear by my Mighty Magnets and it happened that they also proved to be the ideal tool for the sanding job.

Thank you, you raise all good points. If you don't mind, I would like to quote you for reasons to get the Mighty Magnet. If your testimonial is not enough currently, at least I'll be able to tell them to save up and purchase a quality magnet from the start.

[slief]

Thank you, you raise all good points. If you don't mind, I would like to quote you for reasons to get the Mighty Magnet. If your testimonial is not enough currently, at least I'll be able to tell them to save up and purchase a quality magnet from the start.

:beer:

[KevinsHVAC]

I too was a first timer and her in my build post is what I used. Now what I will tell you is the buffing side of it I do need to go back and do a better job as there is still cloudiness on some of the panels but the sanding was easy peasy. I do have a **** ton and I mean a **** ton of the plastix left over...I got 8 bottles and only needed one...lol. So if you want some let me know. I bought the novus but I feel the plastix works better.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2564254