Polishing out the bore hole in Lucite

[azrichter]

I've got a nice little lucite brush---looks like an Ever Ready 140. I've gotten the yellowing & scratches out of the lucite and want to put a 16mm TGN finest in it.

I'm about to remove the knot and will probably need to remove the old paint. I'm leery of trying to deepen or alter the bore---I'm afraid of creating an ugly mistake that will be visible through the lucite.

What's the best way to clean & polish out the bore? Dremel? or just patiently work it with a dowel and some very fine sandpapers?

I'm planning to paint with Testor's black and also tint the epoxy a bit. Is this a good idea?

 

[theretroshave]

Patience is key. I used non-acetone nail polish remover, and it took a bit of rubbing. Don't use a rotary tool. Otherwise you can very easily end up with little air pockets that are practically impossible to fill when you repaint. With a chemical remover, you just have to make sure you thoroughly clean out the hole after using the chemical. I got impatient while making the hole deeper, and made the bad decision of using a Dremel and a sanding drum. That's my 2 cents. Good luck! Can't wait to see how it goes!

 

[hig789]

Does the acetone affect the lucite? If not I would use pure acetone to remove the paint since it will not leave a film that needs to be removed. The only lucite brush I have restored I went with a sort loft best badger from TGN so there was no need to deepen the hole.

 

[theretroshave]

Apparently, acetone dissolves acrylic. Lucite is just a brand named acrylic. You could try acetone, but I would make sure to remove it immediately, which can be done quite effectively using dish washing soap.

 

[FL shaver]

I used my pinkie and fine grit wet sandpaper followed by automotive rubbing compound. Developed a little blister, but it worked! You'd have to have a pretty skinny finger to get into an 18mm or smaller recess, so maybe a dowel is your answer.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...62-Lucite-and-VT-Country-Store-restores/page2
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/296491-Rubberset-2X-Lucite?highlight=

 

[shipr]

Acetone and some chemicals can cause lucite to craze or develop tiny cracks. Like FL shaver I just used sanded and polished it the same as the outside, with a dowl and my finger to reach the corners. Took a while to get it right but it was worth it.

 

[cb91710]

Ditto... acetone is not a good thing. Put two pieces of acrylic/Lucite together and apply a teeny drop of acetone and it will wick through the joint and bond them together.

 

[Mike H]

I would also recommend that you paint the inside as well as add paint to your epoxy. Otherwise, air bubbles can be seen if the epoxy does not make contact full around the perimeter.

 

[FL shaver]

I would also recommend that you paint the inside as well as add paint to your epoxy. Otherwise, air bubbles can be seen if the epoxy does not make contact full around the perimeter.

+1. You can see that mistake in one of my restores. I used paint inside the recess and in the epoxy, but I didn't fill the entire recess with the tinted epoxy. Looked great until I used it :-(