Best Way To Clean Black Plastic Parts

Backyard_Everything · Jul 26, 2012

Backyard_Everything said:
Although the trim appears to have faded (It gets blasted by direct hot sun all day long in my office parking lot) It still appears noticeably darker than the untreated portion to the left.

View attachment 222846

(and as I mentioned the tractor, being parked in the garage, does not show any fading)

So this has been on for 16 days, direct sunlight everyday.

I have no photos of the before for the tractor, but I can get a current photo.

nick4030 · Jul 26, 2012

It's darker, but you can still see the sun damage through the oil coat.

Backyard_Everything · Jul 26, 2012

nick4030 said:
It's darker, but you can still see the sun damage through the oil coat.

Hey that's what I said. :howdy:

"Although the trim appears to have faded (It gets blasted by direct hot sun all day long in my office parking lot) It still appears noticeably darker than the untreated portion to the left."

I also mentioned that the tractor which is now being garage kept does not show any signs of fading. :fing32:

Saltydog JD160 · Jul 26, 2012

i wonder if i tried sanding steering wheel, for fun, what grits should i use..
never tried this..i wonder if i started with 220# if that would be course enough?
fyi the top plastic of this steering wheel is perfectly smooth, like a gloss smooth..
i figure sanding it would only give it better grip anyway..nothing to lose..probably buying a new one eventually.. :dunno:
i did buy a new JD label for the center...to humor me... 88 cents

nick4030 · Jul 26, 2012

Wet sand it. Start with 220 or 320, depending on how bad it is. Then turn your hose on real low or get a squirt bottle and keep the steering wheel wet while you sand. Work your way up in grit until about 2000 grit. It'll look brand new if you take your time. Use circular notions as much as possible and always keep moving rather than stay in one spot. Once its sanded good with 320, move up to 600 and repeat. Then either 1000 or 2000 and finish with 2000. Then you can buff it. It'll take a little more time than putting oil on, but when your done it won't need oil. The damaged area will be removed, it'll be new.

Saltydog JD160 · Jul 26, 2012

nick4030 said:
Wet sand it. Start with 220 or 320, depending on how bad it is. Then turn your hose on real low or get a squirt bottle and keep the steering wheel wet while you sand. Work your way up in grit until about 2000 grit. It'll look brand new if you take your time. Use circular notions as much as possible and always keep moving rather than stay in one spot. Once its sanded good with 320, move up to 600 and repeat. Then either 1000 or 2000 and finish with 2000. Then you can buff it. It'll take a little more time than putting oil on, but when your done it won't need oil. The damaged area will be removed, it'll be new.

thanks, i'm getting excited about this job.. i only have up to 600#...where can i find 1000-2000# ??
our local craft/hobby shop does not have it. :dunno:

nick4030 · Jul 26, 2012

You'll find it at any auto parts store for cheap.

Saltydog JD160 · Jul 26, 2012

nick4030 said:
You'll find it at any auto parts store for cheap.

ha, of course, thanks, why didn't i think of that? :duh:
been lookin' for that stuff for quite sometime for modeling projects too!
awesome, i'm gonna have to load up on that stuff. :thThumbsU

nick4030 · Jul 26, 2012

Yes and please report back with your results. Maybe some pictures of the progress.

Saltydog JD160 · Jul 27, 2012

nick4030 said:
Yes and please report back with your results. Maybe some pictures of the progress.

yes, i will post results/pics when i have them... :fing32:

Saltydog JD160 · Jul 29, 2012

here's the latest, happen to have the Armour All out, just for S&G's, tried it on steering wheel, applied 2 descent coats, the gray actually changed to a light black..this surprised me and convinced me maybe it's not soo far gone.
bought some Mother's Back to Black AND the sandpaper grits i would need for that route too (i heard soo much about this B to B, wanted to see it for myself, and i needed the sandpaper anyway).
my plan is to give Back to Black a try, this may work to my satisfaction...if not the sandpaper comes out.
i will post pictures of results.. :howdy:

Saltydog JD160 · Jul 29, 2012

i'm still a fan of the old motor oil.. and i do have plenty of that.

so i have ALL the guns loaded for this project..want to try the B to B first, out of just plain curiosity, never used the stuff :trink40:

ahhh, it's gonna be fun...and interesting. :fing32:

Ernie S. · Jul 29, 2012

Larry/car said:
Mothers, makes a product called: BACK TO BLACK. Available at your local auto parts store.

Great stuff. I use it on my motorcycle.

Saltydog JD160 · Jul 29, 2012

Ernie S. said:
Great stuff. I use it on my motorcycle.

does it clean too, or just give a wet look?

nick4030 · Jul 29, 2012

I have used it, its not a cleaner, just gives a black wet look. It'll look good for a while, but it'll go back to grey. It would be good to use that stuff to keep an already black piece black, versus using it to try to restore the black.

Ernie S. · Jul 29, 2012

Ditto that. It's not a permanent fix, but it does make the black powder coat on the motor on my RoadKing look good.

Saltydog JD160 · Jul 30, 2012

nick4030 said:
I have used it, its not a cleaner, just gives a black wet look. It'll look good for a while, but it'll go back to grey. It would be good to use that stuff to keep an already black piece black, versus using it to try to restore the black.

here's the B to B results, i agree, not working good "restoring", i would put it in the same catagory as Armour All..

steering looks better, i can live with it, for now, until sanding or oiling..
here's the before and after shots, lighting with photos made good pics difficult..
i think from a little distance it looks ok..
i did 2 applications of B to B, and in last pic threw a coat of Armour All on.

unfortunately further work on this project is put on hold..
i have bigger fish to fry..ran into problems with fuel lines while changing fuel filter..
thats another thread... :howdy:

Saltydog JD160 · Aug 4, 2012

nick4030 said:
Wet sand it. Start with 220 or 320, depending on how bad it is. Then turn your hose on real low or get a squirt bottle and keep the steering wheel wet while you sand. Work your way up in grit until about 2000 grit. It'll look brand new if you take your time. Use circular notions as much as possible and always keep moving rather than stay in one spot. Once its sanded good with 320, move up to 600 and repeat. Then either 1000 or 2000 and finish with 2000. Then you can buff it. It'll take a little more time than putting oil on, but when your done it won't need oil. The damaged area will be removed, it'll be new.

well, it rained today..no grass cutting...so i started the steering wheel sanding..

i started with, and completed 220#, had to come inside and cool off, too hot for this today.

now, after i finished, i wiped off steering wheel..to get it clean and check on progress..

the steering wheel is now a LIGHT gray...not what i expected. :crybaby:

the way i figure it..i continue on and follow through to see FINAL results...
or..
i am still in that oxidized gray layer and should continue with 220 or even 150# until i get through that layer and it starts to turn black..

unfortunetly, i think it's the latter.

i find it difficult to believe though because i did a thorough job on that first sanding.

guess i'll start testing a small spot... :dunno:

Saltydog JD160 · Aug 4, 2012

or there is a third senerio..
that gray color is just residue...i thought i removed it by wiping it clean with a wet rag..

maybe not..just tried buffing a spot, started to work, hmm
applied Back to Black and buffed, even better..it's now black.
just double checked..gray color seems to be left over residue that will have to be buffed out good..

i'm sure if i was wet sanding with good water flow..this would not have been such an issue...

i will stay the main course and continue wet sanding with the finer grits. :fing32:

funny, but all of this is exactally how i was told to do it...

nick4030 · Aug 5, 2012

I would say take a small spot on the underside and go a little further with the 220. If it stays grey, you'll know to continue on with the higher grits and it'll turn out. If it goes black, you'll know the whole thing needs a little more with 220 before continuing on. Oh, and post pics! -Nick

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