Meguiars Plastic Polish.

[PJohnP]

The Meguiars 10oz is $5.97 on Amazon.com...So I need to find another $19 worth of items to have them shipped to Florida. Any ideas?

 

That's what it cost me in WalMart last week (plus sales tax). If you have a family member or friend in FL, just ask them to stop by WallyWorld and pick it up, also saving $19 more of items that you may or may not need.

 

 

 

John P.

[amberleadavis]

Thank you. I just bought some on Amazon (I love Prime). I used it on the Ahab and it did a nice job.

[OcalaFlGuy]

In my search on Simichrome, I read that it too is good for plastic headlights. The headlights on my 12-year-old Toyota are in desperate need of a polish. So, while I'm buying the polish for a couple of pens, it will find other uses in my home, too.

 

As popular as Maguire's products are in the local auto parts stores, my online search of these stores did not turn up PlastX. Surprisingly, I did see it online at True Value Hardware.

 

I can get 1.76 oz Simichrome paste (condensed) on eBay for $7.81 shipped, the 10 oz. PlastX liquid is available for $12.50 shipped. Hard to decide. Unless Bruce's test shows PlastX to be the clear winner, I'll probably go with Simichrome just because it's cheaper and, for me, easier to store.

 

Edited to add that I just clicked on the link above ... that $6 plus free super saver shipping (with $25 purchase) is nice, especially since I have a couple CDs that I'd like to order for my kiddo's birthday. Hmm....

 

If I had neither, one point might sway me towards the Simi. It was originally a metal polish. I've used it enough on pens and trim that I have a fairly good idea on what I can use it with. The Plastx isn't a metal polish nor do I have the slightest clue about using it on any kind of metal. So in that respect you're getting known more versatile product than with the Plastx.

 

Now, point taken, one bottle of Plastx would be a lifetime supply for pens and probably near that for pens and headlight covers. I'm on at least my 2nd tube of Simichrome.

 

(I made a comment in Estieville that someone would be hard pressed to "outcheap" me. Not long after I got here on FPN I bought a full bottle of Meguairs Pure Carnuba wax for I think $8. I think I kept 2 full oz of it which was for pens, a metric butt load. I ordered a bunch of Nalgene 1 oz bottles and sold 1 oz Nalgene bottles full of pure Carnuba wax cheap enough to be a steal and enough to just pay for my own wax and a few spare Nalgene bottles. :roflmho: See?)<I say that listing again not too long ago.>

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[LWW]

Interestingly enough, I just so happen to have some of the Meguiar's stuff, the PlastX clear plastic cleaner and polish. I use it for the clear car headlight covers. It does a passable job there. For pens, I am usually in the Simichrome camp.

 

On the Meguiar's bottle, it does say, "Non-Toxic and contains no harsh solvents." (Though of course, no quantification from them on what "harsh" is either...) The health warnings are somewhat more strenuous on the Simichrome tube.

 

For giggles and grins I used some of it with my usual flannel polish rag on a parts Estie barrel. It actually worked pretty well. I think the Simichrome may be a bit grittier and thusly may work better/faster on slightly worse scratching but I wouldn't say that's for sure yet.

 

The real test for me is to substitute it in my own polish regimen where I'd normally use the Simichrome and see how it works there. I'll do that soon and report back.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

Might I suggest using a small dedicated micro fiber clth in place of a paper towel?

[OcalaFlGuy]

I'm not sure where you got the paper towel idea from?

 

For polishing, I use pieces of an old flannel shirt. It's the perfect polish tool, much better than microfiber IMO.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[watch_art]

paper towel - probably from me - as that's what I use when I'm at the lathe. rags are a bad idea. if a rag gets caught in the chuck it'll take your fingers in with it. bad.

[51ISH]

Slightly off topic....we used to remove scratches from motorcycle crash helmets with toothpaste

 

It was said to be the 'least aggressive' abrasive available

 

Maybe a silly question, but has anyone tried it on FP's

[watch_art]

Yeah I've heard it used before on here a long time ago. I should try that on my lathe. Would help improve the smell for sure. Turning acrylics is a smelly job.

[OcalaFlGuy]

I have some more info on this.

 

I had a non-FP friend of mine gift me with a Fleabay box of Estie body parts. Most all have busted or missing jewels though I have done some harvesting from it.

 

I dug through it to find a mule piece to test these two polishes against each other and low and behold if I didn't find a good cap and barrel for a Black Estie J. Now, it does have some kind of jury rigged plain button jewel that's not factory on the cap but it doesn't look bad at all really.

 

The cap didn't have any bad scratches on it that Really Needed work on but it did have a lot of the usual micro scratching that dulls pens. Though many will try and make do with these type of scratches with Simichrome, it really isn't good enough for that unless you go over it Several Times. (But yes, I do know one Estie restorer who at one time used just Simichrome with good results but they spent A LOT of time on multiple go overs. I've since brought them over to the Gray Oxide side. )

 

I went after the cap with no other prior polishing with both polishes and my trusty flannel rag hand polishing. (This is an important point.)

 

The Simichrome is the clear winner here. It did a much better job of removing the scratches than the Plastx though the Plastx was much less gooky. (To me, less gooky means a lot less if the product doesn't also work just as well as gooky.) Just to be sure, after I was done and scoped it out close, I did the Plastx side of the cap with Simichrome and yep, a Noticeable improvement.

 

I won't be switching from the Simi to the Plastx.

 

Now.

 

There is a Paul Harvey "Rest of the Story" moment here.

 

Why does this not appear to jibe up with Shawn's results? There's a couple good reasons for that.

 

IF you were to do a proper polish job and use the appropriate grit abrasives to work your way up through the scratches AND were using mechanical buffing vs the hand polishing I use, then the Plastx might be just as good as an absolute final polish step as the Simichrome. But, to just wade in on a usually scratched up pen, polishing by hand, the Simichrome to me was the clear winner.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[PJohnP]

Bruce :

 

 

Are you saying that the Simichrome is a more or less abrasive paste than the PlastX ? If more, would PlastX be a good successor to a Simichrome initial buffing ?

 

 

 

 

John P.

[watch_art]

Yeap - that sounds right. When doing my polishing I go through wet sandpaper and finer grits of MM and then the plastic polish.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Simichrome is more abrasive than the Plastx.

 

BOTH of them need more abrasives for normal scratches than just themselves. (IMO)

 

If you've gone up through the grits leading up to a Simichrome finish step it'll already be like a mirror. It won't GET any shinier to speak of.

 

There's only one situation where I think the Plastx may be preferred and that would be for someone like Shawn who does A LOT of polishing and does It All "by machine" and not by hand. There is A LOT more Plastx product for the money than the Simichrome.

 

Hope this is more clear.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[Beechwood]

Very clear Bruce, thanks.

 

I dont have any heavily or even micro scratched pens at the moment. The one pen that I am delighted about is a plain no name celluloid pen that has been professionally restored and then I have tried all sorts of polishes and waxes, it never really shone, reflected light about as well as a moleskine cover. Never used the simichrome though, to be fair.

 

I tried one application of Plastx and the difference was noticeable and immediate, a real shine, as shiny as glass.

 

Used a tiny amout of the stuff too, enough to cover your small finger nail was sufficient for the barrel.

[OcalaFlGuy]

And then, there's this...

 

http://porkopolispenners.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/great-demo-at-july-meeting/

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL-Thanks Porkers!

[egretsrus]

Thanks, Bruce! great info... :clap1:

[MTS2]

O BOY! My pens are fighting for first in line!

Here's a Duovac. Cap unpolished, barrel polished.

Edited October 13, 2012 by MTS2

[amberleadavis]

WOW! Been using that stuff to clean the plastic headlights!

Never thought to use it on pens! LOL

 

Great Tip! Thanks!

 

Frank

 

I bought it to use on my pens ... and ended up using it on my headlights.

[mhphoto]

Be sure to clean the surface well after you polish, as the oils in any polish you use will stay behind without some extra attention.

 

I've often thought about trying out a Meguiar's 105/205 combo on one of my pens. It works well enough on the headlights I restore, so why not pens? I'll keep my rotary away from the, though…

[mbradley]

Slightly off topic....we used to remove scratches from motorcycle crash helmets with toothpaste

 

It was said to be the 'least aggressive' abrasive available

 

Maybe a silly question, but has anyone tried it on FP's

 

Old post but, yes I have used toothpaste on a Platinum President and it worked exceptionally well.

 

Michael

 

 

 

[51ISH]

Slightly off topic....we used to remove scratches from motorcycle crash helmets with toothpaste

 

It was said to be the 'least aggressive' abrasive available

 

Maybe a silly question, but has anyone tried it on FP's

 

Old post but, yes I have used toothpaste on a Platinum President and it worked exceptionally well.

 

Michael

 

 

That's OK.....I'm still here....