Acrylic is a great medium for DIY projects. From laser cutters to CNC milling, people are making more and more things out of acrylic. In Ben’s case he is milling custom-made lenses and is looking for the best method to polish them to a glass-like finish. Ben really does a great job of going through the gamut of acrylic polishing techniques, and mixing and matching to see composite results.
I really thought that the flame technique and the vapor technique would have yielded better results. Ultimately good ol’ fine grit sandpaper seems to be the best bet. Well I’m just glad Ben took the guess-work out for the rest of us. Next time you are milling your acrylic or get some laser cutter splatter, don’t be afraid to hit it with a fine grit sandpaper, then move up to a ultra-fine grit sandpaper (in Ben’s video, he gets up to 2000 grit which is probably the best you’ll find easily).
Could have used this a few weeks ago, I tried most of these trying to refinish a helmet visor…. I came to the same conclusion though, and ended up spending a lot of time with sandpaper.