Advice on buffing scratches out of a scale vehicle

   Maguire's wax has cleaning compounds less aggressive than normal automotive rubbing componds. The grit varies by bottle number. Most stores carry them. They also make plastic polishes, but those are less commonly seen. Contact them for a distributor.

I'd skip,the wheel, and for sure it's compounds, till last resort.

I've had good luck with toothpaste for a light wheel polish at times. Yep, "Brightens your enamel"

Stick to just the roof or bed to test. If all fails, go two tone. Recall the black or white truck roofs? Wood beds? Bed liner black? 

Before digital cameras with adjustable diopter viewfinders I used to keep my eyeglasses scratched up pressing my glasses and eye against the camera viewfinder.  I learned a trick that worked very well on plastic eyeglass lens, I think it will work here. I would find a container that the glasses would fit in face down and pour in about 1/4" of Future floor wax.  Dip the face of the glasses in the wax and gentally lift the glasses out and with the sides open just sit them on a paper towel and let the liquid wax sheet off and dry on the lens.  WaLa  no more scratches.  Eventually the wax would get new scratches and I would use household ammonia to remove the old wax,  rinse in water ,  dry,  then reapply the wax. 

  I would if possible disassemble the truck, wash the roof in dish detergent with a SOFT brush to get any paint dust out of the scratches, rinse,  dry , let set for an hour so any water in the bottom of the scratches dries.  It must be totally dry,   set the roof in the acrylic floor wax.    As you remove from the wax tilt it a little to one side and let it sheet off to the side. Hold it at that angle with a paper towel catching any runoff. Once dry the scratches should just about be invisible.   You can recoat if necessary.  If it does not work household ammonia will remove the wax.  You should be able to keep the wax off everywhere but the roof with just a little care.   Acrylic floor wax comes in high and low sheen I think you need high sheen.   j

There are plenty of 1/1 cars and trucks on the road with scratches and dull paint.  A few of them on your layout won't look out of place.

Steam Crazy posted:

There are plenty of 1/1 cars and trucks on the road with scratches and dull paint.  A few of them on your layout won't look out of place.

Ha!  So true!  So true!  Except that I have a carpet layout and from a standing view and with such bright paint finishes, it's noticeable in a less authentic way.  Also, I bought these for some close-up photography for humorous RR and food vignettes I'm planning some day. 

Of course, now you've made me think of a spray of dull coat I have as a possibility that can be "undone" if it doesn't work.  

However, I'd like to keep this particular commemorative truck shiny.  Another truck with a single rubbed spot is also a limited edition with a really, really nice black paint sheen.

I think I'll try the floor wax for starters with just this brown truck, as floor cleaner was in my shopping list anyway. LOL.

It's going to rain heavily all day.  So, I'll grab supplies but wait for a sunny day to try it out.

Thanks all,

Tomlinson Run Railroad

I would not resort to power for this task, I'd try by hand first.  I think pointing a power buffer at it might well screw things up more.

John,  I got a kick out of reading about your glasses and your clever solution.  I always seem to destroy my lenses no matter how carefull I am.  I never thought about the camera eye piece, but the left lens does seem to be the one that takes the worst beating.

Adriatic, I can't place the two-toned roofs you mention, but that would work on the truck in the photo without needing to paint over the graphics.  A lighter tone might also suggest a cow.  The truck shown is really the worst case.   It almost looks like the paint wasn't dry before handling.  But, hey, it was the last one and on clearance.  Good idea about testing on the truck bed.  Now that's where I'd expect to see some scratches.  :-)

TRRR

You might take a look at the Novus plastic polishing kits. They have 3 grades of very fine compounds designed to remove scratches from things like plastic display cases. Not too expensive and as others have suggested better to start off without a too aggressive approach.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

I would not resort to power for this task, I'd try by hand first.  I think pointing a power buffer at it might well screw things up more.

Thanks, Gunrunnerjohn.  I've was thinking of a trip to an auto body shop and how well the paste and buffering filled in scratches, even in the plastic bumper.  But I focused in on the buffing tool and not the compound.

That led me to thinking about my perpetually idle Dremel tool.   Clearly, this was not the correct "model" to have in mind for the job!  =grin=

TRRR

By the way, these are all die-cast in case that wasn't clear.

Just remembered I have a product called "Scratch Doctor", that is used to remove surface  scratches.  Works on my cars, might work on your models.  Can be found at auto parts or big box stores.

Would leave it alone. Why? Any vehicle or part of a train could have these marks, dust/dirt/etc.

Try and rust color it to me to make more interesting. Like some one hit it from above.

Many models available, including trucks and fire engines, come with lettering and logos, for cities  or products far from your modeling area.  Be careful trying to paint over or touch up paint on some imported models, such as roofs mentioned above. I have had bubbling when using different model and household spray paints, and had to strip and repaint. Dunno what is the paint base of these imported models, but compatibility seems to be a problem.

Steam Crazy posted:

There are plenty of 1/1 cars and trucks on the road with scratches and dull paint.  A few of them on your layout won't look out of place.

Yes; looks better with the scratches. It's a truck, after all.

Also - these shiny, shiny vehicles look better when you mask the windows and hit the car/truck with Dullcote. These vehicle models have thick, clunky details and finishes most of the time (especially that chrome) and knocking off most of the shine enables your eyes to see the models in a more subtle way, which looks more like the real thing.

I used Tamiya polishing compound when I was tinkering with 1/18 scale die-cast, just by hand, no power.

The problem with trying to polish them out is how thick is the paint at the bottom of the scratch there may be very little room for error.  Another problem is leaving behind the polishing grit in the edges of the scratches that can be difficult to get the last bits out.  Any of the clear acrylic car waxes will also work just like the floor wax at a bit more cost and a lot more protection if you leave your toys outside..  I am of the mind set that a model car would have to be very special for me to go to any trouble. I'd be more inclined to weather it than make it look new. Clear acrylic paint would also work it is basically the same stuff as the scratch remover pen sold in auto parts stores. Since these products are water based they should not pose a threat to the existing finish. In fact you might want to dip the entire truck if protecting the graphics is of much importance to you.  If you do dip the entire truck you could go with the lower sheen product.  j

Duh, sorry...

Novus IS  the good plastic polish.

  I made the same errant Maguire's association mistake a year or two ago. I'm not sure why I do that. It is something beyond a similar bottle shape, number, & flip spout applicator though. (Novus bottles are smaller, and not brown.)

I'd skip their finest cut, almost an eyeglass cleaner. The grit is undetectable with your fingers. Like silghtly thick water, lol.

The Maguire's cleaner waxes are still a good choice here, but I think Novus is a finer cut.

Lots of possibilities here!  Thanks, all.

It may come down to what I can pick up locally at the supermarket, auto parts store, or hardware store.  I may have time to drop in on the first two after work and scout around.

I do have an automotive plastic/vinyl restorer on hand.  It's a liquid, not a paste, and doesn't quite sound like any of the the products being mentioned.

A dullcoate approach did come to mind but I haven't been happy with the Krylon version.  I used it on my layout "scenery" to reduce glare -- basically photos in plastic display stands -- and it "glopped" in spots and was impossible to fix.  Also, I don't yet know how this truck will be used.  The other one will definitely need to keep its high sheen for an auto restoration scene.

TRRR

Here is a scene for you, folks at a show, bored, start sanding on their vehicle for the next paint job.    I've actually helped do that to a big block 65 Nova