rudy
03-20-2008, 04:14 PM
And how to get it out.
Mag-float:mad:
Well I put a few giant scratches on the inside of the my tank today:(
Not paying attention to what I was doing, I didn't notice until I heard tha screaching:ohsnap:
The tape shows the extent of the damage.
2487824877
Here are some tips that I've learned from polishing scratches out of the inside of my tanks over the years. While set up.
I've done this many times without any adverse effect on the inhabitants. If you have a small tank with many scratches, you may want to do a water change after polishing.YMMV.
1) Make sure you have the proper materials. You'll need wet and dry sanding cloths in grits from 1000 to 6000.
You may also want to use a rubber or foam sanding block, but I use my thumb and fingers.
2) Clean the area around the scratch, inside and out.
3) Use painters masking tape on the outside to highlight the scratch area, it gets difficult to see after you've started polishing.
4) It's impossible for me to say which grit to start sanding with, but the typical "grain of sand under the mag-float" scratch will probably need 2400 grit.
5) Start sanding along the scratch in a small circular motion, try not to sand any more than the scratch and a very small area around it. Avoid sanding in straight lines.
If the scratch doesn't come out right away, use the next courser grit.
6) Once the scratch is completely 100% gone, you can move on to the next step.(You'll be wasting your time if you think you'll finish getting the scratch out with the next grit, you won't, get it now)
7) Be sure to wipe the area with your hand, before moving on to the next finer grit.
8) Use the same small circular sanding motion, but just a little bigger to make sure to get all of the sanding marks from the last grit.
9) Repeat steps 6-8 until clear.
Polishing the outside is basically the same, except you have to keep the area wet and clean. Heat and grit are your enemy.
It's also best to have the Novus 3 step kit for the outside.
HTH, GL.
Mag-float:mad:
Well I put a few giant scratches on the inside of the my tank today:(
Not paying attention to what I was doing, I didn't notice until I heard tha screaching:ohsnap:
The tape shows the extent of the damage.
2487824877
Here are some tips that I've learned from polishing scratches out of the inside of my tanks over the years. While set up.
I've done this many times without any adverse effect on the inhabitants. If you have a small tank with many scratches, you may want to do a water change after polishing.YMMV.
1) Make sure you have the proper materials. You'll need wet and dry sanding cloths in grits from 1000 to 6000.
You may also want to use a rubber or foam sanding block, but I use my thumb and fingers.
2) Clean the area around the scratch, inside and out.
3) Use painters masking tape on the outside to highlight the scratch area, it gets difficult to see after you've started polishing.
4) It's impossible for me to say which grit to start sanding with, but the typical "grain of sand under the mag-float" scratch will probably need 2400 grit.
5) Start sanding along the scratch in a small circular motion, try not to sand any more than the scratch and a very small area around it. Avoid sanding in straight lines.
If the scratch doesn't come out right away, use the next courser grit.
6) Once the scratch is completely 100% gone, you can move on to the next step.(You'll be wasting your time if you think you'll finish getting the scratch out with the next grit, you won't, get it now)
7) Be sure to wipe the area with your hand, before moving on to the next finer grit.
8) Use the same small circular sanding motion, but just a little bigger to make sure to get all of the sanding marks from the last grit.
9) Repeat steps 6-8 until clear.
Polishing the outside is basically the same, except you have to keep the area wet and clean. Heat and grit are your enemy.
It's also best to have the Novus 3 step kit for the outside.
HTH, GL.