Originally Posted by
KRASHPD
I have actually been doing this on a 90g corner tank. Dont buy the scratch removal kit because it is not worth it. Depending on how bad the scratches are, use something like:
http://www.amazon.com/MICRO-SANDING-...5?ie=UTF8&s=hi
or
http://www.amazon.com/MICRO-MESH-SAN...5?ie=UTF8&s=hi
If the scratches are pretty bad and there are alot of them like on the tank I bought, then be prepared to spend some real time working on the tank. I have a hard time believeing that it will hurt the structural integrity of the tank because you really are not removing that much acrylic, just a fine dust of it. From my experience so far, you will not get the tank to look brand new again but it will look better than it did before. It will also look a little "foggy" after sanding it but that dissapears when the tank has water in it. If they are not too bad, I would just reccomend leaving them alone. You won't see them with the tank is filled with water anyway as long as they are not deep enough for algae to grow in. Good luck and that is a very good price on an acrylic tank that size.
Krash
I have used the micro mesh kit quite a few times with excellent success...however I haven't used it on an acrylic tank. I work at Boeing and used the micro mesh to repair a badly damaged acrylic wine opener shroud in the galley of a new 747. It took 16 hours of slow and constant sanding according to directions, but the results were amazing. It saved replacing the wine opener at a cost of a $1000.
Remember if you go this route, the whole surface has to be sanded for the best results (the side of the tank that has the scratches has to be done, not just the spots or scratches themselves).
Just a bit of information.
Good luck
judy
p.s.
I don't believe there should be any fogging of the acrylic. By following the directions the acrylic should finish up crystal clear. Also, if the micro mesh kit has a small container of "anti static" liquid, don't use it. I found it to be more of a hinderance than a help.