I’m cleaning up an X7 I just purchased. It’s been afflicted by the tan plague that seems to be creeping into paintball. I’ve stripped most of the tan paint off but it leave a bit of a whiteness on the black plastic. Beside rattle canning it black again, anyone have any tricks for restoring black plastic? Does the automotive plastic conditioner work? Not looking for perfection, as this will be sold, but things sell better when they look good, and it’s a point of pride selling nicely fixed up paintball gear.
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Automotive back to black conditioner might work. You need to scrub everything off the plastic and degrease it first. Also avoid really cheap brands as alot of them turn white over time. Also the marker won't see nearly as much sunshine as a car so it should last longer -
Pig spit will make it shine.
Black shoe polish will make it look like new. Covers up scratches and will have a dull finish like the factory finish if you wipe it in and rub lit off right away. It’s cheap and will last a long time. When it drys it don’t even come off on your hands.Comment
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Excellent! I need some shoe polish for my dress shoes anyways. I’ll get some in and give it a go on the X7. Thanks!Comment
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Depending on the plastic, a butane torch can get rid of the chalky-ness. Works well on automotive plastic bumpers, anyways.Comment
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Got some good suggestions. I will say this - after shoe polish and/org Back2Black you will need to clean that thing extensively if you hope to get paint to stick. If the tan is well adhered, it may be easier to scuff - clean - paint.
I would love to see some before/after photos no matter what method you pursue. Good luck.Comment
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Detail guys use trim shine on automotive textured pieces. Kind of oily like any detail product. You can also paint it with SEM Trim Black which is meant for plastic and gives the same satin black sheen. We use it all the time for small scuffs on textured pieces like door and wheel arch mouldings.
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I've honestly got quite good results with 1000-4000 grit sandpaper to refinish plastics, you can usually get it back to varying degrees of shiny black depending on how much patience you have.
If you just want it matte I think you could go over the entire thing with a fine tooth comb with up to 1000 grit paper, 500-1000 tends to give a matte finish on plastics, 500 I use a lot to get a dull colour.
plus side is that if after that it still doesn't cut the mustard you've got a perfectly prepped surface to spray it, but it does take being exceptionally thorough, leaving out areas that are difficult to get to can make things look tacky
I frequently use brasso or any kind of buffing compound after going over things with 1000 grit and that brings things to an injection-moulded level of shininess and sort of helps hide any crimes of the sanding process.Comment
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Well, in my typical fashion I use what is available. The automobile plastic restored I had did not do much. Nor did the fancier cleaner and protectant for my car’s vinyl roof. A random Google search brought up oil oil, which I happen to have on-hand and surprisingly seems to work quite well.
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I have used shoe polish the cheap kind that comes in a metal tin on various black plastics with good results. I have even used it on automobile bumpers it works better and last longer then most products made specifically for bumpers. I get the cheap dollar store brand wipe it in with a soft cloth and buff it off, with a clean one. Hides deep scratches to.
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The biggest issue I have seen with plastic parts of this nature are that in spite of the multitude of products available to combat the aging of the plastic....many of them look great right after you do them, then quickly go back to the way they were before if not worse.
I had been using a Macguires product on my truck. It looks absolutely stunning for all of five minutes and then starts streaking back to grey-ish and leaves swirl marks. Looks like absolute hell the next day. A buddy of mine who does detailing told me a trick about deet. Yes, the bug stuff. It works really well for a couple of days and then looks even worse than the above. (works super well on foggy headlights long enough to sell too) I have yet to find anything that actually lasts aside from the various paints made for the purpose.Comment
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Headlights just gab a polishing kit they sell them at autozone It attaches to a drill works amazing. It basically sands a layer off the plastic and then has a filler that seals it. Mask off the body with masking tape. I to this all the time with cars in the shop. Audi and Vw headlights are prone to hazing.
If it’s a bumper and you want that really nice looks new shine that lasts. I use Pig Spit it works great and lasts a long time.
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