polishing Clear resin?

[Ramsayman]

Anyone use a Dremel/rotary tool to hollow out and polish a clear part? If so, what bits would you use? Where would I get them?

[jpolacchi]

I actually don't know if you can polish clear urethane resin or printed resin or not?I'd say,Dremel has some soft polishing bits I'd gather.....not sure if a regular plastic polishing compound will work or not?Maybe try experimenting on either scrap or non essential areas on the kit??

[dizzyfugu]

You basically can polish clear resin, but depending on the piece's thickness and structure (sometimes the stuff tends to be brittle...) I would not dare using a mini drill/Dremel tool. If you use such a device, I suggest a polishing mop and a fine rubbing/polishing compound - but you HAVE to be careful with speed and duration, because polishing means heat and this can easily - beyond mechanical effects - damage the part. There are polishing mops available in different shapes, either as small discs, but also teardrop-shaped bits, made from felt or silicone.

Personally, I'd rather try to wet-sand the part first with ever-finer grits and then give it a final, manual shine with a rubbing/polishing compound - but on tiny, hollow pieces this could be difficult.

[Kylwell]

You've got to be very careful not to heat the part up when hollowing it out. With opaque parts it isn't a problem but with clear parts you can make the piece go foggy if it heats up. So, with that in mind, use as sharp of a burr as you can find with a coarser cut, go as slow as you can, and don't use a lot of pressure.

[Ramsayman]

Okay... thanks guys.