There’s a product that I have been using to shine all sorts of metal products around the workshop and the household too. It’s called Simichrome and it will make just about any metal shine like a star. I found out about it from a friend that has been using it on his metal parts on his motorcycles for many years and once I bought a tube of it, I was hooked. These days, it is available from Amazon.com and a tube of it costs about $10.00, and it will last a long time. I have used it many times on aluminum spinners and mufflers, and if you follow the simple instructions, your spinners and mufflers will look as if was chrome plated.
However, that’s not what I came to talk to you about today. I came here to talk about another use for Simichrome that just about all of you could have used over the years. I recently had to remove a few scuffs and scratches and CA fingerprints from a clear plastic side window on one of my planes. Rather than remove it, cut a new one and run the risk of getting more CA fingerprints on the new one, I tried to remove these nasty marks with just about every product I had available. I first thought of using CA remover, which would certainly take off the CA prints, but would probably melt the plastic. I tried WD-40, alcohol, paint thinner and even very fine emery paper, none of which worked at all.
Then I spotted that tube of Simichrome sitting on the shelf and decided to give that a try. I put a dab of it on a folded sheet of soft cloth and began rubbing it on the scratches. It took some elbow grease but within a few minutes all the scratches were gone. I then tried it on the CA fingerprints, which took a bit longer, but they too disappeared, leaving the plastic piece smooth and polished. I believe Simichrome would work on just about any type of plastic or acrylic as long as the part was suitably supported. You have to rub quite hart to remove deeply embedded scratches.
Anyway, next time you face the problem of scratches or fingerprints that are spoiling the looks of your otherwise bright and shiny model, reach for that tube of Simichrome. It might brighten your whole day!