Novus

Jr. Pac

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Donor 2012, 2015
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How do you use this, exactly? I bought a set of 8oz bottles and 6 disposable toweld from videogameparts.com, but have tried it on numerous things and having it not do anything other than make it shiny. I've tried it on a Pac-man Plus marquee, handheld console screen plates, etc. I follow the directions exactly as on the bottles and on YouTube.

I first shake well and spray Novus #1 on the item, and use a clean soft lint-free cloth to spread it around and clean it.
Then I shake Novus #3 and apply about as much on another cloth as toothpaste as you would put onto a toothbrush. I then rub it in firmly until it looks hazy.
Then, I wash off all remaning Novus #3 with another clean rag Novus #1.
After that, I shake and apply a little puddle about the size of a quarter onto another rag and rub firmly in a cicular motion. To top it all off, I wash off all remaining Novus #2 with a clean cloth and #1.

Am I doing something wrong? When I put a joystick shaft in a drill and spin it into a cloth with Novus, it work, though.
 
You need to repeat the steps over and over (and over) for deep scratches. The back window on my TRON shroud was scrached by one of the screws for the metal trim that I stupidly left in while fiddling with the shroud. It took me over 2 hours to get it out by hand.

I've heard some people recommend using a low speed polisher to get the deeps parts out and then buffing with #2/#1. I tested it with my dremel on some spare plexi and it quickly got away from me, so I opted to do it by hand - but I could see it working with some practice.

Also, there's something about the disposable cloths that work better. I had some nice microfiber towels that I started out with and they continued to leave fine scratches until I finished it up with the Novus towels. I even used multiple brand new microfiber towels thinking the scratches may have come from the dirt left over, but the scratches still showed up.
 
I'd give up on using anything other than #2, and don't "wash" it off. Just let it dry then buff it off. It's mainly good for very fine scratches and or dirt/haze. It won't take out any scratch that you can feel. And for those bigger scratches, it takes a lot of elbow grease to get them out - maybe 30 minutes of rubbing in circular motions...
 
The thing is, the scratches are incredibly fine and I can not feel them, they feel very smooth.
I will try again without "washing" it off once I get more tips.
I have a dremmel, but am not sure what the polisher looks like. Please help me with that...
I have tried both Novus brand towels and microfiber towels, as well as terry cloth towels and they didn't really make a difference for me. I think the Novus brand cloths are just paper towels as far as I can tell...
 
I use NOVUS a lot and it works great for me, but there are things that need to be done to prep surfaces to get good results. If you have any scratches that you can feel they need to be reduced. I use fine sandpaper to do it. Here's an example...

DKJRFRONTBEFORE.jpg


The only part to focus on in this example is the clear instruction card window. There are scratches and cig burns that are visible in there that make the CPO ugly. I used a damp rag to clean the area, then used different grit sandpapers to get the major blemishes out. After I was done, it was very hazy. See...

DKJRFRONTONCEOVER.jpg


Then I went to town with the NOVUS. I cheat a little by using a cordless drill with a 5" buffing pad attachment. I think the heat generated and the fast rotations are what produce the results.

MaterialsUsed.jpg


When it is done you'll see that the window is clear and looks a million times better. Also, you see that all of the haziness from sanding is completely gone.

DKJRFRONTAFTER.jpg


DKJRFRONTFINAL.jpg



Here's the other part which tends to scare people off. Total time spent on this CPO: 4.5 hours.
 
I have a 3M headlight restoration kit, if that would work. So you basically wet sand?
 
Should I ue the drill with the sandpaper? That's what caused the fine scratches on my Pac-Man Plus marquee. I heard somewhere the kit would make the plexi look new, and I tried the kit on my marquee with a few fine scratches, and made a ton of new circular fine scratches which I could not remove with Novus.
 
Should I ue the drill with the sandpaper? That's what caused the fine scratches on my Pac-Man Plus marquee. I heard somewhere the kit would make the plexi look new, and I tried the kit on my marquee with a few fine scratches, and made a ton of new circular fine scratches which I could not remove with Novus.

I do the sanding by hand and use the drill for the polishing.
 
I would like a detailed step-by-step insruction, please.

Seems like there is no good step-by step instruction out there for lots of arcade-related things. I will need a step-by-step when I re-stencil my Ms. Pac (hint hint guys, I will be doing a restore)
 
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I use NOVUS all the time. I actually think it works great. And Nerdtendo id 100% correct that if you have deep scratches or cig burns you need to sand it with fine sandpaper.
I use a Dewalt orbital sander with the buffer pad on it and it works fantastic.

I never took pics but I had a bunch of Williams "QUARTERS" plexi inserts for the stainless Defender style coin doors and I sanded them down with 220 grit paper and then NOVUS #3'd them to get the majority of the scratches and then NOVUS #2'd them to a nice smooth shine. All with my orbital sander.

Good luck!
 
I do not have any deep scratches or ciggy burns on what I'm trying to polish. That's why I do not know why it isn't working.
 
I do not have any deep scratches or ciggy burns on what I'm trying to polish. That's why I do not know why it isn't working.

Then you shouldn't be using Novus 3 at all. Just 2. Now you'll need to put in more effort to buff out the damage you did with 3.
 
I tried again using 1800 grit sandpaper, then wiping it off and using Novus #1, then 2, then 1. No luck, just made it worse.
 
ive tried every trick but the buffer with novus for scratches and it made it worse...
i just use it to clean my pinball plastics now...to use it up, ill never buy it again..
 
Can someone just make a step-by-step instruction, please? I'm just so confused!
 
Abrasives is a very slippery slope of death. Listen up, padawan. I'll try to give you the ADHD version.

Start with the most coarse grit you can bear to work with. Just remember, the lower the grit you start with, the looooonger the process will take.

For a plexi marquee or overlay, I use these:

1. 600 grit on a variable air-fed rotation sander, on the lowest setting possible.
2. 1000 grit to pull up the scrapings, at a medium rotation setting on the air sander. Keep it medium - you don't want heat at this stage, just cutting up from 600
3. 2000 grit, misting with water while sanding. Pick up the speed a bit more on this now, heat can help you. But don't burnish it. It's a fine line. Keep the mist going to keep the heat in check.
4. Move up to a higher grit, if you can. (optional step - makes the next step easier)

Now get off the air sander and move to a buffing wheel. Start with a foam sponge. Use a polishing compound. You can start to spool up pretty fast here. You're going for a combination of abrasive AND heat. It takes finesse.

At this point, you should be at a near mirror finish. You'll see microscopic swirls when viewed in bright light at an angle.

Lastly, get out the Novus. Put on a cotton bonnet on the buffer. Polish for about an eon.

That should do it.


Remember, if you fuck up any step, you gotta start all over again at the beginning. You cannot fix a bad cut, you gotta start over.
 
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