I brought some childhood soft toys back from my parents' house. One of them has eyes that are covered in fine scratches and a couple of small nicks, which makes them look dull and cloudy rather than glossy.
I would rather not replace the eyes — they are original and I would have to cut into the fabric.
What is the right approach for polishing small plastic domes like this, and how do I avoid making it worse?
One more thing to check before starting: whether the cloudiness is on the surface at all.
Some older plastic eyes have a painted backing behind a clear dome, and when that backing degrades the eye looks dull no matter how well you polish the front. A quick test is to wet the surface — if it goes glossy and dark while wet, the problem is the front and polishing will work. If it still looks cloudy, the damage is underneath and no amount of surface work will reach it.
Two cautions specific to this being a soft toy rather than a loose part.
Protect the fabric. Abrasive slurry and polish will get into the plush around the eye and it is very hard to get out. Mask the area with tape and a slit card around the eye before you start, and change it when it gets loaded.
Test on the less visible eye first, or on an inconspicuous edge. Plastics vary and some react badly to solvent-based polishes — clouding or crazing that appears minutes later.
Also, work in short sessions and look at the result dry. Wet plastic always looks fixed because the water fills the scratches, which is exactly the illusion that makes people stop too early or keep going too long.
There is a shortcut worth knowing about for shallow damage, and a warning that comes with it: a thin coat of clear varnish or clear nail polish fills fine scratches optically and restores gloss without removing any material.
Thinning it slightly gives a smoother, less obviously coated finish. On a decorative item it can look very good.
The warning is that it is not reversible in any easy way, and for something with sentimental or collectable value that matters. Polishing removes material and leaves original surface; coating adds a layer that will yellow eventually and that a future restorer has to strip.
So for a toy you love, polish. For a toy you are patching up for a shelf, the coating is quick and effective.
@restorer_ruzgar · yesterday
These are almost certainly moulded thermoplastic rather than cast resin — mass-produced toys use the cheap high-volume process — and that is good news, because thermoplastic polishes beautifully.
The approach is the same one used for scratched watch crystals and headlight lenses: progressive abrasion, from coarse enough to remove the damage down to fine enough to restore gloss.
The two rules that matter: keep it wet, and keep it cool. Friction melts thermoplastic, and a melted spot is much harder to fix than a scratch.
Reply
Report