For me, deburring plastic has always been a problem. Sandpaper or emery cloth seems to work okay, but this can scratch up a nicely finished part and it takes quite a bit of time. I have heard of people running plastic parts in a vibratory tumbler but I have never tried it. Exacto blades work for getting into tight corners. I have used the Vargus or Noga rout-a-burrs (the little hooked blades loaded in a handle) sometimes they work, most times they don't. It seems as though the manufacturers can't get a decent grind on the cutting edge that works on all plastics. Here is one that will. I learned this trick from Rudy Hernandez many years ago. Look at the picture below, it shows a right hand rout-a-burr bit. The left side of the drawing shows a factory grind, the right side shows a 2°- 5° positive grind with a .001" - .003" neutral hone. The drawing on the top right also shows a more pronouced hook on the cutting edge. This hook is naturally created when a positive rake is ground on the tool. The hone is crucial, it should be done with a hard, fine arkansas stone leaving no jagged edges. The cutting edge should be razor sharp. You'll have to hand grind this tool with a fine grit wheel that is running true.

                         

Once again, this may take a little practice but when you get it right you will be peeling off whiskers like a super model getting a bikini wax.

Click back arrow on your tool bar to return to Helpful Hints page.