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How to File Plastic

Nicole Byerly

Plastic is a common material used in homes for bins, cooking utensils, and home decorations. Plastic may seem like a difficult material to work, with due to its composition: However with little filing skill, you can shape it into virtually any object.

File plastic to remove rough edges.

You must follow a rhythmic technique in order to shape plastic into an attractive finished product.

  1. Hold the coarse file in your writing hand and grip the plastic section in your non-dominate hand. Tilt the plastic toward you at a comfortable angle.

  2. Tilt the coarse file away from your body in an upward position. Press the rough edge of the file along the top edge of the plastic.

  3. Push file along the edge of the plastic in an upward and outward manner. Push the file toward the opposite end where your hand is. Remove the file once you reach the end of the plastic and replace at the beginning of the top edge. Continue to file over and over along the plastic, until you create a smooth edge.

  4. Place the coarse file at the end closest to your holding hand and press the rough side down onto the edge of the plastic. Pull the file over and downward, away from where your hand is positioned, moving inward toward your body. Continue to file repeatedly, until you create a smooth surface.

The Drip Cap

  • Plastic is a common material used in homes for bins, cooking utensils, and home decorations.
  • Plastic may seem like a difficult material to work, with due to its composition: However with little filing skill, you can shape it into virtually any object.
  • Continue to file over and over along the plastic, until you create a smooth edge.