Joint wear

Acetone sounds like a good idea for this particular project. Thanks for the insight, I'll be experimenting asap.

Yeah like Dr nightmare said, personally I use Engraver pro tool to sand joints, and then if I want a smooth joint I use a dab of acetone to melt the plastic slightly to allow for a smooth finish. Good luck!

Quite true and thanks for the response.

I tend to use the sanding drums on the dremel and as you say and I'm always pleased with the results apart from on this new project. With my test runs on the flesh tone it's the slight aftermath thats the issue but the suggestion of a nail file may very do the trick.

Thanks for the tip .

People in different parts of the world have different names for things, I'm guessing they meant sandpaper. There is such a thing called "abrasive cloth", but I don't see how it could possibly be more effective than straight up sandpaper.

The goal is the same no matter what process you use. Your goal is to eliminate friction between parts so they don't rub and scrape paint off each other.

Using the rotary tool is the most efficient way to do that. I use the little sanding drums to shave off material, as a bonus it leaves the surface semi-smooth. (You shouldn't be getting all sorts of pits and melt marks, if you are then you need a lighter touch.) To get rid of any remaining tool marks, I use a fingernail file because the hard surface is good at leveling plastic, but finer sandpaper works too, as usual.

I'm guessing here, but if they recommended paint thinner I'm guessing it was to dab over an area you sanded, that way it slightly melts the surface and restores the plastic sheen. I don't find it necessary to do this since once you apply paint it covers up the surface's finish anyway, but of course it can be useful if you're not painting over the part.