Had to go down to 600 to get the film off the lens. I wish I had a good polisher. & dam these things are fragile. The chrome tabs want to break etc. But still worth it.
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https://majesticsolutions.com/produc...v=2e5df5aa3470 This is the stuff we use at the dealership, it's fantastic. Makes them look like brand new again. Yea, sanding by hand isn't that fun, and takes a while. A 3 inch orbital w/ 3m sanding disks would give you a more consistent surface. Are you going to take them any higher than the 600? I usually end at 3000 or 5000 if I am just buffing them with a polish, but with the Majestic spray, 600 would be fine. Old plastic is never fun to mess with, you ever had to take anything apart on an old fox body Mustang? You just look at it while THINKING about taking it apart, and it breaks, lol.
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Oh ya ... probably up to 2000. Then maguires headlight polish stuff and then something like you have there, probably meguiars again. It's the chrome part I'm not sure what to do with, wish there was an easy way to strip the old chrome.Comment
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I think the direction you are going with the trim is a good plan, is that 2 part plastic epoxy you are using? One good option would be a chrome spray paint, Krylon is what I have had the best luck with. Just sand down the whole thing and spray 'em. I've used the Meguiars polish and had great success with it. Only downside is it doesn't really offer any UV protection. If you use the majestic headlight spray or something similar, I would not put polish on the lens first. It needs to be raw fresh plastic with no oils waxes or polishes, it's kinda like paint, but made specifically for headlight plastic.
This build is great took me a while to read the whole thread, lol, but it was a fun read. Keep at it man!
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Oh ya way ahead of ya. And yep, always a two part epoxy, sometimes just crazy glue + soldering gun to re-melt the backside of the crack/seam so there's actually a bonding of plastic.
Does that clear spray you have go on after 2000grit when the light is foggy? No buffing?
Good point on the polish being a grease really. I was just using it to try and remove the 2000 grit scratches. But I'll be sure to wash the headlight really good before putting on the clear.
But have you ever tried removing chrome on plastic... ugg. Long long ago I tried the bath tub trick with some ... chemical you can buy (can't remember). Doesn't really work and takes forever and you still have to sand. Know of an easier way? Technically the chrome layer is a paint but I think paint thinner would ruin the plastic too.
But ya... really need a good orbital polisher for this. Always had my eye on a $400 one but never had the $$$ for it. This will take a bit.Last edited by Raf99; 08-14-2021, 08:31 AM.Comment
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I've never used the Meguiar's headlight spray, but with the Majestic clear coat, 500 or 600 is where you want to be, it has to be rough enough for the spray to adhere, 2000 is way to fine.
For stripping the chrome plating, you could use bleach (takes a while), Castrol Super Clean, Purple Power (straight, not diluted) or Easy Off. I'm sure there are other chemicals you can use, I have always used Easy Off when working on my RC stuff. You can almost sit there and just watch the chrome melt off before your eyes. Castrol Super Clean also works really fast from what others tell me and videos I have seen, but Easy Off is more readily available for me. These chemicals will not hurt the plastic underneath the chrome plating. Sanding that stuff off really sucks.
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$400 is a lot for a orbital! If you have a good air source, I would suggest a pneumatic orbital palm sander, they are easy to control speed and are usually cheaper than electric. I use a 3 inch Snap-On pneumatic orbital palm sander and that thing was only $275. If you don't have a good air source or just would prefer electric, I have used (from best to worst) Rupes Griot, 3m, Metabo, and Central Pneumatic. There are other brands out there obviously, like Milwaukee, that are great choices. Many of the guys at work have went from Makita, to Milwaukee and I can say from using both that since Milwaukee came out with their fuel line of products, they are better than Makita and on par with Matco, Mac, or Snap-On.
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Yaa I'm in eastern Canada. So agree on the prices, just convert to CAD :P I could get a $200 one or maybe look into a 3" one...
Edit: That clear coat spray you said you use, that's after you use polish compound to clear up the light? or before that?Last edited by Raf99; 08-14-2021, 06:47 PM.Comment
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No polish compound, just sand down to flat, clean plastic with 500 or 600 grit, clean with adhesive remover, then spray clear coat on the light like you would spray paint a surface. It is self leveling and unless you spray it really heavy, it is hard to make it run. Once dry it will be a hard, chip and abrasion resistant crystal clear surface
Disclaimer: Raf your light are off of the car, so no worry, but to anyone else who happens to see this. Make sure you mask off and protect any surface you dont want over spray on, it behaves like a paint when wet and dry, and it dries hard. It if gets on your paint and dries, you will have to wet sand it off.Last edited by Size9zombie; 08-14-2021, 07:50 PM.
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That being said, I have redone headlights with the Majestic spray, and those customers cars headlights still look great several years later.
Yea, I was aware you were in Canada, and things are a bit more expensive up there
A soft sanding block would do good, something flexible. Sanding by bare hand will leave ridges and valleys, small ones mind you, but they are there and create an uneven surface for primer paint or whatever.
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I hear ya. Been doing a cross hatch pattern the whole time. I always wanted to buy a torq polisher .... anyone have any other recommendations?
ie: https://www.amazon.ca/BUF501X-Random-Orbital-Polisher-Items/dp/B00PXZ919I/ref=sr_1_2?crid=RNDO1WMZYV6B&dchild=1&keywords=tor q+polisher&qid=1629040147&sprefix=torq%2Caps%2C432 &sr=8-2
I have this one, but I hate it and it's old school (and the pad broke).
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Well shit, I was about to dip these chrome pieces in chemicals until I seen this haha.... oooo boy.
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The last time I did this, I sanded them to 1500 and then used a 2k clearcoat to finish them up. The clear fills the scratches and leaves a very nice finish. I than wetsanded and polished them to a high luster and glass like appearance.
I use a Torq DA for all of my polishing and buffing. It has been effective and problem free.Comment
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Ok.. so not doing that heat gun / chrome thing. I tested that on the Honda emblem and it just melted the plastic under the chrome haha. Like the oven trick there's a fine line between chrome coming off and plastic melting. So don't think there's an easy way to rid the chrome except good ole fashion elbow grease
Still thinking on this. My issue now is that I can't find the suggested spray can clear coat ... or one that ships to Canada.
I'm thinking of buying these as local stores don't have it and some are just a cheap clear coat for painting. Any suggestions?
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/232668867605...YAAOSw9p9aiFCs
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I don't mean to sound like a broken record but...
There are a few different methods for the chrome plating. What is on the Ford truck in the video and some other vehicles grills is different than how your headlight trim was plated. The headlight trim is plated like the R/C rim in the video above.
That sucks you can"t get the Majestic headlight coat, sorry man. The 2k clear should give you what your after and look great.
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