Hi guys im restoring my tail light from my 85 gt . I would like the tail light to be clear after restoration. So I started by wet sanding the left tail light with a 400 grid , 600 grid and finally 2000. The thing is that after sanding im still getting that foggy appearance on my tail light. Could the problem be from the inside? By the way im hand sanding, is it better if I use a polisher? thanks in adv.
My result still not clear enough
this is what i'm aiming for (clear tail light)
[This message has been edited by unplugged1981 (edited 11-30-2016).]
Take the lens off the car. It's easy. Rinse through the bulb holes to find out if there is something on the inside. I doubt it. The step between 600 grit and 2000 grit is too big. You should be able to use polishing compound with 1000 or 1500 grit and see an improvement. Hand sanding will take forever.
edit: replacement lenses are not expensive (if you get tired of working on yours).
[This message has been edited by Gall757 (edited 11-30-2016).]
As mentioned above, I'd step down more gradually and finish by using some sort of small drill mounted sponge/buffer (like seen in some headlight restoration kits) with a polishing compound. I've had good results doing headlights like that though it can get a bit messy flinging the compound everywhere.
------------------ Past: 1988 base coupe sold 1984 base coupe rust Present: 1986 SE 2m6
For the last sand paper passes I would use 3000. Use lots of water. Then you need to use plastic polish. A drill attachment with a foam head works well.
(That gray almost looks like staining or fade or something.) Take them apart it isn't that difficult, and polish the inside of the clear lens too if the outside doenst take care of it. With what you did so fat I wouldn't expect to see gray.
[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 11-30-2016).]
My daughter did the headlights on her Santa Fe with a kit that had some kind of foam-like ball on a drill mandrel. She used my variable speed drill to do the job. I think the kit was made by Mother's Wax. Anyway, it's been a couple of years and the lens is still clear. I think she does an occasional hand rub touchup with a plastic polish. It's probably something with a superfine grit.
Lots of luck. I've tried progressive sanding with several different grades plus polishing my notchie tail lights. Very little improvement. But, I didn't do anything on the inside. Sort of looks like the gray fog is soaked all the way through the plastic.. . . . if that's possible. Hope someone has a clue.
You can't get clear lenses without compounding/polishing. You started with way too heavy a grit. You need to step down to 800, 2000 won't remove the 400 and 600. Then up to 1200 and then 2000. All on a DA. Doing it by hand now that you went too heavy will never have perfect results.
From 2000 you need to use Meguiars M105 on a orange or blue buffing pad on a rotary polisher at 75% speed or higher. A DA will take forever. M105 is a diminishing abrasive and is perfectly capable of making crystal clear lenses while also cutting very quickly.
There is no fog on the inside of your lenses. They can be fixed easily with the right tools. You'll need to spend maybe $100 at Harbor Freight but that is all. I could have your lenses like new in minutes.
Why is starting with 400 grit not acceptable? If there are scratches in the lense then it is TOTALLY ACCEPTABLE to start with a 400 grit....you can start with a 60 or 80 grit if the scratch is severe,as long as you progressively go finer with your grit #. After the sanding is done then move to your polishing compounds and then finally your antistatic sealer. For someone that is not experienced with polishing various types of plastic....DO NOT USE ANY TYPE OF POWER TOOLS ON THESE LENSES,YOU WILL DO MORE DAMAGE THAN GOOD. Rub the lenses by hand...it's not difficult at all. Take the time to pull the lenses apart and wash them really well with soap and water and then you can start your wet sanding with the appropriate grits on both sides of the lense. While you have the lenses apart...why not respray the bulb socket assembly with chrome paint...they will look good as new again. I just finished a set of taillights and they look factory again...
For general maintenance of the lenses...pick up a polishing compound called Flitz at your local airport or order from Wicks Aircraft /Aircraft Spruce...etc.
[This message has been edited by MadProfessor8138 (edited 12-01-2016).]
Why is starting with 400 grit not acceptable? If there are scratches in the lense then it is TOTALLY ACCEPTABLE to start with a 400 grit....you can start with a 60 or 80 grit if the scratch is severe,as long as you progressively go finer with your grit #. After the sanding is done then move to your polishing compounds and then finally your antistatic sealer. For someone that is not experienced with polishing various types of plastic....DO NOT USE ANY TYPE OF POWER TOOLS ON THESE LENSES,YOU WILL DO MORE DAMAGE THAN GOOD. Rub the lenses by hand...it's not difficult at all. Take the time to pull the lenses apart and wash them really well with soap and water and then you can start your wet sanding with the appropriate grits on both sides of the lense. While you have the lenses apart...why not respray the bulb socket assembly with chrome paint...they will look good as new again. I just finished a set of taillights and they look factory again...
For general maintenance of the lenses...pick up a polishing compound called Flitz at your local airport or order from Wicks Aircraft /Aircraft Spruce...etc.
Don't listen to this. I have been in the plastic and coatings industry for a very long time. I actually make these lenses, and in a much softer, more difficult to polish material. You put 60 grit sandpaper on these lenses and you will spend days getting the scratches out if you are doing it by hand and will severely divot the plastic in that area. NEVER GO BELOW 400, and if you use 400 make sure you hit a very wide sweeping area or you will noticeably pit the lens.
You will not ruin them using air tools. This is old hard urethane, your chances of burning the lens in these grits is nearly impossible. Flitz isn't even the right polish for the job and overpriced
It depends on how bad the lenses are but assuming you are doing things with a DA and rotary, I would do this whole pack in steps starting at the 800. If they are just slightly foggy, start at 1200.
I would never recommend even the most simplest of amateurs to do this by hand. The very small investment is well worth it. The tools can be used on a million other things and you will save so much time. I could easily polish 20+ sets in the amount of time it'd take to do just one by hand
If afterward you have some deeper gauges, hit the couple spots by hand with some wet 600 and then back up through the pack. Try to mark deep scratches from the backside with a dry erase marker before you start and check as you go with the 800. It'd be best to just go longer with the 800 than hit with a heavier grit. M105 Ultracut is the best polish for the job and the bottle lasts a very very long time. It was meant for modern 2k clears so the lenses are a perfect fit for this
[This message has been edited by Slammed (edited 12-01-2016).]
I think 6-800 grit to start would be normal. But then yes you taper down to a higher grit then "plastic polish". I cant find the actual grits in these systems.
I haven't had a lens go gray like that, what actually is it? Is it just the way these fade instead of yellow like plastic headlights? Still all comes off the outside?
I haven't had a lens go gray like that, what actually is it? Is it just the way these fade instead of yellow like plastic headlights? Still all comes off the outside?
The gray color of his lens is just from the plastic being sanded.
I suspect those lenses are polycarbonate, and not urethane. I don't have a car handy to check, but there should be some letters molded in a corner on the part. The difference being that if you get it hot the surface will re-melt and get even more messed up.
Both the notchie and fastback tail lights are injection molded urethane.
Polycarbonate is hygroscopic. If you heat it to deformation temperature without pre drying you will get millions of little tiny stars from the moisture evaporating.
Much too hard to be polyc. Sands like urethane. Smells like urethane when you cut it/drill it and they weren't doing injection mold polyc much back then.
The lenses are uncoated and polyc would not have survived UV this long. You can't buy a car older than 10 or so years without faded polycarbonate headlights and those have UV inhibitor in them.
He hasn't done anything but sand the lenses, of course they are all foggy. You can't get any kind of clarity from sandpaper
[This message has been edited by Slammed (edited 12-01-2016).]
I'm curious why you wouldn't want a beginner to hand polish a lense but encourage them to use air tools on it. It's obvious that the OP has limited experience with restoring the lenses and probably shouldn't be grinding on them using a procedure he's never attempted before with an air tool...you make no sense. A beginner with no experience has more chances of hurting the lense using tools than rubbing a lense out by hand. And you are right in the fact that if you drop down to a 60 or 80 grit you better know what you're doing or you will cut gullies in the lense if you don't feather it out. But don't say you can't do it......because I've done it many times to remove severe scratches and my lenses come out looking like factory with no distortion....by coincidence,I will be polishing the lenses from an 88 Formula later tonight.....bet they turn out great....as usual. Oh,and Flitz is a perfectly acceptable polish to use for general upkeep of lenses,say after you just washed your car....overpriced yes...but still acceptable none the less.
And do me a favor........ Before you start telling people who they should listen to.....stop and consider who's been flamed on this group more times than anyone cares to count....because it's not me.
Oh,and something you might be interested in knowing......I'm certified to polish on pressurized aircraft's glass........so I know JUST A LITTLE BIT about polishing.
I'm curious why you wouldn't want a beginner to hand polish a lense but encourage them to use air tools on it. It's obvious that the OP has limited experience with restoring the lenses and probably shouldn't be grinding on them using a procedure he's never attempted before with an air tool...you make no sense. A beginner with no experience has more chances of hurting the lense using tools than rubbing a lense out by hand. And you are right in the fact that if you drop down to a 60 or 80 grit you better know what you're doing or you will cut gullies in the lense if you don't feather it out. But don't say you can't do it......because I've done it many times to remove severe scratches and my lenses come out looking like factory with no distortion....by coincidence,I will be polishing the lenses from an 88 Formula later tonight.....bet they turn out great....as usual. Oh,and Flitz is a perfectly acceptable polish to use for general upkeep of lenses,say after you just washed your car....overpriced yes...but still acceptable none the less.
And do me a favor........ Before you start telling people who they should listen to.....stop and consider who's been flamed on this group more times than anyone cares to count....because it's not me.
Oh,and something you might be interested in knowing......I'm certified to polish on pressurized aircraft's glass........so I know JUST A LITTLE BIT about polishing.
GOOD LUCK..........
I already addressed all of your questions. This is a perfect project to learn on. Ruining old, very hard urethane with 800+ grit wet paper is nearly impossible, like I said. Learning to use tools that can be used on a million other projects, is better than wasting hours on a project that should take a half hour. You cannot "feather out" 60 grit without creating a wave. Not a single person would ever suggest you do the same to your clear coat.
I've polished, cut, drilled, lasered, machined, cast, printed, injected, vacuum formed and blow formed hundreds of thousands of pounds of plastic. I think I know JUST A LITTLE BIT
I'm not trying to come off nasty or something. Don't take stuff so personally
[This message has been edited by Slammed (edited 12-02-2016).]
