Headlight Restoration-new UV sealant idea

[normster]

Hi everyone, I am sorry if this is posted somewhere else but I have looked through 60 pages already.t I am wondering what everyone uses to get the rough calcified looking spots on some headlights. I have used the 800, 1200, 1500, 2000 then spar and it looks great most of the time. But I hand sand and it gets a little tough on some lights that are just really rough. Once I apply the spar it seems to soak in to some spots and not others. It leaves the light looking uneven. shiny in some spots and dull in others.

If I want to be able to speed up the sanding process does anyone have a suggestion on what tools to use i.e. Orbital sander? Because I am mobile I don't want something that I need electricity for so I would love a battery operated, but it needs to be able to handle wet sanding and be small enough to get into small areas. Most of the ones I have seen have been too large to be practical.

Also, I only go to 2000 and the headlights look awesome in most cases. Is there really any reason to go to 2500 or 3000? and then on top of that to polish with something? I don't want to spend an extra 15 minutes when it's not needed.

Any help anyone has with the battery operated wetsand equipment would be greatly appreciated. then I need to have something I can quickly change through the various grits so it doesn't become a hassle.

By the way, I use a large open mouth mason jar about 1.5 inches deep and mix 50/50. I dip the towel in and drag the excess lightly off against the side. It seems to work best for me of all methods I've tried. I mix a new batch about once per week and it holds up great.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

[feslope]

Originally Posted by normster

Hi everyone, I am sorry if this is posted somewhere else but I have looked through 60 pages already.t I am wondering what everyone uses to get the rough calcified looking spots on some headlights. I have used the 800, 1200, 1500, 2000 then spar and it looks great most of the time. But I hand sand and it gets a little tough on some lights that are just really rough. Once I apply the spar it seems to soak in to some spots and not others. It leaves the light looking uneven. shiny in some spots and dull in others.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

Hi Norm, I can think of 2 possibilities. You may not be getting all of the old coatiing off. On really bad lights you might want to start with a coarser paper like 500 or even 320. Headlight coatings especially older ones can take some real effort to remove. Secondly, make sure yoyr surface is completly clean and dry before you apply your new coating, an MS wipedown helps insure the surface is ready.

There is (Was) a 4" battery (Rechargeable) polisher built by WEN called "System 4 Plus model 4020" I have one, with a fully charged battery it will do a set of headlights. I use a 3" interface pad for the paper and pads. It works great but, I don;'t think it has been built for about 5 years. I bought 2 on Ebay about a year ago fpr $60.00. They were also sold as a Simonize product. If you can find one grab it.

[normster]

Thanks Fred,

Maybe I am going about it the wrong way. Do you know of any electrical corded tools that people are using? If so, how does a mobile service used corded tools? Is it done with an inverter off the car lighter? I feel stupid not understanding that but it seems like it would be a hassle to do that but it would save me a lot of hand sanding.

I have gone as low as 500 before with a little battery sander and it is still tough to get clean. it was dry sanding. Maybe 320 or 500 hand sand wet would work better.

[feslope]

Originally Posted by normster

Thanks Fred,

Maybe I am going about it the wrong way. Do you know of any electrical corded tools that people are using? If so, how does a mobile service used corded tools?

My favorite tool for headlights is the Griot 3" RO buffer Griot's Garage Professional Random Orbital 3 Inch Polisher, Random Orbit Buffer, Dual Action Polisher, 3" buffer fitted with a 2 3/4" rotary backing plate 2-3/4 inch Hook & Loop Rotary Backing Plate and the Megiars foam interface pad Meguiars Unigrit 3 Inch Foam Interface Pad, foam backup pad, sanding disc interface . An adapter D.A Adapter 5/8" X 11 is needed to fit the rotary plate to the DA polisher. This is my go to corded tool for headlight correction. I do need AC power and have to make sure it is available. For mobile power you need a generator or a good size inverter. My Wen polisher well do 1 set of headlights on a full charge.

[Louie_Blu]

Originally Posted by normster

Thanks Fred,

Maybe I am going about it the wrong way. Do you know of any electrical corded tools that people are using? If so, how does a mobile service used corded tools? Is it done with an inverter off the car lighter? I feel stupid not understanding that but it seems like it would be a hassle to do that but it would save me a lot of hand sanding.

I have gone as low as 500 before with a little battery sander and it is still tough to get clean. it was dry sanding. Maybe 320 or 500 hand sand wet would work better.

I agree with feslope its what I use Griots 3inch Orbital polisher with an 750 watt inverter I hook up to my battery works great and does the job quickly and well check out my thread have some pics using the Griots
Some Headlights I've Done Past week
hope that helps

[normster]

Thanks Fred, I think I am going to order this. A couple quick questions for you or anyone else who knows.

Is this something you would use wetsanding with or is it only dry sanding?

When I look at the sanding disks that Louie linked to it looks like it says that the lower 500, 800 disks are for dry sanding and the 1500's are for wetsanding. It seems like the disks would get clogged quickly if you dry sanded. There was another mention of wiping off the disk with a wet rag but wouldn't that be a problem with a dry only sandpaper disk?

If it is wet, do I just spray the light and the disk to keep them both wet?

does one disk just do one light so you would be using 2 of each grit for a set of lights?

It seems like it would be tough to get into spots on lights that are right next to obstacles. I just did a set yesterday where there were 2 or 3 spots where you only had about an inch between two obstructions. In that case it was a nib that stuck out and a grill. Can this get into those spots? Those areas are where I have the most trouble.

Thanks for all your help

[normster]

Thanks Louie, I am in the process of ordering the material? I was wondering how long that jag took you start to finish? Those are some of the toughest jobs I've done just because of working in tight spaces.

A couple more questions if you don't mind...

On the jag did you use your first listed method of starting at 500 and working your way all the way till 3000? I see you jumped from 1500 to 2000 or 2500. Can you jump from 1500 to 2500 without a problem and if so, why throw the extra 2000 step in?

I have been doing 800 to 1200, then 1500, then 2000 and they seem to look great. People think they look brand new. I am wondering if I need to go beyond 2000 and if so maybe I can jump from 1500 to 2500 to get a better polish. Like I said before my only problem has been getting to the end and there are still some spots where the spar seems to soak in more than others and it leaves the light looking dull in those spots instead of shiny.

In your links I only see up to 800 says dry sanding and then it jumps to1500 which says "damp" sanding. The only 1000 I saw comes in a box of 15 for 4 times the money. It says "finishing" disk as well as the 3000 but the others say sanding disk. Is there a difference?

Sorry about all the questions but I don't want to spend a bunch of money on something I don't understand and then realize I got the wrong thing by mistake.

Thanks again for your help.

One last quick thing, probably dumb, but I have never used an inverter. when I hook it to the battery and plug in do I have to leave the truck running the whole time or will the battery be good enough to power it through a whole job without running the engine?

[feslope]

Originally Posted by normster

Thanks Fred, I think I am going to order this. A couple quick questions for you or anyone else who knows.

Is this something you would use wetsanding with or is it only dry sanding?

When I look at the sanding disks that Louie linked to it looks like it says that the lower 500, 800 disks are for dry sanding and the 1500's are for wetsanding. It seems like the disks would get clogged quickly if you dry sanded. There was another mention of wiping off the disk with a wet rag but wouldn't that be a problem with a dry only sandpaper disk?

If it is wet, do I just spray the light and the disk to keep them both wet?

does one disk just do one light so you would be using 2 of each grit for a set of lights?

The papers I have available are 320, 500, 800, 1500 and 3000. If I start with 320 or 500 I will use those and the 800 dry. Sander in one hand and a small bristle brush in the other. The brush is a little bigger than a toothbrush, black and has nylon bristles and clears the paper in about one second. I get the brushes at Harbor Freight about two dollars for a card of three. If available a better option is an air gun to blow the paoer off. The BEST option is your buddy working the air gun on the light and paper while you are sanding.

If I am starting at 800 I go wet. Yes I use the 800 wet. I use a spray bottle , wet the lens and work it until it starts to dry or becomes milky at which time I re-wet the lens and continue. 1500 and 3000 always wet.

Usually a disk of each grit for each lens 800 sometimes two. A single 3000 usually will do both.

Your own experience will dictate what works best for you.

[Part-timer]

Originally Posted by normster

Thanks Louie, I am in the process of ordering the material? I was wondering how long that jag took you start to finish? Those are some of the toughest jobs I've done just because of working in tight spaces.

A couple more questions if you don't mind...

On the jag did you use your first listed method of starting at 500 and working your way all the way till 3000? I see you jumped from 1500 to 2000 or 2500. Can you jump from 1500 to 2500 without a problem and if so, why throw the extra 2000 step in?

I have been doing 800 to 1200, then 1500, then 2000 and they seem to look great. People think they look brand new. I am wondering if I need to go beyond 2000 and if so maybe I can jump from 1500 to 2500 to get a better polish. Like I said before my only problem has been getting to the end and there are still some spots where the spar seems to soak in more than others and it leaves the light looking dull in those spots instead of shiny.

In your links I only see up to 800 says dry sanding and then it jumps to1500 which says "damp" sanding. The only 1000 I saw comes in a box of 15 for 4 times the money. It says "finishing" disk as well as the 3000 but the others say sanding disk. Is there a difference?

Sorry about all the questions but I don't want to spend a bunch of money on something I don't understand and then realize I got the wrong thing by mistake.

Thanks again for your help.

One last quick thing, probably dumb, but I have never used an inverter. when I hook it to the battery and plug in do I have to leave the truck running the whole time or will the battery be good enough to power it through a whole job without running the engine?

I know you asked Louie these questions but I will add my two cents if thats ok.
I bought the Griot's 3" orbital. Their instructions say to dry sand with most of the grits. I used it like they said and found that the discs do in fact clog up quite often and must be cleaned by wiping with a dry rag(or something made to clean sand paper). I know that many people also own this tool and love it. Everyone has a favorite tool and system that works for them. Try it and judge for your self. I ended up not liking mine and sent it back. I couldn't get used to the dry sanding. The discs clogged often and then put these funny swirl marks on the lens. The tool, (although having many speeds) still spun too fast for me to feel comfortable and safe using it around the painted areas. (Thats just me though)
Many people on here also have their own ideas of what grits to use. I read one once that said they used 400 and then 1500 and then spar. I think the spar is pretty forgiving for a lot of things. I personally judge each lens differently. I did a Lexus yesterday and used 800, 1000, 1500 and 3000. They looked excellent. I've always wanted to take a single lens and tape it off into 4 sections. Then sand one to 800, one to 1000, one to 2000 and one to 3000. Then wipe em with mineral spirits and spar the whole works and see how they compare visually. Someone should do that.......lol
As I've stated before, I do the whole works wet and by hand. It makes for less taping because its more safe by hand(in my mind). It takes me less time by hand.(again, thats just me).

[normster]

Thanks for the info. I thought it would be too big of a jump to go from 800 to 1500 but maybe that is because i am hand sanding and the griot makes it work better. So the two jumps- from 800 to 1500 and then from 1500 to 3000 is enough? That would be great. It would eliminate a couple steps and still get the final at 3000 instead of 2000 which I would think would have to be better.

Also, you said that you start with 800 wet if that is your starting grit. Is that just for cars that don't seem to have too many problems?

And I guess since you are using it wet means that the griot can handle the wetsand without hurting it.

Originally Posted by feslope

The papers I have available are 320, 500, 800, 1500 and 3000. If I start with 320 or 500 I will use those and the 800 dry. Sander in one hand and a small bristle brush in the other. The brush is a little bigger than a toothbrush, black and has nylon bristles and clears the paper in about one second. I get the brushes at Harbor Freight about two dollars for a card of three. If available a better option is an air gun to blow the paoer off. The BEST option is your buddy working the air gun on the light and paper while you are sanding.

If I am starting at 800 I go wet. Yes I use the 800 wet. I use a spray bottle , wet the lens and work it until it starts to dry or becomes milky at which time I re-wet the lens and continue. 1500 and 3000 always wet.

Usually a disk of each grit for each lens 800 sometimes two. A single 3000 usually will do both.

Your own experience will dictate what works best for you.