Sanding discs for headlights

Finick

Finick

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Edit: kept searching sand paper, which explains why I couldn't find them. Searching sanding discs revealed them.

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I see Abralon makes a kit of 3" disks starting w/ 500 and working it's way to 4000.

I got the McKees 37 headlight 'kit'. Very unimpressed w/ it, esp. for the cost but then I think most of the M37
line is overpriced relative to other products but I will try the N914 when I get a chance (and maybe Hydro Blue
but I already have Carpro Hydro2)
 
DTruck said:
What grit would you recommend to start with, and what's the coarsest grit you would use? It appears the Mirka Abralon goes from 180-3000.
Click to expand...

I *think* the meguiars heavy duty kit came with 1k and 2k discs, two of each.

I didn’t get a before picture of the headlight, because I always forget, but I snapped a picture after sanding each step and finally polishing them out

ca0cca1fe8d90e5e3bbdd6f85b42bb09.jpg


I’ll get a picture of one her sisters headlights later, because they’re pretty much in the exact same shape.

Reading through various threads about headlight restoration though, it seems pretty dependent on how tough the set of headlights in particular are.


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The Megs Heavy Duty kit comes with:
1-1000 grit disc
1-3000 grit disc
Plastx
Headlight coating
Polishing pal
Wool pad for drill

d9046652f0d77c51eab204589266765e.jpg
 
Thanks 🤙🏻

I did her headlights back in October, so I really had no idea anymore lol.


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Here was a good description of how to use an older Meguiar's kit, of course I think half the sanding products mentioned aren't made anymore, so you have to use the Mirka Abralon as Mike suggested above. I also like to use the 5000 grit discs sold here and skip the wool pad.

Professional Headlight & Spot Repair Kit
 
I've done a ton of experimenting with sanding discs for headlight restoration and this is the best method I've found.

Step 1-Mirka abralon 3" 1000 grit discs. They have a soft foam interface, are very smooth, and are easy to clean once they start getting clogged with residue. They won't cut as long as trizact discs but the 1000 grit abralon disc is a great option and extremely economical.

Step 2- Trizact 3" 1500 grit discs. Once you remove the majority of the faded and oxidized layers on a headlight, these trizact 1500 grit discs are seriously impressive at remove the 1000 grit sanding marks and in some cases (depending on the headlights) you can get away with using just 1 disc for both headlights.

Step 3-Trizact 3" 3000 grit discs. These discs are incredible. I have had 1 single disc last for 4 headlights. It's incredibly easy to polish out the 3000 grit sanding marks from this point.

I use all 3 discs damp even though the 1000 and 1500 can be used dry.
 
mwoywod said:
I've done a ton of experimenting with sanding discs for headlight restoration and this is the best method I've found.

Step 1-Mirka abralon 3" 1000 grit discs. They have a soft foam interface, are very smooth, and are easy to clean once they start getting clogged with residue. They won't cut as long as trizact discs but the 1000 grit abralon disc is a great option and extremely economical.

Step 2- Trizact 3" 1500 grit discs. Once you remove the majority of the faded and oxidized layers on a headlight, these trizact 1500 grit discs are seriously impressive at remove the 1000 grit sanding marks and in some cases (depending on the headlights) you can get away with using just 1 disc for both headlights.

Step 3-Trizact 3" 3000 grit discs. These discs are incredible. I have had 1 single disc last for 4 headlights. It's incredibly easy to polish out the 3000 grit sanding marks from this point.

I use all 3 discs damp even though the 1000 and 1500 can be used dry.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info, I appreciate it.

The most inconvenient part of looking for discs seems to be the big packs of them (makes sense for someone who does a lot of sanding) which are less than ideal for someone like me just looking to restore the headlights on 3-4 cars.

The Mirka 3” assortment seems like it would leave me with a ton I wouldn’t use, and then the other options are 20 and 50 packs. At least in the 3” size anyway, the 6” discs seem to come in 10 packs.

I figure if I’m gonna do 3-4 cars, and I only need 1 disc per headlight (potentially less, I may have been too tough on the ones I used before) that would mean I’d only need 6-8 discs of each grit.

Maybe it would be worth picking up regular paper and just doing it by hand?

I do hate doin stuff by hand, but I also dislike buying much more than I really need


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Perhaps AG would consider re-packaging a selection of disks into a smaller 'assortment' usable by us amateurs instead of a 50 or 20 pack.
 
Instead of all those steps, recommend you use mother's aluminum and chrome polish on any pad/DA combo. Works like a charm and is a true one and done process. Follow up with a ceramic/nano coating and you're good for years.
 
howardm4 said:
Perhaps AG would consider re-packaging a selection of disks into a smaller 'assortment' usable by us amateurs instead of a 50 or 20 pack.
Click to expand...

Sometimes it seems like it would make sense.

I get that bigger amounts get you a better price, and better value for your dollar.

I’m always willing to pay slightly more for exactly what I’ll need though, as I see no value in storing tons of things I may or may not use (although admittedly that mentality isn’t just connected to detailing products, I hate clutter.)


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Hahahahaha, my wife is freaking out since I brought all of the detailing liquids, pastes etc and gallons into the house for the winter. Completely out of control.
 
Headlights are like paint. Hard, soft and anywhere in between. The amount of cut necessary is going to depend on this and how much UV damage needs to be removed. There is no one-size-fits-all IMO.

I use 1000->2000->3000->{someCompound}->{someAIO}->{someSealant|Coating}

I didn't name the brands because any of the popular ones here will work. My process and method is just generic. If I need more cut I'll use 400 or 600 but that is usually not necessary. All sanding is wet.
 
Route246 said:
Headlights are like paint. Hard, soft and anywhere in between. The amount of cut necessary is going to depend on this and how much UV damage needs to be removed. There is no one-size-fits-all IMO.

I use 1000->2000->3000->{someCompound}->{someAIO}->{someSealant|Coating}

I didn't name the brands because any of the popular ones here will work. My process and method is just generic. If I need more cut I'll use 400 or 600 but that is usually not necessary. All sanding is wet.
Click to expand...

My sanding discs are not brand-specific. I think most of them are 3M. And, they are all wet-sanding capable.

Also, most importantly, all sanding is done by hand. A DA probably works better but it is time-consuming and a hassle compared to hand-sanding.

This CG video is probably one of the best how-to's I've seen. I don't use the products from the video but the technique and explanation is very good. Hopefully, all of you CG-haters can get over it and enjoy the video for the value it provides. YouTube
 
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