Headlight Restoration-new UV sealant idea

Oh that's ok I'm in California we can't get the solvent one because of the Voc regulations. I guess I have to triple my coating :) thanks
 
Where in California? Here in Sonoma County, I was able to find the solvent-based Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane in a quart can, at Home Depot...but not at Lowe's.
 
In L.A. both stores had water base ones maybe bc I live in the city?
 
Here at my local Lowes in Sacramento, CA (Rancho Cordova to be exact) they also had the solvent based version, I couldn't find the water based version. So it appears some areas of CA do allow the solvent based version. Maybe you are right and the big cities don't allow it.
 
It could be that the rules in the Los Angeles Basin are more strict as to VOCs, than in the Bay Area and Sacramento Air Quality districts.
 
Hi guys, thanks for all the info. You have really helped me. I have a question for you. I notice that almost everyone on this thread has spoken about sanding and wet sanding the lights to get the old oxidation off. I have used Brasso before to de-oxidize and I was wondering what you think about using Brasso followed by mineral spirits to clean the lights and then the spar urethane mineral spirits mixture as a sealant? Is there anything about the sanding that makes it better than the Brasso?

Also, I see that people are talking about buffing. Is that a necessary step or is that something that only needs to be done if sanded to smooth the surface?

Thanks for any help.
 
normster said:
Hi guys, thanks for all the info. You have really helped me. I have a question for you. I notice that almost everyone on this thread has spoken about sanding and wet sanding the lights to get the old oxidation off. I have used Brasso before to de-oxidize and I was wondering what you think about using Brasso followed by mineral spirits to clean the lights and then the spar urethane mineral spirits mixture as a sealant? Is there anything about the sanding that makes it better than the Brasso?

Also, I see that people are talking about buffing. Is that a necessary step or is that something that only needs to be done if sanded to smooth the surface?

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

I think even if you dont buff it...it would probably be good to compound it by hand, even with something over the counter like Megs Ultimate Compound...and then maybe follow it up with a polish by hand like Swirl X or something like it. Might have to use some elbow grease if you do it by hand but headlights are such a small area that it shouldnt take too much time.

The sanding i think is more to get out the light scratches...if you're not worried about it being perfectly smooth you MIGHT be able to just compound/polish/seal and be done. Just depends on the light i suppose. I cant speak on Brasso...tho ive had good luck with it on metals, im not sure about plastic.
 
Wills,

Thanks for the reply. When you say to compound it do you mean to deoxidize it? Would the compounding be to get the yellow off? If so, what does the polish do once the yellow is off the light? Shouldn't the light be clear at that point? I have used Brasso to take the yellowing off the headlight but it would always come back after 3 or 4 months. I figured maybe with the sealant on it it wouldn't yellow again for over a year. If the yellow is off and I polish it, can I just polish it by hand and if so could I just do it using a cotton cloth?

Sorry for all the questions but I am very new to all of this.

Thanks,

Norman.
 
normster said:
Wills,

Thanks for the reply. When you say to compound it do you mean to deoxidize it? Would the compounding be to get the yellow off? If so, what does the polish do once the yellow is off the light? Shouldn't the light be clear at that point? I have used Brasso to take the yellowing off the headlight but it would always come back after 3 or 4 months. I figured maybe with the sealant on it it wouldn't yellow again for over a year. If the yellow is off and I polish it, can I just polish it by hand and if so could I just do it using a cotton cloth?

Sorry for all the questions but I am very new to all of this.

Thanks,

Norman.
Click to expand...

Hey no sweat, i dont think you could ask as many questions as i have since i joined on here lol.

When i say compound yes that helps with deoxidizing it as well as lighter scratches. The polishing is just to clear up any light hazing thats left over from the compounding. Most of the clearing up will be done from the compounding tho.

The sealing will for sure keep the yellowing from coming back. Its sort of like waxing your paint after you compound/polish it. Its a protective layer.

You could use a terry cloth in a pinch just make sure its clean and as soft as possible. Personally if you're going to do it by hand i'd use some sort of pad...be it terry/microfiber or foam...but your cloth could work too. Just be sure to use the scotts paper towels to apply the 50/50 mixture of the sealant and you should be good.
 
Thanks Wills,

I have some Turtle Wax Polishing Compound and Scratch remover. Will that work like the Swirl X polish you were talking about? If so do I just rub it in a circular motion with some elbow grease and then wipe off to "buff" the light? And at that point would I just wipe it clean with the denatured alcohol before doing the sealant?
 
Also, all of the buffers I have found have been 6" wide which seems too big to use on a headlight. Do you know of a smaller diameter battery operated buffer or would it be okay to just use a buffer wheel on an 18volt rechargeable drill?

If using the buffer attachment on a drill what is the actual attachment called and what diameter would be good? I have looked around but there are so many different ones and I am not sure which would work the best.

When I use whichever buffer attachment you recommend, do I just apply the polish with a rag or applicator and then use the buffer or do I apply the polish to the buffer attachment and then wipe off the residue when finished "buffing"?

You said the questions were okay. :buffing:

Hopefully I won't have many after this.

Thanks.
 
normster said:
Also, all of the buffers I have found have been 6" wide which seems too big to use on a headlight. Do you know of a smaller diameter battery operated buffer or would it be okay to just use a buffer wheel on an 18volt rechargeable drill?

If using the buffer attachment on a drill what is the actual attachment called and what diameter would be good? I have looked around but there are so many different ones and I am not sure which would work the best.

When I use whichever buffer attachment you recommend, do I just apply the polish with a rag or applicator and then use the buffer or do I apply the polish to the buffer attachment and then wipe off the residue when finished "buffing"?

You said the questions were okay. :buffing:

Hopefully I won't have many after this.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Ok lets see, first off for a buffer...if you want just a drill attachment one...i know wal-mart sells a 3" one...it is actually a headlight restoration KIT for $20 and comes with an orange pad that connects to the drill...that could work for you. Other places like Lowes or HD or Sears may carry something similar, but anything around 3 or 4" should work for ya.

As for the compound...be sure you check which turtle wax stuff you have...they make a heavy scratch remover and a light scratch remover if i remember correctly. The heavy scratch remover, which should be listed as a COMPOUND...which is the MOST aggressive, would be the first thing you'd want to use...and you would want to use this with your drill mounted pad if you get one...it will save you a ton of time and effort since the first step is the hardest.

Next you could use the light scratch remover (if you have it, or swirl-x...not scratch-x) as your polish. That you could do by hand if you want, or if you buy 2 pads for your drill, use one for the compound (the aggressive stuff) and one for the polish.

After that wipe the light clean and yes you could use alcohol if you wanted to completely wipe it clean..then apply your sealant.

Its pretty easy. Just be sure to tape off the rubber/plastic around your light because you dont want to get any compound/polish/sealant on it as it is a PAIN to get off...so rather spend 5 minutes taping instead of 30 minutes trying to get the compound off of the rubber!

So, in short...wash the light first....compound....polish....seal....admire your work :).

That answer everything so far?
 
does averyone here prefer the wet sanding method or does dry sanding work just as well. and for either one where can you buy the 3inch sanding discs at a reasonable price
 
does everone here prefer the wet sanding to the dry sanding used in restoring headlights and if so why is one better than the other. and where can you buy the 3 inch sanding disc at a reasonable price.
 
oschavez4 said:
does everone here prefer the wet sanding to the dry sanding used in restoring headlights and if so why is one better than the other. and where can you buy the 3 inch sanding disc at a reasonable price.
Click to expand...
i get my 3inch disc from dvelup.com they hve differnt sizes or 3m disc you can order from ur local napa store,or delta kits.com i perfer dry sanding with a 3inch sander than wet sanding more faster to me
 
Wills.WindowsAndWheels said:
Ok lets see, first off for a buffer...if you want just a drill attachment one...i know wal-mart sells a 3" one...it is actually a headlight restoration KIT for $20 and comes with an orange pad that connects to the drill...that could work for you. Other places like Lowes or HD or Sears may carry something similar, but anything around 3 or 4" should work for ya.

As for the compound...be sure you check which turtle wax stuff you have...they make a heavy scratch remover and a light scratch remover if i remember correctly. The heavy scratch remover, which should be listed as a COMPOUND...which is the MOST aggressive, would be the first thing you'd want to use...and you would want to use this with your drill mounted pad if you get one...it will save you a ton of time and effort since the first step is the hardest.

Next you could use the light scratch remover (if you have it, or swirl-x...not scratch-x) as your polish. That you could do by hand if you want, or if you buy 2 pads for your drill, use one for the compound (the aggressive stuff) and one for the polish.

After that wipe the light clean and yes you could use alcohol if you wanted to completely wipe it clean..then apply your sealant.

Its pretty easy. Just be sure to tape off the rubber/plastic around your light because you dont want to get any compound/polish/sealant on it as it is a PAIN to get off...so rather spend 5 minutes taping instead of 30 minutes trying to get the compound off of the rubber!

So, in short...wash the light first....compound....polish....seal....admire your work :).

That answer everything so far?
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for your help. I am going to try some different configurations to see what works the best. I think I'll go ahead and get a 3" buffer pad for a battery operated drill motor. I have the lighter "polish" from turtle wax instead of the "compound".

I think that the last thing I can think of for now is the practical side of mixing the urethane and mineral spirits. Do you just put a capful of each in a glass and then swirl it around or mix it with a stick? And any idea what kind of container can hold it so that I could potentially have 10 cars worth of sealant ready without having to waste it each time?

I was thinking that I could ask someone in the paint department at home depot. I just thought maybe you had some experience with something that works better in this specific situation.

Thanks a ton Wills, I owe you. And thank you too OKC.
 
thanks reggie for the feed back have tried the wet method and there seems to be a lot of splatter will try the dry method with the last polish being the wet one. thanks again
 
quoting headlight restoration prices to dealers what would you disscuse with them i went to sevral used car lots and they want there wrk done for 20/25 per set i think they trying to get over what ur take on it guys
 
headlight restoration quotes to car dealership let here it

how would you apprach a car dealer about doing headlight restoration on quotes/estimates i went to one carlot he wanted to me to do a car for 20.00 lol
 
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