Headlight Restoration-new UV sealant idea

Part-timer said:
I wish that would work to remove the old OEM coating on Chevy's for example. I don't have any issues removing the spar, its the 1/2 of OEM coating that isn't deteriorated thats hard to remove for me. The top half is usually worn off and comes off easy with very little sanding. The bottom half ya gotta sand like crazy on some vehicles to get it all off.
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I agree all the sanding can be crazy, especially if it's for low dollar dealer jobs. I don't mind alot of sanding for a retail customer where it pays better,but surely there must be other ways to remove some of these coatings. I did a Cadillac once and it was like sanding titanium. Today at a dealership I looked at an 2004 SantFe that had a very thin coating that was peeling and thought its so thin what could be used to just wipe it off rather than all that sanding?
thank you guys in advance for any ideas, I really appreciate reading all your entries
 
bigjoe87865 said:
So , I have the materials, read about 15 more pages and now im still trying to decide whether I should sand/spar or sand/polish-buff/spar

Iv read both sides of the argument

sand/spar = spar has some bite to hold on , will last longer because of it., looks a little duller ... and when wearing off, it looks duller faster because the sanding becomes visible

sand/buff/spar = looks clearer? maybe or maybe not lasts as long as spar/sand, when wearing off the finish will still be buffed underneath. any one with long term results on this one?

any benefits to doing 2 coats?... read that it is possible and wont leave streaks if you wait till the 1st coat is fully dried.

Thank you
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Buffing before spar is probably O.K., as long as you clean the headlight well before applying the spar. Use propanol or alcohol (not rubbing alcohol, contains water). Scrub twice with a blue lint free towel.

We finish with 3000 grit polishing pads and use sanding aid. We can usually get 3 to 5 headlights done with 1 pad.

Most of our restorations don't require sanding after we chemically strip off the old coating. If they are really difficult headlights like Impalas or Jeeps, we do a chemical strip then remove any remaining material with a razor blade, then start sanding with 500 grit, 1000, 2000, then the 3000 polishing pad. Anything above 3000 is probably not a good idea. You want a rough surface for the spar to stick to.

Also, if you use a mixing cup, make sure it is not wax coated. We stopped using polyurethane last year because we were getting warranty claims (1 year guarantee) on some jobs and now use a 2K LPU product and warrant for 2 years.

ray6
 
GalKonz said:
In all the headlights i've restored, i always used only 1 coat of spar/ms. My restored ones have passed over 5 months test pretty good, and they are still holding up. And for me it seems that even if you try to touch up a missed spot before 10 seconds, it streaks. So yeah, the best way is to wipe light down with ms and start over.

A TIP i want to share with you guys. Never found on this thread anyone giving advice on this one: To mix the spar/ms I do a 60/40 mix, using a 3.5" diameter x 2.5" height plastic disposable cup (originally used as a jelly mold, i think). I use a syringe to measure 20 milimeters of water, pour it into the mold, and use a permanent marker to mark the 20ml. Then, measure 24ml of water, pour it in the same mold, and mark the other 24mls. Dispose water (recycle it :P), and dry the mold. Then, with a disposable spoon i take OMS and pour it into the first 20mls. In the other 24mls, i pour the spar with another spoon. I then mix them using 2 toothpicks pretty well. Apply the mix on headlights using the folded blue towels trick. Blue towels is the best thing to apply it IMO. BTW i make many (about 10) marked molds, so when i am working (i am mobile), i just take one marked mold, and mix spar/ms :D

And something that has been told before but i want to emphazise is to prepare the freshly sanded or buffed headlights thoroughly, using rubbing alcohol or mineral spirits. MS works better IMO. It happened me that on the first set of lights i did, i didn't prep the left one, and 2 months later while i was washing the car, i was cleaning the light, and after drying i found a 1" x 3" slot on the middle of the light showing the sanded surface, and another one smaller on a corner.


The difference between using MS or alcohol is that alcohol loves water and will latch onto it. It will also evaporate quicker than MS. Alcohol costs more, but you're talking about 10 cents per headlight.

ray6
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Hi,

Could you explain "chemically strip off the old coating" a little more? What product and process do you use?

Thanks.
 
RENU said:
Hi,

Could you explain "chemically strip off the old coating" a little more? What product and process do you use?

Thanks.
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It's a product manufactured for us. It disolves the original protective coating which is wiped off with a pad.

Most of our "commercial" restorations only need to be stripped, washed with alcohol, then coated.

I don't think I can post any product information since we sell to other service providers and our products are not sold by AG. In July we will be soliciting AG to sell our products so they may be availble through them soon.
ray6
 
ray6 said:
It's a product manufactured for us. It disolves the original protective coating which is wiped off with a pad.

Most of our "commercial" restorations only need to be stripped, washed with alcohol, then coated.

I don't think I can post any product information since we sell to other service providers and our products are not sold by AG. In July we will be soliciting AG to sell our products so they may be availble through them soon.
ray6
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I'm curious about that stripping chemical myself. I haven't seen anything yet that works like that. Having this chemical could save me a lot of time and back pain...lol
 
Has anyone had experience with the Minwax spar urethane getting darker in the can as it ages? I have a three-year old can that was opened, then I forgot where it was and it sat on the shelf. I just found it and the urethane seems darker than what's in the new can. There is NO visible difference once it is applied, though; and it goes on, just the same way.
 
GP49 said:
Has anyone had experience with the Minwax spar urethane getting darker in the can as it ages? I have a three-year old can that was opened, then I forgot where it was and it sat on the shelf. I just found it and the urethane seems darker than what's in the new can. There is NO visible difference once it is applied, though; and it goes on, just the same way.
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If you're restoring headlights for money I wouldn't take the chance. I believe this coating cures through oxidation so if the can is half full, there is a chance it might not properly cure. Since the actual cost of any coating you use is probably less than a buck per car, use the best coating you can find.

I'd be more concerned about how long the coating will last than on price.
ray6
 
They look great! Have you tried putting down the spar after the 3000 grit without compound? The spar should fill in 3000 marks. As you make the surface smoother, I would worry about the spar binding to the polycarbonate. We stopped going past 3000 some time ago when we did some tests and couldn't tell the difference in appearance. We think the rougher the surface, the better the bind as with any paint.


Also, if you use a good sanding lubricant, you should be able to get multiple headlights from each disk. The sanding lube keeps the abrasive from clogging up and causes the polycarbonate residue to float on the surface. Just make sure all traces of lube are removed by scrubbing with alcolol before applying final coat.



Another trick is to use a polarizer filter on your camera to eliminate reflections on your after pics.

ray6
 
Another way to save money and time is to use a sanding lubricant. It extends paper lifetime, keeps surface cooler and keeps paper from filling up. Normally able to do 2 or 3 headlights per disk, but I only use 3000 grit.

ray6
 
GP49 said:
Has anyone had experience with the Minwax spar urethane getting darker in the can as it ages? I have a three-year old can that was opened, then I forgot where it was and it sat on the shelf. I just found it and the urethane seems darker than what's in the new can. There is NO visible difference once it is applied, though; and it goes on, just the same way.
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I've noticed the same thing before also. I always buy a new can if I notice it turning darker. Don't mess with the old stuff. As ray says, "Don't risk it"!
 
has anyone tried sanding, buffing, and the opticoat 2.0? I feel like that might be one of the best combos out there.
 
ihaveacamaro said:
has anyone tried sanding, buffing, and the opticoat 2.0? I feel like that might be one of the best combos out there.
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The biggest problem using Opticoat (or any other coating without any documented history) is if you're charging customers, how long will it last? Will the customer be coming back to you in 6 months?

There are coatings available (although not retail) that are for headlight restoration only that do last.

The actual cost for the coating is something less than a dollar per headlight. Why chance it? Also, with a good coating you can give your customers a written guarantee.
ray6
 
This process is just what my cars need. Seems like a simple process. I have purchased and used the 3M Headlight kit, but longevity took its toll. The issue with the kit is the lack of a sealer.

Sent from my cm_tenderloin using AG Online
 
Anyone having issues with their headlights looking yellow?

Ive re-done my headlight 3 times now. Everytime by the first month or so its already yellowing.
 
Part-timer said:
I've noticed the same thing before also. I always buy a new can if I notice it turning darker. Don't mess with the old stuff. As ray says, "Don't risk it"!
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That true, wood polyurethanes are already slightly yellow when new and get darker with age.
 
Part-timer said:
I'm curious about that stripping chemical myself. I haven't seen anything yet that works like that. Having this chemical could save me a lot of time and back pain...lol
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Strippers are solvent based. Any chemical stripper would disolve both the hard coating and then severly melt the underlying plastic headlight. Coatings and plastics are both resins and will suffer the same from a chemical stripper. Sanding and sealing is the best and only method that works for all headlights.
 
I wonder, would the original Opti-Coat fair better than the 2.0 version for this job? I honestly don't know too much about either one.
 
I've noticed some people on this thread mentioning "professional" products for protecting newly "cleared" plastic headlamps, but never a mention of where one might buy them. There are some thinly veiled mentions of "not retail" as though they are some kind of deep dark proprietary secret.

So is anyone willing to mention a brand name or a source? Or what they are, chemically?

ALSO, there continue to be claims for "oxidation removers" that clear foggy headlights without the sandpaper and abrasive approach. They cost a lot and seem too good to be true. Any attempt to find out what they really are, get the "proprietary, can't say" response. Anyone here know what THEY are? Other than "proprietary" or perhaps "Snake Oil?"
 
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