Headlight Restoration
- Thread starter TNJenn
- Start date
When I first cleaned off the bugs with rain x before I began my restoration, I was surprised that they did already look better with just a little elbow grease. More so then with just my normal spray and wipe. But I hate using elbow grease
JohnWC
Veteran Expediter
But it would be about 18.50 profit for 10 minutes of elbow grease sounds like a good deal to meWhen I first cleaned off the bugs with rain x before I began my restoration, I was surprised that they did already look better with just a little elbow grease. More so then with just my normal spray and wipe. But I hate using elbow grease
This is what a few minutes of wet sanding with successive finer grit sandpapers, followed up with liquid polishing compound, will do to plastic.
I give my Swiss Army Knife to the TSA every few years so I don't have to worry about keeping it shiny. I just buy a new one.
TruckingSurv
Seasoned Expediter
HaHa, my current one is getting dull, I need to fly someplace, too much effort to sharpen, LOL
For a Victorinox Swiss Army knife, even a badly worn one like that, it's about 5 minutes from start to finish, going up though the 4 or 5 grit levels. For a headlamp it's certainly more work, half hour, but that can be sped up with a drill or a power sander, as long as you have the finer grits available. A drill will certainly make quick time of the end polishing on the latter stages.
You can probably find it on eBay. That's where TSA-confiscated knives go, usually.
Learning to use a sharpening stone does require effort, but once you know how, sharpening a Swiss Army Knife is so simple that it requires more effort to get the stone out of whatever drawer you have it stored in than it does to sharpen the blade. If you run in to me out here I'll sharpen it for you. I have a couple of sharpening stones with me. Use Google or the Yellow Pages app to find a knife sharpening service nearby. Call a True Value hardware store or a saw store and see if they'll sharpen the blade. Ask a random person who looks like they hunt or fish to sharpen it for you. Ask the waitress if the cook will sharpen it for you.
I used to deliver to the old pig factory in South St. Paul 2 or 3 times a month. It was just up the street from Stockmans. After delivering I would go to the breakroom to use the pay phone. There was always guys up there sharpening their knives and I would have them sharpen my pocket knife.
Once you have an edge on the knife, you can keep the edge by periodically "steeling" it on the unfinished top edge of a car/truck/van driver or passenger window, the bottom un-glazed ring of a ceramic coffee cup, or even a wet river rock. The fine edge of an emery board works, too.
Several years ago I bought a set of Eagle Eye replacement headlight assemblies for my Chevy Express. $78 delivered to my door. The only difference I noticed from the OEM headlights was that the beam was slightly clipped or flat at the top. Similar to a fog light pattern but not as radical.
By far, the best product I've used:
http://www.amazon.com/Wipe-New-HDL6...tDescription_secondary_view_div_1437873896231
Their plastic restorer is also fantastic. The rare occasion when the "as seen on TV" wonder product performs exactly as claimed. Don't sniff it, nasty stuff ...
http://www.amazon.com/Wipe-New-HDL6...tDescription_secondary_view_div_1437873896231
Their plastic restorer is also fantastic. The rare occasion when the "as seen on TV" wonder product performs exactly as claimed. Don't sniff it, nasty stuff ...
That's the same as the old oil trick, with the added benefit (or detriment depending how often it's used) of DEET's plastic-dissolving properties. If you buff if off quickly and thoroughly enough, it will have dissolved the top layer of plastic and gotten rid of (most of) the oxidation. Leave it on too long and you'll just have a really, really cloudy lens.
I've had plastic and glass--- right now, my Chevy is old-fashioned enough to have the rectangular glass bulbs.
For some reason, glass isn't nearly as subject to pitting and getting dull as plastic is. It's the same nasty road grit being sprayed up on the lights, so--- plastic is more vulnerable.
Cheaper, too. I rarely pay more than 20 or so for a new headlight. When I had the Sprinter, I had to replace the left headlight unit (the mountings had been damaged in an accident before I bought the van) and I remember the unit cost me a couple hundred. I don't know if they cost that much on non-Mercedes vehicles, but I have an idea that replacing the entire assembly because it's dull is not cheap.
For some reason, glass isn't nearly as subject to pitting and getting dull as plastic is. It's the same nasty road grit being sprayed up on the lights, so--- plastic is more vulnerable.
Cheaper, too. I rarely pay more than 20 or so for a new headlight. When I had the Sprinter, I had to replace the left headlight unit (the mountings had been damaged in an accident before I bought the van) and I remember the unit cost me a couple hundred. I don't know if they cost that much on non-Mercedes vehicles, but I have an idea that replacing the entire assembly because it's dull is not cheap.
The way to clear up the ploy lenses is as follows.
1) Wash the front clip / hood & lights.
2) Clean with glass cleaner
3) clean with isopropyl alcohol
4Wet sand with 3000 grit grey type emery USE LOTS OF WATER this will lubricate and clean the lense, rinse the paper often
Repeat process until totally clear or as clear as you can get them.
When finaly clear apply 3 coats of high quality wax every six months
Problem solved.
1) Wash the front clip / hood & lights.
2) Clean with glass cleaner
3) clean with isopropyl alcohol
4Wet sand with 3000 grit grey type emery USE LOTS OF WATER this will lubricate and clean the lense, rinse the paper often
Repeat process until totally clear or as clear as you can get them.
When finaly clear apply 3 coats of high quality wax every six months
Problem solved.