buffing and polishing headlights

J.McDonald Knives

J.McDonald Knives

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Jan 28, 2007
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since i know its not knife related i figured id post it here. im driving a 97 subaru legacy outback and as yall know with older cars and plastic lenses, the protective coating out the outside will yellow and then peel off over time. well i decided to finsh taking the rest of it off. what i did was first hand sand it real quick with 320 and then in the opposite order with 500 and then opposite again with 1000. then i grabbed my stick of white compound and rubbed in on the lenses with the headlights on and then vigorously rubbed it with a clean towel. i can still see some of the scratches from the 1000 grit. was wondering if yall have another method i can try. maybe take them off and take them to my buffer? or should i get one of those buffers you put in your drill? any suggestions? i need them as bright as i can get them without going to the blue lights since i live in the country and there is a big population of whitetail out here. thanks guys.
 
IIRC Arthur Washburn nearly lost his thumb buffing a headlight bezel. I'd vise it up and try the cloth wheel in a hand drill. That way you can work in such a way that if it takes off an ya, you can direct it away from yourself :D
 
thanks man. it might be easier if i just leave them on my car and use the cloth wheel in a hand drill. now i need to figure out what compound works the best.
 
Yeah, that makes sense if you can get at them while they're screwed down. Safer that way.

I suspect you want a mild/soft compound for plastic?
 
I dunno bud give it a try! (always test in an inconspicuous area first, blah blah blah...) The red stuff that came with my dremel kit is softer than the white stuff I bought when it ran out, so I guess yeah try the red.
 
I'd buy new ones that don't need buffing. I spent 20 years fixing cars, machines, etc., though, so I got tired of fixen' broken stuff. Since I worked in a factory, I was fixen' the same stuff over and over and over. I only make stuff now.
 
i would buy them if i could afford $250 each headlight. :D i just picked up the cloth wheel that goes on a hand drill and then used my qhite compound on it. but first i went over it in 1500 grit then i buffed them with the wheel. they are nice and clear now. now if only i could take off the lenses and get rid of the ridges inside the lenses then i would be happy. those ridges restrict the light. i like the lenses on new cars cause they are clear with no ridges. much brighter beams. now all i have to do is wait til its nice and dark out side and see how bright these are now.
 
J. M.
I buff cars for friends and family and I always buff the head light and tail light lens with the same compound I do the clear coat on the car with. I use 3M Perfect-It Foam Polishing Pad Glaze. It takes all of the very fine scratches out of the clear coat on the newer vehicles and does a nice job on the plastic lenses too. I have buffed plexiglass with good results too.
 
cool thanks man. ill have to get some of that sometime. does anyone know where i can get euro or projector style headlights for my subaru? or how to remove the lens without breaking it so i can try to get rid of all the ridges on the inside of the light?
 
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