Headlight polishing, platin assostment?
- Thread starter duburban
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I have an assortment for that task and use an RO90. That size is perfect if you have any compound curves. I just bought the boxes as Festool packages them. Definitely spray with water as you work otherwise they clog too easily. Wipe away the slurry as you go. I tried 500 up to 4K, then finished with two polishes. It took quite a while and the results were good, but could have benefited with more work at the sub 1K grits. Next time I think I’m skipping platin below 1K and using granat with interface pads to speed up the process, but I don’t have any and Festool in their infinite wisdom only sells the 2 grits I need in 100 and 50 packs. The 3M kits do 500 and 800 sheet abrasives before moving to 1K and 3K abrasive pads which look similar to platin. I haven’t checked to see what size pads their kits come with...maybe they will fit an RO90??
Cheese
Member
As Raj suggested, I also use the RO 90 as it’s the sweet spot for that type of work. Check with your local Woodcraft as they used to sell the platin discs individually. That’s where I picked up mine.
Dick Mahany
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duburban said:
I recently looked at using my RO90 for a headlight correction but went with the 3M kit instead for economy. The 3" kit was actually better for my case as the slightly smaller pads made sanding contours much easier. The little Bosch Flexiclick was a joy to use for that task. I didn't like the 500 grit that came with it as it took too much time with 800 afterwards to get rid of the deeper scratches left by the 500.
I've since found a nice assortment of Mirka Abralon 3" hook and loop disks that can be used wet or dry for under $15 here.
I finished with Meguiars Plast-X polish and the process was so fast that I should have done it a year ago. I do prefer wet sanding and decided not to use the RO90 in a wet environment.
Before ( looked MUCH worse in the direct sunlight)
[attachimg=1]
During (500 grit)
[attachimg=2]
During (after 800, 1000,3000 Trizact)
[attachimg=3]
After
[attachimg=4]
Attachments
Sparktrician
Member
[member=59951]Dick Mahany[/member], I do it somewhat differently in that I first tape off using blue or green tape as you do for its great release properties, but overlay that tape with aluminum duct tape for abrasion resistance, in case my RO 90 wants to get rambunctious. Depending on how bad the lens is, I may start as low as 120 grit Granat, then work up to 320 Granat before shifting to Platin 500/1000/2000/4000. Then I shift to MPA 5000 on a hard felt pad followed by MPA 8000 on a soft felt pad. Meguiars Plast-X is a great finish. [smile]
Dick Mahany
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Sparktrician said:
[member=7493]Sparktrician[/member] thanks for some good info. I like the aluminum duct tape idea. I was actually a little intimidated by the thoughts of using my RO90 as it is still fairly new to me and I was afraid of not being able to control it well enough resulting in a possible deep gouge somewhere. That extra surface area would have sped the process up compared to the 75mm pad that I used.
ear3
Member
I'm not aware of anyone who does a Platin assortment. For a time, [member=5]Bob Marino[/member] sold 3 packs of Platin, but the ppl who took over his business have stopped offering those.
duburban said:
Just know that once polished the nice clear lens will often revert back to a haze in about 6 months to a year depending on location and sun exposure. Even UV sealers won't last long. For a personal car if you don't mind 15 minutes worth of work a couple times a year it works. For a client, a new lens is the best solution and they can be expensive or cheap depending on the vehicle. Having clear headlight lenses should be considered a safety issue, as the light output is cut substantially with hazy lenses.
I've never seen a need to do more than a using a polishing pad and some compound. If the lens is worse than that, throw it away.
I've never seen a need to do more than a using a polishing pad and some compound. If the lens is worse than that, throw it away.
Cheese
Member
Peter_C said:
But then, what would we use our expensive RO 90's for? [poke] We already know that they don't work as well as the discontinued DX 93 for sanding inside corners. [popcorn] [popcorn]
Cheese
Member
duburban said:
It's been my experience that you get a year outside and 2 years or more if the car is garaged.
Dick Mahany
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Peter_C said:
I'm in the hot sunny So Cal desert, so this will be a real test of time for me. The vehicle is garaged except when I'm working in my "shop". The headlights started to noticeably change (factory coating degrading) about 1-1/2 years ago on this 2007 truck, so I'm happy I got that much time. Once the coating started to break down, the deterioration rate increased significantly. Since the repairs only take about 30 minutes, I'll repolish if/when needed.
The only solution is to buy new. The polishing is stopgap at best. Car manufacturers stuck it to everyone by switching to plastic lenses. Looking at most of todays vehicles they are not been to be run into the ground. Too many costly non-essential systems that will quickly exceed a cars value 8+ years out. I own and have always owned all of my vehicles, but leasing is starting to look like a viable option.
GoingMyWay
Member
I have no personal experience, but Scotty Kilmer says clear coat doesn't work:
Cheese
Member
bwehman said:
It's been my experience that the clear coat does last longer but only by maybe a month or two.
OR
It could also be that when putting on a clear coating for the final step, a person takes more time and uses finer grits thus preparing the surface better for the clear coat. So maybe it's more about final surface condition than anything the clear coat adds. [2cents]
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