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03-15-2020, 01:32 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Spring Grove, Illinois
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Headlight Lense Restoration
How do you restore original glass lenses?
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03-15-2020, 02:05 PM | #2 |
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Windy City
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Re: Headlight Lense Restoration
Use your favorite rust remover snake oil followed by a stiff scrub brush and detergent.
Extremely fine scratches and mars can be polished out with cerium oxide, glycerin and a rock hard hard felt pad. As with any polishing some skill is required to produce the desired result. If you've never polished out glass practice on a scrap headlamp lens first! |
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03-15-2020, 03:02 PM | #3 |
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Re: Headlight Lense Restoration
Toothpaste is another good way to polish the glass.
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03-15-2020, 07:16 PM | #4 |
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Location: La Mesa Ca
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Re: Headlight Lense Restoration
I've used a soft wire wheel to clean rust & other stuff off of glass, works great just don't press hard & keep moving so you don't build up heat. it doesn't do polishing though.
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03-15-2020, 08:21 PM | #5 |
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Location: GA 30809
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Re: Headlight Lense Restoration
To clean them, I've soaked them in full strength (not diluted) laundry bleach for a few days. It removed all stains, including rust, leaving them crystal clear. I've never tried to polish out scratches.
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03-15-2020, 09:48 PM | #6 |
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Re: Headlight Lense Restoration
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Toothpaste, diatomaceous earth, even pumice can be run aggressively against a glass lens and will remove stubborn surface deposits, including calcium haze and iron rust stains, but will not actually cut down the glass to reach the bottom of fine scratches. They may leave it looking shiny, but will never actually remove scratches. Google "cerium oxide glass polishing" and you will find a myriad of stuff, some good, some hype and also some YouTube how-to's that are just wrong! I've use it for years to restore antique scratched glass mirrors and windows of all kinds. |
03-16-2020, 06:31 AM | #7 |
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Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Spring Grove, Illinois
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Re: Headlight Lense Restoration
Thanks for all of the advice. I used some softscrub and they look as clear as a reproduction lense. Now I have a few scratches to deal with next.
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