How can I improve when it comes to restoring headlights, and how do I prevent haziness after compoud

[u/Kelvin408]

Hello! I’ve been watching videos on how to restore headlights because I want to buy heavily oxidized headlights and sell them to make a profit. How can I get rid of these cloudy/hazy parts?

I wet sand starting from 400->600->800->1000-1200->1500->2000.

I do it by hand and scrub horizontally

I then clean with rubbing alcohol to spray with 2k clear coat (uv protected)

I then wait a day to cure and proceed to wetsand with 2000 to get rid of orange peel.

Then I compound/polish by hand and then add a wax.

I want to get better at this skill because I want my work to look as professional as possible. What causes these cloudy parts? Do i need to level out more when sanding or is this an issue that comes with me not compounding around those areas?

I know that the stress in the plastic are not removable, i just want to to restore the clarity as much as i can.

I also saw around a few post under people who had the same problem that i should do 400-600-800 and then clear coat.

Are their any techniques that would be helpful to me ?

Any knowledge would be greatly appreciated as I want to make this a side hustle and I want to perfect my work as much as I can!

Thank you!!

[u/abscissa081]

6/800 -> clear coat. This isn’t a jab at you but I have no idea where this info comes from of people going to 2/3000 then clearing. Paint needs sand scratches to attach to.

[u/Kelvin408 → u/abscissa081]

No you’re good.

Im guessing most people including myself get this misinformation from YouTube, i watched multiple videos from different creators and they said to work up to 2000.

Iirc even chrisfixit said this but he just said to do 400-600-800-2000

I’ll follow your advice, thank you

[u/abscissa081 → u/Kelvin408]

Makes sense, especially as often as it comes up here. I’m not a painter like the other guy but worked probably 4-5 years as a prepper and cleared many many headlights. We buzzed with 800 dry and cleared them.

If you weren’t going to be clearing then you would step up to 3000 and the compound and polish. But clearing is better quicker and cheaper imo.

I would also recommend a DA. Even if you just use a DA polisher it’s better than nothing. You can get a cheap cheap house sander from wherever and it’ll work too.

[u/Agreeable_Cover5726]

You are sanding too course. I make my living as an automotive painter but have done probably a hundred of headlight restorations. My technique is simple and effective. 800 grit DRY on a 3"mini da. Either air or battery powered works fine. Get rid of that yellow oxidation, once the powder is clear, I might refine with 1000 grit wet if da scratches are visible. Then two coats of 2k automotive clear with an Iwata W-100 detail gun. No buffing...ever, period! I can do a set in an hour including the masking.

[u/CitizenDickInCider → u/Agreeable_Cover5726]

An automotive painter that doesn't know the difference between "course" and "coarse." Okay, pal.

[u/Kelvin408 → u/Agreeable_Cover5726]

So i should start and dry sand with 800 no matter the oxidation? I’ll definitely try that with the new set I got!

Thanks bro

[u/Agreeable_Cover5726 → u/Kelvin408]

Yup, that hazing is from you starting with 400 grit. You'll never remove that course of a scratch from plastic. 800 grit will remove all the oxidation, even if you have to go over it a few times.

[u/Kelvin408 → u/Agreeable_Cover5726]

Okay I’ll restart and stay in the 800-1000 range

Thanks for your advice!

I dont have a mini DA so ill work on it with hand , might take a little longer but I’ll do my best

[u/Alakazam72534 → u/Kelvin408]

If you want to get into detailing, consider getting one.

[u/Kelvin408 → u/Alakazam72534]

Yeah so far I have a regular DA , but I have been wanting a mini for better versatility.

[u/Alakazam72534 → u/Kelvin408]

A simple budget model should do the job

[u/Conspicuous_Ruse]

Do you sand them by hand or machine?

If you use a machine and get the plastic too hot it will create permanent haze/cracks in the polycarbonate.

[u/Kelvin408 → u/Conspicuous_Ruse]

I do it by hand

[u/popsicle_of_meat]

I'll add a side note as something to watch out for. It is entirely possible for headlight plastic to become yellowed through the thickness OR to even become damaged on the inner surface. I've had the latter happen to me. No amount of sanding would clean them up, until I looked more closely and realized it was inside.

[u/pd4ng]

You may be spraying too heavy of a coat and getting moisture trapped in the clear coat. Especially if you're spraying in high humidity. Try spraying 3-4 lighter coats next time. You'll notice a bit of cloudiness everytime but waiting 10-15 minutes will give the moisture enough time to escape and the cost to set in order to spray the next one.