How to polish glass headlights with your own hands - step by step instructions
Every motorist knows, that the operation of the car necessarily entails a certain wear of all its elements. This is caused by various external influences, and certain internal factors, arising in the car.
Headlights - machine elements, which are most susceptible to external influences. If we talk about factors, affecting the reduction of the service life of the headlight, you can make the following list:
- dust and dirt;
- small stones, flying from under the wheels of other cars;
- ultraviolet radiation;
- chemically active substances;
- external mechanical actions;
- influence of atmospheric factors.
Preparation of car headlights for polishing
Due to all the above factors, scratches and chips appear on the surface of the headlights. They can also become cloudy, and the light-transmitting surface - to turn yellow. Glass lanterns are stronger and less prone to all kinds of damage, than plastic.
The owner of the car must monitor the condition of the headlights on his car - it depends on the quality of inspection at night and road safety. If you find headlight wear, it is necessary to replace it or to carry out a complex of works on its restoration.
To restore the car's headlights, you can contact the service station or do it yourself. In the case of glass lamps, this is quite a time consuming process, because glass is much harder than plastic, and it will take more time and effort to process.
Polishing your own headlights at home is divided into several stages of preparation and, directly, recovery.
The result of polishing the car's headlights
Preparation of materials and equipment
Polishing the car's lighting fixtures with your own hands requires the necessary equipment and materials. To begin with, you need to stock up on everything you need. This will allow you to polish the headlights of your car yourself.
Nozzles for car polishing
so, you will need the following tools and materials to complete the work:
- clean rags;
- tank with clean water and the presence of a tap;
- paste, with which polishing will be performed. One - with abrasive, the other is protective;
- abrasive paper or sanding wheels with varying degrees of grain;
- grinder or electric drill.
Polishing equipment
If you do not have a typewriter, grinding can be performed with an electric drill, however, it must be used very carefully.
Glass differs from plastic in higher hardness. Therefore, at the final stage of processing you will need diamond paste.
Preparation of headlights for finishing
Before polishing the headlights of your car, they must be properly protected in those areas, which will not be processed:
- To begin with, it is recommended to remove the lighting fixtures from the car - this will make it easier to perform any work.
- Thoroughly clean the glass surface from dirt and dust with water, rags and detergents. You can also use a brush to wash.
- All adjacent areas are sealed with masking tape - it will protect them from any unauthorized influences.
Preparation of car headlights for polishing
Rough grinding of a glass surface
At this stage, we need to grind to remove the damaged layer from the glass surface. The depth of chips and scratches determines the thickness of the layer, which we need to get rid of. Grind with an abrasive tool, gradually reducing the degree of granularity. At the same time moisten the treated surface with water and monitor the degree of its heating.
Remember, that when overheated a crack can be formed - it will not be possible to get rid of it. If the work is done manually, monitor the translational movement and uniformity of processing. Finally, rinse the surface well with water.
Finishing polishing glass
The next stage is finishing polishing. Its task is to obtain a matte surface with the smallest possible depth of the grooves. Here we use an abrasive with the minimum possible grain size. Monitor the cooling of the surface with liquid.
Doing the work with your hands, remember that, that the intensity of movements gives a quality surface, however, it leads to more intense heating. At the end of this stage, wipe the glass dry with a clean cloth.
Finishing polishing car headlights
The final stage of finishing and applying a protective layer
Further polishing of the headlight glass is carried out using a foam wheel, on which the abrasive paste is applied. The work must be performed as carefully as possible - polishing is carried out in a circular motion. If you do not use a power tool, you can polish with your own hands, applying paste on a microfiber cloth.
How to polish car windows from scratches
Next, you need to replace the foam circle with felt and apply a protective paste on it. If polishing is done by hand without a power tool - change the napkin and apply a protective paste on it.
The result of polishing the car's headlights
After that - in a circular motion rub the paste into the surface of the headlight glass.
After polishing is complete, and the headlights are shining, they should not have chips and scratches - this will mean, that you have successfully coped with the task of recovery.
conclusion
Polishing glass headlights with your own hands is a rather complicated and time-consuming process. It requires a lot of time and serious effort. This is a set of different operations to restore the glass surface. Glass is much harder, than plastic, so you will need special pastes with diamond crumbs.
The main condition here is the lack of haste, attention and accuracy. Otherwise, you may overheat the glass, provoke a crack or treat the surface unevenly.
Remember - your safety on the road in the dark depends on your honesty and accuracy.
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