I've got some nasty overspray on my tail-light lenses:



Anybody have experience taking off the over-spray without ruining the lense?
Thanx in advance for you help...

I have not tried it on lenses for a few years so don't know if the plastic has changed. But,
There use to be a paint thinner you could get at hobby stores call Burate Dope thinner. (that is a type of model paint and not used for drug cutting ;-) )

Anyway it was amazing how it would take stains off paint and lenses without hurting them at all.
If you try it please test on an out of the way place first.


https://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/mid/mid43-1.htm Be sure it is the stuff yo use on paper and balsa wood planes.

[This message has been edited by Dodgerunner (edited 08-21-2006).]

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[This message has been edited by Firefox (edited 08-22-2006).]

Just about any car wax will take that off,it works good to polish plastic too (I use Turtle wax).

You don`t want to scratch the lenses--get the clay bar (Clayaway 4 from Pro-Bufford) --then follow with a silconic compound like Duzzall from Pro Bufford, then follow with MeGuires # 9 swirl remover, then top it off with Meguires # 7 hand glaze, and your good to go.

Brqake fluid - yes, brake fluid; it lifts paint, but does not attack plastic. And it washes off with water.

i've had sucess with wd-40 ,spray on let set about 10-15 seconds,wipe with a little pressure,its gone ,

...thanks for the suggestions guys, I'm trying them as we speak... er, type...

Brett

If the overspray has been there for a while (long enough to dry good) use rubbing compound.
That will remove the overspray quickly and buff the lens at the same time.

brake fluid will work as meantioned above, just make sure you don't get it on the paint you want to keep.

brake fluid is an old modelers trick for paint removal when building model planes/boats/cars/etc.

on a side note, that paint looks awesome. cany pics of the whole car?

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Yup, use brake fluid. I'd test it on a hidden portion before putting it on the visible, just to be safe. But the lenses should be safe from brake fluid, and the over spray will soften and come right off.

On the topic of plastic lenses, I recently got some mothers plastic polish for the headlites on my Ranger as they were very frosty. Boy that stuff works great! Did my wife's Cirris too. And now I'm going to do the rear lenses on my 86 and 87 GTs. Now if there was only way to get those air-like pockets out them too.

Update...

I've soaked the lenses with brake fluid for about 2 days, but still wouldn't budge the paint... so, I ended up using a scotch-brite pad and alcohol. I've got the over-spray off now, but tomarrow I will be getting some rubbing compound and do some buffing. I think I should be able to get them to shine again...

I'll post pictures of the results...

Brett

Ihave taken scratches out of lenses by sanding with 1500 then 2000 then some rubbing compound then wax and they look like better then the day the came out of the factory.pretty scary the first time until you see the end result and it does not take long at all.

Jim

quote Originally posted by Starfighter: Ihave taken scratches out of lenses by sanding with 1500 then 2000 then some rubbing compound then wax and they look like better then the day the came out of the factory.pretty scary the first time until you see the end result and it does not take long at all. Jim

This is by far the best way to restore clear plastic. The process Jim discribs is the same one used on very high end paint jobs to not only polish the surface, but flatten sutble ripples. Useing a hard block under the wet sandpaper can make an iregular surface mirror flat. On the curved lense of a GT, you wouldent use a block.

Ok, time for an update...

I successfully removed the overspray using a scotchbrite pad and alcohol, as posted before... I also scuffed the rest of the lenses repeatedly, working out some of the scuffs and scratches. These scotchbrite pads are just coarse enough to work out some of scratches and swirl-marks. It actually works pretty well:





After scuffing, I got out the power-buffer and attacked the lenses with rubbing compound, followed by some plastic polish and a couple of coats of wax. Here's the results:





I was actually quite surprised how well they came out, and it wasn't all that tough. I didn't do a perfect job on these, but I'll be replacing them in the future with something custom anyway... so it's good for now.

The next step is to tint the lenses for that "blacked-out" look...

Thanks again for all of your suggestions and insight... that's what I love about this forum!

[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 08-28-2006).]

WOW! Awesome job!

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1984 Fiero SE

I had bought a Mother's power ball for the wheels on my Camaro. It worked great on the wife's 88 GT lenses too.

Just in case anyone had a drill and no buffer. I have a buffer too. The power ball was just easier to get to in my garage - lol.

I always use a handcleanser purchased from my paint store. It has multiple weak solvents in it, and a very fine abrasive.It is strong enough to dissolve paint on your hands without damage, and so I therefore concluded it would remove overspray on most other surfaces, without scratching or melting the surface. Works like a dream..removing overspray from painted surfaces, rubber, plastic, glass...and, of course...hands !!
Nick

quote Originally posted by fierofetish: I always use a handcleanser purchased from my paint store. It has multiple weak solvents in it, and a very fine abrasive.It is strong enough to dissolve paint on your hands without damage, and so I therefore concluded it would remove overspray on most other surfaces, without scratching or melting the surface. Works like a dream..removing overspray from painted surfaces, rubber, plastic, glass...and, of course...hands !! Nick

I would have NEVER thought of that... thanks for the info!

ITALGT, Nice Job !!! Thanks for posting the pics & how to`s.

Scotchbrites are courser than 1500-2000 paper. I do LOTs of headlights. I wet sand with 1500, then power buff with 3M super duty compound. They look like new.