Lens, dome etc cleaning and polishing

Mustang302

Member
Nov 26, 2011
164
Waterbury, CT
I agree on the Novus 2 with excellent results. It is a rare day that I will use Novus 3 on beacon domes.
I tried using brasso and it worked good on my whelen 8000 lens. But I still have a slight tint of yellow hazing but way better. I want to try some Flitz heard walmart has it.
 

Carlos SpicyWeiner

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 3, 2012
5,233
Lakeland, Florida
yeah we actually bought out the last of the Flitz lightbar restoration kits when they were discontinuing them.. Got 100 of them and only have about 20 left.. Flitz is great
 
Sep 16, 2018
119
Kentucky
Here's the archive of the existing info:


Please post all dome cleaning and polishing tips as a reply here.
OK, this is going to sound too good to be true (and too cheap) and take nowhere near the time that is consumed sanding, polishing, buffing, etc. and you will be amazed....Whats even more hilarious is my wife discovered it. While she was pregnant, she was on leave from work and I gave her a bunch of lenses to sand, polish, buff, etc. while I was at work, and she was like "screw this", did some experimenting, and came up with this....
Step 1: Wet the lens with plain cold water
Step 2: Scrub the entire lens inside and out with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser https://www.mrclean.com/en-us/shop-products/magic-erasers/magic-eraser-original (can get this anywhere for cheap)
Step 3: Rinse lens with cold water (its going to look ugly at this point, but that's the POINT)
Step 4: Find a container that will accommodate the size of your lens(s) totally submerged and fill it with HOT water and one scoop of powdered OxyClean (can get this anywhere cheap) https://www.oxiclean.com/en/product...an-odor-blasters-versatile-stain-odor-remover
Step 5: Submerge the len(s) and let soak for 45 minutes, occasionally flipping and rotating the lens(s) in the solution. (pretend its momma's secret sauce)
Step 6: After 45 minutes is up, hit them with the Magic Eraser again while wet from the solution, inside and out
Step 7: Rinse them thoroughly with cold water and then dry them IMMEDIATELY with a microfiber towel.
You will be amazed at the final finish considering the cost and time you invested. You can use an off brand of the OxiClean, but NOT the Magic Eraser (trust me, tried that). Now this does not help with significant scores and/or scratches (depending on depth of the scratch), but regardless of the method you use, you are not going to (nor should you expect) to get factory like finishes as you get with brand new lenses.
As an extra, I will coat the INSIDE ONLY of the lens(s) with RainX to prevent fogging should I have questions about the lights moisture intrusion integrity.
This method is recommended for lenses that have very fine to no scratches/scuffs and your merely looking for clarity. Hope this helps!
 

Mack2340

Member
Aug 31, 2019
84
Saginaw, Michigan
Can someone post a video of thier wet sanding method? Or at the very least, provide detailed instructions, i.e. use of soap and water vs. plain water, soak the sandpaper, or just use a spray bottle, ect.
are you still interested in seeing someone wet sand? id be more than happy to show you.

I've been restoring emergency lights for 5+ years now for personal collectors and agency's who want to get the most out of there lights instead of buying new Everytime, as it does cost money to buy new, people from all over the world send there domes or lightbars to me to be fully refurbished and restored to look almost factory new, some people you meguires plastix I used wizards as it always comes out clean and nice hence my photos, have any questions feel free to ask, and yes I do accept jobs.

I have been using a liquid polishing paste for more than 15 years now and that stuff hasn't failed me yet. Known as "Commandant4" it is meant to restore the shine on carpaint, scraping off the micromilimeter of dull toplayer, just like wetsanding. I've had great results with very bad lenses and I have used many cans throughout the years.
View attachment 195210

It's a Dutch product, not available in physical stores elsewhere but it can be found on the UK website of Amazon and through German and Belgian websites.
CLICK HERE for Amazon UK

It is like liquid sandpaper, mushed together into a can.
Applying it with a light damp cloth, making circles and applying pressure while doing so, you can hear it working on the plastic. When it gets less liquid and harder to rub it in, leave it to dry for a couple minutes then buff it out thorouhly. I usually apply one layer of regular carwax to seal the plastic and protect the shine.

For facebook users, here's a link to my photoalbum with polishing pics
https://www.facebook.com/dallascapr...99096038674.1073741831.100002557633554&type=1


Small example of why I love to work with this stuff so much, just had one go at the MX dome on the right, it was as bad as the one on the left.

View attachment 133991
i need to find some of this stuff
 

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Nolines

Member
Apr 5, 2018
1,678
Margate, FL
I like novus plastic polish comes in 2 levels 1 for heavy, 1 for light work then a spray polish cleaner. I only hand work mine or a toothbrush to get a lil more effort in since I don't have a polisher/buffer unit .
 
  • Like
Reactions: CrownVic97
Jun 25, 2010
282
Upstate NY
I have a mini jetstream, the dome condition actually isn't awful but it could use some work. The only time I ever tried to refinish a dome was a mini justice. Let's just say I needed to buy all new domes afterwards. I bought a set of novus plastic polish, and hopefully it will go better.
 

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