Smooth acrylic? Yes, but...

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I was intrigued by a video I saw where a headlight is restored with a vapor that seems to melt the outer surface of the lens and bring back full optical transparency. It got me wondering if this was repeatable on acrylic using acetone so I picked up a stainless steel heated travel mug, made a printed a custom 3D printed nozzle, and performed some tests at various sandpaper grits. What do you think about the results? There's some potential but I think there's still more to learn and try.
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27 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 160

@GoldBl4d3 3 месяца назад

use 1500-3000 sandpaper to finish, you're crazy to try vapor smoothing at 600grit and below

@ZenyWorld Год назад

I am specialist in polymers also Telecom Engineer and IT. You did everything right and a good job with the 3d printer, but doesn't work for 2 reasons: Isn't acrylic, it's polycarbonate. The second reason is the fragment of your 3D project that was dissolved by the acetone, burned and contaminated the acrylic that you have tested. Try again with a polycarbonate sheet and will work 100%. (sorry for my english)

@42Pursuit Год назад

That's great info! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Definitely more things to try for next time.

@stuartowens3506 10 месяцев назад

Yup. I’m a sign contractor and there is a misconception that “Plexiglass,” (acrylic) and “Lexan,” (polycarbonate) are the same thing. Nope. Two chemically different products that require two different bonding methods.

@Flavio-yf4rg 7 месяцев назад

😂😮

@alexandermurghulia7140 6 месяцев назад

@@stuartowens3506what is the solvent that is used in those chinese headlight polishers called? I just ordered small canistef but there is no info about it. I suspect it is chloroform

@stuartowens3506 6 месяцев назад

@@alexandermurghulia7140 I just looked at the safety data sheet…indeed, chloroform (trichloroethylebne) is one of three key chemicals. There are a couple of others…methylene chloride and methyl methacrylate monomer.

@rousedaj 3 года назад

I did headlights regularly and the repair was done with a special uv resistant coating. But we never coated it at less than 1000 grit. I wouldn't call it busted until you did it at at least 1000 - 1500 grit wet sand. And even then it would still need a coating to protect the raw plastic even if it was clear.

@Sam-to1zg 3 года назад

Nice comment bro.

@aWhiskeyTangoFoxtrot 2 года назад

I agree with the sanding level. Nobody should consider a lens restoration with less sanding than that. I have seen them wet sanded to 3000 grit. It should also be noted Headlamps on cars use polycarbonate, and not acrylic plastic. As for sealing, I was wondering if the acetone vapor would seal it.

@MrMadact 2 года назад

@@aWhiskeyTangoFoxtrot the acetone will smooth the surface and seal it against contamination, but to prevent degradation you need to protect it against UV, which the acetone treatment will do nothing for. And contrary to marketing claims, car waxes and coatings won't help either - these may have "uv protective" ingredients, but the film is so thin they have (practically) no effect for this usage.

@arm2644 2 года назад

The right way to restore headlamp is to sand it with 2000 or 3000 grid water sandpaper and use the clearcoat, used for painting cars, to protect it against UV light! That is the only way to make it right, all other methods are pure waste of money!

@bobsmithinson2050 Год назад

@@arm2644 false. Clear coating them just makes a new clear coat that will fail again. Raw plastic polished is the way to go. Ever notice how the clear part of tail lights and turn signal housings on older cars never fade at all? Yup… no clear coat.

@driverguy7 Год назад

Good methodology for testing the results of your experiment, Thank you for sharing !!

@daneeckhardt411 Год назад

The main ingredients on the can that comes with the entire kit are Synthetic Resin and Methylbenzene

@jamesnobles1 Год назад

Headlights are made of polycarbonate which has 250 times the impact resistance of glass but can come in flexible forms which just adds to its overall strength. Because of this , it can scratch and yellow overtime which lends itself to the polishing methods to bring back its clarity. Acrylic only has 10 times the impact resistance of glass and is always rigid. It is way more prone to cracking and chipping although it always remains clear and never yellows. The video you referenced was for polycarbonate yet you tested acrylic. He didn't use anything other than acetone and his vapor was hotter than yours. I have also done this for years with excellent results using a can, hose taped into the opening and heat gun. Clear headlights are achieved in seconds.

@angeljose6261 8 месяцев назад

What liquid works the best for you?

@prakkari 8 месяцев назад

Headlights are not so deeply scratched. It’s just a slight weathering, light sandblasting from dust and UV light that matts them. This method works. Find a weathered headlight to prove this, not scratched plexiglass.

@jtrenchard1974 4 месяца назад

I think you should have gone to 2000 grit - that's what I have seen it used on successfully before.

@perrynorflus679 11 месяцев назад

I agree wholeheartedly with Rouseda. You can't disprove someone else's claim unless you are applying their EXACT tactics. There are far too many variables when comparing your testing methods to that of so-called vapor-sealing experts. What your experiment proves is such claims are at the very least, plausible, and that's good enough for me to consider.

@danejensen1614 3 года назад

It does work as per the reference video. Headlights are polycarbonate tho not acrylic I believe

@phototec 3 года назад

And headlights have NOT been scratched by sandpaper, just nature.

@ImranAli-rp4kd 2 года назад

@@phototec you have to use sandpaper to scratch them in the restore process , you sand with 1000 grit then upto 2000 grit to remove the old damaged layer of headlight lens and then use the vapour to remove the scratches

@markjones3121 3 месяца назад

The comment about MEK, aka methylethylketone or butanone is incorrect; it's not caustic. It's a common solvent. You want to avoid breathing much of it...use it in a well-ventilated space..and any vapour build up is potentially explosive. As for restoring hazy headlights in general, all the ones I've looked at show internal haze not just surface haze. Solvent smoothing as shown here and coatings will only fix haze caused by surface roughness; the internal haze will remain. As a quick check smearing a liquid on the headlight..soapy water, vegetable oil, wax polish...will give you a good idea of what you can expect from surface restoration. The headlight will look less cloudy but if it's still quite cloudy then the issue is internal haze and I know of no way to fix that.

@hyperhektor7733 3 года назад

btw i found a trick to control the sovent power of acetone (increasing its solventing time) just mix it with isopropanol 80% + 20% Acetone(or higher ratios if u need), this way you can use it directly without the need of vapour

@42Pursuit 3 года назад

Ah, that's good to know! Thanks for the info!

@MahmoudAbuHasan 3 года назад

u mean this increase the power of solvents? or the opposite? coz I try it 1/3 Acetone and 2/3 isopropanol and I did not get any result

@hyperhektor7733 3 года назад

@@MahmoudAbuHasan the opposite , it make acetones effect slower. I had the problem that acetone vaporised so fast i could handle it (under 5sec and it was gone). When you mix it , it reacts slower. Btw maybe you have the same toner as i have, i found that my toner reacts much better with Paint thinner (the one which main component is this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylene) try that first pure if it reacts with the toner ,then mix it with iso alcohol for easier handling (best value is some where between 20-40%, on my toner it was 25%)

@kareemamer430 3 года назад

@@hyperhektor7733 Thanks

@IntervalePC 2 года назад

600 grit is the coarsest grit you should use on headlights then work your way up to a finer grit. I personally go to 3000 grit but it can work with 1500 grit. And even after you get the plastic lens clear you will still need a UV protectant on the plastic☀😎

@42Pursuit 2 года назад

That's great info! Thanks for sharing your experience!

@LarkspeedNL Год назад

not if you use the polymer solution formulated specifically for headlight restoration, it clears the lens and coats it at the same time.

@keithroberts5611 11 месяцев назад

Unless it's old hardened flacking spider cracking 2k clear, Then you need to go course p320 but no lower!!! Make sure you have plenty of time and elbow grease to hand 😂

@IEatMedia 4 месяца назад

@keithroberts5611 after properly restoring the headlights, would it be good to coat them with 2k to protect them?

@Enjoythevroom 3 года назад

After all your warnings I thought you'd at least wear a painter's mask. That vapor literally burns mucous membranes. You have to wet sand the the cloudy surface of the headlight lens starting with 180 and working your way up to 3000 grit to get all the scratches out. This can take an hour or more depending on how badly weathered the lens is. Once you get all the fine scratches out, the acetone vapor method works like a charm. Lenses look brand new and coating them with a 2K clear coat after keeps them that way for years. You have to follow the directions to get the process to work. You did not wet sand and just used different grits and assumed the vapor would smooth them.

@42Pursuit 3 года назад

Don't worry, I can hold my breath for a really really really long time ;) You got that right, and that's what I was trying to answer in the video; to see if it's possible to save some time only sanding to lower grits and vapor smoothing the rest of the way. Nope, doesn't work. Gotta put in that elbow grease!

@Janevjura Год назад

@@42Pursuit Hi! Can you share stl file of that cone top for the mug ? Thanks !

@42Pursuit Год назад

@@Janevjura www.thingiverse.com/thing:4852411

@keithroberts5611 11 месяцев назад

Don't for god sake dont use 2k clear😱 if it's not written on the can for car headlights don't use it!!!

@edwardlance2379 Месяц назад

Older video, I know, but they actually sell a kit to do this (about $90). Comes with the cup (similar to the one you use), sanding blocks, chemical, etc. It's worth noting that this kit's sanding blocks go up to 2,000 grit. I'd try repeating your experiment, but sand up to 2,000 grit, then try it.

@MrJago1212 5 месяцев назад

Awesome Video!

@abdullahashoor820 Год назад

Start with 600 grit then 1000 , 1500, 2000 and even you can go up to 3000 , then you apply the acitone vapor 👍🏼

@fabioarrua 2 месяца назад

the magic starts a 1000 grit...😂

@CB-vt3mx 2 года назад

I do this, and i do not use acetone. First, you have to sand the cover down with 2500 grit to get the smoothness, then you use a POLYMER solution (which is NOT cheap) to finish. The secret is to provide not just a "smoothing" but also a new finish to protect the plastic that has been cleaned.

@stanaoves3943 Месяц назад

So what is the liquid you use? Why not acetone? Does that destabilize the plastic too much and makes it crack?

@kevpinder6821 3 года назад

Nice guy intuative and smart. Enjoyed.

@42Pursuit 3 года назад

Thank you kindly!

@normandothegreat 8 месяцев назад

Over the past 25 to 30 years, I have been sanding lenses to 800 grit, giving them a wipe with 70% isopropyl alcohol, applying a thin wet coat of adhesion promoter, then applying a 2K clearcoat. The process requires more work, but the end result makes it worth it. Now that 2K clearcoat comes in disposable spray cans (SprayMax), anyone with an appropriate respirator and common/safety sense can DIY. 😊👍

@MAS19630 Год назад

Last kit I had, this last snading step was with 3000 grit . Did a great job with out vapors

@42Pursuit Год назад

Ah yes, sounds like it's necessary to go up to a much higher grit.

@JamesStacks 2 месяца назад

I agree with the commenters below who said these methods are much too dangerous for DIY! If you have ever seen anyone working with acetone get burned, you wouldn't go near this! Even that small cup could create a disastrous fireball with one spark -- especially when it's hot. MEK is a long term exposure hazard. It cooks the liver. Brief exposures probably don't much matter. The big danger in all of this is flammability.

@philipbrown9006 3 месяца назад

Why didn't you try using 2500 grit sandpaper or higher? This is what is normally used before polishing with V36 compound. Also should have used polycarbonate sheet.

@mohamedsoud 3 года назад

I love your videos, keep up the good work and soon your channel will have thousands of subscribers

@42Pursuit 3 года назад

Thanks man! I really appreciate your kind words!

@tiporari 3 года назад

Just use a niosh respirator just as you would for painting or using MEK and you will be fine.

@productionmark 2 месяца назад

Did you do a second part of the video with 1000, 1500 and 2000?

@Dhows 3 года назад

Yesss!

@joesshop3622 4 месяца назад

Methylene Chloride is used for this purpose on ACRYLIC only. Weldon 3 or 4 is a product name to get it.

@alebiglio 2 года назад

Try THF, for polycarbonate or Weldon4.........

@tiagostenger Год назад

Very good your videos! Is that really acetone? The one with the nails?

@42Pursuit Год назад

Yes, I got it from a local hardware store.

@rileyandikeysplaytime5936 2 месяца назад

Much finer emery paper 800, 1000, 1500 grit and graduate to fine steel wool. Remember it is UV damage your removing. No need to use jackhammer style muscle on the sanding part!....Meaning do not put pressure when sanding! You'll gouge deep grooves. Back and forth even passes in a uniform manner, then up and down passes. Rinse surface well and allow to dry. You'll end up with much better results. The grits that were used in this video are ridiculously too coarse.They would work for taking rust off of steel.But that's not the situation here.

@gm16180 4 месяца назад

You should have used much higher grit to 2000 and 3000 to make it work.

@vidninjah 3 года назад

The higher the number on the grit the smoother the same paper! 😂

@42Pursuit 3 года назад

Yup! That's right

@ernestovillahermosa4827 2 месяца назад

Thanks

@krei-se 3 года назад

keep it up!

@42Pursuit 3 года назад

Thanks! I will!

@user-ev7qw8oi7e 2 года назад

FYI: They are using chloroform vapor to fix the headlamps assembly

@RoopeLuukkainen 3 года назад

Headlight lenses are polycarbonate not acrylic

@valderramajeria Год назад

nice !, have you tried this method directly on prints ?

@42Pursuit Год назад

I haven't but I bet it would work on ABS prints to smooth specific areas.

@valderramajeria Год назад

@@42Pursuit exactly what I was thinking, its a more direct specific approach but way to narrow flow to make a large surface smoothing, mabye this could be the source of steam, or more than one in diferen places, to a bigger box with a fan to even the steam inside to get a large size abs print smooth

@garza7676 11 месяцев назад

MEK , it’s a very strong solvent .

@dziggy3004 7 месяцев назад

IDK. I just use an electric drill, 5" buffing wheel and some white/red polishing Jeweller's rouge!

@davidreynolds3082 Год назад

Have you tried paint thinners as it's more aggresive than acetone?

@42Pursuit Год назад

I haven't, but from my research it wouldn't react as well as a smoothing agent for the plastic. Might be worth trying though...

@magicone9327 7 месяцев назад

R U referring to paint thinners for automotive paint? Most auto acrylic paint thinners use acetone, toluene, mek in various concentrations

@GTRliffe 2 года назад

your supposed too sand the headlight with 1500 then 2000. nothing will polish out 600grit. use 2000grit and they’re come up new

@mayamatuszczyk2436 3 года назад

I wonder how it would work with 3d printed acrylic parts

@42Pursuit 3 года назад

I briefly tried it, and it works but is kinda slow. Doing the smoothing the typical way suspended in a metal can would be much easier and uniform.

@BertPle 2 года назад

You have to sand it up to grid 3000.

@andrewcormier9269 Месяц назад

Try again on a headlight and you will be sure to have the correct material that headlights are made from

@JoelKreider 3 года назад

From what I know... which is cursory... flame/heat polishing works for Acrylic/Plexi. Maybe the Acetone would work better on headlights, as suggested by Dane Jensen. Especially if you went through the steps of sanding to 800-1500 grit. Also, we have MEK in our shop at work, and we use it sparingly. Actually, we use it for creating a "goop" out of plastic trim we make displays with. MEK melts the plastic off-cut slivers, and we apply it to the mitered corners. Fills in the gap and hardens to the same plastic as the trim itself. If you're careful and ventilate properly I haven't found it to be much more ugly than Acetone.

@42Pursuit 3 года назад

That's great feedback, thanks! Hmm, might have to experiment with MEK after all...

@theupstateangler 2 года назад

@@42Pursuit Always sand to the finest grit possible when polishing..... Should have at least went to 3000. My only concern is UV protection after its done and how long it lasts....

@berwali 2 года назад

Can you share the 3d printed part please

@42Pursuit 2 года назад

You bet! Here ya go: www.thingiverse.com/thing:4852411

@Simon-ps9mx 3 года назад

Great video! Could you post that STL for the nozzle somewhere?

@42Pursuit 3 года назад

Sure. Here ya go: www.thingiverse.com/thing:4852411

@eliascamarillo556 Год назад

Heat gun is the secret 🤫

@CCasyno 7 месяцев назад

MEK isn’t that crazy. We used it for years in the military.

@timneufeld2700 Год назад

300 then 500 then 1500 grit wet and dry sandpaper. Use clean filtered water. Acitone is what they are using. Finish with a UV protection coating. NOT CLEAR COAT.

@purplegravy1 Год назад

20000 then 50000 wet grit only and sand it softly like use your hand to hold it there and move it on the surface never fingertip it because you'll dig at and angle and then use your vapors or cotton wheel with wax its all about prep work, if you half ass it it doesn't matter how good you do with anything else its still gonna be a HAJ prep work is foundation for everything ever period doesn't matter what it is, like you can Land a plane missing a wing but you'll never get one of the ground with out it

@nagycsaba802 3 года назад

Try with 2000 grit then see the results

@42Pursuit 3 года назад

Ah, but that defeats the purpose of my lazyness of trying to find a solution for not having to sand to that high of a grit 😄

@conevans9982 3 года назад

Try 3000 grit

@dia35 7 месяцев назад

What about posting your STL design?

@42Pursuit 7 месяцев назад

www.thingiverse.com/thing:4852411

@rexel666 Год назад

The professionals use dichloromethane (methylene chloride).

@mjozev Год назад

Dude 600 you start with water, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 1800, 2000 grit ALWAYS WITH WATER AND THEN you do it with polymerization!!! 600 and 800 are for removing big scratches.

@jonathanalty2478 2 года назад

The guy used 800 grit. Also one guy said it was chloroform ?

@42Pursuit 2 года назад

Hmm, yeah, I've heard chloroform too. I think I'll stick with wet sanding with high grits. Gotta get a workout somehow 😄

@jonathanalty2478 2 года назад

@@42Pursuit you don’t sand with the chloroform. There is a small vapor kettle like appliance that puts the vapor on to the Perspex supposedly cleaning it and sealing it?

@EARLAMS 9 месяцев назад

Try using 800 then 1200 then 2000

@danygutierrez6511 2 года назад

You need to used 3000 sand paper

@mercurusblastomus879 Год назад

1500 grit

@eduardomack5637 2 года назад

Acetona no...formol, desintegra metavrilatos

@Abc-vr7tk 3 года назад

U can use acetone for the UV degradation but not for scraches, here is the video with explanation: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-z2ZRKPshPVM.html

@MrJago1212 5 месяцев назад

That was awesome!

@charlesstepson2932 Год назад

There’s different grades of acetone.

@keithroberts5611 11 месяцев назад

There is no short cuts for doing headlight restoration,This method shown here is far to dangerous for the weekend DIY, There's only one way the right way and I'm sure most people can afford 1hour restoring a set of headlights if the prep is done properly first, Depending on the make and type of vehicle, A shure way to maximum clarity and shine,If your a novice and dont wont a spend to much for a professional detailer, You cant go far wrong with 3M headlight restoration kits, There are three to choose from one for dry sanding tools required, And wet sanding no tools required, And a heavy duty kit to which tools are required,The instructions for the above kits must be followed correctly step by step are fool proof!!In addition i think one kit as clearcoat wipes,You may find you need to purchase a certified clearcoat with added UV protection separately if longevity is important for you?Also there are many utube streaming videos demonstrating this second to none product!! After care is equally important but thats another thing!! Goodluck 🤔😊🇬🇧👍

@edwinlopez8559 2 года назад

Headlights require a much higher sandpaper. We're talking like 5000 grit.

@coopers1716 Год назад

I don't think they're cleaning scratches as much as resetting the surface from oxidation after the factory-clearcoat wore off. I'm sure it serves both purposes but I'd be willing to bet scratches they are fixing are much smaller than 600 grit.

@42Pursuit Год назад

I think you're right, definitely a higher grit than I used in the video.

@mikemakesandfixes2070 3 года назад

Try Chloroform

@42Pursuit 3 года назад

Hmm, do you know where to source it?

@mikemakesandfixes2070 3 года назад

@@42Pursuit The liquid inside the bottle that they send you with these fogging kits and they sell that junk all over the internet

@PETERWAPI-xu9bq 3 месяца назад

Am still lost here...

@anguslean4058 2 года назад

This is how you do it 320 400 600 800 1000 2000 3000 Then use the vapor canister Some guys even go higher with 5000 After you have to seal it with something UV protectant Pure Acetone is what you want and you need to do it with no wind or indoors in a garage It does work The final product is going to be based on how well you sanded.

@42Pursuit 2 года назад

That's great info! Thanks for sharing!

@mousbleu Год назад

"yeaaah busteeed" ... You used 600 grit dude... It's 2000-6000 ideally.

@42Pursuit Год назад

The hypothesis I was testing was if lower grits would work for smoothing without having to do all that work of going up through the high grits.

@akromasanta 3 года назад

Try MEK

@42Pursuit 3 года назад

I'm considering it....

@Ralphs-House 3 года назад

MEK smells devine but its really really bad for you. Banned in most countries.

@42Pursuit 3 года назад

Haha! Divine huh? The forbidden fruit!

@laszlokulcsar2341 11 месяцев назад

800-1500-2000-3000-4000 + aceton

@danialhussin 3 года назад

Chloroform

@jff251 Год назад

You did WRONG Dude. You should have tried it on 1500 grit

@42Pursuit Год назад

Hah, that was the point, to see if it was possible to NOT have to go all the way up to 1500 grit.

@sambulucci Год назад

Maybe u should do more research before coming to an conclusion 😂. This method only works on 2000 grid more fine u go more better result u get. And no one uses a 600 on headlight. Its a plastic not metal 😅

@42Pursuit Год назад

I did research before and there wasn't much clear info on vapor smoothing at the time of posting. There's a lot more info about it online now.

@larryriehle166 Год назад

The tutorials I watched progressivly sanded to 2000 grit before using the acedtone vapor. You are deceiving folks with your lack of research.

@42Pursuit Год назад

All I was doing was seeing if acetone vapor could smooth acrylic without having to go up to super high grits and I stated that at the beginning of the video. Then I show my process and results. Not sure how experimentally testing a hypothesis could be considered deception but you do you. And I did do research before this experimentation and at that time of posting the video there wasn't a lot of information on vapor smoothing. Also, I directed people to leave comments if they had more information/knowledge, and what do you know, there's some valuable information in the comments.

@larryriehle166 Год назад

@@42Pursuit but you called it a "fail".

@staylofordo7111 Год назад

Why didn’t you go up to 1500 or 2000 grit? Not busted. Wimpy video 👎🏻

@hcquint8648 Год назад

Everything would be better if you could only talk not as fast as you did.why the rush?

@42Pursuit Год назад

I try to make efficient and quick videos that don't waste people's time. Also I've gotten both comments, 'talk faster' and 'talk slower' so I guess ya just can't please everyone all of the time.

@hcquint8648 Год назад

@@42Pursuit indeed you're right.The problem...my 71 years ...not been american and beon Deaf ( sordo)