Glass polish

[moizeau]

I have 2 questions regarding windscreen glass and headlights.
I know it has been mentioned before but whats the tried and tested method to de-yellow headlights? I've seen the kits for sale but they must just contain something that can be bought from a supermarket of hardware shop?
Second question may be a bit trickier. I've inadvertently embedded small pieces of metal in one side of the windscreen. Yep I'm a pillock and was doing some grinding in front of the car
I've gone over with a scouring pad and a few have come out but too many remain. I wondered if anyone knew of a polishing method to get these out? I've got an electric buffing machine with a mop on it. I was thinking about very fine wire wool then polishing it up?
Thoughts please?
Cheers

[white exec]

Not sure which car, but if it were to crack its windscreen.... if all else fails.

[moizeau]

I was thinking along those lines........

[Paul-R]

This will be similar to welding spatter and my experience is that you won't be able to polish it out, the small pieces melt themselves in too deep. All you can do is to use a Stanley knife blade or similar (tape splicing blade) and try scraping the globules out.

Use the blade at an angle that just lifts the blunt back edge off the glass. Then carefully push the sharp edge at the metal to dislodge the blobs - the aim is to lift the metal out but not further damage the glass with a scratch. After that you will still have tiny holes but they are below the surface of the glass which, if they are in an area covered by the wiper blades, won't rapidly degrade the blades.

Apart from that, if the windscreen were to develop a crack and need replacing...

[moizeau]

Cheers Paul, I'll have a go, hopefully the screen doesn't get damaged........

[Hell Razor5543]

I have used toothpaste (and a few flannels) to clean the headlights. Toothpaste has a very mild abrasive to clean the teeth, and does a fairly good job on plastic headlights. However, you will then need a protective fluid that helps to cut down on the U/V getting to the plastic (which then degrades it).

[white exec]

Turtle Wax do a pretty good headlight restoration kit, which works well enough.
Mer polish and lots of buffing ok too.
Everyone has their favourites (along with oils, fuels, screenwash, coolant, tyres . . .).

[moizeau]

Thanks James and Chris, I'll give some toothpaste a go before moving on to a 'proper kit'.
Cheers

[Gibbo2286]

This will be similar to welding spatter and my experience is that you won't be able to polish it out, the small pieces melt themselves in too deep. All you can do is to use a Stanley knife blade or similar (tape splicing blade) and try scraping the globules out.

Use the blade at an angle that just lifts the blunt back edge off the glass. Then carefully push the sharp edge at the metal to dislodge the blobs - the aim is to lift the metal out but not further damage the glass with a scratch. After that you will still have tiny holes but they are below the surface of the glass which, if they are in an area covered by the wiper blades, won't rapidly degrade the blades.

Apart from that, if the windscreen were to develop a crack and need replacing...

If you manage to get the metal out and leave holes maybe they could be filled with the UV kit that's used to fix stone chips. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ATG-Windshield ... 77Z6LLCS

[Gregor]

I have 2 questions regarding windscreen glass and headlights.
I know it has been mentioned before but whats the tried and tested method to de-yellow headlights? I've seen the kits for sale but they must just contain something that can be bought from a supermarket of hardware shop?
Second question may be a bit trickier. I've inadvertently embedded small pieces of metal in one side of the windscreen. Yep I'm a pillock and was doing some grinding in front of the car
I've gone over with a scouring pad and a few have come out but too many remain. I wondered if anyone knew of a polishing method to get these out? I've got an electric buffing machine with a mop on it. I was thinking about very fine wire wool then polishing it up?
Thoughts please?
Cheers

Hi.
For headlights I used very fine sanding paper with water till all the scratches removed and they become milki. Then used polish paste for crome and after that thick motor oil to finalize them. After that sprayed them with 1K poliurethane lacquer and dried it with hot air blower. It lasted for aprox. 2 years. Maybe a 2K lacquer would be better but can't tell.

Regards.
Gregor

[moizeau]

Thanks for the link Gibbo but with the amount that I managed to embed the quantity of that resin required would probably cost more than a new screen (or at least the excess).
Thanks Gregor, I was thinking about that idea. I will try a mild abrasive polish first (possibly toothpaste) and if that fails move to some very fine wet and dry in soapy water.

The metal fragments came out by wiping a stanley blades across the wetted screen very lightly. I think I've got away with the scratch problem, will have to wait for a sunny day to be really sure......