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need help suggestions with festiva lights

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    need help suggestions with festiva lights

    so lately ive been trying to figure out how to make clear headlight lenses so that we can use HID head lights with out haveing the refractors in the glass. i bought a kit to make molds for pouring plastic. im trying to make the die for the mold using a stock lens but im running into some problems. first off is there are 3 nubs on the outside. i tried sanding them down and got pretty close but nothing smooth. i was using a grinder to bring the nubs down and then hand sanding but it is taking forever!!! second problem is when i do the casting for the inside of the headlight i need to get rid of the refractors. we tried filling it with bondo which its getting is smooth but im affraid then when casting the mold that the bondo will be to pourous and not come out clear in the plastic. i was thinking of painting the bondo with a high gloss paint to seal it up and make it less porousable? in this whole process in sanding one lens already broke so its being glued back together and hopefully will come out seamless. if anyone has any better ideas on how to make clear lenses or sanding glass tips please let me know! im wondering if i just use the light i have make a rough cast with the plastic. and then tweak and sand the plastic which i think would be easier then sanding the glass and make yet another mold but that would be 4 molds all together and alot of money...

    #2
    why not use a set of headlight covers, remove the lens off the stock light and cut out the center portion and epoxy the covers on to seal it.
    2011 BMW 128i 6 Speed Manual -- dd
    1990 Protege 4WD 5 Speed

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      #3
      im cofused. i know gts mad clear wrap around covers but i dont think those are avlaible for festivas any more. my buddy just gave me back the lenses all sanded so i can use them for my die's but now i need to find a vaccum to pull the air out of the molding material before i pour it.

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        #4
        try an acrylic lens, there are plans online to make a vacuum table from scratch with a shop vac. I don't remember the exact link...
        2011 BMW 128i 6 Speed Manual -- dd
        1990 Protege 4WD 5 Speed

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          #5
          for your vaccum, you could find a cheap air compressor for inflating balls and bike tires and stuff, and if you tear it apart, you can find the intake side, tap it and put a hose to it for vaccum. A standard vaccum cleaner will work, but it won't create the -lbs/in2 like the compressor will. This works well for vaccum forming fiberglass and Carbon Fiber too, as long as you put a catch chamber in the middle for resin.

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            #6
            i was thinking of a food saver but i need to pull 29in mercury i cant find a straight answer if one can pull that much or not. the other option is i do hvac i can always barrow a vacuum pump from work but i still will need to make a chamber. someone suggested using a pressure cooker, but i would need one with a clean lid to ensure the silicone dont boil.

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              #7
              Your a tinbender? I'm a sparky myself. I have a food saver and I couldn't tell you the vac rating on that. But I have seen guys use if for home composite work. I don't know why you would need a container between the vaccum table and your source unless you have resin or something that could come up the tube during suction. If you are just sucking air, skip it. Now that I think about it, most food savers have a vaccum switch to activate the sealing function. If you wanted to get a higer vaccum out of that you could possibly disable that.

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