TECH TIP #8... REPAIRING SCRATCHED PLASTIC LENSES

It's been a while since I did a tech tip, so her's one for ya.

.

Did you know that if you get a scratch in a plastic lense, even if deep that it can usually be wet sanded out and then buffed back to a shine?.

Plastic buffs like butter. That means that it is really easy to buff out.

If you have a scratched lense, sand it out. Don't sand any area you won't be able to access with the buffer, or you'll have permanent sanding marks there.

Start with a coarse paper, and work your way down to a really fine grit. Then simply buff it up to a nice shine. a fine grit, to polish compound is all you need. If you have no rubbing compound, and don't want to buy any, toothpaste with baking soda will work in a pinch because plastic is so soft, that is all it will take! Oh yeah, and if you don't have rubbing compound, I'm gonna take a stab in the dark and assume you have no buffer either. Elbo grease will work here just fine.

This works, I promise. Over the years back in the body shop days, and even currently, I've saved thousands of dollars doing this on really expensive plastic headlamp lenses etc.

If you have a scratched lense, don't be afraid to try this.

You have nothing to loose!

Tech. Tip # 7 ..... Protect your paint.

3M makes a clear film, I'm sure you've all seen it on the leading edge of car hoods, etc. It's commonly referred to as Clear Guard, clear protection film, or Scotchgard™ Paint Protection Film. It is specially designed to be almost invisible, and protects the paint from getting chipped by flying deris such as stones, etc.

Most companies who do mobile decal striping do this service. Contact them in the yellow pages, on-line, or get a hold of your local body shop. I'm sure they can hook you up.

I bring this about, because there are many needs for motorcycles to have the leading edges protected as well. Such as the fronts of gas tanks, frame down tubes, fairings, hard bags, etc.

Heck, there are even specialized do it yourself kits out there for a wide variety of motorcycles. see: http://www.empireclearshield.com/site/1325795/page/667887 . This site has a place where you can find your particular ride, and order a kit made especially for it.

Keep the paint shiny, and keep the shiny side up!

Tech. Tip #5 Show Car or Show Bike Shine

Many people often wonder what is the best product to get a show car, or show bike shine witout a professional detail job.


Here we need to address Waxes & glazes, and another product called Wizard's Mist n Shine.
As far as getting that luster back in your old paint, or bringing out a show quality shine in a somewhat shiny paint to begin with, I prefer Race Glaze, or a McGuires brand glaze. "Not a wax". Glazes give you that high luster sheen, and unlike waxes, don't leave a hard crusty white powdery film that is really hard to remove once dry. They go on easy, and wipe off easy. Both products can be applied with a buffer, or by hand. I've used, and still do use both.




Lots of people swear by Wizard's Mist and Shine.




I think this is o.k. for quick cleanups, and shines, but does not compare to a glaze. Because it has alot of cleaning agent in it, I've actually had it remove the glaze I just applied, and lost the high luster shine to get Wizard's Mediocre Luster. I thought it would build on the shine but did just the opposite. This is when I realized that nothing tops a good glaze for a show bike quality shine.

Keep in mind, glazes are not permanent, and need to be re-applied every so often. I re-apply glaze to my tins about every time I clean the bike, and it only takes about 3-5 minutes.

Good luck!