Windshield Repair Forum

Nothing, thank you, if you dont have any problem with old method , i would use it too.

canf wrote:Nothing, thank you, if you dont have any problem with old method , i would use it too.

I saw a set of headlights today that had been restored with the minvax product you mentioned and they looked bad. I would suggest you practice with an old set of lights before you use this on a paying customers car.

There are a number of issues with using Minwax or Helman's Spar Varnish for headlights. From just a practical standpoint, drying time according to the can is 6 hours, IF the humidity is not too high and the temperature is between 50-90 degrees. According to manufacturer's recommendations, neither product should be used if there is any possibility of rain. Spar varnish will yellow or "amber" over time, not a good thing if you are doing retail work. Finally, varnish is designed for application to wood, not for acryllic or polycarbonate surfaces.
From a cost standpoint, it would be great to use varnish and mineral spirits, but from a professional and longevity standpoint, my advice is the same as t4k's, find a product designed for the job even if you may have to have it shipped from the U.S.

mend master wrote:There are a number of issues with using Minwax or Helman's Spar Varnish for headlights. From just a practical standpoint, drying time according to the can is 6 hours, IF the humidity is not too high and the temperature is between 50-90 degrees. According to manufacturer's recommendations, neither product should be used if there is any possibility of rain. Spar varnish will yellow or "amber" over time, not a good thing if you are doing retail work. Finally, varnish is designed for application to wood, not for acryllic or polycarbonate surfaces.
From a cost standpoint, it would be great to use varnish and mineral spirits, but from a professional and longevity standpoint, my advice is the same as t4k's, find a product designed for the job even if you may have to have it shipped from the U.S.

if i could i would buy immediately but shipping cost are like a plane ticket so it does not make sense to buy them from U.S. You are right maybe i should find varnish which works with plastic, acryllic based varnish or epoxy based

canf wrote:

mend master wrote:There are a number of issues with using Minwax or Helman's Spar Varnish for headlights. From just a practical standpoint, drying time according to the can is 6 hours, IF the humidity is not too high and the temperature is between 50-90 degrees. According to manufacturer's recommendations, neither product should be used if there is any possibility of rain. Spar varnish will yellow or "amber" over time, not a good thing if you are doing retail work. Finally, varnish is designed for application to wood, not for acryllic or polycarbonate surfaces.
From a cost standpoint, it would be great to use varnish and mineral spirits, but from a professional and longevity standpoint, my advice is the same as t4k's, find a product designed for the job even if you may have to have it shipped from the U.S.

if i could i would buy immediately but shipping cost are like a plane ticket so it does not make sense to buy them from U.S. You are right maybe i should find varnish which works with plastic, acryllic based varnish or epoxy based

Good idea. Keep us posted on what you find. A varnish for plastic....this sounds interesting!

canf wrote:

mend master wrote:There are a number of issues with using Minwax or Helman's Spar Varnish for headlights. From just a practical standpoint, drying time according to the can is 6 hours, IF the humidity is not too high and the temperature is between 50-90 degrees. According to manufacturer's recommendations, neither product should be used if there is any possibility of rain. Spar varnish will yellow or "amber" over time, not a good thing if you are doing retail work. Finally, varnish is designed for application to wood, not for acryllic or polycarbonate surfaces.
From a cost standpoint, it would be great to use varnish and mineral spirits, but from a professional and longevity standpoint, my advice is the same as t4k's, find a product designed for the job even if you may have to have it shipped from the U.S.

if i could i would buy immediately but shipping cost are like a plane ticket so it does not make sense to buy them from U.S. You are right maybe i should find varnish which works with plastic, acryllic based varnish or epoxy based

Sounds like someone getting ready to do a half a$$ job. If you are going to do H/L's, Do them right with what is already designed for H/L's. There are good brands that last for a long time and there is also brands that last for a short time.... Do some good research.... Drop some of the fellow members a PM and ask them questions.
It you are going to do your job, do it right. It is your reputation on the line....

just chippen away wrote:

canf wrote:

mend master wrote:There are a number of issues with using Minwax or Helman's Spar Varnish for headlights. From just a practical standpoint, drying time according to the can is 6 hours, IF the humidity is not too high and the temperature is between 50-90 degrees. According to manufacturer's recommendations, neither product should be used if there is any possibility of rain. Spar varnish will yellow or "amber" over time, not a good thing if you are doing retail work. Finally, varnish is designed for application to wood, not for acryllic or polycarbonate surfaces.
From a cost standpoint, it would be great to use varnish and mineral spirits, but from a professional and longevity standpoint, my advice is the same as t4k's, find a product designed for the job even if you may have to have it shipped from the U.S.

if i could i would buy immediately but shipping cost are like a plane ticket so it does not make sense to buy them from U.S. You are right maybe i should find varnish which works with plastic, acryllic based varnish or epoxy based

Sounds like someone getting ready to do a half a$$ job. If you are going to do H/L's, Do them right with what is already designed for H/L's. There are good brands that last for a long time and there is also brands that last for a short time.... Do some good research.... Drop some of the fellow members a PM and ask them questions.
It you are going to do your job, do it right. It is your reputation on the line....

i know all producks which used in headlamp coating OEM and Aftermarket too

i add some of them here maybe someone want to look it,

ACRIPLEX 100PSR/100SR: See RöhM GmbH & Co. KG
Acryking F-328, Acryking K-101, Acryking K-103, Acryking PH-220, Acryking PH-328, or Acryking PH-700:
See Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.
Lensgard LTC5000 (Lensgard II), Lensgard LUC7000 (Lensgard III): See Rohm & Haas Co.
LHP100/LHC100: See Momentive Performance Materials, Inc.
LS123: See Rohm & Haas Company
Permaclear IV: See Sherwin Williams
PHC587, PHC 587C hard coat: See Momentive Performance Materials, Inc.
SH-41 and SH-50 hard coats: See Stanley Electric
SHP300/SHC3000*, SHP401/AS4000, SHP401/SHC4002, SHP470/AS4700: See Momentive
Performance Materials Inc
SRC UVT 146 and SRC UVT200 hard coat: See Red Spot

They all accepted by Automotive Manufacturers Equipment Compliance Agency

On the other side there are a lot of aftermarket HLR coats,some of them are tested by customers and take good rated like Delta kit 2k,dvelup's,Glasweld Gclear,Sem UV,Kent Europa lights clear coat kit, Speedkote uv cured hlr cote,cumberland products inc. cp-6900 again uv cured clear cote for hlr, same with speedkote, ext ext ext. i dont write others

i have been searching all of them about 2-3 moths,my problem is a lot of them is not aviable in my country,some of them ship but shipping costs are very expensive 1 bottle 178$ so what would i do,i am not a big seller or business man ,so i must figure out something for protection,now i search other varnishes or lacquers,this is my point otherwise i want to use spesific aftermarket producks too, like delta's or dvelup's i believe in them but in this circumstances i could not do anything

canf, I understand what you're saying about cost and availability where you are. The question becomes how much can you charge for a headlight job? If you are the only guy around using a true headlight sealant and your competition is using varnish, this could be a great selling point for you and a reason to charge more than your competition. You don't have to bad mouth them, just say what you do differently. First though, I would find out if my customers would be willing to pay more for a professional job. I would recommend doing the math and figuring out what you need to charge in order to make a fair profit on your time and materials, then present that to your customers. Better to do your homework first than to invest your hard earned money into something only to find out that the market won't support your idea.

I must have missed the country you are in. Have you checked into IPS? They are in quite a few countries with there products.

As Mend Master stated, if you are limited with venders doing H/L restoring and or you are taking the time to do a better longer lasting job, You can charge a higher fee.. We have a tent vender charging 25 per car using sandpaper and a 7" buffer with car wax that last max of 3 months. I have already been doing his redo's and charging way more than he charged them and guaranteing 1 yr and mantanece to 2 yrs for free. People will pay for quality.

Finding the right product that will last is the number one selling factor.

My friends thanks all comments,i write forum from Turkey,middle of Europe and Asia,we have seaside to Greece,Russia Ukrain,i think it is enough geograpic description, in my area there few HL restorer,charges are around 75$ for pair HL, i also sell/import HL oem xenon projectors(Hella,Valeo,Bosch,Koito),and oem xenon ballasts.

i am very familiar with headlights, so i get start HLR too because of few restorers and also their cheesy/bad jobs(HLR),now i do HLR with some quality waxes which include uv inhibitor in thier ingredients especially Yacth Brite brand(buff magic,pro polish)

but sure i want do best HLR with spesific products, with the help of my previous post, i took new e-mail from Delta Kit, Mr. Brent said they want to help me,maybe i get new shipping cost from them.

Thanks all