no the murky white is the problem im having with my tailights. it just ment that the clear coat didnt dry right.
was it misty outside or had it rained lately??
the clear coat will only stick really good if its hot and dry out.

 

warm and dry out*** not necessarily hot.

 

awesome can this exact method be done with stock tail lights as well or is this an LED exclusive ?

Great job btw

 

stock works. mine were stock.

 

thank you bigtruckguy ... oh and will any rubbing compound work i currently have turtle wax rubbing compound

dnt really feel like buying a whole new bottle

 

im not totally sure.

UPDATE TO EVERYONE - If you use stock tailights (as i did) i would advise u to get buffer for the compounds. i applied all the compund by hand and everytime i applied it it took away the clear from the clear coat and made everything foggy everytime. So just a heads up. USE A BUFFER/POLISHER

 

Make sure temps are above 70F or so....also make sure to shake the can really well....apply in small amounts until the entire light is coated...then go back over until it has enough on it...if it starts to look milky in any spot you are on the boderline of having too much clear coat on...let that dry, sand and then apply next coat until desired clear coats are reached.

This method can be used on ANY plastic light (stock, LED, aftermarket).

Orbital buffer can be purchased for about $20 at your local auto parts store and comes with all the buffing pads you will need.

Any rubbing compound should work

 

ok i did this to my taillights just like you said to and they did not turn out glossy enough. should i just sand em down and put more clear coat on?

 

more clear and more plast x probably. but make sure to do alot of light coats of clear so u dont get white spots.

 

wetsand with 2000 grit and then reapply the clear, make sure the temps are hot enough and it has plenty of dry time.

Try doing lighter coats on the clear and then use more plast x when you buff them.

 

Very nice job! It came out clean and I think that is the problem with alot of these OTC products for tinting lights but you took care of that with the final sand and buff after the clear coat. Might I ask though why you wetsanded with dish soap? I have painted for many years, professionally, and I feel that wetsanding with water works well alone. I just wanted to add a bit of advice to your outstanding write-up by letting everyone know not to be afraid to use a DA sander or sand in a circular pattern. If you put good solid coats down, especially with non-metallic colors, your sanding marks should not be visible. If you are having issues of orange peel and the general cheap rattle can outcome the final step that 05blackfx4 took by sanding with 1000-2000 and then buffing should take care of all those problems and it will look like a million bucks. Thanks for letting me put in my 2cents.

 

on another note, I just read some of the last posts and I can probably help resolve some of these issues. Whiteness is caused by applying too light of a mist on the clear, it creates tiny air pockets and that is where you are getting the visible whiteness..... you need a good fluid coverage. Not too much though, you dont want it to drip. If they are not glossy enough, ie. too much orange peel or rough finish sand them smooth with a 1500 then a 2000 and if it is still as dark as you like you can buff the lights with a polishing compound to re-gloss. I recommend 3m medium cut, the stuff mostly found in paint supply stores such as sherwin williams automotive finish stores or an APYS if you are in west Texas. I wouldnt use anything grittier than a 600 on plastic even if you are sanding to "start over" 600 should sand it out just fine.

 

Heres the turnout with newer stock lights. I did the 3rd brake light too. Im going to probably put one more coat on the tail lights.

The way the sun hits this one makes it look more red on the side

 

ok guys i'm ready to do this but i got a question. do you really have to sand the lights down? what happens if you u dont? and holw long will it take to dry is this something i need to do late afternoon and let dry over night?? thanks for the thread!

 

yes sanding is bery essential the paint will not stick if u do not sand.
and it is time consuming so just pick your time wisely. the longer you let the paint dry the better off you will be.