Headlight reflector cleaning

KMBeers

KMBeers

Senior Member
I have been looking at my headlights and the reflectors are “dull”. I am not sure if they are the original silvered coating, a repop chrome, or the polished aluminum, but they are dull. I have tried a paste wax which cleaned them a bit, the polish applicator had a black residue after finishing, and just soap and water. Nothing helped so I am wondering what others have done.
 
The original silver coating was very thin and easily polished through. You could try a silver polish.

Or there are two alternatives: One is to buy new reflectors and the other is use the focused LED bulbs that do not depend on the reflectors. The latest issue of the Restorer magazine has an ad for the self focusing LED bulbs in the back of it (page 61). People have reported good results with the focused beam LED bulbs. (www.logolites.com)

Many many years ago, when I did not have any money and new reflectors were not available, I put self adhesive strips of aluminum tape on my reflectors. It worked but the modern focused beam LED's are much better.
 
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Black residue is silver oxide, so reflectors are probably original. Salt and white vinegar will remove it, but you would need to get rid of the wax overcoat first.
There are several products that claim to resilver the surface, but they don't provide a very thick plate and the result is a brassy cast where the silver was worn through.
 
"Lampblack" (i.e. carbon deposited from a candle or flame directly on the reflector) was the "traditional" way to polish original reflectors. You want to have a "very soft" cloth to do the polishing.

The silver is VERY thin. IIRC it was a "silver wash" done by immersion.

Joe K
 
The original reflectors are silver plated, they turn black and cannot be mechanically polished because the silver coating is too thin. Polished aluminum reflectors corrode to a dull gray and can be mechanically polished with jewelers red rouge. Chrome plated reflectors retain their reflective finish and should not need polishing.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions and help. I was really concerned with the black coming off that what was there was silver and really thin. I am going to try some silver jeweler’s liquid cleaner. It is a wipe on and off and then rinse with water. This will have to be coated with wax again or it will tarnish black pretty quickly. I will post some before and after photos so you can see the results. I was planning on just buying new aluminum reflectors but I want to see how this comes out.
 
I tried "silver polish" early on. Left circular "swirls" where either the rag or the polish had cut through the thin coating.

Back then there were services who would take your reflectors and "re-silver" them. Not cheap at $50 plus per reflector - but obviously desired for "Judging."

Or (then) you could pay $26 for the aluminum version (i.e. repop - and could be seen as "non-original" outside the lens - not for judging.)

The Chrome ones are an improvement/development since.

My mind goes back to Fran Delisle (Central Mass Model A) located in Leominster, MA. He's now gone but I wore a path to his shop.

Joe K
 
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If you use the new style LED lamps the reflectors don't matter.They are no longer used to reflect the light.They are just used to hold the bulb in place.
 
And the new LEDs are fantastic. Nice white light, and it projects forward, not just get absorbed by darkness in 10 feet. They use less current too.
 
LED vs incandescent.

559520
 

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I have used Magic Wadding Polish to good effect.
Don't rub it around in a circle and don't bear down on it.... just lightly go from the center of the reflector straight out to the outer edge...
 
Using aluminum foil and baking soda together is another method to effectively clean tarnished silver, where the aluminum foil creates a chemical reaction with the baking soda solution, transferring the tarnish from the silver onto the foil, leaving your silver shiny again; simply wrap your silver items in foil, place them in a plastic pail with one gallon of hot water and 1 cup of baking soda, and let them soak for a few minutes.
Key points about this cleaning method:
Chemical reaction:
The aluminum foil acts as a negative electrode, attracting the positively charged silver ions from the tarnished silver, essentially pulling the tarnish off.
How to use:
Place a sheet of aluminum foil inside the reflector, with the shiny side of the foil facing the silver. Rinse the silver thoroughly after cleaning. For heavily tarnished silver, you might need to apply more aluminum foil and soak it for a longer period of time and .
 
I remember a few years ago there was a process that sprayed a chemical solution on metal that came out as bright as chrome. Saw it on a segment of Jay Leno's Garage. Never knew how durable it is or if it was only snake oil.
Ed
 
Try Never Dull, it is a wading that comes in a tin can and is the best thing I have found to polish about anything and will not leave scratches.
 
A very inexpensive way to get shiny reflectors is to put aluminum foil on them, shiny side out. Rub the wrinkles out of the foil or smooth them with you hand. When it gets dull, replace the foil. I did this back in the 1960s because I could not afford to have the reflectors re-plated. By the way, aluminum will dull from surface corrosion when exposed to to the atmosphere, so it is a poor choice for a reflective coating. The practical solution is chrome plating because it is the most durable and it has excellent reflectivity although a tad less than silver. Running LED or Halogen headlight bulbs more than makes up the difference in the brightness of the headlights.
 
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