so i nite shaded my led tails

[WhoDatPanic]

but for some reason it looks really spotty i didnt go all the way black but it looks really dull and not very glossy how do i get them glossy ? wet sand ? clear ? more vht nite shade? help plz

 

[thehoe92]

I have never had good luck with Nite Shade
did you do light coats?
did you prep the housing before you painted it?

I used Rustoleum Lens Tint and I love the stuff
goes on even and has a very glossy look to it with out having to do much to it
its about $12 a can

---------- Post added at 09:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:49 PM ----------

oh and use lacquer thinner to get the Nite Shade off if you decide to redo it completely

acetone will streak the plastic if you use to much

 

[WhoDatPanic]

acetone takes it off ? without damaging the lights ? and also what would i do to prep it haha i just cleaned it ?

 

[killer20072001]

No not acetone use lacquer thinner to take off. For prep I would go with 1000 wet sand then knock it down a bit with 1500 wet sand. Then clean really well. That should do it.

 

[thehoe92]

I can't remember what my dad called it but if you use to much acetone with to much pressure on the plastic it will leave a white streak from the rag

acetone will take the paint off the quickest but use it sparingly

lacquer thinner and time is your best bet

I used paint thinner to clean my stock housing and let it dry before I painted anything

I don't really trust any cleaners to do the job because it can leave behind unwanted shit that the paint won't stick to

also if your tails aren't brand new I would hit them with some 1000 grit to get the tiny scratches and bumps out

 

[WhoDatPanic]

ohh okay i meant laquer thinner ... lol
but yea i bought them new like maybe 4 weeks ago so they should still be good idk maybe they are supposed to look dull but i thought i saw them shinny glossy not mine at night you cant see the spots up close when lit....

 

[thehoe92]

just looked up acetone effects on plastic and I wouldn't recommend it, I don't know how I got away with it but it will melt plastic if your not careful

a lot of it could be the painting technique
spots means that you just have an uneven coat

but I don't know on the whole nite shade thing.. killer is the one to talk to he always gets a glossy finish but I remember he said he gets the best finish when it is brand new

so just hit the housing with 1000 grit once you get the paint off then clean it off with paint thinner, but make sure it dries/evaporates off the housing before you shoot it again

 

[killer20072001]

so just hit the housing with 1000 grit once you get the paint off then clean it off with paint thinner, but make sure it dries/evaporates off the housing before you shoot it again

Thats the way to do it. Just take your time. Light even coats is the key especially for tinting something. The first two coats should look more shiney than tint.

---------- Post added at 12:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:39 AM ----------

And if your doing it in a dark garage be sure to take them outside in the sun before you decide that its not dark enough. Its always easier to add more instead of taking off.

This is what my stocks looked like on the first atempt. WAYYY to dark.

You can go darker on the third brake light since they are already led's

If you have LED's you can pretty much just bomb those things and be alright.

 

[thehoe92]

to make sure you don't go dark enough while you are doing your even coats as you start to see the red underneath disappear don't spray any more once you can't see the red anymore

if you spray more it starts getting too dark

its also good for congruity because if you use that as a baseline then both tails will have the same darkness so one isn't brighter than the other

 

[WhoDatPanic]

okay so take off the niteshade with laquer thiner.. sand first on my led tails with 1000 or 2000 grit... then i guess do more even coats i did pretty even i thought i sprayed my grille and everything else so idk i know how to paint lol but if i bomb them with nite shade will i get a ticket in ca will it show through bright if i bomb them ?

 

[clean454]

well i would clean them up take ur time
then shoot the nite shade or better yet go to autozone and get that rustoleum stuff it works great like thehoe said

then shoot light coats take ur time, let it dry between coats

 

[WhoDatPanic]

okay so would you recomend it over niteshade alot lol i just bought it i know its only 12 bucks but still lol would it be that much better ?

 

[clean454]

well i guess it comes down to personal preff

i guess clean up both lights and shoot one if it comes out better and u like it then go with it
if it comes out horrible again then switch up to the other stuff lol

 

[WhoDatPanic]

true so just normal laquer thinner does the trick ? or paint thinner or are they the same lol

 

[clean454]

so just hit the housing with 1000 grit once you get the paint off then clean it off with paint thinner, but make sure it dries/evaporates off the housing before you shoot it again

^...

 

[thehoe92]

paint thinner < lacquer thinner < acetone

paint thinner is a really mild cleaner that will be perfect for getting ALL the oils off the housing

when you use the paint thinner use a paper towel so you don't use some dirty towel and mix oils in and do NOT touch the housing afterwards just start painting once its dry

I personally like the rustoleum better but it is strictly tint

nite shade has a bit of red in it therefore making your light show through better even though it shows up black on the exterior
but if you use the lens tint right you will have the same light output as nite shade but a glossier finish

 

[killer20072001]

But you have LED's should have no problem showing through.

If you still dont like them. Send them my way and for $20 I will paint them the correct way. With Clear Coat and Black paint mixed.

 

[WhoDatPanic]

okay so tommarow gunna use paint thinner get off todays nite shade then start over i want that glossy look so i might use that stuff you suggested but i want it to show through so i dont get hassled slash sued if i get rear ended....

 

[thehoe92]

you keep getting them mixed up lol

use lacquer thinner to clean the paint off and use paint thinner to clean the oils off and whatever else after you finish sanding them

and regardless if its a light coat or not, if your tails are messed with and you get rear-ended its your fault

I'm sorry but if you don't see a tahoe that is stopped at a red light you should not be driving

/rant

or just send them to killer, I was going to right before I bought that lens tint because I know he does a great job

 

[WhoDatPanic]

you keep getting them mixed up lol

use lacquer thinner to clean the paint off and use paint thinner to clean the oils off and whatever else after you finish sanding them

and regardless if its a light coat or not, if your tails are messed with and you get rear-ended its your fault

lol okay so lacquer thinner to clean the paint off then sand then paint thinner then vht lol is clear not necessary ?

and why if your tails are messed with and you get rear ended is it your fault ?