Filling sink marks on clear red parts

[Drag Monster]

Does anyone have a good method for removing sink marks in clear red parts? These are a pair of tail lights on a Original 1960 Mercury Comet kit i'm restoring. Both sides  of each light have very deep sink marks. Any ideas?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Fill 'em. Make molds. Cast new ones from tinted clear epoxy or polyurethane.

You COULD try scuffing them and filling with a clear epoxy, then sanding to shape and polishing...but because the refractive index will almost certainly be different between the plastic and the epoxy, the sinks will still probably show.

Edited November 29, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[drsnapper55]

Hmmm....maybe some epoxy?  Add just enough to let it level with the part and settle at the correct angle?  It shouldn't react to the plastic.  Curious to see what you end up doing.  Good luck!

[StevenGuthmiller]

try filling them with some Laser Bond or Bondic.

If it doesn't work out, you should be able to pop it out with little effort.

 

My question is, are these sink marks just on the sides of the lens that will not be exposed on the finished kit?

If so, I doubt that you will even notice them installed.

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

After closer inspection, I've found that your main problem is not the sink marks, but the fact that the pieces you have pictured are not correct '60 Comet tail lights.

They are most likely the custom pieces.

The correct ones for this kit include a chrome bezel & a flat red lens.

For what it's worth, if you don't have the stock pieces, the AMT '60 Edsel bezels should be the same part & a flat lens should not be too difficult to replicate.

 

Steve

 

 

[ChrisBcritter]

You might double check that - '60 Edsel taillights are similar to but smaller than '60 Comet. Best suggestion would be to take the custom lenses and file them flat like this,

which would also eliminate the shrink marks, then polish them smooth and make the bezels from flat .030" or .040" stock and chrome them. You could also salvage them from a warped '60 promo.

Edited November 29, 2017 by ChrisBcritter

[StevenGuthmiller]

12 minutes ago, ChrisBcritter said:

You might double check that - '60 Edsel taillights are similar to but smaller than '60 Comet.

Could be.

I had been told by someone that they were the same.

I do have a '60 Edsel but no Comet to compare, so I was going by what I was told.

Either way, the lenses would be easy to replicate & even the bezels would probably not be too difficult to make.

I just used clear sheet plastic to make lenses for my '60 Edsel.

 

 

Steve

 

[ChrisBcritter]

I have a Comet but no Edsel - checked and the lights (including bezels) measure 5/8", give or take a hair.

[BigTallDad]

Consider using several coats of clear nail polish to fill the sink marks, then a final coat over the entire lens to smooth it out.

Fingernail polish goes on (and dries) thick, so it shouldn't take too many coats.

Make sure you use an acrylic-based polish; if you need to remove it, Windex (or other ammonia-based cleaners) should remove it. If the Windex doesn't work, a nail polish remover will take it off but make sure the remover does not contain acetone. 

I'd used the beloved plastic spoon test for experimentation.

[Tom Geiger]

I love the way these threads evolve.  Good eye Steve!  Reminded me of this, I have three of this AMT Buick wagon and not one of them has stock tail lights.  Kids must've loved those custom lights back then!

Another way to fix those tail lights with the sink marks...  fill them in with any putty.  Sand flat. Cover with BMF and color it with red sharpie.  I've done that successfully, especially good when tail lights are molded red but the 1:1 lens goes  red / orange / white.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Stock. A quick search of the OEM part number for the real cars appears to indicate the lens is specific to Comet.

                                       

[StevenGuthmiller]

44 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Stock. A quick search of the OEM part number for the real cars appears to indicate the lens is specific to Comet.                                  

The story that I had heard about these Comet & Edsel tail lights was that in 1960, with Edsel being on it's way out, Ford did not want to spend the money on too many Edsel specific parts for the '60 model year, so they raided the parts bin as much as possible.

Seems that story does not apply to the tail lights.

 

 

Steve

[Ace-Garageguy]

3 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

The story that I had heard about these Comet & Edsel tail lights was that in 1960, with Edsel being on it's way out, Ford did not want to spend the money on too many Edsel specific parts for the '60 model year, so they raided the parts bin as much as possible.

Seems that story does not apply to the tail lights.

Steve

Steve...I gotta admit that makes perfect economic sense, and the lenses look like they could well be the same.

But the part number for the Comet doesn't appear to be "sided", and a quick search only brings up the Comet fitment.  C1KF-13450C

There could well be an Edsel fitment that isn't commonly known and doesn't come up initially.  

[Mark]

The Comet was originally supposed to be an Edsel.  With the discontinuation of the Edsel lineup, it was sold by Mercury dealers but was not badged as a Mercury until '62.  I'm not sure if the title or registration for a '60 or '61 would read "Comet" or "Mercury" however.

The Comet taillight lenses look slimmer than the Edsel units, and the radius at each end looks smaller too.

Chrysler's Valiant went through a similar period: it was a brand unto itself for the first couple of years before being integrated into Plymouth for '62.

[Snake45]

Back to the actual question: 

This MIGHT work: Fill the dent with several layers of superglue, letting each cure completely. When you get the superglue built up to just above surface level, sand and polish it smooth. I've noticed that when I use superglue to fill a scratch or small dent, when I polish it out flush, it magically seems to take on the color of the plastic around it and simply vanish. I do NOT know if this would work with your clear red. If it doesn't, I guess you could then just paint the taillights as you would if they were made out of regular plastic, or "chromed." 

[BigTallDad]

38 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

Back to the actual question: 

 

Thank you.

[Ace-Garageguy]

WE WILL HAVE NO DIGRESSION, NO MATTER IF THE DIGRESSION IS VERY CLOSELY RELATED TO THE ORIGINAL TOPIC.

NOTHING BUT SPECIFIC ANSWERS TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION WILL BE TOLERATED.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

()

[Snake45]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

It had been so long since the OP's question had been discussed, I thought it necessary to preface my post, lest I be accused of "going off topic." 

[aurfalien]

Hi,

Testors Clear Parts Cement and Window Maker is supposed to allow you to even build up clear parts.

http://www.michaels.com/testors-clear-parts-cement-and-window-maker/10133745.html?mkwid=sWjxfbb2I|pcrid|221603831474|pkw||pmt||pdv|c|prd|10133745&cm_mmc=zadv_PLASearch-_-google-_-kids-_-kids-models-trains-rc-model-making-paints&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=kids&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=sWjxfbb2I|pcrid|221603831474|pkw||pmt||pdv|c|prd|10133745&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIit3w2MDk1wIVB2p-Ch2oPQpgEAQYAiABEgJ_xPD_BwE

 

 

[1930fordpickup]

Hopefully you have a small piece of red sprue to try some of the above. 

My brother looked at an early  Comet here in Toledo, the seller showed him the Original title and it said Edsel on it not Mercury. 

[ChrisBcritter]

Went down and took a look at my Comet's stock lenses; each had a pin broken off and each also had sink marks over the pins. I took a pin and dabbed a thin layer of Alumilite UV-curing resin (dyed red) over each one and hit them with the UV flashlight for a couple minutes; the stuff leveled off pretty well and filled the sink marks.

(Full disclosure: Still having some issues curing the red resin - it's hit or miss. Will try a more powerful UV light next.)

Edited November 29, 2017 by ChrisBcritter

[StevenGuthmiller]

5 hours ago, BigTallDad said:

Thank you.

I thought that I was staying on topic by recommending to the OP that he try a different approach for the tail lights rather than using those "God awful, ugly" custom tail lights for an otherwise beautiful build!

 

 

Steve

[Ace-Garageguy]

5 hours ago, aurfalien said:

Hi,

Testors Clear Parts Cement and Window Maker is supposed to allow you to even build up clear parts.

http://www.michaels.com/testors-clear-parts-cement-and-window-maker/10133745.html?mkwid=sWjxfbb2I|pcrid|221603831474|pkw||pmt||pdv|c|prd|10133745&cm_mmc=zadv_PLASearch-_-google-_-kids-_-kids-models-trains-rc-model-making-paints&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=kids&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=sWjxfbb2I|pcrid|221603831474|pkw||pmt||pdv|c|prd|10133745&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIit3w2MDk1wIVB2p-Ch2oPQpgEAQYAiABEgJ_xPD_BwE

 

 

Probably not in this case.

It's nothing more than glorified Elmer's school glue...chemically the same (PVA or polyvinyl acetate) and has relatively poor adhesion to plastic.

To make a decent looking repair (if that's the goal, rather than a snotty mess that looks like a 5-year-old did it), I'd tend to go with something like epoxy that develops good adhesion, and can be shaped, sanded and polished post-cure.

[Matt MC]

I've not done this before myself, but I'd be tempted to fill in the depression with successive dabs of Tamiya Clear Red enamel (leaving plenty of time for each coat to cure) and sanding the surface flush once it has built up enough.

Then I would airbrush the whole lens with a coat of the same paint to bring back the gloss finish required. 

Just a theory though - no idea if it would actually work.......

[Tom Geiger]

Someone reminded me...  These VW tail lights had big sink marks in them.  I took two part epoxy and mixed in some Testors transparent clear (spray can type). I used it like putty and sanded them down.  Then I sprayed them gloss clear.  Your actual mileage may vary.