How To… Make Old Lenses Look New

A cost effective way to keep your original lenses is to color sand and buff them out. There’s a little technique to it but they’ll look like new and you’ll be very pleased with the end result.

First, find a nice stable table and lay down a towel on your work surface. Find a bucket and a little warm water and some car soap or dish-washing liquid. Wash them thoroughly, then rinse well. While they’re wet, get a piece of 1000 grit wet automotive color sanding sandpaper and sand the outer portion of your plastic lens — one way, NOT in circles!  It’s important not to sand any markings on the lens. Stay away from sanding any markings off… you’ll want to keep those. Then repeat the same thing with some 1500 grit wet automotive color sanding sandpaper.

Next, get a little hand air buffer and cut-rub all your scratches out with some light rubbing compound. Then simply polish them out by hand or machine with a nice automotive polish. Then wash the lens again – maybe with a soft sponge and if there’s any compound or wax between the letters or screw holes just use a toothbrush and lightly brush the compound away. Then rinse. Follow that up with a coat of good wax and you should have a great looking pair of lenses to install.

Important: Make sure you’re holding the lens in your hand tightly, so if you catch an edge with the buffer it doesn’t go flying across the room. Don’t do it near the car! If you don’t have a polisher or buffer take the sand paper all the way to 2000 grit and you can do the whole job by hand.