White/Clear Headlight Indicator - DIY

I've contacted hella in the past and they've told me that the part is licensed upnder BMW and they can't sell it separately without their permission. Of course, bmw won't sell the part separately either!

Andrew.
 
andrewr - I'm just having a look at the orange boomerang. You can take it apart right down to the orange lense cover, i'm wondering if it would be too difficult to cast accurately in a two part mold as its very thin?

It might be easier to cast the plastic backing in one solid piece of gelcoat, drill some holes for the bulbs then back with some silver foil? Might be very heavy though!

I've never molded anything before but i'm very interested in this project.
 
Has anyone tried using the one way mirrored film on the ambers sticks?

By which open up the light and wrap the stick in one sided mirrored film, then reseal?

This would give a mirrored effect on the outside but allowing the orange indicator to shine through


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ranski said:
Has anyone tried using the one way mirrored film on the ambers sticks?

By which open up the light and wrap the stick in one sided mirrored film, then reseal?

This would give a mirrored effect on the outside but allowing the orange indicator to shine through


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That is GREAT thinking ranski :thumbsup:

Loads of it on ebay for a few quid: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=one+way+mirror+film&_frs=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m359.

I've not had a light unit in bits, so can someone who has (ranski?) confirm that would be possible to wrap the boomerang in film such as that?

I'm not willing to risk hacking open a light to get my orange boomarangs purely to experiment, but does anyone else have a spare boomerang or two that I could have for experimentation purposes? This would be a nice little project. Happy to sling some beer funds to someone for them. PM me if you can help...
 
Yes it's possible, the trickiest part would be the cutting and sticking of the film/vinyl as it needs a good finish as all would be on show

I will have a go in the next few weeks and feedback


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ranski said:
Yes it's possible, the trickiest part would be the cutting and sticking of the film/vinyl as it needs a good finish as all would be on show

I will have a go in the next few weeks and feedback
:)

Good stuff. But in the meantime if anyone's got some spare orange hockey sticks / boomerangs then let me know as I'm happy to experiment too...
 
ranski said:
Yes it's possible, the trickiest part would be the cutting and sticking of the film/vinyl as it needs a good finish as all would be on show

I will have a go in the next few weeks and feedback


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I was about to say the same thing. The hardest part would be getting it crease free. The yanks like to make DIY 'stealth' bulbs by spraying a very thin layer of regular chrome paint onto their indicator bulbs to 'detango' them. I dont see why that wouldn't work on a full reflector strip.
 
tomTVR said:
ranski said:
Yes it's possible, the trickiest part would be the cutting and sticking of the film/vinyl as it needs a good finish as all would be on show

I will have a go in the next few weeks and feedback


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I was about to say the same thing. The hardest part would be getting it crease free. The yanks like to make DIY 'stealth' bulbs by spraying a very thin layer of regular chrome paint onto their indicator bulbs to 'detango' them. I dont see why that wouldn't work on a full reflector strip.

Who is going to photoshop it to give us an indication of what it will look like? :)

I feel a Dremel purchase coming :lol:


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tomTVR said:
andrewr - I'm just having a look at the orange boomerang. You can take it apart right down to the orange lense cover, i'm wondering if it would be too difficult to cast accurately in a two part mold as its very thin?

It might be easier to cast the plastic backing in one solid piece of gelcoat, drill some holes for the bulbs then back with some silver foil? Might be very heavy though!

I've never molded anything before but i'm very interested in this project.

Good question Tom. For really thin parts it may be difficult to get it moulded correctly without the risk of breakage or distortion, however it might take a bit of trial and error to get it right and find out the best way of doing it. The advantage I have is that my job involves working with lots of Chinese factories to develop moulded plastic products, they have some great engineers who will be able to offer me the advise I need if things get tricky!

Andrew.
 
I'm keeping a very close eye on this thread as my car has clear lights all round apart from my Xenons. Keep up the good work chaps!
 
@Andrew posted orange lens this morning

I will cut up the spare set of amber headlights this weekend and see if wrapping the hockey sticks in vinyl is viable
 
ranski said:
@Andrew posted orange lens this morning

I will cut up the spare set of amber headlights this weekend and see if wrapping the hockey sticks in vinyl is viable

Super, thank you! PM me your paypay details and i'll send over the money for postage.

Andrew.
 
This all sounds great guys, keep up the good work. Would be very interested in purchasing the final article when they're ready.
 
Update - I now have a pair of orange hockeysticks to base my cast on. The shape is more complicated than expected so it's going to take me a little while to work out the best way to cast them without having to destroy the mould each time. The plastic will need to be cast outside so it's likely that it will be spring time when I get chance to have a go, I don't fancy poisoning myself with toxic fumes! Will keep you all updated as the project progresses. Thanks again to Richard (Ranski) for the orange hockey sticks.

Andrew
 
Might have missed some topics, but any updates on Andrew's casting or Ranski's wrapping expiriments? :?
 
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