# How to: Making your tails pretties (picture intense) **URL:** \ **Category:** Builds\ **Created:** [March 24, 2006, 6:11pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804 "2006-03-24T18:11:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RedGoober4Life](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/redgoober4life/32/7610_2.png) [@RedGoober4Life](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RedGoober4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:11pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/1 "2006-03-24T18:11:06Z")
Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to wet sand and polish your faded, hazey tail lamps. Some of you may call them “tail lights” and some of you may be under the influence to refer to them as your “tails.” What you need: \>hazy/scratched tail lights \>bucket \>car wash soap \>nylon brush (you may call this a tooth brush) \>wetsanding paper (1500 grit/2000 grit…2000 should suffice if you don’t \>have very deep scratches, plus it’s so much easier to buff out than 1500) sanding block. Urban paint has it in NT. I like Urban Paint. They’ve done business with my grandfather for 50 years. \>medium paint polish (Meguiars Dual Action Polish Cleaner #83–carquest maybe, Mother’s Power Polish–Pepboys, certaim 3m polishes which I’m not really familiar with–urban paint on oliver in NT, Mezerna Intensive polish–various online places AND I love this polish) \>milder polish (various pre-wax polishes including mothers, meguiars, s100–harley davidson store, Mezerna Final Polish II–I \<3 this as well) \>few applications \>few microfiber towels \>spray bottle \>water (it’s this stuff that comes out of a faucet, which is a shiney thing with knobs. you turn a knob and you get the type of water you want. hot and cold. really neat.) \>wax/sealant. I used Jeff’s Werkstatt Prime and Acrylic Jett because they’re very durable and look great. ![http://static.flickr.com/52/117409451_0a990d67c5.jpg](http://static.flickr.com/52/117409451_0a990d67c5.jpg) Some people say to use metal polish. Or “aluminium” polish. I tried it once. I tried a little this time. It doesn’t work well, and I suspect that the solvents in it create the illusion that the wetsanding marks are being taken out. I advise against using metal polish (okay and for that matter–Noxon is terrible and should die a horrible death). Anyway. 1. Soak the paper in a bucket of soapy water for 20 minutes. The soap is lubricating and I like the luxurious foam bubbles it creats. ![http://static.flickr.com/47/117409455_168a16e019.jpg](http://static.flickr.com/47/117409455_168a16e019.jpg) ![http://static.flickr.com/38/117409457_b23e42116e.jpg](http://static.flickr.com/38/117409457_b23e42116e.jpg) 2. So my advice is to clean them first. Then use a light polish and see where you are after that. If you have just haze and not many scratches, it’s probably not worth the effort to wetsand. You can get rid of the oxidation by polishing alone. If you’re not confident in your polishing abilities, don’t wetsand. Of course, if you can’t polish out the wetsanding marks I’ll point and laugh and then help you. tpgsr can also help. I’m sure there are other members that can help. This is what they looked like before. They weren’t that bad. I’ve seen worse. ![http://static.flickr.com/45/117409452_31919ffafb.jpg](http://static.flickr.com/45/117409452_31919ffafb.jpg) ![http://static.flickr.com/42/117409453_6326c668b3.jpg](http://static.flickr.com/42/117409453_6326c668b3.jpg) ![http://static.flickr.com/43/117409454_82d389f67f.jpg](http://static.flickr.com/43/117409454_82d389f67f.jpg) 1. So now you have to wetsand. Take your pretty strip of paper and put it on the pretty sanding block. I like sanding blocks. They’re easier to use than just paper. They help to provide even pressure, so you don’t get high and low spots. Fill the spray bottle with water and add some soap. Please don’t add the soap and then the water. You’ll get that luxurious foam and not soap water. You can shake it up after. Spray the tail light. Get it juicy wet. This lubricates. You don’t want to sand dry. Not a good idea. And now you must sand. Linear motions. Not circles. If you want to polish out small circles, be my guest. They’re a royal pain to polish out and I wish you good luck. You can go the long way a few times, and the short way a few times. Just make sure you’re even. You don’t have to sand much, just enough to get the scratches down (you’ll likely not get them all out, and it’s not a good idea to try to get deeper ones out). Keep applying the soapy water as it dries out. Keep a wet edge. Voila. You just wet sanded. 1. Now you must polish. This is pretty simple. If you are doing it by hand it’s going to be something else, and you may need a more agressive polish to start. If you are doing it by machine take extra care with how much heat is being produced by the friction of the pad against the tail light. Plastic cannot tolerate the same amount of heat that paint on a car can, so you don’t want to end up with convoluted tails. Just keep the pad moving. ![http://static.flickr.com/55/117411598_3c35448dd3.jpg](http://static.flickr.com/55/117411598_3c35448dd3.jpg) I initially polished with my rotary polisher and then went to my cyclo. I love my cyclo wyclo. Dual head. :headbang: 1. wax! And continue to wax them. Don’t let them get this way again! 2. use the teeths brush to get any residual wax/polish out of the crevices. It’s a bit tedious. Dip the brush in the bucket of water and it should be a bit easier. It helps with the raised lettering, too. Ding. right: wetsanded. left: wetsanded & polished ![http://static.flickr.com/50/117411600_63dd1204b7.jpg](http://static.flickr.com/50/117411600_63dd1204b7.jpg) ![http://static.flickr.com/36/117411601_6377aa3701.jpg](http://static.flickr.com/36/117411601_6377aa3701.jpg) finished product: ![http://static.flickr.com/42/117411602_1176fccf74.jpg](http://static.flickr.com/42/117411602_1176fccf74.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/jeepsrule1/IMG_3433-1.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/jeepsrule1/IMG_3433-1.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/jeepsrule1/IMG_3434-1.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/jeepsrule1/IMG_3434-1.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/jeepsrule1/IMG_3435-1.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/jeepsrule1/IMG_3435-1.jpg) ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/jeepsrule1/IMG_3440-1.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/jeepsrule1/IMG_3440-1.jpg) ![http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/IMG_3448.JPG](http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/IMG_3448.JPG) ![http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/IMG_3449.JPG](http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/IMG_3449.JPG) ![http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/IMG_3451.JPG](http://autopia.org/gallery/data/500/IMG_3451.JPG) I cleaned the backs up a bit. 303 aerospace protectant wooo. ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/jeepsrule1/IMG_3443-1.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/jeepsrule1/IMG_3443-1.jpg) aftermath: ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/jeepsrule1/IMG_3444-1.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/jeepsrule1/IMG_3444-1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![91MR2](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/91mr2/32/7217_2.png) [@91MR2](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/91MR2)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/2 "2006-03-24T18:19:14Z")
Wow Corey, looks fantastic! ---
**Author:** ![Locutus](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/locutus/32/7574_2.png) [@Locutus](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Locutus)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/3 "2006-03-24T18:20:44Z")
:pimp: ---
**Author:** ![tpgsr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tpgsr/32/7374_2.png) [@tpgsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tpgsr)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/4 "2006-03-24T18:20:57Z")
Very nice. Just as a note, the method Corey used to clean them up, and un haze them also works really really well on scuffs and scratches. ---
**Author:** ![ly555is](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3bc359/32.png) [@ly555is](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ly555is)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/5 "2006-03-24T18:25:18Z")
beautiful, and excellent writeup 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![newman](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/newman/32/7569_2.png) [@newman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/newman)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:26pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/6 "2006-03-24T18:26:54Z")
dude. i can’t wait to have you detail my car… ---
**Author:** ![Rx3](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/rx3/32/7194_2.png) [@Rx3](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Rx3)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/7 "2006-03-24T18:30:59Z")
I want a detail appointment too. I lack the patience for this kind of thing. But at least I know how to do it :tup: ---
**Author:** ![MaximaSE98](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/maximase98/32/7600_2.png) [@MaximaSE98](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/MaximaSE98)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/8 "2006-03-24T18:31:28Z")
so when u buffing my car corey ---
**Author:** ![RedGoober4Life](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/redgoober4life/32/7610_2.png) [@RedGoober4Life](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RedGoober4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/9 "2006-03-24T18:35:04Z")
I have to set up some things first. Tax code and of course paying to advertise here. I may do one or two cars before I pay to advertise (so I can use that money to pay to advertise, of course). I expect to have everything sit up during the second week of april. That’s my spring break. And my unemployment ends around then. Thanks for the good words. Like I told Joe…wetsanding always discourages me because it goes through an “ugly duckling” stage. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anonymity](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/anonymity/32/7215_2.png) [@Anonymity](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Anonymity)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/10 "2006-03-24T18:35:16Z")
looks nice. how long did it take? ---
**Author:** ![Juan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a698b9/32.png) [@Juan](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Juan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/11 "2006-03-24T18:36:54Z")
bullshit…those are new tail lights j/k…god damn what a difference :tup: ---
**Author:** ![SHOtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e8cbc/32.png) [@SHOtime](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/SHOtime)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/12 "2006-03-24T18:38:40Z")
i also need a full Diamond Detail or just a Corey detail on my newer aqquisition. shoot me a PM of how soon youd be available corey. ---
**Author:** ![RedGoober4Life](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/redgoober4life/32/7610_2.png) [@RedGoober4Life](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RedGoober4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/13 "2006-03-24T18:41:09Z")
> [@fastandcheap](#): > > looks nice. how long did it take? Straight through? Probably an hour. But I stopped to watch part of Oprah, go on the internet, get excited over Thomas the train engine coming to Medina’s railroad museum… ---
**Author:** ![Anonymity](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/anonymity/32/7215_2.png) [@Anonymity](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Anonymity)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 6:49pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/14 "2006-03-24T18:49:00Z")
i would marry Oprah: for the $$$$$^ great job and nice write up ---
**Author:** ![focusinprogress](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/focusinprogress/32/7227_2.png) [@focusinprogress](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/focusinprogress)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 6:41am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/15 "2006-03-25T06:41:43Z")
nice work. :tup: ---
**Author:** ![TurboTSi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@TurboTSi](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TurboTSi)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 8:20am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/16 "2006-03-25T08:20:41Z")
Real nice outcome… how much does one of those polishers cost? Can you use it on paint also? ---
**Author:** ![RedGoober4Life](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/redgoober4life/32/7610_2.png) [@RedGoober4Life](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RedGoober4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 12:55pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/17 "2006-03-25T12:55:45Z")
The orange one is a rotary. It’s really cheap and it lets you know it (you can bog it down easily). $30 at harbor freight. The Cyclo is about $250. I think they have come down to $200. A lower cost alternative is the Porter Cable 2474. Or is that 7424. I’m not quite sure. It’s also sold at lowes as the 7336 “sander”. It, and the cyclo, are “dual action” in that they rotate on an axis and also spin on an orbit. Less heat is generated, so it takes a lot more time to do a job, but it’s safer (not burning). The Porter Cable is only one head though. The cyclo really isn’t worth the money over it. You can use them on paint. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LZ1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 1:06pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/18 "2006-03-25T13:06:41Z")
Using random 3m products and a blue pad always worked great for me when bringing back tail lights…I didnt know you could make the process so inolved. ---
**Author:** ![LZ1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 1:07pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/19 "2006-03-25T13:07:05Z")
Using random 3m products and a blue pad always worked great for me when bringing back tail lights…I didnt know you could make the process so involved. ---
**Author:** ![woz](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/woz/32/7605_2.png) [@woz](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/woz)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 1:40pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804/20 "2006-03-25T13:40:59Z")
looks awesome [Next page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/how-to-making-your-tails-pretties-picture-intense/9804.md?page=2)