Making headlights

[NOBLNG]

I was just playing around today and came up with this idea. I punched a 1/4” disc out of some clear plastic packaging. Then I taped it to a small file and pressed it in my vise, rotated it 90 degrees and pressed it again. Then I used the butt end of a paint brush to give it a little dome. Excuse the foil job...I couldn’t get it to stick to the bare resin bezel.

Edited March 4, 2022 by NOBLNG

[TransAmMike]

Ingenious Greg!!!   Man we sure can learn a lot on this forum.

[peteski]

Wow,, the striations left by the file came out really good - looks like a nice headlight lens!  And files come in different coarseness, so different patterns can be achieved.

Edited April 12, 2021 by peteski

[Bills72sj]

Very realistic. Well done!

[NOBLNG]

Thanks. The foil disc in the first two pics is too reflective and it looks like a chrome headlight from straight on. The third pic is some duller aluminum foil, and the last pic is the BMF behind the lens. I used a fine flat chainsaw file for the pressing.

Edited March 4, 2022 by NOBLNG
Add pic

[cobraman]

Looks darn good !

[peteski]

If you made the reflector concave (or even parabolic) shape and mirror-finish, like the real headlight, these would look as realistic as possible.  Many models have realistic clear lenses, but what is behind it lacks that very bright silvery sparkle that headlights have.  The reflector can't be flat - the concave shape along with the striations on the lens is what reflects the light just the right way.  Kind of like uncut diamond is dull looking, but properly cut facets make a diamond sparkle.

Edited April 12, 2021 by peteski

[misterNNL]

Great tip!

[bisc63]

That worked out nicely! Thanks for sharing.

 

[paul alflen]

Nice tip - inexpensive , you can make it from scrap materials, and only outgo dollar-wise would be for a chainsaw file. Brilliant!

[Straightliner59]

What an excellent way to create texture! I will definitely keep this in mind! For a bit more cash outlay for tools, you can  use this doming block and these punches to make the reflectors. I got mine at Harbor Freight. I just made these, today.

[AL.]

Now that is a neat trick which I definitely will be using at some point in the future.

Thanks fo sharing with us.?

 

[NOBLNG]

Well I decided to try making some buckets for these lights to get a touch more realism. First I shaped the bezel from some 5/16” O.D. tube.

Then, after drilling a shallow pilot hole, I used a sculpting tool to hog out a piece of 1/4” solid rod. I then glued the bezel onto the rod.

Shaped the backside.

I foiled the bucket using a shaped pencil eraser to carefully seat the foil. My .252” diameter punch made a lens that Can be wedged inside the bezel and may not even need to be glued. That does look a bit better than the flat backing I originally had.

 

Edited April 19, 2021 by NOBLNG

[NOBLNG]

On the left is the original die cast headlight and my latest attempt on the right.

And my first attempt with the flat reflector behind the lens on the left.

[TarheelRick]

That is a might fine looking headlight.  Also a very well presented tutorial.  Thanks for sharing.

[Straightliner59]

That looks great! Nice work, sir!

[carrucha]

Excellent tutorial!  It will come in very handy on one of my projects.

[Chariots of Fire]

That's a great tutorial!  Thanks for that.  As a substitute for using foil inside the headlight try using a Molotow Pen.  The effect is great and there is no trimming involved.   But I gotta try that headlight trick with the file and vice for sure!

[Beans]

Great discovery!!  I am definitely doing this!!

[Scott Colmer]

I'll be using this one! Excellent solution.

[stitchdup]

Neat tip, thanks for sharing and being so clear in the description/pics. I'm sure most of us have all the stuff needed to do this in our tool boxes except possibly the punches

[Paul Payne]

Guess I will have to clean my file first!? I have also discovered that fine mesh can be painted or chromed, trimmed  to size, and, using clear gloss, applied over the lens to simulate stone guard screens. Ever try to paint the molded on screens for early Corvettes?

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Haven't tried it yet but surmise that empty firearm cartridge cases could make fine punches for model car parts. Haven't tried it yet, too busy emptying them, but a .45 case is about the perfect size for a 3/8" gasket hole. And if the case cuts one or fewer gaskets? So What?

Edited August 27, 2021 by Foghorn Leghorn