Polishing the Sams HID power on board

[ICEp1ck]

First time posting, but Ive been reading for a while, and Ive gathered that the reflector is crucial to the HID being able to "throw" light.


Ive noticed the SAMs reflector is anything but brilliantlly polished, but I havent taken it apart for fear of making my new light useless. Has anyone

a. Taken the SAMS HID light apart before

or

b. Tried polishing, repainting, or replacing the reflector?


Just curious...Im incredibly happy with the light but everything has room for improvement right?

Thanks in advance.

 

[CLHC]

Greetings and Welcome to CPF!

Don't know about the Sams HID Power on Board and on polishing of said reflector. Is the reflector plastic or metal?

Enjoy!

 

[ICEp1ck]

Looks plastic but Im skeptical to open it up...its new, so I was waiting for some pro advice.

 

[larryk]

The reflector is metal. It would be best to leave it alone. I tried polishing a similar spotlight reflector some time ago and the finish came off.

 

[ICEp1ck]

Ouch...Am I wrong in assuming the less flaws the reflector has the better my throw will be?

 

[mtbkndad]

Ouch...Am I wrong in assuming the less flaws the reflector has the better my throw will be?

The reflectors in the Sam's and AI are actually pretty good for inexpensive lights. There is more to the light output then the flaws in the reflector.

How about shape
Type of mirror coating
How the mirror coating was applied

Your more important question is how much do you want to spend to improve the beam of a sub $100 light :thinking: ? Removing the reflective coating, polishing the metal, and recoating the reflector will cost you much more in time and money then you spent on the light.

As a general rule the mirror coatings are very delicate
polishing = ruining .

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

 

[NAW]

I am able to clean reflectors really good with a yellow cloth I have. No scratches what soever. I am not to sure what exactley the cloth is.

B.T.W. All HID lights use metal reflectors. If they didn't the heat from the bulb would melt the reflector within a a minute.

 

[mtbkndad]

I am able to clean reflectors really good with a yellow cloth I have. No scratches what soever. I am not to sure what exactley the cloth is.

B.T.W. All HID lights use metal reflectors. If they didn't the heat from the bulb would melt the reflector within a a minute.

Are you referring to the Yellow polishing cloth's that can be purchase at home improvement type stores? If yes, then that is good to know.

I think ICEp1ck is referring to polishing as in buffing out the imperfections in the surface of the reflector.


Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

 

[AlexGT]

It would be best to leave it alone, If you don't you will be pissed off when you ruin it, trust me, been there done that!

AlexGT

 

[Patriot]

As the others have already mentioned, it's best to leave it alone. They seem to scratch and get dull very easily. I can see the area on my 15mcp Cyclops reflector where I lightly brushed a soft, clean, microfiber cloth to remove some dust that had accumulated. It put very fine scratches on the reflector even after I had blown it off with canned air first. I learned my lesson. CPF member Ra, or someone else more knowledgable than I might be able to teach us about the make-up of reflectors coatings...

 

[ICEp1ck]

Does anyone know what the coating on the metal reflector is? I understand the amount of work involved, and right now my time isnt worth much so...

But if others have already tried maybe it is best to leave it alone.


Thanks

 

[NAW]

Are you referring to the Yellow polishing cloth's that can be purchase at home improvement type stores? If yes, then that is good to know.

I'm not exactly sure what brand it is. I got it a construction site. The guys use this type of cloth to clean the mirrors, windows etc.

I used it to wipe off reflectors & lenses on my spotlights & HIDs. Works pretty darn good, leaves no scratches & gets rid of dust, fingerprints.