1966 Monaco Tail Lens Casting

[Jack-Stand]

For anyone's information, Layson's Restoration offers 66 Monaco repro tail light lenses, for number of years now. Does not have the chrome pieces on them, have to re-use one's old ones.Excellent work on your cast process, however! I have a couple of 66 Monacos myself.

Thank you much, I greatly appreciate it. That's phenomenal, I probably wouldn't have tackled casting them if I had been able to find that site just because those are definitely cheaper. Are they true polycarbonate lenses, or are they acrylic like the ones I cast? I book marked it for my other friends.

The Smooth on products have a Crystal Clear product that has UV protection. It will have tiny bubbles if you don't put it in a pressure pot. Crystal Clear™ 200 Product Information

If you are just doing it for yourself it would be cheaper to have a back up set and switch them out when they fade and or become brittle.

I may very well do that. I've already got the molds so I might as well use them. What do you use for your pressure pot? I've only got the vacuum pot.

 

[LocuMob]

On the phone with Layson's, getting a physical count for the lenses.

 

[Zymurgy]

They are a Urethane resin I am very happy with the durability and color retention so far. I have left a lens inside my car all summer just to see if I can see any change. None found.

The pressure pot are expensive. There are crappie ones on Amazon, California air, that can't take the pressure. The only good ones are Binks. I was lucky to find a 15 gallon on Ebay. You need at least 10 gallon to be able to make anything .

 

[LocuMob]

If you want repro lenses through Layson's they don't have many the guy I spoke with said he had 2 of one, four of another, but he guessed he could maybe make two complete sets. So there is one set in stock, maybe two if the parts gods are appeased enough. The numbers are what's left after I ordered a set. As he said, "get while the gettin's good".

 

[Jack-Stand]

They are a Urethane resin I am very happy with the durability and color retention so far. I have left a lens inside my car all summer just to see if I can see any change. None found.

The pressure pot are expensive. There are crappie ones on Amazon, California air, that can't take the pressure. The only good ones are Binks. I was lucky to find a 15 gallon on Ebay. You need at least 10 gallon to be able to make anything .

Interesting, I always thought urethane didn't do well in UV applications.

That's what I was afraid of. I knew they'd be crazy expensive, which is why I was hoping to avoid it through the use of my vacuum chamber. If I didn't have as much invested in these guys as I do, I'd probably just buy a set from Layson's.

 

[Zymurgy]

It may take years for me to pay off my equipment

 

[Jack-Stand]

It may take years for me to pay off my equipment

That's no joke my friend.

 

[Zymurgy]

This is why I made the investment, I looked for for 5 years finally found NOS, this is the lens I made from it.

 

[Jack-Stand]

This is why I made the investment, I looked for for 5 years finally found NOS, this is the lens I made from it.

View attachment 214922

Wow... Just wow... Amazing job, my lenses pale in comparison.

 

[LocuMob]

It may take years for me to pay off my equipment

Not if you diversify.

 

[Jack-Stand]

Well folks, as stubborn as I am, and as much as I hate to admit defeat, I think I'll be ordering a set of lenses from Layson's. For anyone who may be attempting what I did, I'd still say go for it, but verify your tolerances/sizes before you get too deep... Effectively what happened with my lenses was that I used my molds too many times, and with each iteration of making a part (because the previous one had flaws) my molds were shrinking. I finally got what I considered an acceptable part, right as I ran out of resin. I went to fit everything up and I had MASSIVE gaps between my trim and cast pieces. I'm a little disappointed, but I'm glad I ventured out to try it. Now I'm looking into making some cool parts elsewhere on the car. I'll start a new thread once I dream up something else.