Couldn’t wait to get home tonight to see how the lens turned out. Last night I remember thinking that I rushed the vacuum process, and opening up the mould confirmed this tonight. Too many small air bubbles for my liking, and one big one at the edge, but overall I have a usable lens which is a little better than either of the existing lenses I have. Unfortunately there is also a row of tiny pinpoint bubbles across part of the lens which look like a scratch.
I cleaned up the moulds and mixed up a smaller 35g (trying to optimize the amount of resin I use) batch of resin. Poured it in the mould, and there is barely enough….next time I will add another 7g so I have excess. I also noticed while pouring it in that I could see a small stream of air bubbles being pulled in with the stream. Tried pouring it a couple of ways but couldn’t stop it…..need to do some research on that.
Anyway, the big (and ultimate) test tonight was how would the part fit my car? Well, the answer is exactly the same as the original part. It is not a perfect lens, but it sure looks better than the other side!
If I can control the air bubbles, we are on to a winner I think!!
1960 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham 