Re-coating a glass Pyle National headlight reflector

summerj · **Joined:** Mon Apr 07, 2008 10:12 am **Posts:** 27

Does anyone have any information on how to re-coat the glass reflector from a Pyle National Headlight? We have a glass reflector that has lost its reflective coating and need to re-coat it for a locomotive restoration. Any ideas?

Thanks!

Jimmy Summers
Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

btrw · **Joined:** Tue Mar 25, 2014 11:49 am **Posts:** 67

Perhaps a good start would be to locate a firm in your area that can re-silver a mirror.

Fred Heilich

wesp · **Posted:** Tue Jul 22, 2014 5:16 pm

Previous thread:

http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35806&hilit=pyle

Adam Phillips · **Posted:** Tue Jul 22, 2014 7:57 pm

These folks in Seattle say they have re-silvered locomotive headlights.

http://www.hylitemirrorandglass.com/

Good luck

summerj · **Joined:** Mon Apr 07, 2008 10:12 am **Posts:** 27

Thanks guys! This gives us some great leads!

PennCentral4321 · **Joined:** Wed Jun 23, 2010 7:45 pm **Posts:** 128

I have a number for a lady in Kansas that can do them PM me for the contact information.

Mark Frazier
Florida Heritage Rail Inc

Loco112 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 26, 2014 2:31 pm

When you get this completed, please report how this all turns out.

Photos are also greatly apprecaited!

DJacobsmeyer · **Joined:** Mon May 26, 2014 4:10 pm **Posts:** 15

Checkout this link. http://angelgilding.com/A1111C.html
We have several headlights at the MOT in St. Louis that need re-silvering. I have not tried it yet but it looks like it would work. The kit contains everything you would need to clean and re-silver the headlight. I may try silver paint first to see if looks like real silver.

DJacobsmeyer · **Joined:** Mon May 26, 2014 4:10 pm **Posts:** 15

We have used Rustoleum Mirror Effect coating on several steam train head and tail lights with good results.
https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catal ... or-effect/

Cleaning the old coating off the back of the lens can be difficult. Hydrochloric acid works to remove the copper and the silver can be removed with a razor blade.
When the back of the lens is clean follow the directions on the can. We usually use a truck liner spray on the back to protect the paint.

bbunge · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2022 9:04 am

DJacobsmeyer wrote:

...
Cleaning the old coating off the back of the lens can be difficult. Hydrochloric acid works to remove the copper and the silver can be removed with a razor blade.
When the back of the lens is clean follow the directions on the can. We usually use a truck liner spray on the back to protect the paint.

Paint stripper works to remove the paint. You might find steel wool and bleach to be more friendly to the glass surface under the silver. Some toilet bowl cleaners may work as well.

Bob

EWrice · **Joined:** Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:14 am **Posts:** 367

You could try Buffalo Precision Glass. If they can't do it they can probably tell you who could. They make new reflectors.

RailMech3 · **Joined:** Sun Jan 02, 2022 10:21 am **Posts:** 56

Is there a way to recoat, or recreate the “golden glow”’ look?

jayrod · **Posted:** Wed May 04, 2022 11:13 am

RailMech3 wrote:

Is there a way to recoat, or recreate the “golden glow”’ look?

The Golden Glow lights were that particular color due to them being made of uranium glass which has a yellowish to greenish hue to it. The silvering on the back side wasn’t really any different from what you find behind regular clear glass.

This was discussed a bit not too long ago.

craig.cootsona · **Joined:** Wed Dec 23, 2020 9:48 pm **Posts:** 12

Here is one possible alternative: A friend's headlight was missing the reflector altogether, and replacemets were not available. He found an affordable stainless steel salad bowl with a roughly correct shape, bored out the bottom to clear the bulb and focusing hardware, with perhaps a few other minor modifications to fit in the headlight housing. It worked nicely and saved the expense and time to locate and re-silver an original.