View Poll Results: Clear Turn Signals?
I would pay $40 for a pair of quality NA clear turn signal lenses.
23
88.46%
$40 is too much, I'd be interested at a lower price.
0
0%
No way, you need to make a different product first! (add a thread reply please)
3
11.54%
Voters: 26. You may not vote on this poll
Feeler - Producing clear turn signals / other clear parts at REASONABLE prices
05-21-2014, 01:33 PM
#31
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06-10-2014, 08:31 PM
#33
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I shouldn't have posted the thread as soon as I did, my bad.
I am ordering the equipment this week and going from there. This is gonna be a side hobby so I don't have too much time for it. Once I get the equipment, it should move along pretty fast from there. I will keep the thread updated as legit things start to happen.
I am ordering the equipment this week and going from there. This is gonna be a side hobby so I don't have too much time for it. Once I get the equipment, it should move along pretty fast from there. I will keep the thread updated as legit things start to happen.
06-17-2014, 08:47 PM
#35
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That's my plan once things get going 
^
Stage one is complete, an awesome old school pressure tank is on its way to my doorstep.
Next step, buy product samples and learn how to resin cast!
^Stage one is complete, an awesome old school pressure tank is on its way to my doorstep.
Next step, buy product samples and learn how to resin cast!
06-22-2014, 02:32 AM
#36
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As you may know, I used to import the clear and smoked lenses for the 928, 924, and 944/951 models until the end of 2013. And the prices you "lol" about are probably the ones I used to ask.
Note that there has always been a cheaper alternative: Clearz in Canada made the same types of lenses, and so did a few others over the years.
Why did we survive for so long? And why is the manufacturer still in business (selling through a different importer since I no longer have the time to do it)?
Unfortunately, making such lenses isn't as easy as it seems. Here are just a few of the interesting challenges you'll encounter:
- You'll have to deal with bubbles, and how to avoid them. Similarly, the silicone material occasionally does stick to the resin (when it happens, it's most often in tight corners). Then you'll have to throw away the lens you just made, and make a new cast.
- You'll have to deal with the fact that the original lenses are very cloudy, which is not obvious when they are tinted. But you'll see every flaw when you redo them in clear. We developed a proprietary solution to make them clear and glossy.
- You'll have to deal with the fact that most resins turn dull and yellow when exposed to the elements for prolonged time - even when the manufacturer claims they don't. We've seen it over and over again, and kept upgrading our materials to the latest and highest grades, to ensure our lenses stay clear and glossy.
You'll have lots of fun with the side marker lenses, and even more with the housings:
- The inside of the lenses is particularly prone to have bubbles, which will create ugly patterns that can be seen from the outside of the lens.
- One competitor was not able to make these lenses straight - when I ordered some for resale (before we made our own), the majority was buckled to the point where they were completely unusable.
- The housings are extremely challenging because of their complex shapes with the holding tabs. The latter were probably the most difficult part that we ever made. We had to rework and replace many before my manufacturer figured out how to get the mold right and keep the tabs from cracking.
- You can't heat fuse the side marker lenses and housings when they are made of resin. You'll have to find a way to glue them securely, so that they don't separate when the mounting nuts are tightened, or heat and vibration rattles them. That was probably one of the other big challenges we were facing. We had to try various adhesives before we found one that was strong enough, and provided soft foam seals and specific installation instructions to avoid the issue.
So, yes, you can make lenses easily at low cost. But coming even close to the quality of the lenses I used to import will take years of experience. And making it profitable and sustainable will take more than $40 per pair in retail price.
I'm not trying to discourage you from trying; you might learn a lot of interesting things along the way. But I want to give you a realistic outlook, based on what we have been through.
Here is what happens when you don't get it right:
1. Material that wasn't supposed to get yellow (not our product)
2. Competitor's lenses (milky - you don't see any of the blue background)
3. Lenses from Germany (note the clarity)
Hope you can avoid these issues. Best of luck!
Note that there has always been a cheaper alternative: Clearz in Canada made the same types of lenses, and so did a few others over the years.
Why did we survive for so long? And why is the manufacturer still in business (selling through a different importer since I no longer have the time to do it)?
Unfortunately, making such lenses isn't as easy as it seems. Here are just a few of the interesting challenges you'll encounter:
- You'll have to deal with bubbles, and how to avoid them. Similarly, the silicone material occasionally does stick to the resin (when it happens, it's most often in tight corners). Then you'll have to throw away the lens you just made, and make a new cast.
- You'll have to deal with the fact that the original lenses are very cloudy, which is not obvious when they are tinted. But you'll see every flaw when you redo them in clear. We developed a proprietary solution to make them clear and glossy.
- You'll have to deal with the fact that most resins turn dull and yellow when exposed to the elements for prolonged time - even when the manufacturer claims they don't. We've seen it over and over again, and kept upgrading our materials to the latest and highest grades, to ensure our lenses stay clear and glossy.
You'll have lots of fun with the side marker lenses, and even more with the housings:
- The inside of the lenses is particularly prone to have bubbles, which will create ugly patterns that can be seen from the outside of the lens.
- One competitor was not able to make these lenses straight - when I ordered some for resale (before we made our own), the majority was buckled to the point where they were completely unusable.
- The housings are extremely challenging because of their complex shapes with the holding tabs. The latter were probably the most difficult part that we ever made. We had to rework and replace many before my manufacturer figured out how to get the mold right and keep the tabs from cracking.
- You can't heat fuse the side marker lenses and housings when they are made of resin. You'll have to find a way to glue them securely, so that they don't separate when the mounting nuts are tightened, or heat and vibration rattles them. That was probably one of the other big challenges we were facing. We had to try various adhesives before we found one that was strong enough, and provided soft foam seals and specific installation instructions to avoid the issue.
So, yes, you can make lenses easily at low cost. But coming even close to the quality of the lenses I used to import will take years of experience. And making it profitable and sustainable will take more than $40 per pair in retail price.
I'm not trying to discourage you from trying; you might learn a lot of interesting things along the way. But I want to give you a realistic outlook, based on what we have been through.
Here is what happens when you don't get it right:
1. Material that wasn't supposed to get yellow (not our product)
2. Competitor's lenses (milky - you don't see any of the blue background)
3. Lenses from Germany (note the clarity)
Hope you can avoid these issues. Best of luck!
06-22-2014, 03:25 AM
#37
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Thanks for the chime-in Nicole. I look forward to the learning experience and making resin casting a side hobby of mine.
I'm going to dive in to the project, and if I face any challenges as stated, so be it.
But for now.... Challenge accepted.
I'm going to dive in to the project, and if I face any challenges as stated, so be it.
But for now.... Challenge accepted.
06-22-2014, 04:01 AM
#39
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Huh?
Do you have experience in making clear lenses?
I invite you to make them, in equal or better quality.
Competition is good. But I never had any that came even close.
Do you have experience in making clear lenses?
I invite you to make them, in equal or better quality.
Competition is good. But I never had any that came even close.
06-22-2014, 07:25 AM
#40
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Few people will appreciate the difficulty of consistently high quality casting in clear resin and I agree with all the points that Nicole has raised. Especially with the backing pieces - I tried making these for the JDM MR2 side turns but gave up and produced a fitting guide for owners to refit the lenses to the original backings
However, I have been casting clear and red lenses on a virtually daily basis for the last 10 years, so I probably have as much hands on experience as anybody.
I have also undertaken special projects for some of the most exclusive cars ..........in the world!
However, I have been casting clear and red lenses on a virtually daily basis for the last 10 years, so I probably have as much hands on experience as anybody.
I have also undertaken special projects for some of the most exclusive cars ..........in the world!
06-23-2014, 09:05 AM
#43
Does 928Classics offer the lenses for the 944 Turbo? Or just the 928?
As you may know, I used to import the clear and smoked lenses for the 928, 924, and 944/951 models until the end of 2013. And the prices you "lol" about are probably the ones I used to ask.
Note that there has always been a cheaper alternative: Clearz in Canada made the same types of lenses, and so did a few others over the years.
Why did we survive for so long? And why is the manufacturer still in business (selling through a different importer since I no longer have the time to do it)?
Unfortunately, making such lenses isn't as easy as it seems. Here are just a few of the interesting challenges you'll encounter:
- You'll have to deal with bubbles, and how to avoid them. Similarly, the silicone material occasionally does stick to the resin (when it happens, it's most often in tight corners). Then you'll have to throw away the lens you just made, and make a new cast.
- You'll have to deal with the fact that the original lenses are very cloudy, which is not obvious when they are tinted. But you'll see every flaw when you redo them in clear. We developed a proprietary solution to make them clear and glossy.
- You'll have to deal with the fact that most resins turn dull and yellow when exposed to the elements for prolonged time - even when the manufacturer claims they don't. We've seen it over and over again, and kept upgrading our materials to the latest and highest grades, to ensure our lenses stay clear and glossy.
You'll have lots of fun with the side marker lenses, and even more with the housings:
- The inside of the lenses is particularly prone to have bubbles, which will create ugly patterns that can be seen from the outside of the lens.
- One competitor was not able to make these lenses straight - when I ordered some for resale (before we made our own), the majority was buckled to the point where they were completely unusable.
- The housings are extremely challenging because of their complex shapes with the holding tabs. The latter were probably the most difficult part that we ever made. We had to rework and replace many before my manufacturer figured out how to get the mold right and keep the tabs from cracking.
- You can't heat fuse the side marker lenses and housings when they are made of resin. You'll have to find a way to glue them securely, so that they don't separate when the mounting nuts are tightened, or heat and vibration rattles them. That was probably one of the other big challenges we were facing. We had to try various adhesives before we found one that was strong enough, and provided soft foam seals and specific installation instructions to avoid the issue.
So, yes, you can make lenses easily at low cost. But coming even close to the quality of the lenses I used to import will take years of experience. And making it profitable and sustainable will take more than $40 per pair in retail price.
I'm not trying to discourage you from trying; you might learn a lot of interesting things along the way. But I want to give you a realistic outlook, based on what we have been through.
Here is what happens when you don't get it right:
1. Material that wasn't supposed to get yellow
2. Competitor's lenses (milky - you don't see any of the blue background)
3. Lenses from Germany (note the clarity)
Hope you can avoid these issues. Best of luck!
Note that there has always been a cheaper alternative: Clearz in Canada made the same types of lenses, and so did a few others over the years.
Why did we survive for so long? And why is the manufacturer still in business (selling through a different importer since I no longer have the time to do it)?
Unfortunately, making such lenses isn't as easy as it seems. Here are just a few of the interesting challenges you'll encounter:
- You'll have to deal with bubbles, and how to avoid them. Similarly, the silicone material occasionally does stick to the resin (when it happens, it's most often in tight corners). Then you'll have to throw away the lens you just made, and make a new cast.
- You'll have to deal with the fact that the original lenses are very cloudy, which is not obvious when they are tinted. But you'll see every flaw when you redo them in clear. We developed a proprietary solution to make them clear and glossy.
- You'll have to deal with the fact that most resins turn dull and yellow when exposed to the elements for prolonged time - even when the manufacturer claims they don't. We've seen it over and over again, and kept upgrading our materials to the latest and highest grades, to ensure our lenses stay clear and glossy.
You'll have lots of fun with the side marker lenses, and even more with the housings:
- The inside of the lenses is particularly prone to have bubbles, which will create ugly patterns that can be seen from the outside of the lens.
- One competitor was not able to make these lenses straight - when I ordered some for resale (before we made our own), the majority was buckled to the point where they were completely unusable.
- The housings are extremely challenging because of their complex shapes with the holding tabs. The latter were probably the most difficult part that we ever made. We had to rework and replace many before my manufacturer figured out how to get the mold right and keep the tabs from cracking.
- You can't heat fuse the side marker lenses and housings when they are made of resin. You'll have to find a way to glue them securely, so that they don't separate when the mounting nuts are tightened, or heat and vibration rattles them. That was probably one of the other big challenges we were facing. We had to try various adhesives before we found one that was strong enough, and provided soft foam seals and specific installation instructions to avoid the issue.
So, yes, you can make lenses easily at low cost. But coming even close to the quality of the lenses I used to import will take years of experience. And making it profitable and sustainable will take more than $40 per pair in retail price.
I'm not trying to discourage you from trying; you might learn a lot of interesting things along the way. But I want to give you a realistic outlook, based on what we have been through.
Here is what happens when you don't get it right:
1. Material that wasn't supposed to get yellow
2. Competitor's lenses (milky - you don't see any of the blue background)
3. Lenses from Germany (note the clarity)
Hope you can avoid these issues. Best of luck!
