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Help with cleaning the inside of a H4 headlamp
Hi:
Hoping that someone can offer some advice on this.....
I have an old style standard "Stanly" 7 inch (I think) H4 headlamp. Over
the years the inside of the lamp seem to have become a bit foggy. I pulled
the bulb out of the lamp housing and washed the inside out with some
detergent and alcohol. There are patchy bits of a foggy film left on parts
of the reflector surface. Anyone else tried cleaning one of these lamps
out. What did you use as a cleaning product? Thanks for any advice.
Hoping that someone can offer some advice on this.....
I have an old style standard "Stanly" 7 inch (I think) H4 headlamp. Over
the years the inside of the lamp seem to have become a bit foggy. I pulled
the bulb out of the lamp housing and washed the inside out with some
detergent and alcohol. There are patchy bits of a foggy film left on parts
of the reflector surface. Anyone else tried cleaning one of these lamps
out. What did you use as a cleaning product? Thanks for any advice.
On Apr 10, 12:51=EF=BF=BDpm, "Blabber" <blab...@notlikeley.com> wrote:
> Anyone else tried cleaning one of these lamps
> out. =A0What did you use as a cleaning product? =A0
Oh, yes. I tried the same things you tried, and it didn't work. I
thought about vinegar as well, but maybe that's not such a good
idea...
Perhaps something like Lime-Away or CLR would work, but using them is
completely at your own risk,
don't blame me if the inside of your headlight reflector is worse
afterwards.
The deposits you see are probably probably stable mineral salts
derived from an acid by replacing hydrogen with a metal or
electropositive radical.
Stable seems to mean that the mineral salt will not react further to
acids and bases. Is there a chemist in the house? You can never find a
chemist when you need one...
The salt of an acid ending in -ous is indicated by
the suffix -ite, the salt of an acid ending in -ic is usually
indicated by the suffix -ate.
For instance, carbonic acid is a weak, colorless acid (H2CO3) that can
only exist in a water solution. The carbon comes from the carbon
dioxide in the air, and it combines with the calcium in the water to
form calcium carbonate (CaCO3), a white salt which everybody has seen
in the bottom of pots or on glasses.
And, I suppose the hydrogen that doesn't escape into the atmosphere
with a metallic smell forms hydroxylates that stick to whatever they
can find.
I wonder what dishwashing detergent would do to the reflective
surface? It gets the deposits off your drinking glasses. Trying
dishwashing detergent would be at your own risk.
Dishwashing detergent may deposit borates from the ingredients used to
soften hard water...
Back to calcium carbonate...
Calcium is a metallic element that leaches out of the limestone laid
down decomposing plants and animals hundreds of millions of years ago,
and calcium causes hard water.
You might also have a little calcium chloride in the headlamp because
of the chlorine that's added to drinking water.
Why does alcohol leave a white film on parts that have previously be
exposed to washing with tap water?
Alcohols contain a hydroxyl group which forms esters in reactions with
organic acids. Carbonic acid is, obviously, an organic acid, like
acetic acid, which causes the pungent smell of vinegar.
Ester is contraction of a German word that meant
vinegar + ether.
An ester is an organic compound, comparable to an organic salt, formed
by the reaction of an acid and alcohol, with the elimination of water.
The organic radical of the alcohol replaces the acid hydrogen of the
acid.
Operators of high pressure boilers that have internal pressures above
200 psi go to great lengths to soften and de-ionize and demineralize
the water that is used to make steam.
I've been told that demineralized water has so little
mineral content that you don't need soap to wash your hands in it, it
just dissolves whatever is on your skin...
> Anyone else tried cleaning one of these lamps
> out. =A0What did you use as a cleaning product? =A0
Oh, yes. I tried the same things you tried, and it didn't work. I
thought about vinegar as well, but maybe that's not such a good
idea...
Perhaps something like Lime-Away or CLR would work, but using them is
completely at your own risk,
don't blame me if the inside of your headlight reflector is worse
afterwards.
The deposits you see are probably probably stable mineral salts
derived from an acid by replacing hydrogen with a metal or
electropositive radical.
Stable seems to mean that the mineral salt will not react further to
acids and bases. Is there a chemist in the house? You can never find a
chemist when you need one...
The salt of an acid ending in -ous is indicated by
the suffix -ite, the salt of an acid ending in -ic is usually
indicated by the suffix -ate.
For instance, carbonic acid is a weak, colorless acid (H2CO3) that can
only exist in a water solution. The carbon comes from the carbon
dioxide in the air, and it combines with the calcium in the water to
form calcium carbonate (CaCO3), a white salt which everybody has seen
in the bottom of pots or on glasses.
And, I suppose the hydrogen that doesn't escape into the atmosphere
with a metallic smell forms hydroxylates that stick to whatever they
can find.
I wonder what dishwashing detergent would do to the reflective
surface? It gets the deposits off your drinking glasses. Trying
dishwashing detergent would be at your own risk.
Dishwashing detergent may deposit borates from the ingredients used to
soften hard water...
Back to calcium carbonate...
Calcium is a metallic element that leaches out of the limestone laid
down decomposing plants and animals hundreds of millions of years ago,
and calcium causes hard water.
You might also have a little calcium chloride in the headlamp because
of the chlorine that's added to drinking water.
Why does alcohol leave a white film on parts that have previously be
exposed to washing with tap water?
Alcohols contain a hydroxyl group which forms esters in reactions with
organic acids. Carbonic acid is, obviously, an organic acid, like
acetic acid, which causes the pungent smell of vinegar.
Ester is contraction of a German word that meant
vinegar + ether.
An ester is an organic compound, comparable to an organic salt, formed
by the reaction of an acid and alcohol, with the elimination of water.
The organic radical of the alcohol replaces the acid hydrogen of the
acid.
Operators of high pressure boilers that have internal pressures above
200 psi go to great lengths to soften and de-ionize and demineralize
the water that is used to make steam.
I've been told that demineralized water has so little
mineral content that you don't need soap to wash your hands in it, it
just dissolves whatever is on your skin...
In article <1176240982.833544.322860@r34g2000cwr.googlegroups.com>,
"Albrecht" <von.raeder@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Apr 10, 12:51�pm, "Blabber" <blab...@notlikeley.com> wrote:
> > Anyone else tried cleaning one of these lamps
> > out. What did you use as a cleaning product?
>
> Oh, yes. I tried the same things you tried, and it didn't work. I
> thought about vinegar as well, but maybe that's not such a good
> idea...
>
> Perhaps something like Lime-Away or CLR would work, but using them is
> completely at your own risk,
> don't blame me if the inside of your headlight reflector is worse
> afterwards.
>
Don't put strong bases anywhere near glass. You won't be at all happy
with the results.*
Here's an article with some basic information, and references for
further reading:
http://ceramic-materials.com/cermat/education/143.html
I see that CLR's pH is listed as somewhere between 7-9. A pH 9 material
will probably ruin the headlight. Don't use it.
[moderately interesting, but mostly irrelevant, and
not-entirely-correct, stuff snipped]
The OP should try mechanical removal with rice or other non-agressive
abrasive (I suspect that corncob would work well, for example) in water,
as suggested by Dave H. Anything more complicated or subtle (and any
chemical approach) will have to be chosen with _much_ more detailed
information about what the actual situation in the lamp housing is or
else run the very real risk of simply ruining the thing, especially if
the "film" on the reflector is actually very small pinholes in the
chrome plating on the reflector (well, I'll admit that it's an
assumption that it's chrome plating, but most are, IME).
Obtaining another housing from a breaker/junkyard is an option; if the
bike is a popular one, there's likely to be a local breaker with some
lying around. Look at it before you buy, and if it's in good enough
shape and cheap enough go for it.
*yes, I'm aware that acids (particularly HF) can attack glass too, and
I'm aware that you can make glass that resists attack by strong bases.
It's exceedingly unlikely that this glass is resistant in that way.
--
Later,
John
johajohn@indianahoosiers.edu
'indiana' is a 'nolnn' and 'hoosier' is a 'solkk'. Indiana doesn't solkk.
"Albrecht" <von.raeder@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Apr 10, 12:51�pm, "Blabber" <blab...@notlikeley.com> wrote:
> > Anyone else tried cleaning one of these lamps
> > out. What did you use as a cleaning product?
>
> Oh, yes. I tried the same things you tried, and it didn't work. I
> thought about vinegar as well, but maybe that's not such a good
> idea...
>
> Perhaps something like Lime-Away or CLR would work, but using them is
> completely at your own risk,
> don't blame me if the inside of your headlight reflector is worse
> afterwards.
>
Don't put strong bases anywhere near glass. You won't be at all happy
with the results.*
Here's an article with some basic information, and references for
further reading:
http://ceramic-materials.com/cermat/education/143.html
I see that CLR's pH is listed as somewhere between 7-9. A pH 9 material
will probably ruin the headlight. Don't use it.
[moderately interesting, but mostly irrelevant, and
not-entirely-correct, stuff snipped]
The OP should try mechanical removal with rice or other non-agressive
abrasive (I suspect that corncob would work well, for example) in water,
as suggested by Dave H. Anything more complicated or subtle (and any
chemical approach) will have to be chosen with _much_ more detailed
information about what the actual situation in the lamp housing is or
else run the very real risk of simply ruining the thing, especially if
the "film" on the reflector is actually very small pinholes in the
chrome plating on the reflector (well, I'll admit that it's an
assumption that it's chrome plating, but most are, IME).
Obtaining another housing from a breaker/junkyard is an option; if the
bike is a popular one, there's likely to be a local breaker with some
lying around. Look at it before you buy, and if it's in good enough
shape and cheap enough go for it.
*yes, I'm aware that acids (particularly HF) can attack glass too, and
I'm aware that you can make glass that resists attack by strong bases.
It's exceedingly unlikely that this glass is resistant in that way.
--
Later,
John
johajohn@indianahoosiers.edu
'indiana' is a 'nolnn' and 'hoosier' is a 'solkk'. Indiana doesn't solkk.
John Johnson <null@invalid.com> wrote:
> [moderately interesting, but mostly irrelevant, and
> not-entirely-correct, stuff snipped]
Good.
A reflector is a mirror, right? They sell mirror cleaning stuff in
hardware shops. I'd start with that.
--
BMW K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 SL125
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06 YTC#3
BOF#30 WUSS#5 The bells, the bells.....
> [moderately interesting, but mostly irrelevant, and
> not-entirely-correct, stuff snipped]
Good.
A reflector is a mirror, right? They sell mirror cleaning stuff in
hardware shops. I'd start with that.
--
BMW K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 SL125
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06 YTC#3
BOF#30 WUSS#5 The bells, the bells.....
"Blabber" <blabber@notlikeley.com> wrote in message
news:XWRSh.33065$EJ6.20928@newsfe24.lga...
> Hi:
>
> Hoping that someone can offer some advice on this.....
>
> I have an old style standard "Stanly" 7 inch (I think) H4 headlamp. Over
> the years the inside of the lamp seem to have become a bit foggy. I
pulled
> the bulb out of the lamp housing and washed the inside out with some
> detergent and alcohol. There are patchy bits of a foggy film left on
parts
> of the reflector surface. Anyone else tried cleaning one of these lamps
> out. What did you use as a cleaning product? Thanks for any advice.
>
Dunno about headlights, but for antique decanters (yes, really!) I've used
uncooked rice and hot(ish) water with a touch of detergent to take the filmy
coating off the inside - pour a couple of desertspoons of rice in, shake for
several minutes, add detergenty water, shake for several more minutes, pour
out, rinse and repeat. For cleaning Stealth bombers, they do the same with
cold water and wheat husks...
Dave H. (The engineer formerly known as Homeless)
"Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men" -
Douglas Bader
