I am reconditioning a vintage Detroit Products 123 signal arm. I have all of the original parts. However, the 8 amber/yellow Stimsonite #15 reflectors are sun-bleached. The lenses are sealed to a housing on the backside; they do not appear to be able to be separated. Does anyone have any experience in restoring color to reflectors like this? I have wondered if the lenses can be dyed. I could resort to applying reflective tape over the lenses to mimic the original look. Sourcing a replacement set of these reflectors may prove to be a tall task. Any advice on moving forward is appreciated. Thank you.
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Here in Aus there was a lens dye available that would fix that problem at least for a while though I am not a fan of it. I often replace the clear globe with a colored globe though the dye often falls off before the globe stops working (may even be the same dye). Tony
Hobby Lobby sells a "stained glass" spray that I used to make the clear lens of my new third brake light red. I have no idea how it would work on a plastic reflector.
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Krylon makes the stained glass product, Available at several stores. Also, search the web for a supplier named "Blick" and you may have a better color selection. Hot rodders on another site have used this product for many years to tint their windows and headlights to match car colors. Have not heard of any complaints. Bob
The reconditioning phase of this project is complete. This morning the local airport aviation mechanic used solid head aluminum alloy rivets on the arm. The name badge is fastened with aluminum binding posts. The entire assembly is all there, either original or new/improved. I will install this coming April/May and provide an update at that time. Thank you to all who provided guidance on this project--it is greatly appreciated!
