renewing cladding with a heat gun

I just happened to stumble onto this video of renewing the cladding with a heat gun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSDSk...eature=related

I'm far too distracted by his plugs...

Anyway, I have a heat gun, but I bet it would remove the texture. I think my scraps of cladding material may be too small to experiment on, but I'll give it a try and see what happens.

Been mentioned several times in the past.
Here's a few threads. First one has a different video than yours.

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...DDING+HEAT+GUN

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...DDING+HEAT+GUN

Start around post #31:
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...DDING+HEAT+GUN

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...DDING+HEAT+GUN

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...DDING+HEAT+GUN

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mdwyer

Anyway, I have a heat gun, but I bet it would remove the texture. I think my scraps of cladding material may be too small to experiment on, but I'll give it a try and see what happens.

---

I first heard of this while watching a TV show where the hosts were repairing a pickup that had been in an fairly major accident. One of the textured interior pieces had been bent to such a degree that the plastic had a much lighter line through it where it had folded. The heat gun restored the color but left the texture. Maybe that's a little "apples & oranges" due to that part being a different material and thickness, but it would be interesting to know how our cladding reacts.

mdwyer...heat from the back side to avoid messing up the texture. Use the lowest heat setting, upping it if needed. I used a hair dryer for mine. Be patient and work it slowly and you should be good.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Triathlete

mdwyer...heat from the back side to avoid messing up the texture. Use the lowest heat setting, upping it if needed. I used a hair dryer for mine. Be patient and work it slowly and you should be good.

---

+1, I was able to completely flatten the rear door cladding (for my project) with a heat gun and some books. Its really easy to cause imperfections if you heat the textured side.

I gave the heat gun method of renewing the cladding a try last night. The parts that I have done look pretty nice, especially compared to the ones I haven't touched yet.:happyface

Awesome! Let us know how your renewed blackness is holding up after a month or so. I'd be willing to give it a go.

And pictures speak a thousand words... ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mondo

Awesome! Let us know how your renewed blackness is holding up after a month or so. I'd be willing to give it a go.

---

tpiwwop

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mondo

Awesome! Let us know how your renewed blackness is holding up after a month or so. I'd be willing to give it a go.

---

There's a few good threads on some permanent cladding restoration, have you seen them? (Not Back2Black or that type of stuff)
They're very detailed, and tons of pictures. Some have tried Refinish/Restorer, TC Black Fusion, and Showroom New Dye.

This got me wondering.... Anybody ever made carbon fiber cladding? That would be epic

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DrewsiferxXx

This got me wondering.... Anybody ever made carbon fiber cladding? That would be epic

---

Epically Expensive.

:p

X2 VXorado

I couldn't imagine doing the CF on the cladding just to see another car messing it up !!!!!

I thought that one of the Russian VXers had his cladding wrapped in simulated carbon fiber. Can't find the pictures right now, but it was interesting.

I'm planning on doing the cf wrap in the nxt few months. I'll let you guys know how it looks