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Heat gun is great for restoring black plastic trim

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Old Jan 26, 2014 | 06:37 PM
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Default Heat gun is great for restoring black plastic trim

If you were searching for a product to make your faded black plastic trim black again you should give the heat gun treatment a try. After watching a few videos on YouTube I figured it was worth a purchase and a test in an inconspicuous part of the bumper.

I ended up doing all the plastic trim and the results are fantastic. The only plastic that doesn't seem to respond to the heat gun are the door handles. It was cold out and I found I had to keep the gun just a couple inches from the plastic and move slowly. The only damage done was a small dent on the headlight washers when the hot metal on the gun touched it.
 
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Last edited by notsleepy; Jan 26, 2014 at 06:42 PM.
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Old Jan 26, 2014 | 07:42 PM
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Nice.
 
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Old Jan 26, 2014 | 09:26 PM
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What is this black magic voodoo you speak of? Are you a wizard? How'd you do that with just a heat gun? Enlighten me.
 
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Old Jan 26, 2014 | 09:33 PM
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You think a heat gun works good? Try slathering on some Skippy. Skippy peanut butter that is.
 
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Old Jan 26, 2014 | 10:02 PM
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Heat guns are also awesome for warming your starter on sub zero mornings to get your truck to start

Nice work looks good.
 
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Old Jan 27, 2014 | 09:18 AM
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Originally Posted by coors
What is this black magic voodoo you speak of? Are you a wizard? How'd you do that with just a heat gun? Enlighten me.
Someone on this forum mentioned it so I went searching and found this video that convinced me it was worth trying.


Unlike any product you apply which will eventually wash off, this supposedly lasts a long time. I'm going to call a friend who is a chemist as I'm dying to know how this works.
 
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Old Jan 27, 2014 | 10:19 AM
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I'm no chemist, but I'll take a stab at it.

Over time the sun's damaging uV rays drys out the natural or synthetic moisturizers contained within the plastic's surface. The heat gun process draws the moisturizers from deep down back up to the surface given that factory new looking finish.
 
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Old Jan 27, 2014 | 06:17 PM
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I am very impressed. I recently used Black Wow and was and still am pretty impressed. It isn't perfect, but it covers and stays pretty well. I am anxious to use the heat gun, but after putting on the Black Wow, I am a bit afraid that I might torch the LR3! Phil
 
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Old Jan 28, 2014 | 06:41 AM
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Phil I was worried too but I can honestly say it's quite safe.
 
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Old Jan 29, 2014 | 01:08 PM
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no experience with this method. but i do have experience with both the Skippy method and black wow. both work great, I personally use the skippy method followed a few days later black wow for UV protection. (longer lasting protection than just the skippy) did the plastics months ago and still no fading and its in the sun all day every day.
 
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