Separating the Headlamp Lens from the Base

I figured out a safe, sane and quick (< 10 minutes) way to separate the headlamp base from the lens. Separating the two pieces allowed me to remove the paint over-spray that was on the inside of the lens from the previous owner having painted black, clear-coated, and buffed the exterior of the lens.

The first lens took me hours to separate. I tried the heated decal remover from HF, the hot knife from HF, heating a razor blade, using an hobby knife, heating the lens and nothing worked as well as...

Using a safety blade from a retractable box knife and a vise.

The safety blade is rounded at the corners, which makes the blade a whole lot safer to use. The safety blade is held in the rubber jaws of my vise and I make sure that no part of my body could possibly touch the blade if the lens came free of the blade. I do this by holding the headlamp base below the blade as I pull down on it. The rounded end of the blade also makes it difficult to damage the lens or base.

The blade:


The setup on the vise:


Pulling down on the lens/base, hands below blade:


You'll need to pull down (not push!) quite firmly, but once it starts to move, you'll make steady progress.


The remaining black goo on the lens and base can be removed with your fingers/fingernails. It's not hard to get off.



   Last update: Dec 7th, 2019