Quote:
Originally Posted by Blind Squirrel
Hello from Colorado and welcome to the forum Barry!
You sound like someone that would be interesting to chat with about all areas of windshield repair. Could you expand on what you said about using the drystar to remove air bubbles?
I live in a very dry climate where moisture is so seldom an issue that I rarely use my drystar. One other thing you mentioned made me stop and think though. I normally use my torch (on a cold w/s) to heat a "circle" 3-4 inches around the chip. I use my hand to gauge how warm the glass has gotten by feeling the glass. If it's warm but not hot where I jerk my hand away, well, that's my precise and scientific method, LOL.
What you said has me thinking about using this tool more.
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When drying out water from a break in glass,I have learned thru experience that more is not better. The less heat the better.
When getting out air bubbles from a bullseye or combination that will not come out in a pressure cycle or a vacum cycle ( I have learned that if air doesnt come out after a few seconds of vac or a few minutes of pressure then its not coming out with the injector anytime soon and my time is money) I relieve the pressure and slide the bridge over and heat the drystar and put it on the break for 2-3 seconds and the air bubles come out instantly. Then slide the bridge over on it and re-pressure untill temps are equal, then cure. DO NOT OVER HEAT THE CHEMICAL.
I do not use vacum hardly ever at all, more force is developed thru the pressure cycle where the air is DISPLACED by the chemical.
I have come to realize the "fact" that it is more important for the surfactant in the chemical to match the surface tension of the glass then ANYTHING else. Including the cps viscosity of the chemical,injectors used or the planetary alignment. The thicker the chem.= less shrinkage = better lasting result. With the correct surfactant and mix, the thicker chemical will go where the thin stuff can not! I never spent more then a few minutes on 99% of all breaks! Never. After 15 seconds or so of pressure,if I see a leg not filling, I pop the break(make sure the glass is cool) and re-pressure, im done! I fix any break in minutes with lasting results.
Please keep in mind there is only so much you can do about shrinkage because of the acrylic acid that does the bonding.
But it can be minimized to the point of not being an issue.
To sum it up,Its all ABOUT THE CHEMICAL, NOT THE INJECTOR.
With the correct chemical anyone can do great repairs with an experienced trainer.