Where does one practice technique?

[jeff2]

I am wondering where one would practice before going out and charging for repairs. I understand there is a learning curve and thing do come up that are not expected, i.e. the post about the "breakout". If I get into this business I wnat to do an outstanding job so my customers are happy and I get plenty of referals. Besides friend and family who will be your test subjects, do you go to a junkyard, a local glass shop and ask for a damaged piece?

[mafsu]

You can go to a glass shop and ask for a windshield. This is how I get mine(from the guys doing installations at the accounts I work. Since you don't have that relationship yet, I would go to a glass shop and ask, you can tell them why you need it or that you are working on a project. If they refuse go back after hours and pull one out of the dumpster.

[magicogar]

I just went out to the glass shops and told them I'm doing a school project. The guy was very cool and gave me a nice big piece. He told me it'll cost $8/square feet if i would of bought one.

Forgot to mentioned that the breaks in the real world are more challenging than the ones you'll make yourself at home for practice. But just practice as much as you can with all types of breaks.

[screenman]

An idea I use for my training session with new students is to make every damage wet before they start the repair becuase certainly here in the UK we get very few dry ones, this gets them used to the techniques required with removing moisture which of course everyone knows is one of our biggest enemies in screen repair.

I do not know of a kit supplier over here that even mentions dry out in their handbooks let me know if you have found one yourselves please.

[CPR]

Get a real windshield that a glass shop has discarded, practice outside and leave the glass outside. This way you will experence the effects of water/dirt in the breaks, dealing with uv and the normal temperatures you will encounter on a daily basis.

[paintlessplus]

All good answers.... but I would personally start with a used shield on a wooden home built easel to similate angle. Put it on a bench or table in a well lit comfortable area so you can see it from both sides.Preferably inside. Get a chair, take your time conscentrating on technique and precise drilling and bridge set up. Get a good magnifying glass and watch how things work. Get a spring loaded center punch and try to cause different break styles.

What you need most is repetition and understanding exactly what is going on and being able to adjust your technique to acheive perfection- after that you can go outside in the elements. JMO. If you can swing going to a Deltakits training class it will put you way ahead on the learning curve, while avoiding practice of bad technique or habits from the start.

[GlassStarz]

I walked into the local wrecking yard and asked if i could practice on the wrecks it cost me a case of Bud to spend 5 days doing about 100 different breaks. Saw everything under the sun old dirty breaks ,stars ,bullls,cracks you name it

[mafsu]

GlassStarz that is excellent advice, I think I remember you posting about that before. Then your not doing the clean vanilla repairs you will get when popping the stars yourself. You actually get some real world (maybe harsher than real world) experience.

[repare-brise]

J2

Your best alternative is a training class, second go to a scrap yard that removes WS's. By repairing the breaks you will be helping them out, less chance of breakage when they remove the WS. The in house approach is good, but an unsuported WS is hard to do good crack repair on. To create breaks, an automatic center punch does good stars, and some companies sell a bulls eye maker, which is nothing more than a 5/16" lead shot with a hole drilled through it , than an elastic inserted in the hole. To use it you stecth the elastic between 2 fingers, than lift the ball about 2 inches, and release, voila a bulls eye, combo, or flower break(it,s not a result you can control). The breaks created in such a way are usually larger than real-life, meaning good practice.

Screenman

A certain WS repair company(visit optik kleer in the UK) carry a dry-out solution that works, but could you please share your secrets with us. we also get wet day's.

Merci

[enkogneto]

I would do both, junkyard and practice sheet. The junkyard is good because you get a variety of breaks that are REAL. They have real dirt and possibly water. Plus you never know, you could get some potential customers from somebody at the yard.

A cheap way to make a "chip-maker" is to take a rubber band, and tie a nut to the middle of it. Hold the rubber band with your thumb and forefinger. Just snap the nut on the windshield and it should create a chip. Try different lengths with how far you pull it back for different chips(bulls-eyes, stars, ect.)