Crack expander or not?

[badchips]

I've heard alot on the other posts to the use of heat, mini bulls, and so on for repairing cracks
Does anyone still use crack expanders, or are these other methods better/faster? Also. thank you to all those who post answers to the questions we newbies have. I hope to be where you are some day

[Emagdnim222]

I repair cracks all the time and ive never used a crack expander and havent ever had a problem. Some may like using them though..

[CV Windshield Repair]

If the first four or five inches of the crack have not surfaced it will be very difficult to repair the crack sucessfully. The way you can tell if the point of the crack is unsurfaced is to examine to point, if it looks pointy verses squared, then it will be nesesary to set up your crack opener inside about two or three inches from the point. This should be done after you have tapped a bullseye and manuever the crack into it. Once you set your injector over the bullseye and vaccum pressure your resin, if it does not seem to be moving down the crack then it will be necessary to screw your crack opener in a little more, be very careful, it does not require a lot of pressure, just enough to get the resin to start flowing.

[Bois]

I have found the use of a crack expander to be generally ineffective. Sometimes they do assist in filling the crack, but most of the time they fall off the glass (suction weak), need to be moved along the crack or just don't work. I get better results running my finger (or the customers) along and ahead of the resin.

Dale...

[toab]

I am playing around with some crack expanders on my long crack repairs although I am finding that it is more of a compliment to repairs than a conclusive necessity at this point of my learning.

[johnnyone]

Yes, I do use crack expanders but most of them are very weak and pop off. I have to clean the glass and spray them and reapply them. I will normaly use 2or 3 and still apply pressure with a bent screw driver, like a PDR tool.

[jasonsresin]

funny, i was just training a guy earlier this week and i pulled out a pdr tool to flex the break down low where you absolutely cannot setup a crack expander. just needed an L shaped tool and i happen to teach both trades so i had one handy. crack expanders are great. a 12" crack might require 4 of them (if you even need them at all, they are a nice compliment or second hand when you dont have a helper) all setup very lightly. i like multiples with low pressure instead of one or two pushing hard. they'll pop off anyways but its just good form to use more, lightly.

you can even use two guys, no injectors at all! one of you flex the repair from the inside, one put a line bead along the outside of the crack, small and controlled, like youre running a bead of caulk around a window. thats old school though, and no one does that anymore, but you have options.

[screenman]

A lot of my work is long cracks up to about 18 inches,I do not use expanders, I have tried them but manage fine without them.

[candyman]

I used a crack expander during the first 2 months of doing WSR on a long crack & it craqcked out. I've never use one since. Money wasted on that tool. I have two of them. Then again I dont repair very long cracks. Insurance TPS's and NWRA recommends cracks over 6 inches not be repaired. I got that update last year from several insurance companies. I do the following TPAs , HSG, LYNX Services & Safelite. They represent the majority of the insurance claims in my area of the country. AARP just started recently here.

[wilz]

A lot of my work is long cracks up to about 18 inches,I do not use expanders, I have tried them but manage fine without them.

I apologise for taking this off topic.

To screenman, what type of resins are you using for your crack repairs?