Advice On Moisture & Cracks

[paulrsf]

Hey Brent-
Hope you're doing well. Thanks for jumping in. All great information. I'll use a regular hair dryer with a long utility extension cord. If no outlet is available I can always use the defroster/heater. Once the windshield has been heated and the moisture evaporator has been applied, what amount of time would you wait before setting the bridge and applying resin? I know that the heated area expands making it difficult for the resin to flow until it has cooled. How long is long enough?

Paul

[Brent Deines]

I like to let the area cool down to my regular preferred working temperature of under 100 degrees or when the glass is not too hot to hold my hand against. Using a Heat Exchanger will speed up the cool down time considerably. Just remember that cooling the glass too quickly is just as dangerous as heating the glass too quickly, so if you use a Heat Exchanger you need to make sure it is not too cold. For optimal performance the HX1000 should be cooled to a minimum of 10 degrees Fahrenheit lower than the glass it will be used on and no more than 10 degrees lower than the target temperature of the glass. In other words, don't cool the Heat Exchanger to 50 degrees to use on glass that is 150 degrees. The Heat Exchanger will still draw heat from the glass very effectively if the temperature of the tool is 90 degrees to start, with minimal risk of causing a crack out.