WSR Pressure or Vacuum

[candyman]

I Repaired 5 WS today and each had its own problems. Since my training I have done very few actual WSR's. During the past 10 days I have been busy with calls as a result of a few things. Updated my profile with Lynks & SGC: Yellow page ad's came out & web site: I discovered that people have a tendency to look up WS Repair first instead of glass replacement. My first problem was a small impact pt that had 2 small air pockets on each side that appeared to be sealed between the glass & not connected to the impact less than 1/16 inch: I didn't drill and sealed the impact: The second a Mack truck with a large 1 inch airpocket away from the break impact pt: I drilled in the center of the pocket and it filled immediately. Almost invisiable after the repair: I was not sure if I had to leave the bridge on for the full time or not since it filled immediately.
A second Mack, a 1 1/2 inch Star with a halo /hollow area to the right. (1 month old) I cleaned the area and filled it: one leg would not fill 1/4 inch: I used heat (lighter) while under pressure with no luck: I used heat under vacuum no luck. I just could not get that leg to fill. This vehicle was inside a building & the WS temp was 67.3F: The owner said it looked good to him and I finished the job. It was smooth & sealed and the vehicle departed to Texas. What should I have done in this case. I have seen several references as to applying heat while under pressure & Vacuum to get the resin to flow. I used plenty of Magnabond because it was leaking out when I removed the bridge. It may have been blocked or moisture. I didn't attempt a dry out because the vehicle had been in the hot warehouse for two days. I repaired a chip for the owner on a F250. Inside the glass to the right of the repair a Z shaped black looking break between the glass could be seen. The drill hole & repair would have been bigger than the Z. I left it alone and didn't charge for the small chip repair. I told the owner I could drill into the glass to make the repair, but he said as long as it was sealed & near the bottom of the passenger side to leave it as is. Working on my practice WS did not prepare me enough for the real everyday repairs. I seem to learn more each repair that I do. Thanks Korey for some of your advice on the Star.

[screenman]

Oh for some pictures, they could tell us so much more. I use heat very seldom and then only ever on vacuum. Think of it like this, when you heat the glass it expands shutting the damage up and squeezing some air out, when it cools the glass contracts and the damage opens up, whilst it is in the cooling process return to pressure but not excessive. This way as the break reopens the only thing it can draw back in to fill the void is resin. Please keep in mind it can take a long time for the glass and PVB to return to the ambient temperature.

[Glasseye]

Sometimes, when you have stubborn legs that won't fill, you have to stop the repair process and rework the impact area to ensure the resin can gain access to the leg. Use your cleaning tool or drill to work at the root of the leg to open up access. I sometimes use an impact tool ( mild version of a spring loaded centre punch) to do this. Don't be afraid to make the damage worse before you make it better. When you are doing your initial preparation of a star break check to see that all the legs are flexing.

[candyman]

Thanks guy's ! Thats very good advice. I had thought about working the base of the leg but wasn't sure. I did move my bridge over a little just to see if that would help. I had attempted to clean the area with the tip of my slide hammer prior to the repair. Glasseye are you saying that maybe I should have poped a small bulls eye or just cleaned it out more? I understand now about the vacuum and use of heat. Have a great day ! Candyman

[Wago]

Glasseye, when you say "make sure you check each leg of a star break to see if they flex", what exactly do you mean? What do you do if they don't flex? Thanks in advance for your response. Wally

[mrchip]

if after all the advice given ...and the leg would not fill..I would drill leg and fill to finish the repair..if leg is not filled how could you charge for repair?...the important thing is too finish repair

[mrchip]

candyman...how long did you wait and it didn'y fill?...just curious...sometimes patience is a real virtue....I have had legs too that didn't seem too fill and I have found that just walking away for awhile and uncovering ...presto change o...it filled...just saying give it time...and I'm impatient...

[chipfix]

I agree with Glasseye's technique.When you inspect a chip and a leg does not look connected to the pit, put pressure on it with a probe and see if it opens up and connects to the pit.
If it does it should fill without drilling by flexing the leg open either by increasing the injector pressure on the glass or pressure with a probe.
If it doesn't it is best to make a connection from the pit if possible buy drilling and popping a bullseye instead of drilling into the leg.(one blemish instead of two)

[screenman]

Let us not forget that some legs may but not often be a surface break, this being the case they will close up when flexed from the outside. I find for new guys that a good cheap magnifying glas is a good addition to the tool kit. After 22 years I still take the time to look hard at a break and to work out which way the break is running, so to this point I also agree with Glasseye.

[candyman]

I waited a few minutes 3-5 and also used the heat exchanger on the inside of the glass to cool the glass back down after I used heat. I wasn't rushing, but the driver was pacing. If Iam understanding this correctly, I should apply pressure on the leg and see movement. If no movement in all the legs I should use my slide hammer and pop a bulls eye in the existing break. Is that correct? I also can drill into the base of the leg and fill. I had another break today and I used information given to me by screenman. After several pressure & vacuum cycles one single leg finally filled. I used my heat exchanger and just took my time. I only let the injector stay in the pressure cycle 5 minute intervals. Should I leave my injector in pressure mode initially for 10-15 minutes. Everything filled in the first few seconds except one leg that was no thicker than a strand of hair and it was black. I am determined to get this correct and not rush the job. I know skill takes time, and lots of real repairs. You guys have mentioned things to do that I had contemplated but wasn't sure if I should do it. I will get a magnifying glass this weekend. What should I be looking for inside the break screenman? I have repaired breaks that looked pretty bad and I used only my probe to clean the area, and was almost invisible after repair. Others that don't look bad sometimes give me trouble with normally a single leg that just wont cooperate.

This ---@--- is what one break looked like yesterday. I filled it but the small wings about the same size did not fill.

I used my drill and drilled a little ways in after I had used magnabond initially. I reset my injector and it filled. It was almost invisible except fot the tiny drill area. If Iam correct, we can do almost anything with the glass as long as we dont use the Pit Resin. Educate me guys.