Crack repair tool question

[clearquest]

That big cumbersome giant of a bridge sliding along at that fast of a pace without putting curing tabs in place as you go looks like a recipe for air leaking back in to me!

[clearquest]

I also see a questionable tecnique for removing the resin. Looks like he is scraping it off at an angle in big stringy sections. Is it even fully cured?

[robert n]

Sorry, this may be considered slightly "off topic"...but I watched this video and other videos that these guys did on youtube. Here are my questions:

1. they said their resin/pit resin cures in around 45 seconds. I only used the Delta kits resin and the cure is 6 minutes. Time is Money...should I be using a faster curing resin or pit resin?

2. I also noticed on their videos: they were drilling/Popping a Bulls eye on every break: As per Delta Kits training..don't drill unless the resin doesn't flow. does the Popping a bulls eye break allow the break to fill faster or better

3. The time between their Pressure and vaccuum cycles were "seconds" compared to Delta kits training/equipment (3 2 1 minutes). They were doing chip repairs in less than 5 minutes (including cleaning, drilling, mounting, filling, curing). Obviously, I can't see how good it looks without seeing it in person.

any thoughts or comments?

thanks guys!

[puka pau]

Clearquest and Robert N;
Your questions are best addressed to the guys that made the video.

Vikingfann:
Fill the damage that caused the crack before you start to repair the crack.

Cheers;

Puka Pau

[Brent Deines]

robert n

Here is a repair using a Delta Kits system that took less than 4 minutes real time start to finish and the results were near perfect. The repair time could have been shortened even more if the technician had reduced the cure time to under a minute.

As you can see, Delta Kits resins do not take 6 minutes to cure. We recommend a 5 minute cure regardless of the resin you use because the 1st layer of glass blocks 70% of the UV rays and we believe it is extremely important to make sure you have a solid cure deep down in the glass, not just on top. Depending on the Delta Kits resin and UV curing light you choose a surface cure can take 30 seconds or less.

Our training classes are geared to 1st time technicians and technicians switching from other methods, so we try to show them the best way for an inexperienced technician to get consistent results. Experienced technicians like the one in this video watch what is happening in the repair rather than timing every cycle so repair times are often shortened considerably.

It should also be noted that the repair in the video was a simple bullseye and not every break can be completed with perfect results in under 4 minutes. Yes, time is money, but Delta Kits advocates quality first in all circumstances so in showing this video I'm only pointing out the capability of our equipment, not suggesting that anyone should cut corners.

[puka pau]

After you all have viewed the video that Brent offered in the above post, look over to the upper right of that same page where several other videos are posted and watch the Russian one that demonstrates long crack repair. Its the one with the black pen tool with the orange tip. That's about how fast the average crack fills with a cotton swab or syringe - and the musical accompianment kind of says it all, doesn't it? Almost put me to sleep - of course, geezer that I am it doesn't take much. Now go back to page one on this thread and view again the crack repair video posted by Auto Glass Rescue. Whoa! Talk about yer tortoise and yer hare!! No wonder those Russkies lost the space race!! Seriously, this is the main reason I repair long cracks by sliding the bridge and injecting the resin under pressure.

Cheers;

Puka Pau

[screenman]

Viking fan, I understand your problem this is how I deal with that one. I fill and cure the crack first, placing a couple of layers of black tape over the star you describe. Now by doing this it helps turn the star back into a simple break allowing both pressure and vacuum cycles, if it is near the edge and runs to the edge I will also fill that area as well using the tape again to prevent cure in the area I did not want cured.

[candyman]

Thank you for all the information. After reading this post and looking at the videos, I have a better understanding of long crack repairs. Screenman! Ive been using the cotton swab for short cracks and that seemed to work fine. I avoided long cracks because I wasnt good at it. After this post I feel like I can do them with a little more practice . I understand some people drill to stop the crack while others dont. I also see where some techs repair the crack then drill or repair the break last. I will have to experiment to see what works best for me. Each break or crack will be the deciding factor as to the method to choose to make the repair. I've always been told that there are more than one way to skin a cat. I guess that holds true for WSR. Have a gread day.

[clearquest]

I too use the bridge sliding method but I've never been able to slide the bridge that fast and get good results. If you push the bridge too fast and don't allow resin flow to stay ahead of the injector you will most certainly end up with inadequate fill and areas of air in the crack. This business is more about quality repairs that last isn't it? It is for me anyway. If you are placing your emphasis on speed you are not giving the best results. Patience is a virtue.

[Brent Deines]

I'm not trying to sway people one way or another here as all that matters to me is that you get the crack properly filled. I've tried sliding and find that I trap more air bubbles than when I apply with a dropper. I've tried cotton swabs but find the resin does not wick into the crack as quickly for me. I've tried syringes but find they are harder to control than when I use a dropper. I've also had a lot of customers try the method I use and give up on sliding, but other people prefer sliding. There's no right or wrong way as long as you get the crack filled properly.

There is one thing you need to keep in mind when watching videos however. Depending on the angle, lighting, and of course editing, a video can be made to show just about whatever you want to show. I've related this story many times in the past but it seems appropriate to bring it up again for the newbies. I was making a long crack video years ago and from the direction I was monitoring the crack it was filling very quickly and had no visible air in it at all when I was finished. However, from the camera angle nothing was happening at all. On the video it appeared that the crack had not filled when in fact it had filled perfectly. With a slight change to the camera angle the crack was not visible at all and probably would not have been even if there were some air bubbles trapped in it. We've all seen the commercials showing the wipe on headlight coating that makes even the worst headlights look like new again, but we all know, at least I hope we all know, that simply does not happen. Again, my point is not to sway anyone one way or another on this subject, but simply to make people understand that what you see on a video is not always what you can expect in real life.

Also, not all cracks fill the same. Regardless of the method you use you will find sometimes you can fill an 18" crack in seconds and other times it will take quite awhile...if you really do get all the air out that is. We all have different expectations. Some are fine with a crack full of air bubbles but that is not okay with me. That is not to say I never leave an air bubble, but my goal is to remove all the air and my crack repairs certainly look better than most of the others I've seen being done in the field. If yours are too, it's all good! If not, keep practicing and trying different techniques until you find one that works for you.