Dimples?

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Chips_Away_Windshield_Repair
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Post by Chips_Away_Windshield_Repair »

This is really hard for me to explain guys.

Every now and then, after pulling the injector off the chip, curing, the otherwise good looking repair is concave, like a saucer, glass distorted, looks just like a large (usually) dimple.

I did a Hunda Sante Fe today--dimpled.

Ford 3/4 ton PU last week--dimpled.

A Toyota PU last year--dimpled.

A '86 Chevy van last year--dimpled. These have all been combination breaks somewhat close to the center of the ws.

Have I missed a basic principle somewhere along the line? :oops: :(

Any suggestions or help will be truly appreciated! Bill
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Dimples?

Post by Delta Kits »

You mean concave as in the center of the pit is lower than the level of the windshield?

If so, this is almost always caused by one of two things. Either by not having the razor blade perpendicular to the windshield (90 degree angle, straight up and down), or using well used razor blades.

What can happen if you're not perpendicular, is that the razor can flex slightly, pulling some of the pit resin out.
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Post by Chips_Away_Windshield_Repair »

Thanks for fast response Jeff.

Yes, the center of the entire repair appears to dip down below the glass surface just as a saucer center is lower than the rim.

Pits always filled, smooth, polish beautifully.

I always go perfect perpendicular on chip repairs. Nothing is being removed from the repair.

The "crater or dimple" cleans up nicely with just the small injection site needing polished, but there is definate distortion highly noticeable and to me very objectionable.
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Post by Delta Kits »

Another couple things to watch out for.

Make sure that you leave a hump in your resin before you put on your curing tab/tape. Don't press it with your thumb.

When putting pit resin on, make sure that you put it at the top part of the break (or even just a hair above the break). This way, if you're not that fast with putting your curing tab/tape on, it doesn't run down the windshield.

Make sure that you use long strokes when scraping. Don't switch directions directly over the chip, and scrape a good 3 inches or so on all sides of the chip.

Again, the most common cause is not getting the blade straight up and down, but in your case you say you are, so do a couple repairs, take your time, and make sure you do everything by the book.

Also, old razor blades can adversely affect the repair as well.
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Post by CPR »

I have seen this a few times when curing under pressure or when rain-x was invovled.
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Post by StarQuest »

graybeard,

If your already doing everything as Jeff described you might consider changing pit resin or buying new batch. Another question is... what are you using for cure tabs?
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Post by screenman »

are you saying the pit is low or are you seeing distortion over tha complete area of the break this is more likely to be from to much injector pressure pushing the damage back into the pvb. causing a lens effect.
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Post by Chips_Away_Windshield_Repair »

Well guys, I really appreciate all the comments.
The problem is not consistant at all, maybe 1% of total work but like I say, highly objectionable to me, the customers don't say much, I don't like to charge but all but one has insisted on paying.

Pressure question; I use the Delta, and two Glas-weld Pro-vac 2000's. On those I like the two little dark gray circles on seal indicating proper contact on surface. It looks like that could be the case but repairs are really good otherwise. I know when I first started I sometimes used some excesive pressure blocking the resin flow.

Curing tabs; both 1X1 tabs and soft roll, never press down, always a hump.

I will take Jeff's comments about using only new blades as I sometimes use them several times, change directions and use short strokes(?) back and forth, but I'm not losing pit filler, new bottle maybe every two months.

Screenman may have something. The glass looks distorted, possibly the dimples are an illusion because after re-thinking, the pit filler all scrapes off nicely after curing except for the small impact point. If it were all as concave as it looks to me, there would be more area the blade wouldn't touch and larger surface to polish out.

So let's look at it this way, the surface is smooth but optical circles go around the repair maybe like the bottom an old coke bottle, :?: :?:

These circles are noticaceble straight on even from a distance aqnd more so at an angle. They diffently look like big ol' dimples.
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Post by StarQuest »

graybeard,

I think some of us may have misunderstood your problem. I initially thought you were having a problem with just the pit area. After reading the last post it sounds like your talking about a bullseye problem where sometimes you'll see a distortion or imprint in the laminate. Is this what you mean by saying it looks like a dimple?
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Post by Chips_Away_Windshield_Repair »

Nope starQuest, my bullseyes come out fine.

The Hyundy or whatever was a quarter size combo, (rather mean looking),no problems with it at all...text book repair looked perfect except the best I can describe was a concave, dimpled appearance :( . about half dollar size circles radiating out around the entire area. Not just a single defined circle but wavy lines going out like ripples in a pond. No flowering or pedels evident.

I wish I had my camera to take a pic. as I don't know how to better describe that sucker!
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