Repair gone \"cloudy\"

[screenman]

I try to keep the heat as close as possible to the break this allows it to cool down quicker.

I get the break so hot I cannot put my hand on it we have to get the moisture up to about 100c to evaporate it off.

Keep practising you will be suprised how hot you can go, I have only melted the plastic a couple of times but still charged for the repair.

[GlassStarz]

SM
What possible reason could you have for bringing the glass so hot as not being able to touch it?
sure thats not a glass pipe your puttin the torch to?

[StarQuest]

screenman,

You sound like me here in Michigan drying out repairs during our rainy fall season. When their filled with water I'll burn them to the point of melting lamination. Didn't do that 3 years ago when I first started but have became very confident in the last year to push heating and drying techniques to the extreme limits. Haven't experienced a melt down so far but sure it could happen some day.

[screenman]

Glasstasrz

For me speed of drying out is very important I have found that it suits me best to get the break as hot as possible I have tried just warming the break and this is not as quick or as effecient. As we have wet screens for about 10 months of the year you can see that I have had to practise very hard to get the best method for me.

Perhaps you would like to tell us your personal method for drying out long starbreaks etc that have been wet for a period of time I am willing to listen to what everyone says on this very important subject.

[StarQuest]

screenman,

Since you seem to work with drying out repairs quite often, wondered if you ever find yourself heating during vacuum? If so, next question is your preference heating from inside of screen or outside around the stem? I use this method quite often but always from outside. I know some repair companies promote heating from inside but I always felt that was wrong.

Seems like when you heat from inside you'd take a bigger risk melting laminate.

Any comments?

[GlassStarz]

Dude I live 4 miles from the canadian border and was stationed in the midlands in the military so having lived in both places can say we are wetter here we are colder here we get more snow and it also gets warmer here in the summer and yes our beer is cold and about half as strong as yours. friggin snow fallin out the sky as we speak
That said moisture isnt much of a problem a slight warming on the inside combined with some dry out solution and the moisture goes away. I spent last winter (the 3rd coldest and wettest on record) working the end of a tunnel carwash the cars had just passed through the wash and pulled out into sub freezing air again no problem I use the defroster for a couple minutes if that doesnt work dry out and some air from a hair dryer 9 out of 10 times did the trick rarely used a match if I did it was brief
The key is to start the process with a strong vac cycle with a old injector its sucks out any air and water while im warming gently. I remove the injector install my liquid resin injector but also vac again before adding the resin (the Liquid Resins injector allows you to do this)

As far as the rabid folks jumping up and down saying dryout is bad for the laminate its the sujested method of most mfgs of our products and none sujest cooking the glass to the point that its so hot you cant touch it heres a tip PLASTIC MELTS! and even if you dont notice it melted you screwed up its bond Im sorry but no where no how can you justify using that much heat

[THE NEW GUY]

I have been getting some cloudy repairs lately....thought it was because I changed to new tips. Not so...with the warming of the weather in New England, the need to heat is now rare. Pump it in and vacuum cycle...use heat sparingly! Don't cook the plastic like I do!

[jonnyques]

WS UK do a search on moisture removal here in the fourms. There have been several good posts on it. My 2 cents is always do multipal dry out cycles. I use Deltas moisture evaporator. I have had a heat gun crack one out as it heated faster than what I was paying attention to. I figure the steam preasure created by the rapid evaporation caused it to go. I also got one to crack on a practice shield using dryout solution and heat (NOT A GOOD IDEA!) If your drying out and notice crystalizing in the break, STOP,to hot! I have drilled a small hole is some breaks that have alot of moisture in them, just to let the evaporating moisture out easier. (better safe than sorry) Best advice Ive received is to press on the break and see if there is ANY movement in the break. Water will move. And as always Black is air (good) Clear is wet (Bad). Good luck!