Windshield Repair Forum

Surely a bullseye is a cone shaped piece of glass pushed out and held in place by the pvb and therefore the outer ring must touch the pvb also any starbreak which you can enlarge from the outside of the screen wiht a probe must also go as far as the pvb I think we may be getting confused wiht the pit which is unlikely to go as far as the pvb please correct me if I am wrong as I still learning. I always use acetone for cleaning etc. but I get it out almost as soon as I put it in.

Igotskills... I know alcohol is used for this... so what about other solvents?

Would acetone do the same thing, etc? Is alcohol especially bad for pvb?

I would like to find out what alternatives there are that would be better than alcohol... less destructive to the pvb, no residue, fast evaporating....

Why is anyone putting anything INTO the break? If there is moisture present than evaporate the water with a little heat from inside or out, whichever you prefer.

If there's debris or broken glass in the pit use your probe or drill bit to clean it out.

I've never used acetone or alcohol and never will.

Dave M has it exactly right. Even if alcohol only sometimes hurts the laminate, there is absolutely no reason to use it...ever...

I know some disagree, and that's fine, but none of those who disagree argue whether or not alcohol destroys laminate, just that sometimes the alcohol will not reach the laminate.

Heat, when used properly, removes moisture from breaks and there is no reason to introduce chemicals that destroy laminate into the breaks to accomplish the same goal.

It's used to help dry out the break. The acetone or alcohol will absorb the moisture. Many wsr suppliers sell "dry-out solutions" so we didn't just make it up.

Maybe they shouldn't sell the stuff, but that's not the issue.

IF there is such a moisture absorbing solution that is safe to use, then it's a another tool in the bag of tricks.

The break ALREADY has liquid and crap in it so it's not like a drop of clean, fast drying, no residue solvent is the worst thing in there.

Using heat, dry-star, etc is fine but often it's just not effective sometimes. It can also crack a w/s and it can take forever and still not get it completely dry. A safe dry out solution could make the process much quicker and possibly at much lower temps... safer.

I certainly think it's a topic worth discussing.

BTW, I don't make it a habit and it's not exactly 100% effective either, but it can help.

Some people use quick dry cleaner/solutions on about all their repairs, wet or not... which is stupid, imo... but it apparently works for them.

Heat, when used properly, removes moisture from breaks

I wish it was that simple.

There is NO method that is completely effective or safe. In the real world, some breaks just do not dry out without a fight to the death.

I have used the drystar, etc... and a temp gun... and have seen repairs retain moisture after many cycles of 250* or more. That's extreme heat, and not safe to do IMO. Yes, it should work in many cases, and some breaks like bullseye are super easy to dry out. But others won't work, etc.

For example, what do you do if there is a nice large (wet) star about an inch or two from the edge of the w/s? Do you use heat on it? Maybe I'm just a chicken...

Jeff,

Are yu getting ready to lay an egg?;)

There is NO method that is completely effective or safe

I completely agree. Heat can be very dangerous. For all those new guys out there willing to learn a thing or two, we recommend 20 second intervals with the moisture evaporator. On stubborn breaks, it may take a couple cycles.

The alternative, is dry out solution that WILL melt the laminate, and give the repair a milky look when the resin then mixes with the melted laminate.

Jeepers,

Why not just place an occlusive covering with a silicate gel/crystal over the break;)?