star breaks (help)

[aim glass]

hello wsr tech, i need some serious tips on star breaks. i can't seem to get the legs to fill. maybe i'm missing a step. would love to hear the steps all of you take when repairing these. thanks.:eusa_wall

[repare-brise]

Before we can help please fill us in on a few details, what't the temperature, when was the last rainfall, what equipment are you using, did you drill, what resin are you using? With this info we will better prepared to help you.

Merci

[GlassStarz]

The basics of Star repair
Use several vac and pressure cycles
put your awl an the tip of the star and give small pressure while the injector is under pressure repaeat with each leg
Sometimes a light thumb pressure on the inside will start the legs fill
Other times running a match on the inside will open the leg
keep the injector on the glass longer and UV protected sometimes just more time will fill it
I use a thinner resin for stars and often drill the center a little to open all the entrys to the legs

[aim glass]

Before we can help please fill us in on a few details, what't the temperature, when was the last rainfall, what equipment are you using, did you drill, what resin are you using? With this info we will better prepared to help you.

Merci

i live in nebraska, hot summers, cold winters and very little rain. actually we are having perfect weather 70 degree days.also i'm using the glass mechanix system and resins but, i'm currently shopping around for other resins. and i do drill it's seems to work better to do so. funny story everything seemed to work better in training.

[aim glass]

The basics of Star repair
Use several vac and pressure cycles
put your awl an the tip of the star and give small pressure while the injector is under pressure repaeat with each leg
Sometimes a light thumb pressure on the inside will start the legs fill
Other times running a match on the inside will open the leg
keep the injector on the glass longer and UV protected sometimes just more time will fill it
I use a thinner resin for stars and often drill the center a little to open all the entrys to the legs

thanks for the tips. i took your advise and the legs started to fill better. do you or have you heard much about glass mechanix resins? or do you know of better resins?

[repare-brise]

GM resins are of high quality just as those from Delta and other top companies. Since you are using GM equipment I should be able to help you as I use the same, first there tech # is 1 800 826 8523. Stars are the hardest with any system, but with a little practice they become as easy. First drilling is realy not required for most srats, generaly the bigger they are the easier they are. I will think of drilling only for a small moustach type star. Drilling helps relieve the internal pressure and/or stress when combined with a mini bulls eye. If you are on a practice shield try drilling to see the results. once all the prep steps are done, start your injector(with star-fill resin)off on a vacumm cycle, wait 90secs-2 min. Apply pressure until the end seal slightly bulges, again the 2 min wait, if it has not completely filled, return to vacumm, and with the torch in your kit apply a short burst of heat(2-3 secs) allow to cool, return to pressure with your injector, and if after a miniut the break is not filled, flex from the outside (flexing is done by applying the side of the tip of your pick above the offending line and applying a slight pressure for 4 -5 seconds, then slowly releasing). With both heat and flexing be very carefull and observant as not to increase the dammage. If at this point your star is still not filled repaet the vacumm and pressure cycles, once you are satisfied cure under pressure and finish as per your training. One little note, sometime when the resin is not hardened the break may seem visable, but if you change your viewing angle, it disapears. If on a practice shield try curing it and see the results.

Thanks

[aim glass]

GM resins are of high quality just as those from Delta and other top companies. Since you are using GM equipment I should be able to help you as I use the same, first there tech # is 1 800 826 8523. Stars are the hardest with any system, but with a little practice they become as easy. First drilling is realy not required for most srats, generaly the bigger they are the easier they are. I will think of drilling only for a small moustach type star. Drilling helps relieve the internal pressure and/or stress when combined with a mini bulls eye. If you are on a practice shield try drilling to see the results. once all the prep steps are done, start your injector(with star-fill resin)off on a vacumm cycle, wait 90secs-2 min. Apply pressure until the end seal slightly bulges, again the 2 min wait, if it has not completely filled, return to vacumm, and with the torch in your kit apply a short burst of heat(2-3 secs) allow to cool, return to pressure with your injector, and if after a miniut the break is not filled, flex from the outside (flexing is done by applying the side of the tip of your pick above the offending line and applying a slight pressure for 4 -5 seconds, then slowly releasing). With both heat and flexing be very carefull and observant as not to increase the dammage. If at this point your star is still not filled repaet the vacumm and pressure cycles, once you are satisfied cure under pressure and finish as per your training. One little note, sometime when the resin is not hardened the break may seem visable, but if you change your viewing angle, it disapears. If on a practice shield try curing it and see the results.

Thanks

thank you so much for all your tips. you've been most helpful.

[glassfixerCO]

Just to add to what Glass-Starz and Repare-Brise said. When you're applying pressure to the stubborn legs of the star, a.k.a.: flexing. If you look at an angle, you'll see the resin slowly turning the leg "invisible" as it moves away from your pick and towards the tip of the leg. At this point keep applying the pressure until the outermost shiny tip of the star leg virtually disappears, stopping before this occurs may cause the leg to close back up without the resin reaching the outermost tip. Sometimes flexing one stubborn leg will simultaneously cause 1 or more others to fill too. Keep an eye on the whole perimeter of the star break while doing this however to make sure none of the other legs are cracking further.

[DaveC]

Further adding ....

If it is a sunny day, don't forget to use your UV blocker. It is possible, on those tight/slow filling stars for the resin to cure before it reached the end of the leg.

[jonnyques]

my 2 cents, releave some of the preasure the seal is applying on the glass. While under preasure slightly unscrew the injector body in the base. Just as flexing can open up a leg, the seals preasure can close off a leg. With the Delta I have had stars not want to fill. Ill lossen of the injector to the point where I will get slight resin seapage under the seal. The legs are now more relaxed and the resin will flow. Just what I have found works for me. JMO