Windshield Repair Forum

Just wondering, I run into one of these every once in awhile. They're like a bullseye with a bunch of shattering inside, a little different than a combination cuz the legs don't run outside or if they do, not much. Sometimes they fill ok, other times the shattering still shows up way too much. Is there anything special people do to repair these better cosmetically?

I treat these the same as a combination. First I clean the pit well I use my drill for this but do not drill into the break. I then make sure the damage is dry and at the temperature of the surrounding glass. Next I place some resin into the pit and apply my vacuum pump at full vacuum for a couple of seconds and then release, you will be suprised at how much they fill. I might do this a couple of times depending on the first effect. I then apply the bridge and proceed as normal. Making sure you are shading from direct or indirect UV at all times.

Now I will explain the reason why I use this procedure. On a combination or a break of this style very little injector pressure is required to close the central legs up. Just think of the shape and you will understand my point. Why do I use the drill, personaly I find with a ball shaped bur they make a great tool for cleaning the pit far better than I can with a scribe. Just the lightest of touches does the job.

When you apply the vacuum pump, is that something different that the regular vacumm cycle itself?

Yes it is a Mityvac type system with a mushroom shaped connector for placing over damage.

jayjacque;28656 wrote:Just wondering, I run into one of these every once in awhile. They're like a bullseye with a bunch of shattering inside, a little different than a combination cuz the legs don't run outside or if they do, not much. Sometimes they fill ok, other times the shattering still shows up way too much. Is there anything special people do to repair these better cosmetically?

What that sounds like to me was what I encountered. If it was the same thing I encountered,I found that the outer glass had a bullseye and the inner glass had a star.
There was nothing I could do but refer it to my glass shop for a replacement and my bird dog fee and walk away.

screenman;28681 wrote:Yes it is a Mityvac type system with a mushroom shaped connector for placing over damage.

Sceenman
Did your mightyvac come with the mushroom shaped adaptor, or did you have to order it? If so, where from?

We buy the kit in the from of an engine tuning kit and they come with the adaptor. It would not be hard to make one but putting a hole for the tube through any reasonable quality sucker.

Anybody else have some other suggestions. I don't have that mighty vacuum thingy, just standard reverse turn injector style vacuum (though I've got a Delta bridge now on its way on order)

When this kind of break comes out bad, it still shows some of those tiny little lines (like blood vessels) and/or kinda globby looking. But to be honest maybe the globby look was when I got desperate and used more heat than I shoulda. And it doesn't seem to be a good candidate to pop just by virtue of the fact it starts out already looking so damaged. Maybe it's what Barry said, no can do. But some do come out ok, so it's hard to tell til you try.

jayjacque;28764 wrote:Anybody else have some other suggestions. I don't have that mighty vacuum thingy, just standard reverse turn injector style vacuum (though I've got a Delta bridge now on its way on order)

When this kind of break comes out bad, it still shows some of those tiny little lines (like blood vessels) and/or kinda globby looking. But to be honest maybe the globby look was when I got desperate and used more heat than I shoulda. And it doesn't seem to be a good candidate to pop just by virtue of the fact it starts out already looking so damaged. Maybe it's what Barry said, no can do. But some do come out ok, so it's hard to tell til you try.

If it is in fact just a combination on the outer layer glass, I have found that with alot of bad shatter in the combination, as long as I fill in 100%, I did all I can do structurely, but those types of breaks show up more cosmeticly.
I explain that to the customer and remind them of both the cosmetic warranty and structual warranty, If there not happy, I will refund 100% of the price.
Hope that helps.
Barry

It's very difficult to diagnose this one without seeing it, but I would agree with Barry on this one. If you have a lot of crushed glass and tiny cracks "within" the diameter of the break, it simply is not going to look as good as a simple bullseye or star break when completed.

If you are seeing "no" change in appearance of the small cracks within the break, but the air space around that area is filling properly, then I would also agree with Barry that it is likely there is some damage to the inner layer of glass, but in my experience those types of breaks are somewhat rare.

I have played with the vacuum pumps "brake bleeders" quite a bit over the years and have found them useless for windshield repair. That's just my opinion however, as I know many technicians feel they are of great benefit.

One problem we have here on the windshield repair forum is that a lot of the advice given is system specific. Putting a Delta Kits bridge in the vacuum mode while heating is not going to help. I always recommend following the manufacturer's recommendations for the best results using the particular system you are using.

Some of the biggest challenges we have to overcome in training classes is the fact that some technicians are using techniques that were developed for other windshield repair systems, and simply do not work with a Delta Kits windshield repair system and vice versa.