Windshield Repair Forum

Ever used something as an alternative to a curing tab? I like to keep a bag of individually wrapped wintergreen Lifesavers in my vehicle to snack on while on the road. My curiousity got to me today as to whether or not the clear plastic wrapper would work well as a curing tab, so I tried it and it worked just fine. So in the unlikely event that I run out of curing tabs, I have a back up plan! lol

I'm waiting for someone to ridicule me now. Go ahead all you wintergreen haters! Let me have it!

I do not smoke, but The wraper will work also. plastic slip covers for papers to use with binders will work also. Cut them into 1x3 & 1x1 for crack repairs and chip repairs...

I have been using the cellophane from cigarette packages for some 11 years. I am a non-smoker but I have saved these wrappers for years. They work great for me. I learned of this method from a firefighter in Huntsville, Al.

Now that is taking recycling to the extreme well done for conserving the planet. Personaly I prefer something a bit more substantial maybe it is because it is always windy over here and I find the light flimsy films a bit of a nuisance. But if it saves you 0.000001 cents per repair that is great. By the way the last bit was a joke. I also think that is just an excuse to eat more sweets.

PS cure for a while after you have removed your sweet wrapper as it may just block some of the UV you want to get through, even though it may seem cured better safe than sorry.

Well this wasn't a technical issue or a money saving issue. I don't intend to use candy wrappers on a regular basis! I didn't test it on an actual repair. I just put a small drop of pit resin on the glass and let it cure. There didn't seem to be any problem with curing but in the future if I ever need to actually use a candy wrapper for a curing tab, I'll be sure and heed your advice!

I've always wondered just what properties the curing tabs possess that aids the curing of the resins. Keeping in mind that UV does not penetrate well through thick surfaces, are there some chemical properties of curing tabs that accelerates the curing process? I have noted that UV penetrates the cellophane quite easily and leaves a smooth surface over which the wipers glide.

I don't think they have any special chemical properties that aid the curing process. It's just a matter of whether or not they contain any uv inhibitor.
You say the cellophane leaves a smooth surface that the wiper blades glide over? I would think that the smoothness of the surface would be the same regardless of the type of tab you use, as long as you scrape with a good blade and polish with a good polish. You do scrape and polish don't you?

The purpose of the curing sheet is to shut off the oxygen to the resin.

Just for those that want to baffle customers the resin we use is, an anaerobic/ultraviolet curing resin. Anaerobic meaning without air, which is why we use a curing tab as stated by the previous post. As we all know we can get resin to set without tabs but this is not advisable.

I've been doing anaerobics to try to lose this gut. Must be eating too many lifesavers!