Windshield Repair Forum

I have as most of you know been shouting about drying out for more years than most if not all of you have been in the business and I think I have come up with something that can and will speed up the process, I welcome all of you to try this and come back to the forum with your results.

When drying out we heat the damage too quite a high temperature and we need to cool this area again before we can start the fill process, this cooling period which in the UK we may have to do 4 or 5 times has in the past taken a long time to happen. So with this in mind I looked at ways of decreasing this period, we tried various fans etc. and they did make some difference but not as much as we were looking for. So one day I was looking around thw workshop and found a panel beaters dolly, in other words a heavey lump of cool iron, I placed this over the heated area and it cooled down a lot quicker. So with this in mind I looked for something even better and found it a 2inch x 2inch cube of aluminiuim and WOW fantastic aluminium has the potential to suck the heat out of the screen in no time at all. I think this may be one of the best things I have discovered in all my time of drying out and boy does it make things quicker. Try it.

When heating I keep the hot area as small as possible for many reasons, one being it allows the glass to cool to the ambient temperature quicker, 2 if you do get a crack out it will stop almost as soon as it hits cold or cooler glass, 3 the moisture is in the chip not 6 inches away from it. No many will still be heating a large area I used to it was they way I was taught and it took me a couple of years to question why and work out it was not required.

Please come back with any results you might have, for I am sure there are cleverer guys than me out there.

Ive been using the block... (aluminium block from interior repair kit...which I never used for its INTENDED purpose!)since you told me about it Graham down in Lincoln and it does exactly what you say ...Pure b****y brilliant!..finally got a use for the block ..what about the iron!?

Glad you are getting on with the method, as for the iron I never found a purpose for mine either.

Nice post Screenman. Copper may aborb heat better than aluminum but alluminum would disapate heat better. I think either would be fine for this purpose though. Curious what kind of times did you recorded in your tests and what temps you our heating too?

Cooling period? That's the first I heard anyone say that. I've been just drying out, then setting up the bridge and insert resin, which takes about what maybe 1 or 1 and a half minutes after using the drystar. I guess I just assumed it had cooled down enough...

Screenman
How many seconds are you keeping the heated drystar over the chip?

Jayjaque, it is important you allow the windshield damaged area to cool down as much as possible and also flexing the legs of starbreaks etc. after the damge has cooled, you will find if left these will stay shut for a long time. Mr Bill I tend to use the drystar different to most, I place it over the damage an by watching very carefully in the mirror I press the button until the element is glowing and then let the button off and hold on for about another 20 seconds whilst the drystar cools slightly. I find for me these have been the best results, but I know others that place it on the screen hot and hold for 20 seconds, just makes me a bit nervous that way. Sgt, I would say that cooling periods have been reduced down to about 25% of normal, or 1 minute instead of 4 or 5.

If in doubt dry it out.

just looked out the window Holy Crap! it rained think I will take the day off have a pint and think how lucky i am that the 3 days a year it rains here I can just not work and think of old Graham in his rain slicker and rubber boots LOL Happy Hween dude

Grrrrrr!

Hello everyone. I have been fitting windscreens for years and have done hundreds of repairs.I have never been shown how to get damp out of a repair or what damp looks like in the repair . Please help .