Fiiling a void (piece of glass missing

[windshieldwiz]

I have a customer that has an older van used to hall his dogs around(he owns a kennel)..The ws has a piece of the outer ws missing about the size of a quarter...no cracks running etc... He is not concerned about cosmetics just wants to ensure it doesn't run out etc... anyone done this type of repair..(Just so you know I use Delta products) thanks in advance for any ideas

[jasonsresin]

it will not run. just a chunk out of the glass. wanna post a pic just incase we're misunderstanding the damage. you could fill it in with pit filler and cure it. im not big on polishing filled pits but one that size you would most certainly need to.

[SGT]

windshieldwiz,

If you adhere to the ROLAG standard what you decribe is way beyond safe repairable limits. If you adhere to a common sense driven approach I would say PASS on this one.

jasonresin,

Your not big on polishing filled pits! Sorry to question you but why not? A polished pit can make a world of difference. I dont know to me it is just part of all my professional repairs.

[jasonsresin]

well i guess thats why i joined these forums. there are things i know about but want to learn more about, such as polished pits. and there are things i dont fully understand, such as seperated legs, and repairs that look like they have water in them when they dont. (prev repairs? wax from rainex or other treatment?)

are you just polishing them by hand? i always get compliments on my repairs. i also do alot of dealers so my advantage is that someone doesnt come out over my shoulder. i get all the air out 98-99% of the time, and usually the pit is only as small as my drill bit, so a customer not looking for it rarely would see my repair. but now that i'm going to try to lean more heavily on retail work, i may need to step up my game.

[doctor ding]

Before you fill this damage abrade (sand) around the entire edge with a dremel or equivalent sanding attachment, like a mini drum sander. This will give the area more "tooth" and allow the resin to adhere better. If you don't prepare this type of damage properly, the pit resin will tend to curl at the edges over time. If there are no cracks running out from the damage it's usually safe to repair as long as the laminate is not exposed. Years ago I had one of these on an over-the-road freightliner sleeper that went upwards of 175,000 miles a year. I was reluctant to repair it at first so I watched it for about a year and a half. As it never spread in 250,000 or so miles I figured it was safe to repair. 500,000 miles later it still looked good. Then he traded the truck and I never saw it again. Don't be intimidated by the ROLAGS standard. In the real world of WSR it means nothing. Your training should have equipped you to repair whatever the customer wants you to repair.

[Brent Deines]

As a ROLAGS supporter I can no longer recommend this type of repair, but in years past I have done many such repairs on the inside of the glass, typically when a chunk of glass was pulled off with the rear view mirror. If I could find the glass that had been removed I would bond it back into place, but if it was missing I would fill the void with plate glass resin. The procedure is exactly the same as for a plate glass repair except there is no hole on the opposite side of the glass to cover. It's very simple and as long as there are no cracks now you should not have to worry about any cracks in the future.

With Delta Kits procedures and resins there is no need to rough up the glass, but it is a good idea to coat the surface of the glass with a compatible low viscosity resin before filling with high viscosity plate glass resin. The low viscosity resin will fill in any tiny nicks, crevices, or scratches that the plate glass resin may not flow into. This will result in better cosmetics and will improve the adhesion between the plate glass resin and the glass.

I'm a huge advocate for polishing pits of all sizes, but the larger the pit area the more important this will become. I would recommend polishing by hand as using a machine may produce an uneven surface, especially on a large surface area like the one you are describing.

Send me an e-mail, or PM, or give me a call if you want more information about our plate glass resin and recommended procedures for plate glass repair.

[windshieldwiz]

Thanks to everyone that gave me ideas.......I to try hard to follow ROLAGS....This job went well...cosmetics fair and
hopefully will save the w/s..customer fully understood I do not normally do this repair....It is a van used only a day or so a week haul dogs for the kennel. Damage was not in critical area and not an insurance bill..

Utilizing glass adhesive and resin....filled......polished out good and feel it may save the w/s...anyway thanks to ALL....