Chips in the Frit Area

[Mr Bill]

Today I repaired a bullseye on a Land Rover heated windshield. It had been raining and the chip was full of water. I did a dry out before the repair. All went well.
I noticed a second chip on the frit at the bottom right side edge. The drystar would not fit over the break because it was so close to the edge, so I said I would come back on a dry day after the vehicle had been parked in the sun and allowed to dry out. There was enough room to mount the injector over the break. A 3/8 inch crack was visible under the surface of the glass about i/4 inch from the point of impact. Since the WS was wet I was unsure if the crack was connected to the point of impact. The thought of having to drill and pop a bullseye so close to the edge makes me nervous. It is hard to see anything in the frit area because it is black.
Has anyone had a problem with crackout during repairs in this area of the WS?

[screenman]

You do have to be a bit more careful near the edge, however if it does run to the edge it cannot go any further in that direction.

[Mr Bill]

You do have to be a bit more careful near the edge, however if it does run to the edge it cannot go any further in that direction.

I was more worried about it going in the other direction ( away from the edge )

[Nomad]

Depends some on whether the crack line goes toward or away from the edge or is parallel. You can always fill the crack if it isn't connected after you fill the chip. Filling the chip will stabilize the break enough, hopefully, so that the crack can be filled without the whole thing running. If you want to try, and if the crack doesn't fill with the chip, drill a hole but be sure it is done accurately right on top of the crack. See if you can fill it from there. Drill the hole deeper than normal so if you have to pop it it won't take much to break out a small mini bulls eye. Make sure WS is cool. Be patient. Don't flex unless you must, flex very carefully if you have to.

If crack line partially fills, and the chip is filled well, put a piece of dark colored tape over the crack and cure the chip well, twice as long as normal, before removing the tape and drilling, tapping, or anything on the crack. Do the whole thing without flexing or tapping if at all possible.

Use UV protection when not curing.

Good luck, these can be tricky, inform the client about the dangers involved in attempting a repair that close to the edge.

[GLASSTIME]

I have had several repairs in this area. My most difficult was a star with a 2" leg that ran under the damper. I had to remove the damper and terminate the crack is it had not reached the edge. Overall it turned out decent!