Windshield Repair Forum

I have never used one but now I want to improve on my repairs. Should I or Shouldnt I, is my question? What is this tool? When should I use it?

You should definitely have one, IMO, but you need to use some caution with it. The DryStar is the tool sold by about every wsr supplier. It's nothing more than an auto cigarette lighter stuffed into a nifty handle. It just uses heat to "bake" the moisture out of the chip. I think it is more effective than spot heat from a mini torch, etc.

When should you use it? I would recomend using it for bullseyes to start with. It does a very good job on them, and you can easily "see" it working. You will have to play with it to see how comfortable you are using it on stars. I feel it's risky to heat some breaks, and I don't think it does very well on the legs of a star anyway. It's much better than not using anything, though, and it "shouldn't" crack the w/s, although it is a risk.

Just watch how hot you get the glass... and let it cool back down before you drill or put much pressure on the break. You might have to wait for the glass to cool some anyway, before you can tell if it's getting it "dry".

Others may have different opinions. I think it's inadequate and over-hyped, but it's the best thing we've got right now.

I used a DryStar for the first time today. I've been at WSR for 3 years and have always used a long nosed lighter. My lighter was out of fluid, so I dusted off the new DryStar that hadn't been opened in a year. Actually I was pretty impressed. You definetly have better control when heating a break, especially on tinted areas. It also made nice eye candy for the customer, who said "Wow you have to have alot of special equipment to do this". I said "Yep, your right, if your going to do this professionally". The customer stated he had repairs done in the pastbut none that were close to the same quality.(He usually has them done at a carwash.) It's comments like this that really make me love this business. The only bad thing is I think it sucked alot of the juice from my 12V portable battery. Does anyone else use one on a regular basis and know if this is the norm?

Yeah, they do drain a battery pretty good.

I will have to check the amp draw and see just how much it pulls. my drystar wuit on me the other day, so I need to mess with it anyway and see what's wrong.

I purchased a DryStar but have not had to use it yet. Maybe it will get used next week.

When I pulled it out of the box, I noticed that the element (the cigarette lighter looking end) was in the housing crooked and stuck out from the housing a little bit. Is this normal or is it a defect. I have not contacted my supplier about it yet.

Thanks,

Robert

Robert,

Sticking above the housing is normal...

Crooked? I don't think so...If we supplied it, give us a call. If it was someone else, I would recommend calling them!

Thanks for your prompt reply Jeff.

I will give them a call.

Robert

Does anyone have experience with the "heater/dryer" sold by the A.C.T. claims people? It seems very pricey to me. Thanks, Jim

Yes, I have one of those.... the "coke can". I actually had that one before I got a DryStar. Both do about the same thing. Both are awkward to hold, but you get used to them.

I like the Liquid Resins Dryer. The heating element is recessed and it has a weak little fan inside that blows down a little. You can't put the lighter element as close the glass as the DryStar, but that is usually a good thing anyway. There is plenty of heat... when I use the DryStar, I often hold it slightly off the glass anyway... to control the heat.

I think the LR dryer has more "cool" factor. 8) Mine is purple... I think they are silver now.

glassdoctor, Thanks for the info. There was a purple one on ebay some time back & yeah it looked real cool. The new style has a "professional" look that should impress clients.