Chips in windshield

[Basil]

I have a small chip in the windshield - sorry, "windscreen", of my Spitfire. Its just a small little piece of the glass that got chipped out. The glass repair place said it wasn't the kind of damage they could really do anything about (they fill more pronounced rock-chips with epoxy to keep them from spreading). This isn't that kind of chip. Its just a small bit of the glass is scooped out of the surface of the windscreen. Question: Does anyone know if there is any way to sort of fill in the chip so that its not as noticable?

Thanks,
Basil

[ 09-19-2002: Message edited by: Basil ]</p>

 

[aerog]

I'd have to see it to say for sure, but the average autoparts places sell different windshield (ahem, windscreen) repair kits that are the epoxy-filler type you mentioned. The kit has a kind of syringe and an applicator that forces the filler into the chip but leaves a smooth surface once the whole thing is done - then the sun takes care of the curing.

They're designed for small bullseye chips, but might work on the type you're talking about.

 

[Dale]

I'm afraid I can only offer condolences.I made an inquiry about having the sand pits polished out of the screen on my 7 and was told by people that advertised this service that to do a large area would render it worse optically than having the pits as it would be wavy and like a fun house mirror. I would continue to shop the guys that do the epoxy bit on the bullseye chips and hope to find one willing to give it a try.Good Luck Dale

 

[Basil]

The epoxy is what I was thinking, but as mine is not the "bullseye" chip, they places I've had look at it have said they couldn't repair it. Seems to me that I should be able to just get some kind of medium-drying, clear epoxy and put a small glob in it, then let it dry and sand it down with real fine sandpaper. The only concery would be whetther it would be more or less noticable. I was wondering of anyone has tried anything like this with any success.

Basil

 

[Dale]

I would guess that the problem would be getting all the air from under the epoxy. The bullseye fixers use some kind of pressure injection means for this. But if you could accomplish it the polishing out of the top surface is doable. I had good luck restoring the transparency to the plastic windows over the gauges on my Honda Helix with fine sandpaper then patient rubbing with Mirror Glaze and Hapich Semichrome Polish.
Dale

 

[aerog]

Exactly... the epoxy systems use pressure to bleed the air out of the damaged area. The do-it-yourself kits don't cost that much to try, and the epoxy is designed for that application.

For the dash/dial plastics, and other solid plastic window materials try a search on the 'net for a kit called "micromesh". They come in various size "kits", but the small kits should be all anyone needs for small projects. The kits come with a stack of different grades of flexible, plastic-backed sandpaper - they go from something like 1200-grit to something outrageous like 24000. The idea is you slowly sand out the scratches in plastic, raising the grade after each process. Eventually you're merely polishing the plastic. The kits also come with a liquid polish and cleaner to finish the job.

They originally made the product for restoring airliner windows, and have been popular for restoring airplane glass and windscreens. The Smithsonian restorers use it, and most notably used it on a WW2 German jet with dozens of small pieces of glass in the nose - each was in poor condition before the restoration, afterwards they all looked like new.

 

[KenASh]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Basil:
I have a small chip in the windshield - sorry, "windscreen", of my Spitfire. Its just a small little piece of the glass that got chipped out. The glass repair place said it wasn't the kind of damage they could really do anything about (they fill more pronounced rock-chips with epoxy to keep them from spreading). This isn't that kind of chip. Its just a small bit of the glass is scooped out of the surface of the windscreen. Question: Does anyone know if there is any way to sort of fill in the chip so that its not as noticable?

Thanks,
Basil

[ 09-19-2002: Message edited by: Basil ]<hr></blockquote>

 

[MDCanaday]

Just a crazy thought, let your insurance co. buy you a new one, after all its a covered loss and you did pay the premium(I hope). As to the safety issue, most of the repairs I have ever seen, were there to be seen, always catching the corner of your eye when you should have had it elsewhere.
MD

 

[Dale]

Originally posted by MDCanaday:
Just a crazy thought, let your insurance co. buy you a new one, after all its a covered loss and you did pay the premium(I hope). As to the safety issue, most of the repairs I have ever seen, were there to be seen, always catching the corner of your eye when you should have had it elsewhere.
MD[/QUOTE I think the Insurance CO. will want to see a larger area affected. Of course enlarging a crack is easy with a little scientifically applied pressure. Then again there's the fraud issue. As if defrauding an insurance company.......well we won't go there.

 

[MDCanaday]

I once worked for the darkside(ins co.)If the damage is in a critical area (center drivers side) the size means nothing, there is no meter and if it bothers the drive enough to pay the deductable thats it, done deal.
MD