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Glass repair - can it be done?

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Randy Harris

Randy Harris

Jedi Warrior
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Can anyone tell me if auto glass scratches be polished out? Can small chips in windows be fixed? Before I invest $350 in new window replacement I want to explore my options. I have a few minor but visible vertical scratches and a few small chips in both L and R windows.
Thanks
Randy
'66 BJ8
 
Hi Randy, basically NO! there is some indication that very light scratches can be repaired. Those that usually occur on the Healey window glasses are very deep. Chips can be filled in alo but they always show.---Fwiw--Keoke
 
Randy:

As an optometrist, when you polish a scratched surface you are just making the scratches finer and finer. What may look good in the daytime will cause significant scatter and glare at night.

Had a buddy who spent 40 hours buffing his 58 vette window only to learn that it was impossible to see through at night.

Hope this helps.

Pete
 
I have the same problem and have wondered wether a 'melt system' would do the job. I have no experience of this method, or even how it works. I have seen adverts. of an appliance being held to the windscreen over a chipped out area and assumed it was melting the glass in the small area the appliance covered then allowing the glass to cool to an unblemished surface.
 
I am also an Optometrist and agree about the distortion. In addition, the scratch is weak spot even when polished and can shatter in an accident. Even more of a threat if the glass is tempered forming a case around the internal glass which is compressed and will explode if shocked.
Pete, do we get CE's for this forum?
 
tahoe healey said:
I am also an Optometrist and agree about the distortion. In addition, the scratch is weak spot even when polished and can shatter in an accident. Even more of a threat if the glass is tempered forming a case around the internal glass which is compressed and will explode if shocked.
Pete, do we get CE's for this forum?
Click to expand...

If you do, I will consider becoming an optomist too

Bob

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<<<I am also an Optometrist and agree about the distortion. In addition, the scratch is weak spot even when polished and can shatter in an accident. Even more of a threat if the glass is tempered forming a case around the internal glass which is compressed and will explode if shocked.
Pete, do we get CE's for this forum?>>>



Well, I'm a Proctologist. If you think the cracks in the window glass are bad, you should see the cracks I look at every day!!!

Just kidding guys. I couldn't resist.

Randy
 
I’m not an optometrist. And I don’t play one on TV.

But I’ve worked around optics manufacturing a bit.

Scratches can be completely removed from glass if the glass is reasonably workable and if you use the right materials, tools and techniques.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean it’s practical or even possible to do to a piece of automotive glass in a DIY environment. It really depends on the piece of glass, the nature and severity of the damage and the skill of the operator.

If the glass has good workability (and no coatings), very light scratches can probably be removed. Heavy scratches might polish out but doing so can leave optical aberrations.

Chips are usually a lot deeper than scratches and you usually can’t buff them out. Large chips can be filled with special epoxies. The repair won’t be invisible but can be a big improvement.

Eastwood sells materials, tools and kits.

John Morralee said:
... wondered wether a 'melt system' would do the job. I have no experience of this method, or even how it works. I have seen adverts. of an appliance being held to the windscreen over a chipped out area ....
Click to expand...
What you saw was probably an epoxy injector system.

Auto glass is tempered under very tightly controlled conditions and can’t be re-melted.


PC.
 
As TH mentioned, the Healey side glass is tempered and with deep scratches it can explode. This happened to my car when stopped at a gas station and was filling up the tank. The passenger window exploded and my wife (who was sitting in the passenger seat) was covered with little glass bits. Fortunately she didn't get cut but it did give her a good scare. The scratches were fairly deep .. made by a P.O. who had installed too long screws for the interior pull handle. I know of a Healey owner who's side glass exploded sitting in the garage and another who had it happen driving down the freeway. Needless to say, I would not recommend trying to polish out scratches on tempered glass but would replace it.

BTW, the windshields are a laminated glass construction and don't shatter into little bits.

Cheers,
John
 
Hey Bob:

Your the only Optometrist I have ever known to own a Healey....Yep..we can only ask the state board for C.E. credits!!!

And I HAVE played one on T.V. too..

You guys are a riot..

Happy Healeying.

Pete
 
Yea, we are a rather boring group. Mostly Mercedes and Porsches. Now dentist tend to me into old cars and are very maticulous in the restoration getting hung up on details. And look out for the engineers types! They love challenges and give the rest of us great information.
So send all your hate mail to https://www.idontcare.com
TH




P.S. That is a phony web sight.
 
I bought one of those glass scratch repair kits from eastwood as I reall many many years ago. After much polishing of the windshield I fond the effect to be zero, zilch, nada, to the naked eye. I spent hours, no go. Love to save a buck and save parts where possible, but the polishing kit was a waste of time and money.

Greg
 
HEEELLLPP!!! The driver's side roll up window on my 64 bj8 exploded for no apparent reason. i ordered a replacement glass and disassembled the window mechanism. i'm now wondering if a glass specialist is recommend to properly install the relacement glass. can anyone advise me?
 
I had a glass shop install the glass in the frame (channel). As I recall I was afraid to remove the old one as I was tying to keep the glass w/o breaking it. Then I installed the glass and frame back into the door. The charge from the glass shop was minimal.
 
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