mine has many microscratches from the wipers and titchy pits/marks on it (presumably this is partly due to being 10 years old). They don't obviously clean off, and are a pain when the sun's in yer face.
Anyone got any thoughts about whether they can be polished out, and if so with what, or is it going to be easier to catapult chippings at it and get the insurance to replace it?
(only jokin' - besides, with the way they "surface" the roads round here, it's only a matter of time anyway)
I've seen polish advertised to do that, but I can't lay my hands on the advert here. Sort of a T-Cut for glass. Possibly advertised in Practical Classics? I've seen it done on coach side windows with T-Cut, but I'm
*not* recommending it for a screen.Otherwise, have a word with your local windscreen guys.
If you're still stuck, I'll be near an advert later today when I get home.
In article , Austin Shackles writes
I believe there's an epoxy with a very close refractive index, used as a chip filler by windscreen repairers. Don't know what it's called, but it's a better prospect than trying to polish scratches out.
OTOH, if the scratches are long, the cure may be worse, etc.
You may be able to get some screen polish from halfords
As you walk in through the door ask for the manager , dick turpin
He should know the shelf its on
DieSea
On or around Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:48:05 GMT, SpamTrapSeeSig enlightened us thusly:
the marks/scratrches are too small to fill, they're just there when the light shines on them. I might experiment on an out-of-the-way bit of screen with t-cut or similar.
Watchmakers use some stuff called Jewellers Rouge to polish clock and watch glass. Dunno where you'd get it though.
Even the tinyest of scratches needs the entire surface of the screen lowering to the bottom of the scratch, that's a lot of glass to remove. This is particularly applicable here as you say you have a lot of them not just one where you would only have to lower the screen in the area of that scratch.
Polishing scratches out takes *a lot* of work. Remember polishing compounds are that polishing, not bulk material removal...
I wonder if something like a full and proper treatment with RainX would work. A really good going over with the cleaner, followed liberal application of the "stuff". This does bond to the glass and may well fill the micro scratches from wiper blades etc. Or as Simon suggested have a chat with a crack repair place and see what the "stuff" is that they inject. Maybe that could be applied to a chemically clean screen to fill the cracks?
"Austin Shackles" wrote ... SpamTrapSeeSig enlightened us thusly:
Whatever you do Austin please keep us informed as I too have the same problem in the 1986 90.
Wholesale jewellers' supplies. I have a jar of it from just such an establishment. But all Dave L.'s caveats apply: it's not the polish that's at issue, but the effort required. Incidentally, even if you could polish out the scratches, there is the not-so-small issue of keeping the surface really smooth and parallel to the other side, or risk creating a lens by mistake.
It'll be a concave lens though so won't focus the sun rays onto the furnishings setting fire to the car... Having said that if you get what happens with two concave bits next to each other? Does the bit in the middle form a concex lens, I think it probably does.
Just come across this which looks interesting...
On or around Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:26:09 -0000, "Bob Hobden" enlightened us thusly:
does, doesn't it?
I shall investigate my screen more closely, I think probably the light scratch one would work. Only thing is, the scratches etc are all over the screen...
"Austin Shackles" wrote after "Bob Hobden" enlightened us thusly:
My understanding is the deep scratch one does everything from deep scratches to light scratches whereas the light scratch only does that. So for the few pounds extra the deep scratch one may be the better buy.
Think its time you followed a TWIN wheels qworry lorry
And claimed for a BRICK through the windscreen Austin
DieSea
Could well be but I expect the only difference is that the deep scractch one will have coarser compounds to bulk remove the glass down to the bottom of the deep scratch. Then you have to go over the frosting with finer and finer compounds to get back to smooth surface.
Damn hard work with a good polishing machine, by hand forget it.
My thoughts exactly.
On or around Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:44:28 +1300, EMB enlightened us thusly:
well, like-say the way the council "surface" the roads around here, it's only a matter of time before it gets a chipping into a critical area. It's already got 3 stone-chips, as had the minibus, however, it needs a decent-sized crack or they just glue it.
No worries - summer is over now - you can relax on this one for another year.
Try this
Richard
IIRC windscreens are glass on the outside, perspex on the inside, the glass providing the scratch-free, tough outside surface, while the perspex provides structural strength but is very easy to scratch.
It might be more complicated than that these days but that's what I thought was the construction of laminated windscreens back in my early car ownership years.
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