May/June  2001

Tech Tips
helpful hints

Ask the Doctor

by Walt Gorman

Q: Please give me your thoughts on repairing long cracks. To tell the truth, I am afraid to attempt them, as I have not been successful at all with this type of repair.

A. My company repairs cracks up to 18 inches long. This is good business if you can do your customers’ long cracks. But, we will not repair them for a dealer who will not give us his other work.

Here are some tips on long crack repair:
Pop a bull’s eye at both ends of the crack. Drill ¼-inch from the end of the crack, insert a sewing machine needle and tap lightly to pop the bull’s eye. Remember, you want a large bull’s eye and the shallower the drill hole, the bigger it will be.
Lubricate the suction cup keeping it below the crack so that no lubricant leaks out into and contaminates the crack.

Fill one bull’s eye and slide your bridge and injector along the crack, keeping the resin ahead of the injector.

When you reach a tight spot where resin will not flow, flex the glass from inside with your hand or a crack expander. If you do not keep the resin ahead of the injector, you could create an air pocket at that point. 

  Walt Gorman is the owner and founder of A-1 Windshield Repair Inc. in Seekonk, MA. He also runs a training school for windshield repair technicians.

AGRR