My attempt at glass polishing. Decent results!

[phish]

What I used:
Ceriglass glass polish
Carpro rayon pad
Polisher (Rotary would be ideal, more later) I used a porter cable
Microfiber towels
Atomizer Mister
Clay
IPA
Clay lube of choice
Window cleaner
Tape
Dust mask

I started with setting my expectations. I knew I wasn’t going to get “100%” improvement. I knew there would be scratches that wouldn’t come out with my Porter Cable unless I wanted to spend 10 hours on it. My goal was to improve clarity so driving at night would be safer.

Then I cleaned my windshield several times using window cleaner, clay, and then IPA.

I taped off the seals on my windshield and stuffed t-shirts to cover the plastic cowl. I planed on washing my car after this anyway so I didn’t cover up anything else. Just know that the sling is real! This stuff gets everywhere.

I then did a small test spot on the passenger side. I did 3 passes and saw very little improvement, but it wasn’t getting any worse so I proceeded with the passenger side. I spread the product on 2 and went to town on full speed and ended up doing 15 passes before I got the improvement I was looking for.

As many have said, water is crucial in this process. I ended up using an old atomizer bottle I had laying around that held 2ozs. I refiled it 10 times total. After every pass I stopped and sprayed the area I was working. I saw better results when the product was a “runny” consistency.

I spent a little over 2 hours total just polishing. 15 passes per side and I’d say there was a 60% improvement. The spreading of light due to the scratches is greatly diminished, but not completely gone. I’d say if you have a rotary you’d get much better results but I’m happy with the outcome.

It’s hard to take pictures of glass so I hope these pictures get the point across!


Before:

Amount I used per side:

After 15 passes, still had plenty of working time:

Sling!:

Before/After:

 

[expdetailing]

Very nice! Did you learn anything from the experience that could be useful to others who have never polished glass?
Thanks

 

[DapperStyle]

Nice work! Did you put any sealant or coating on it after? If so how long do you have to wait to do it?

 

[Jaretr1]

Yeah, its hard to get really good results with the PC, but you have everything else right. I did the same thing and I ended up with decent results.

I could tell one thing, after I resealed the glass, on the side I did polish, the water was flying off, so It was definitely smoother.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I taped off the seals on my windshield and stuffed t-shirts to cover the plastic cowl. I planed on washing my car after this anyway so I didn’t cover up anything else. Just know that the sling is real!

This stuff gets everywhere.

Yep. Thin, watery polish used at high speed equals splatter dots everywhere.

So cover everything up unless you want to or plan to wash the car afterwards.

I then did a small test spot on the passenger side.

I did 3 passes and saw very little improvement, but it wasn’t getting any worse so I proceeded with the passenger side.

And that simple observation from the results of your Test Spot is the key.

You didn't see the glass getting any worse. Bingo.

If you had seen an increase in micro-marring or scratching of any kind that would have been the RED FLAG to STOP and come back here and tell us what you were seeing and then try a new plan of attack.


This is also why you always start out on the passenger side of the windshield. Don't ever test or try polishing glass for the first time on the driver's side.


Thanks for the update!

:dblthumb2:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

A quick note to everyone that will read this thread into the future.

While using a rotary buffer is faster when it comes to removing scratches out of glass it is also harder on you as it's easier to use, manage and control a dual action polisher like the PC than any rotary buffer.

Plus when I originally wrote the below how-to article I included the Porter Cable because I knew there a thousands of people that already own and use a Porter Cable dual action polisher or one of the copies of this tool. So this article was to show people how to polish glass with the polisher they already owned.


Glass polishing - How to remove scratches in glass



Here's another good reference thread on this topic that shows how to cover up a car if you don't want to wash it afterwards.


How to remove tiny pinhole pits in glass windows using a rotary buffer

It's messy!

 

[haris300]

Impressive results for a DA! Nicely done.

Like Mike said, a rotary can be a lot harder on your arms/hands but the correcting capability on glass is phenomenal.

 

[kwwhite1]

I plan on using the same products and method on my 92 mustang that I am restoring. The glass is in horrific shape so I hope to get good results, really any improvement would be great. Thanks for the write up as I now have more confidence to make my first attempt at polishing glass!