Tried to polish my windshield...and I'm thoroughly frustrated...

[spike]

No problem, glad to help! The key is to use a fair amount of water or QD when it starts drying out but with a bit of patience they will come out. Good luck, just remember you can add a bit of pressure in the first few passes and ease up gradually until the last pass or two is under the weight of the machine.

Edit: I think your problem is that you aren't fully breaking down the polish. My first time trying it yielded micro-marring but I realized that you really have to keep going by spritzing the polishing area with water when it dries out until it eventually starts to go clear.

For what its worth; I bought some spare headlights that have glass lenses and were serverly pitted. I figured I would see how far I could take the glass polish both in terms of maximum working time and pressure and it made a night and day difference.

Thank you Christian. I'm glad you clarified on how to keep the polish moist...you know when the polish goes dry, and the flex starts trying to jerk away from you, and it's hard to keep flat? That's what had kept happening to me. I need the water spray bottle for sure. I'd appreciate any more "step-by-step" training you can give (and what you gave me was awesome, BTW), if you have any more tips. I'll try again on it soon-it's back to work time, and back to reality...

These are great tips, and thanks to ALL of you for your help. I'm sure you know how I'm feeling right now, that sense of frustration because you screwed up, and you don't know how to fix it, and that awful "pit-in-your-stomach" feeling when you did a job and throughly sucked at it, and can't seem to fix it...for a detailer (even if it's just as a hobby), leaving something screwed up like this is aggravating, so say the least. But I know that help is just a post away on this forum...how great it is to be able to ask all you pros out there questions, and get help. I really appreciate this forum!! Thanks AG for having it!!

 

[spike]

Wow, Griot's on a Flex didn't help? Good to know as I was going to try that combo. Regards, GEWB

Maybe it didn't work yet...newbie here, so I need to find the right technique for glass. I will try Christian's advice from the posts above and hope that I can get rid of the micro-marring. You may want to ask him how it works...he has WAY more experience with it. This was my first time trying this, and I'll give it another try soon with the improved techniques.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Polishing glass is a time consuming affair. You have to be patient and take your time.
Glass is not as forgiving as paint, while results can be good, still won't be as perfect as one may expect...

It's not as forgiving because it's very, very hard and the opposite of malleable or workable, it's very un-workable.

Bite the bullet and spend the $100 on a new windshield.

Colin

I've owned 5 1959 Cadillacs and each one, by the time I bought it, (decades and decades after they were introduced), always had scratches windshields, my guess is all the times someone tried to clean them with steel wool.

My last one I bit th bullet and just had a brand new windshield installed and while the windshield was $1200.00 after insurance it was less than $200.00

I have the windshield replaced in my 1975 Jimmy last summer and total cost was under $150.00 without insurance and I got the tinted version with the build in radio antenna also.

Since this was several years ago I have upgraded my method. I now use my Makita rotary

To polish or to remove small particles of glass, which is what you're doing when you remove a scratch, you need a rotary buffer.

Remember, you don't remove a scratch, you remove the material surrounding the scratch.

Maybe it didn't work yet...newbie here, so I need to find the right technique for glass.

My guess is the oscillating action of a 3401 can be a contributor to micro-marring when polishing glass. If you find a way to use a 3401 to remove scratches out of glass without leaving any defects behind from the process please share it but if you don't have any luck then get a rotary buffer. It's going to take the power and smooth rotating action to abrade glass and leave it defects free.

 

[spike]

It's not as forgiving because it's very, very hard and the opposite of malleable or workable, it's very un-workable.


To polish or to remove small particles of glass, which is what you're doing when you remove a scratch, you need a rotary buffer.

Remember, you don't remove a scratch, you remove the material surrounding the scratch.





My guess is the oscillating action of a 3401 can be a contributor to micro-marring when polishing glass. If you find a way to use a 3401 to remove scratches out of glass without leaving any defects behind from the process please share it but if you don't have any luck then get a rotary buffer. It's going to take the power and smooth rotating action to abrade glass and leave it defects free.

Thanks Mike. Now I will stop trying to fix it, and just get the windshield replaced. Boy, I really had to learn things the hard way!! LOL I don't have access to a rotary, so I can't fix the problem.

 

[spike]

No problem, glad to help! The key is to use a fair amount of water or QD when it starts drying out but with a bit of patience they will come out. Good luck, just remember you can add a bit of pressure in the first few passes and ease up gradually until the last pass or two is under the weight of the machine.

Edit: I think your problem is that you aren't fully breaking down the polish. My first time trying it yielded micro-marring but I realized that you really have to keep going by spritzing the polishing area with water when it dries out until it eventually starts to go clear.

For what its worth; I bought some spare headlights that have glass lenses and were serverly pitted. I figured I would see how far I could take the glass polish both in terms of maximum working time and pressure and it made a night and day difference.

Hey Christian, what machine did you use to polish your glass? Did you use a rotary, or DA?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

While we would love to see you order a Makita, the first time I used a rotary buffer to buff out a car after wet-sanding it in 1980 or 1981, I went to a Tool Rental store and rented a rotary buffer for the weekend for about $18.00 I think.

 

[christian900se]

I got back to you via PM, but I did use a DA (PC). I got it completely defect free and had no marring left over to speak of but I really went as far as I could with the polish by constantly spraying it with water when it started to dry out. I know you can at least improve on those defects you have, since if it worked for my 14 year old windshield I know you can do it!

 

[spike]

I got back to you via PM, but I did use a DA (PC). I got it completely defect free and had no marring left over to speak of but I really went as far as I could with the polish by constantly spraying it with water when it started to dry out. I know you can at least improve on those defects you have, since if it worked for my 14 year old windshield I know you can do it!

Great! What I have is a flex 3401 VRG, not a rotary. So maybe I can try to get the windshield a little bit clearer. What kind of polish did you use? I have griots glass polish, and I emailed griots to ask them if it has cerium oxide in it, and the answer was no. So I think I need something with ceruim oxide in it. But very curious about what you used to polish your glass?

 

[michal101]

Great! What I have is a flex 3401 VRG, not a rotary. So maybe I can try to get the windshield a little bit clearer. What kind of polish did you use? I have griots glass polish, and I emailed griots to ask them if it has cerium oxide in it, and the answer was no. So I think I need something with ceruim oxide in it. But very curious about what you used to polish your glass?

Well, if you do get a new windshield then you can keep the old one to practice your craft to find out how to do it next time...IF there is a next time!!!

 

[christian900se]

Great! What I have is a flex 3401 VRG, not a rotary. So maybe I can try to get the windshield a little bit clearer. What kind of polish did you use? I have griots glass polish, and I emailed griots to ask them if it has cerium oxide in it, and the answer was no. So I think I need something with ceruim oxide in it. But very curious about what you used to polish your glass?

I used the Lake Country glass polishing kit (Professional Glass Polishing System), which includes the polish, two felt pads, a backing plate (I recommend using a normal backing plate, this one falls apart), and some Rain-x. Obviously, the polish is the most important part of this kit and it has some impressive cutting and finishing abilities... I had a bad scratch in my passenger side window when someone tried to slim-jim my car and I was able to remove it with this stuff!

 

[spike]

I used the Lake Country glass polishing kit (Professional Glass Polishing System), which includes the polish, two felt pads, a backing plate (I recommend using a normal backing plate, this one falls apart), and some Rain-x. Obviously, the polish is the most important part of this kit and it has some impressive cutting and finishing abilities... I had a bad scratch in my passenger side window when someone tried to slim-jim my car and I was able to remove it with this stuff!

So now I know what I was doing wrong. The griots glass polish doesn't have ceruim oxide in it, and the LC kit does. I was going to buy this kit first, but I decided to give the griots a try. Hopefully, if I get the LC kit, then I will have success like you did. :xyxthumbs:

 

[cutter]

if you haven't fixed the problem by now...try some Bon-Ami, Comet, or A-jax...Cheap fix for a problem.

 

[Blackthorn One]

I polished a windshield once using an electric drill and special glass polish with a special 2 inch diameter hard flat buffing attachment. It almost seemed to be covered with suede. There were really bad wiper blade scratches in it and it took a really long time to do. I did it over 20 years ago, and I think it might have been an Eastwood Company kit. It took hours.

 

[Mobile detail]

I have some of the Car Pro Glass polish if you wanna try that. You can PM your address and I'll send you some. No point in buying a whole thing for one windshield. Lemme know.

Peace love and applesauce

 

[Rsurfer]

Don't know if he still needs it after 2 1/2 years.

I have some of the Car Pro Glass polish if you wanna try that. You can PM your address and I'll send you some. No point in buying a whole thing for one windshield. Lemme know.

Peace love and applesauce

 

[Setec Astronomy]

if you haven't fixed the problem by now...try some Bon-Ami, Comet, or A-jax...Cheap fix for a problem.

I have some of the Car Pro Glass polish if you wanna try that. You can PM your address and I'll send you some. No point in buying a whole thing for one windshield. Lemme know.

Peace love and applesauce

Don't know if he still needs it after 2 1/2 years.

Um...dunno either why Cutter dredged this up since the last post was that long ago.