Grinding car glass. How to grind glass

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Maintaining optimal visibility inside the car is one of the basic conditions for safe driving. The windshield is the most responsible in this regard, but it is also the most open to minor damage and pollution. Minor scratches, chips, cuts and cracks affect not only the visibility coefficient, but also the internal structure of the product. Therefore, glass grinding becomes a mandatory measure, which is carried out on a regular basis at certain intervals.

Glass Troubleshooting

During the flaw detection process, it is possible to assess how serious the wear of the surface is, and draw an appropriate conclusion about further actions. Sometimes, after such an assessment, the glass is dismantled and new ones are installed in their place. Most often, the check allows you to determine the degree of damage - this will make it possible to more accurately select the means of grinding. The evaluation criterion is the depth of the defect. The first category is minor damage with scratches of the order of 50 microns deep. This is followed by the second category - these are cuts and small chips up to 200 microns. The most responsible grinding of car glass is carried out when fixing damage, the depth of which is about 300 microns. In this case, coarse-grainedgrinding tool, as well as the appropriate paste. Conversely, in the case of minor cracks and cuts, fine-grained abrasives should be used. However, the choice of pasta should be discussed separately.

Choice of polishing paste

For ordinary motorists who plan to restore the glass surface in their garage, it is recommended to purchase pastes for manual processing. Firstly, grinding glass with a manual tool has a less rough and harsh effect on the surface, which eliminates the application of new cuts. Secondly, in terms of effect, they are not much inferior to professional compositions, if used correctly. Most hand polishing pastes contain chromium oxide in the base, making this product suitable for use on delicate surfaces - not only for auto glass, but also for polishing jewelry, mobile screens, etc.

This group of pastes also has its differences. So, to eliminate obvious scratches and severe abrasions, you should purchase compositions with a rough base. These are not exactly coarse-grained pastes, but you also need to be careful with them, because with intense exposure, not polishing will be provided, but in the literal sense, abrasive cutting. Grinding glass, which does not have deep damage, can be done with soft compositions. They give a greater cleaning effect, eliminating matte scuffs. There is also a category of decorative hand pastes, which do not so much fight damage as give glassjewelry glitter.

Preparation for grinding

Cleaning and restoring actions with the car body and glass are performed only after a thorough washing. The machine must be washed, dried, and then treated with a blower. It will be necessary to blow off small particles of dust that could remain on the surface of the glass. Next, you need to prepare a plastic film in a volume sufficient to completely cover the car.

The film should cover the entire body, and then make cuts in the windows and in the windshield area. This is necessary so that the abrasive does not get into the non-target area. The edges of the cut film are carefully glued with masking tape.

Depending on the technique used to grind the windshield, an appropriate tool is also prepared. Usually, a special grinder with an electric motor or a battery pack is used for the operation, as well as a felt circle in the form of a nozzle. Along with this, it is necessary to dilute the abrasive paste with water, as provided by the instructions for a specific composition.

Operation technique

To begin with, the paste must be applied to problem areas. This is done without the participation of a grinder - the composition is manually applied to a felt circle and rubbed over the target surface. Grinding is carried out in small circular zones with a diameter of approximately 30 cm. If it concerns several point damaged areas, then attention should be focused on them. Anywayit is impossible to linger in the same place for a long time, otherwise a dent will form. The main purpose of glass grinding is to correct the physical imperfections of the structure, and for this a gentle impact will be sufficient. If there is dryness and thermal stress at the processing points, then a little water should be added to the glass surface. Upon completion of work, the entire composition is washed off, and the glass can be treated with special washing auto chemicals as an additional cleaning.

How is polishing different from glass grinding?

Glass polishing can also be an additional procedure after grinding. In essence, this is a more accurate smoothing operation, since fine materials are used in the process. A polishing wheel, manual cleaning materials and abrasive mixtures are also involved. Like sanding a car windshield, polishing allows you to eliminate small defects. But its main task is precisely to provide an attractive appearance of the surface with gloss and the absence of matte scuffs.

Conclusion

If you follow the rules of grinding, you can minimize the imperfections of the glass surface and increase its original decorative properties. However, one should not count on this operation as a frequent and regular measure of glass restoration. In itself, the impact of abrasives contributes to the rapid wear of the material, so it is desirable to prevent the appearance of defects. Usually glass grinding is carried out after the formation of a largenumber of small scratches and cracks. What can lead to such a state? The most common factors for experienced motorists include windshield wipers, brushing and scraping, chemical stains, etc.