A common complaint from people who have just tried to do their own windshield repair is that they can never seem to get their repaired glass as flat and smooth as they would like, which would definitely present a cosmetic problem to the more finicky car owner. Smoothing an auto glass repair is quite simple, however, as shall be explained below.
It needs to be mentioned that part of the smoothness of your repair shall depend on how well you have followed the instructions on your DIY repair kit, of course. Make sure that you place the suction cup-equipped bracket device right on top of the damage you are fixing, because being just slightly off-target can adversely affect the look of your repair. Furthermore, make sure that you know the proper length of time required for the resin to cure, whether under a UV lamp or under direct sunlight.
Now, to create smooth and properly resurfaced glass repair, you need to remove the bracket or bridging device by taking off the resin injector, then removing the bridge itself. You should have prepared a patch of cellophane ahead of time. If you are performing your repair indoors and using a UV lamp, your patch can be fairly small, as there is very little risk of it being blown off. Some people advocate using a larger patch for outdoor curing, however, as elements like the wind can displace or even pick up the patch and ruin your glass repair. The usual advice for outdoor repairs is that you use tape to hold the edges of the patch (hence the larger size recommended) and keep it where it should be.
Now you need some pit resin. Pit resin is sometimes called pit filler, and is different from the normal resin used to repair chips in that it is thicker and used in the second stage of the repair process, which a lot of people tend to overlook. The pit resin is basically the resin that resurfaces your repaired glass, making it as smooth (or very nearly as smooth) as it used to be. Some pit resins cure very quickly, some cure at about the same rate as regular resin, and some are even capable of doubling up and acting as both repair resins and pit resins. Once you have purchased the right kind of pit resin for your needs and read the instructions on the label, apply about 2 drops of the pit resin to the repaired area, stick the patch you prepared before on top of that and press it into the glass surface. After letting it cure for the prescribed time, you can scrape off any surplus with a razor blade and finish your windshield repair with a good cleaning and polish.
For more information please visit Windshield Replacement Phoenix.
