Repairing a Cracked Windscreen Using a Bridge Windshield Repair Kit
Posted on: 6 August 2015
For the following repair technique, you will require:
- A bridge windshield repair kit
- Cellophane
- Access to sunlight (or a UV lamp)
- A razor blade
- Glass cleanser
Before undergoing bridge repair, survey both the crack in question and as well as other windows on the car. Make sure that there is just one crack and that it is no longer than 3 inches (7.5 cm); if the crack is larger than this, a professional repair agency, such as Australian Specialised Machinery Glass, may need to be consulted.
After analysing the damage, purchase a bridge repair kit from your local hardware store. These sets include a metal implement with three suction cups. Resin is injected into a metal cavity within the implement before being pressed into the crack.
After the necessary preparations have been made, it is time to begin cleaning the car window. It is important that no dirt or other particulates are in close proximity to the damaged area, otherwise they might fall in and cause future problems or cracks to form.
Following the cleaning process, a metal probe (usually supplied with the bridge repair kit) should be used to create two "bull's eye" (circular) cracks on either side of the fracture; the primary windshield crack should seem as though it is a line connecting this two new dents. This procedure prevents the crack from lengthening in the future.
It is now time to move on to sealing the crack. Before beginning the resin injection, it is important to consult a manual for information about preparation measures. Most models will require that the syringe be filled with resin before the bridge apparatus is deployed for example. Following any prerequisites, use the suction cups to secure the metal bridge to the windshield. The syringe receptacle should lie directly over the primary crack. Observing directions from the manual, users should be able to activate a lever system within the bridge which sucks air out of the crack whilst pushing resin in. The crack should begin to visibly overflow when the process is complete.
After cleaning off any residual resin from the window surface, it is necessary to leave the car exposed to sunlight. Windshield repair resin does not air dry, therefore UV is the only way to prevent the resin from running out of the crack. If sunlight is unavailable, a UV lamp can be used instead.
One final procedure is necessary to complete the repair; resurfacing resin will have to be used to make the cracked window level once more. Using exactly the same process as before, but this time with the kit's resurfacing resin, cover the crack so that there is no longer a cavity of any kind. This resin should then be covered with cellophane and pressed down so that it is air tight against the window's surface. Once again, UV light can be used to dry the resin, after which any excess solution which has run out of the crack can be easily removed with a razor.
The final step is to wash the window once more, the hardened resin will behave as if it were simply a part of the glass.
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