Grinding the car glass. How to grind glass

Maintaining optimal visibility in the passenger compartment is one of the main conditions for safe driving. The windshield in this respect is the most responsible, but it is also the most open for minor damage and pollution. Minor scratches, chips, cuts and cracks affect not only the coefficient of visibility, but also the internal structure of the product. Therefore, the grinding of glass becomes an obligatory measure, which is carried out in regular intervals at regular intervals.

Glass defect

In the process of flaw detection, it is possible to assess how serious the surface wear is, and draw the 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 give an opportunity to more accurately choose the means of grinding. The criterion for evaluation is the depth of the defect. The first category is minor damage with scratches of a depth of about 50 microns. Next comes the second category - cuts and small chips up to 200 microns. The most responsible grinding of the car's glass is made when fixing the damage, the depth of which is about 300 microns. In this case, a coarse grinding tool is required, as well as a suitable 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 planning to restore the surface of the glass in the conditions of their garage, it is recommended to purchase pastes for manual processing. First, grinding the glass with a hand tool has a less coarse and hard impact on the surface, which makes it possible to exclude the application of new cuts. Secondly, in terms of the effect, they are not much inferior to professional compositions, if properly used. Most hand-polishing pastes contain chromium oxide, thanks to which the product can be used for delicate surfaces - not only for autoglass, but also for polishing jewelry, screens of mobile devices, etc.

In this group, pastes also have their differences. So, to eliminate obvious scratches and strong abrasions, you should get the compounds with a rough base. These are not exactly coarse-grained pastes, but they also need to be more careful, since with intensive impact, it will not be polished, but literally abrasive cutting. Glass grinding, which does not have deep damage, can be produced by soft compounds. They give a greater effect of cleaning, eliminating matt abrasions. There is also a category of decorative hand-made pastes, which are not so much struggling with damages, as they give glass jewelry shine.

Preparation for grinding

Cleansing and restoring actions with the car body and glass are carried out only after a thorough washing. The machine must be washed, dried, and then treated with a blower. Blow off will need small dust particles that could remain on the surface of the glass. Next, you need to prepare a polyethylene film in an amount sufficient to completely cover the car.

Film should cover the entire body, and then make slits in the windows and in the windshield area. This is necessary in order to prevent the abrasive from reaching the non-target area. The edges of the trimmed film are gently stuck with paint tape.

Depending on which technique the grinding of the windshield will be performed, the corresponding tool is prepared. Usually for operation use a special grinding machine with an electric motor or a battery pack, as well as a felt ring in the form of a nozzle. At the same time, it is necessary to dilute the abrasive paste with water, as stipulated by the instruction of a specific composition.

Technique of the operation

To begin with, the paste must be applied to problem areas. This is done without the participation of a grinder - manually the composition is applied to the felt wheel and rubbed against the target surface. Grinding is performed by small circular zones with a diameter of approximately 30 cm. If it concerns several point damaged areas, then attention should be focused on them. In any case, for a long time to stay in the same place can not, otherwise a dent will form. Mainly grinding the glass should correct the physical defects of the structure, and for this there will be enough soft impact. If there is dryness and temperature stress at the treatment points, then a little water should be added to the surface of the glass. Upon completion of work, the entire composition is washed off, and the glass can be treated as an additional cleaning with a special detergent auto chemistry.

How does polishing differ from grinding glass?

Polishing glass can also be an additional procedure after grinding. In fact, this is a more accurate operation of smoothing out irregularities, since fine-grained materials are used during its execution. A polishing wheel, manual stripping materials and abrasive blends are also used. As well as polishing the car's windshield, polishing can eliminate small defects. But its main task is precisely to ensure an attractive appearance of the surface with gloss and absence of matte scuffs.

Conclusion

Subject to compliance with the rules of grinding, it is possible to minimize defects in the surface of the glass and increase its original decorative properties. However, counting on this operation as a frequent and regular measure of glass restoration still does not follow. 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, the grinding of the glass is carried out after the formation of a large number of small scratches and cracks. What can lead to this state? To the most common factors, experienced motorists attribute the impact of "wipers", brushing and scrapers, stains from reagents, etc.