Windshield is delaminating

[freak]

how do you cut laminated glass?

 

[Doug in NJ]

how do you cut laminated glass?

The glass shop that made my glass said that there was no magic trick- they score it on both sides with a glass cutter, and basically use brute force to tear through the laminating material. After that, I guess some grinding and possibly polishing are needed to get an nice-looking edge where necessary.

Doug

 

[GaryA]

how do you cut laminated glass?

You score and run each side of the glass. Then a flammable liquid, usually denatured alcohol is applied along the score and ignited. The heat from the burning alcohol softens the plastic (polyvinyl butyral) that is sandwiched between the glass so that the score can be opened up. A razor blade is used to cut the plastic.

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

The glass shop that made my glass said that there was no magic trick- they score it on both sides with a glass cutter, and basically use brute force to tear through the laminating material. After that, I guess some grinding and possibly polishing are needed to get an nice-looking edge where necessary.

Doug

I thought they put a fluid on the score and lit it on fire to melt the plastic?

 

[darrylkmc]

I thought they put a fluid on the score and lit it on fire to melt the plastic?

This is how I have always seen it done also, score both sides and break, add some isopropyl alcohol and cut the laminant while it is soft from the heat.

Darryl in Fairbanks

 

[freak]

The methods you guys listed could well be the reason that glass like this can have a tendency to delaminate. The laminate material is probably stretched near the cut and possibly thinner than the rest of the glass. When windshields are factory made, the laminate material is probably not disturbed at all.

 

[TonyM]

Here is the windshield that was on my 1937 Ford. Pretty Bad. This is a factory windshield. I restored the windshield with glass from Saunders.

 

[Purdy Swoft]

Here is the way that the delamination looked at the bottom of the windshield of my roadster. I bought a good standard Canadian windshield on eBay . I removed the glass from the frame and installed it in my original windshield frame.

 

[freak]

How hard does the frame come apart?

 

[Purdy Swoft]

The frame came apart fairly easily. The best that I remember without going out and looking, there was two screws on each side at the top.

 

[George Miller]

Here is the windshield that was on my 1937 Ford. Pretty Bad. This is a factory windshield. I restored the windshield with glass from Saunders.

Back in the day when they were driving old cars yet. The middle to late 30ts Fords had a lot of windshields like that one in the picture. Other cars not so much so.