Guidence on windshield pitting...

[MasterBlaster]

So I did something pretty stupid a couple weeks ago when sparks from my angle grinder flew close enough to my truck's windshield to make contact and cause pitting... Lesson learned. At the time, I never would've thought it would cause pits because I felt it was far enough away from the truck for the sparks not to be hot enough to cause problems on the off chance they did make contact. Same thing where the force of the sparks were concerned, too. What's odd is that the same sparks made contact with various plastic things on the workbench that were closer to the work piece and none of them were damaged at all. I can't explain it. Maybe my truck's windshield is just some cheap kind? Either way, and again, lesson learned.

But now I need to try and fix this because I want to avoid replacing the windshield if I can. It's not so bad that the truck can't be driven or anything, so that's good, but it's visible enough (especially from inside the cap) for me to want to repair it if possible.

I watched Mike's video here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t15n7ATZpVs) where he attempted to remove various glass imperfections and tried to do some Q&As about how much his approach in the video can fix the issues before one should just resign to replacing the entire windshield. I think I'm right at the point of severity where it's just shy of needing to be replaced. Many of the pits are about the size of a teeny-tiny ballpoint pen ball-tip, so I want to believe it's repairable with the right products and techniques.

After watching his video above, I tried to take a wack at this situation a few different times using the following products:

- Porter-Cable 6" Variable-Speed Random Orbit Sander (https://www.portercable.com/products/power-tools/woodworking-tools/sanders/6-in-variablespeed-random-orbit-sander-with-polishing-pad/7346sp).
- 2-pack of Poliwell 6" Hook-and-Loop Interface Pads (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HH19HFR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
- 3-pack of Griot's Garage 10614 6" Glass Polishing Pads (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UQIUKW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
- The CarPro Ceriglass Kit (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006LO3B3C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) (entirely for the compound as at the time, I couldn't find any CeriGlass compound-only products on Amazon).
- Griot's Garage 11033 Glass Sealant (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AX4TWCA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).

The first time I tried this, I do think it helped. The pits aren't as visible on the outside as they were, which is good! But from inside the cab, it's almost like I've made no progress. So I tried to go at it a second time with more aggressive action. As a result, I wound up burning through one of the interface pads with my highest setting on the sander and really pushing downward onto the glass. I learned a lot by doing this, but after taking this approach to the limits, I feel that it's just not getting the results I was hoping for. Am I being impatient? It's making me wonder if I'm needing different pads or compound. The pads I bought for this situation are specifically for glass polishing but nowhere in their product description are they listed as actual *cutting* pads, which I've seen for other pad sizes--I couldn't find actual cutting pads for my 6" polisher. Do they make 6" glass cutting pads or am I going to be forced to convert to something like 5" or 5.5"?

I also saw (just today) how Mike did something similar here (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/40436-how-remove-tiny-pinhole-pits-glass-windows-using-rotary-buffer.html) where he explained how he used "Diamondite Glass Resurfacing Creme" (and luckily, I found some on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Diamondite-DIA-545-Glass-Polish-fl/dp/B096NGZZ35/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Diamondite&qid=1624297244&sr=8-1), so I can buy that if I need to). Should I use that compound instead of the Ceriglass stuff? I'm assuming they both contain Cerium Oxide, which I understand as being mission-critical for this kind of situation as it provides the kind of abrasive one needs to level the glass enough to get at the imperfection.

Maybe what I have will work with a few more passes? One thing I've read is that polishing imperfections out of glass takes a long time, so maybe I should just be patient and keep using what I've got a few more times?


Any insight into this would be appreciated and thanks in advance.

[Rsurfer]

You will need a rotary for any chance of getting those pit marks out of your windshield.

[Mike Phillips]

I also saw (just today) how Mike did something similar here (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/40436-how-remove-tiny-pinhole-pits-glass-windows-using-rotary-buffer.html) where he explained how he used "Diamondite Glass Resurfacing Creme" (and luckily, I found some on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Diamondite-DIA-545-Glass-Polish-fl/dp/B096NGZZ35/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Diamondite&qid=1624297244&sr=8-1), so I can buy that if I need to).


Should I use that compound instead of the Ceriglass stuff?



No.






I'm assuming they both contain Cerium Oxide,



Nope. I don't know what's in the "new" Diamondite Glass Polish but it is NOT a cerium oxide abrasive technology and it will NOT remove sub-surface defects IN glass. Stick with the CarPro product.






Maybe what I have will work with a few more passes?



Yes. More time, more buffing equals more leveling of the glass to remove the defects.





One thing I've read is that polishing imperfections out of glass takes a long time, so maybe I should just be patient and keep using what I've got a few more times?



I'd say divide the glass into 4 quadrants and buff each quadrant for at least 30 minutes. If glass is not perfect after 30 minutes - buff some more.



:)

[Mike Phillips]

You will need a rotary for any chance of getting those pit marks out of your windshield.




It can be done with a free spinning 8mm random orbital polisher - it just takes longer.


I did this with a Porter Cable and while these are scratches not pits - same idea.

Here's a little Tape-Line Before and After I did to a Honda windshield that's parked outside all the time.

This windshield is extremely scratched over time from beach sand being dragged across it from the wipers. This is common to cars in coastal areas.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/715/ScratchesINGlass003.jpg




These are deep scratches in a 2004 Honda that has spent it's entire life parked outside in Stuart, Florida.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/715/ScratchesINGlass003c.jpg


Here's the same windshield and the same exact location as above...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/715/ScratchesINGlass009.jpg




Glass polishing - How to remove scratches in glass (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/78934-glass-polishing-how-remove-scratches-glass.html)


In the picture below you will see the pads, products and tools you need to remove scratches from glass.

Glass is very hard and in order to abrade it in a way to remove scratches without at the same time instilling scratches you need a polish specifically made for glass that contain

Cerium Oxide


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/2360/Cerium_Oxide_Glass_Polishing_Tools.jpg


:)

[MasterBlaster]

Thanks, Mike. I'll do as you advise and just keep going at it.

[Mike Phillips]

where he explained how he used "Diamondite Glass Resurfacing Creme"

(and luckily, I found some on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Diamondite-DIA-545-Glass-Polish-fl/dp/B096NGZZ35/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Diamondite&qid=1624297244&sr=8-1), so I can buy that if I need to).





The "new" Diamondite Glass Polish is for TOPICAL glass polishing ONLY.


I cover this topic to death and to detail here,



https://youtu.be/LE6Tl0uuths


So much confusion in the Interweb world on the topics of Topical and Sub-Surface glass polishing.

Most people don't know the difference nor what it takes to do each type - thus the reason I pounded this topic into the ground in the above video.

Hopefully over time it will make a dent in the myths and confusion?



:)

[Paul A.]

I have said it before and will reiterate now...glass polishing is a long process. It is NOT like a test spot for paint correction.

In the latter you see the effectiveness of pad, product, machine etc
after one section pass. With CeriGlass it takes a good 10 minutes IN THE SAME AREA to see even slight progress. Mike's video is perfect...product, waterspritzes amd more product to work very gradual abrasion until you're satisfied.

Yup, maybe 30 mins later you're ready to move on to the next section...maybe.

And cover everything else up. I use big sheets of visquene. The slurry sling with my rotary gets everywhere!

[2black1s]

You didn't mention what kind of vehicle this is other than a "truck".

Is it a classic truck? Or something more current?

Is a replacement windshield available? If so, that would be my choice.

[MasterBlaster]

It's a 2006 Chevy Colorado that I can absolutely replace the windshield for, but I'd like to try to do this to see if I can. (To learn how it's done, what to expect, what's used during the process, etc.) I guess I'm weird when it comes to being a glutton for this kind of punishment because I kind of find it fun to work on, at least, when my efforts return reward! :xyxthumbs:

@Paul - I think that's part of what I'm learning in this: the time it actually takes. I was expecting a good amount of time, but even my assumption of what I thought was "long" was way short. I'll just keep whacking away at it before each wash and see how it goes.

[oneheadlite]

Just curious - are you sure the “pits” are actually into the glass and not just particles on the outside of the glass?

I ask because I’ve had race cars at the shop where the roll cage was welded in with the glass still in place and the spatter from welding would cool on the glass. You could feel it when you ran your fingers over it.

Having been showered with plenty of grinder cast off, I’m wondering if it’s the same kind of issue as weld spatter - debris just hot enough to bond to the glass but not actually etch into it. Try taking a fresh-from-the-pack razor blade and see if you can scrape the glass smooth again. Might be one of those things where if it’s above surface contaminants, the pad (even a glass pad) is too soft and too great a surface area to actually focus on sheering the contaminant off.

I got quite a lot of the weld remnants off the glass on the car mentioned above. There was still some staining that I didn’t get to, but my next step was going to be a magic eraser to see if it could touch it.

Just a thought from something I’ve run into in the past.

[MasterBlaster]

Just curious - are you sure the “pits” are actually into the glass and not just particles on the outside of the glass?

Sorry for the late reply--been super-busy.

Yes, I'm certain it's pits that have penetrated the glass. I can feel the pits with the tip of my finger nail and when I point something more "pointy" into them (like an actual metal nail or a screw), I can feel it dip into them.

That said, when I first saw all of this, I did actually take a razor and scrape along said pits thinking it might've just been some hardened tree sap--something I've experienced before. What I noticed when I scraped the windshield, though, is that the razor was scraping little bits of "hard things." I thought it might've been the ridges or craters of melted glass because I don't think they were little micro pieces of the metal I had sparked onto the windshield because my razor left nothing visibly lodged after doing its scrapes (hence the melted glass craters idea, like melted little ridges or something). I can't rationalize the possibility of it being melted glass, though, but I also don't know enough about windshield design to know if this theory has any weight. It's just the only thing that makes sense to me. All I know is that there's nothing "stuck" in any of the pits--I see exposed glass in each. So maybe at first, there might've been little micro pieces of sparked-metal that melted into them and using the razor dislodged them leaving behind exposed glass pits? Not sure.

In any event, I was able to scrape whatever this was off using a razor, and now I'm left with these little pits. I just don't understand how I can showed the same sparks onto various plastic things that were around my work piece--which were all closer to the sparks, too--and not see any equivalent pits on any of them. It's really weird.