How to repair windshield cracks

[darthsideous]

Hi guys, i am new here so please forgive me if I have posted in the wrong area. I have started working on model cars and have been stretching my modeling skills by doing customizations, kitbashing and scratchbuilding. I have encountered a new problem. I was doing a modification to a kit and ended up cracking part of the windshield. There are three cracks. Is there anything I can use to repair the cracks? I tried micro crystal clear and future floor wax but the cracks are still there and quite noticable. Any help you can provide is welcome.

[Casey]

No, you can't repair cracks in "clear" plastic kit parts, unfortunately. Replacement is the best option IMHO.

Welcome to the forum, too.

[Jeremy Jon]

What is the model kit of your cracked window?

If it is a recent Revell kit, then there is a good chance of getting a replacement, you need to write them, but they are good to respond

If an older kit, try posting in the "Wanted" section, it is possible has one in their spare parts & willing to give you or trade you something for

Edited August 25, 2013 by Jeremy Jon

[bill_rules]

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58564

[darthsideous]

No, you can't repair cracks in "clear" plastic kit parts, unfortunately. Replacement is the best option IMHO.

Welcome to the forum, too.

Hi Casey, I was afraid of that. Thanks for replying.

[darthsideous]

What is the model kit of your cracked window?

If it is a recent Revell kit, then there is a good chance of getting a replacement, you need to write them, but they are good to respond

If an older kit, try posting in the "Wanted" section, it is possible has one in their spare parts & willing to give you or trade you something for

Hi Jeremy,

Thanks for the suggestion. I am working on a 1959 cadillac, the ecto-1a reissue from AMT/ Round 2 models. I had not considered that as a possibility. I cracked the windshield while doing a mod to body, but I will contact them and see if I can still get a replacement. I am hoping to enter the car in my first model competition andd I know that there many extremely talented modelers out there so I want it to be as close to perfect as possble.

Edited September 19, 2013 by darthsideous

[darthsideous]

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58564

Thank you for the link bill_rules that is an awesome tip and will try that if the replacement doesn't pan out.

[darthsideous]

The only way to repair a crack in the glass of a model is the same way you would on a real car , , you replace it.

Thanks Steve,

I thought some of the masters here may have some other techniques, but I see that's not the case. Thanks for your reply.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Yup, no matter how you try to fix it, the index of refraction of light in the material will be permanently changed in the location of the crack, and it will NEVER go away. On 1:1 windshields, there is a sometimes-effective method of injecting an adhesive with the same refractive index as glass into a star or chip. Nothing like that is possible om model car styrene windshields, however.

[darthsideous]

Yup, no matter how you try to fix it, the index of refraction of light in the material will be permanently changed in the location of the crack, and it will NEVER go away. On 1:1 windshields, there is a sometimes-effective method of injecting an adhesive with the same refractive index as glass into a star or chip. Nothing like that is possible om model car styrene windshields, however.

Thanks Bill, I'm contacting Round 2 and explaining the situation. Hopefully i can get a replacement, other wise I may try the method Bill_rules recommended or pick up another kit.

Thank you all for taking the time to read and respond to my question.

Best regards,

Al

[Skip]

What is the model kit of your cracked window?

If it is a recent Revell kit, then there is a good chance of getting a replacement, you need to write them, but they are good to respond

If an older kit, try posting in the "Wanted" section, it is possible has one in their spare parts & willing to give you or trade you something for

Correct me if I am wrong. Isn't Revell's part replacement service for their error, not the buyer's? To me that borders on really dishonest as it abuses Revell's replacement, in their own good faith effort to make the customer's purchase right.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Correct me if I am wrong. Isn't Revell's part replacement service for their error, not the buyer's? To me that borders on really dishonest as it abuses Revell's replacement, in their own good faith effort to make the customer's purchase right.

How about if the person needing the part is 100% up front and honest with the kit manufacturer, and says "I broke it...I need another one and really don't want to buy a whole kit...can I BUY one?" and let it be the manufacturer's decision to ship one for free or not?

[darthsideous]

How about if the person needing the part is 100% up front and honest with the kit manufacturer, and says "I broke it...I need another one and really don't want to buy a whole kit...can I BUY one?" and let it be the manufacturer's decision to ship one for free or not?

Hi, What Ace has mentioned above is what I intend to do. that is, say hey i broke this during assembly is it possible to purchase a replacement part.

[darthsideous]

Correct me if I am wrong. Isn't Revell's part replacement service for their error, not the buyer's? To me that borders on really dishonest as it abuses Revell's replacement, in their own good faith effort to make the customer's purchase right.

Hi Skip, yes I believe you are correct. I took what Jeremy was saying above as contact the manufacturer let them know what happend and they can let you know if you can get a replacement or not and whether ther is a cost or not.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer my question

Edited September 19, 2013 by darthsideous

[Skip]

Sorry if I didn't catch the part where it was either said or insinuated that the person was being up front with the I broke it information, which should be clearly communicated. I have heard more than one person say that they either broke or lost a part out of a Revell kit and Revell replaced it when they told them that said part was missing out of the unopened kit. That is the mentality that I was referring to in the first place. To me that is the kind of dishonest misrepresentation that could get the whole replacement part program stopped.

I've had to go to Revell for replacement parts once, when the kit's clear parts were so warped it was curled. I sent a picture of the offending parts they had the entire clear sprue out within a week. They did request that I place the warped sprue back in the pre-paid return box so that they could try to figure out the "what happened". I was impressed with their customer service/support.

[sjordan2]

If all else fails, here's another technique, used by aircraft modelers to duplicate clear canopies, that can work with thin, clear sheet styrene (the product being demonstrated is no longer available). I suggest using a heat gun instead of a candle. You have to glue your windshield together, fill the crack and sand until smooth, to use as a buck.

Edited August 26, 2013 by sjordan2

[darthsideous]

Thanks Skip R, agreed to what you said above.

Skip J - thanks for that tip. Thats a great idea.

[Ace-Garageguy]

If all else fails, here's another technique, used by aircraft modelers to duplicate clear canopies, that can work with thin, clear sheet styrene (the product being demonstrated is no longer available). I suggest using a heat gun instead of a candle. You have to glue your windshield together, fill the crack and sand until smooth, to use as a buck.

Good technique, however you will HAVE to reinforce the windshield SUBSTANTIALLY, like filling the back side with Bondo or epoxy / flock, in order for it to be strong enough to resist being destroyed when you stretch the hot plastic over it. This technique is similar to one used to make optically almost-perfect canopies for some full-scale aircraft, and the "buck" needs to be strong to get the job done, even in 1/25 scale.

A drawback to this particular technique is that it makes a part that is larger than the original, by the thickness of the material used. For a simple windshield, it shouldn't be much of an issue.

[Blown03SVT]

I had to try to remember this thread:

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58564

looks very interesting!

[darthsideous]

I had to try to remember this thread:

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58564

looks very interesting!

Thanks for the information Bill and Eric. I do like the link that you sent Bill.

I did contact Round 2 and unfortunately they would not sell me a replacement so i had to purchase a new kit. However, since I am doing mods to the kit I think I will use use the moded kit winshield reinforce with the method in the link above to create a few copies.

Thanks again for all of the help.