Technical Scratches in the windshield.

Is there anything that will help remove scratches in a windshield?

Our well meaning daughter (Melinda) decided on her own to help her mom this morning by scraping the frost of the windshield of the wagon and went in the garage and got a putty knife out of the tool box and preceded to scrape the windshield, I caught her before she did too much damage but she did scratch the glass right in the line of vision.

Our daughter has a sever brain injury from a accident back in 1999, so she had no idea she was doing damage and nothing was said, I got out the ice scarper and took the putty knife and let her finish the job, she was happy as a lark.

I just hope I don't have to replace the windshield. HRP

 

This stuff works pretty good, just depends on how deep the scratches are.
Hope that's of some help.

https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/fine+glass+polish+16+ounces.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=Search

 

^ yeah I’ve seen scratches and a road rash / rock scuffs polished out

 

Man, wish you luck with that. PO of my 46 must have used a chisel on the rear window. Gouges were very deep. I tried buffing them out with different compounds to no avail. Maybe take it to a good glass shop for suggestions.
Glass Doctor?

 

Oh boy. Good for you for not losing it.
I’ve heard of polishing glass but haven’t ever seen it done.

Had a guy at a show decide to close the hood on my 37 coupe in a rush because it began raining very hard.
Didn’t realize you had to lift the hood to release the lock and then drop it.
I think every 37 ford hood has a crease in it from this maneuver.
I didn’t say a thing to him.

 

If you can feel it with your fingernail, you won't likely be able to polish it out. If you do, you will have distorted vision through that portion of the glass. Been there, done that. Sorry.

 

Good for you Danny like you said she meant well.
I’m thinking that it’s quite possible that you have to replace the windshield. I had a truck that had an arc shaped scratch also right in the line of sight.
A little sharp rock was dragged across the glass with the wiper.
I did manage to polish it out with old fashioned valve lapping compound slowly and it was almost impossible to see it.

Unfortunately the result was a distortion in the view that was worse than the scratch itself .

After the wasted time and elbow grease a new windshield was put in.

 

Throw a rock at it, then call your insurance agent to schedule a replacement.

 

My concern would be, where do you find a windshield for a '54 Ford?!

 

Two thumbs up on staying calm and redirecting your your helper. I hope you can get the scratches out. Scratching glass sometimes is too easy. It is common in Canada to use a combination brush squeegee with a scraper on the other end of the handle. Some marketing genius came up with the idea of replacing the brush with 3 stiffer foam strips so they don't fill up with wet snow to prevent the brush from becoming a frozen blob. Good for marketing but not good for a vehicle. Small bits of grit or sand get embedded in the foam to do a number on the paint & glass when sweeping snow off the car. I figured out the foam was the issue when fine scratches started to appear on my truck. Fortunately it was my old truck and not the new car.

 

For "crack filling" when I join various pieces together to make a smooth, seamless shift knob. I use a clear liquid resin that cures very hard when exposed to UV light (sunlight ). The polishing already mentioned will clean up any slop that isn't perfectly squeegeed off.
I buy the stuff cheap on cheeseBay and it comes from China on a slow boat. Your problem would be keeping dirt out of the scratch while you wait weeks for the resin. One of those crafty/hobby stores might have some cash-n-carry, though.

 

100% Agree with rockable. I have been there too!

 

If you cannot catch you finger nail on the scratch a product called glass wax works well. I have used it to remove wiper haze

 

The mobile glass shops that repair rock chips before windshield cracks might be able to do a satisfactory repair. Safelite is one I see advertised on TV.
When I had a rock chip on my daily I got a recommended guy from my auto insurer. Price was only $80 so I didn't put in a claim. The repair is more than ten years old and is invisible.

 

Danny, the Eastwood Company has a glass polishing - refurbish kit. I have had great results with this on some pretty beat up glass .

 

There are glass polishing supplies that can be found via internet search. A lot of them are snake oil, though, so be careful. Cerium oxide is the stuff the pros use, buffed with a felt pad on an electric drill or such depending on the circumstances and what you have on hand. Check out Eastwood and see if they have something. Cerium oxide can also be obtained from rock&gem polishing suppliers. Get the finest grit available. If they are just fine surface scratches they should polish out. It takes some work, though.

 

Hey Danny. I couldn't begin to count the windshields I've dealt with over the same thing. Seems that the bottom of a ceramic coffee cup was the weapon of choice in most of them. I use jeweler's rouge mixed with a little water to form a paste, but it's not always perfect. Better, but not perfect. 3m has a pretty good product too. And then I've used turbo cut rubbing compound in some instances, followed by a finish cut compound. Here's a link to the 3m polish...
https://www.amazon.com/Glass-Polish...t=&hvlocphy=9014277&hvtargid=pla-571761117558

 

Can’t offer any polishing tips, but you are a good man.

 

Best bet in my experience is talking to the "old guy" at the glass shops - I've found they generally have the tricks figured out and does the job faster than I can, and the few bucks I give him for his experience is worth it - and usually I learn a new skill when I get to watch/help.

 

nice you not getting upset or letting your frustration show. So much other stuff to get the blood angry. Good on ya.
Meh, things happen. We had our driveway (concrete ) widened this summer , about 4 hours after it was finished and setting up, my daughter slipped off her scooter and got her foot in the cement ! When my wife called me at work I got pissed for about 10 seconds and said f’it it can always be worse and now I have a reason to poke fun at her.


Anyways back to your question.
Worked with a detailed who would 3 stage the windshield like when you buff out a paint job and he would get rid of a lot of scratches and sandblasted windshields to almost mint condition.
I would try a glass place first , you might find something there.
If not try a detailer.


Good luck let us know

 

Thanks Danny. This is my vote for post of the day. It has warmed my heart, and helped restore some faith in humanity. A big pat on the back for you.

I have also heard that 'jeweller's rouge' can be used.

 

What color bar are you guys referring to when you say jewelers rouge? I’ve polished an awful lot of aluminum in my day...


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Yea...distorted surface.
DO NOT...just polish the bad areas. Polish for about 6" outside of either side-ends of the outer parts of the scratches.
That is, if you have a 3" bad area, polish out to about a 9" area. And don't push hard on the polisher as you go away from the bad areas. You want to be making a saucer or plate shape in the glass, NOT dig a hole in the glass..!

Otherwise you'll get seasick every time your eyes go across the polished area, because the glass will be wavy.
Yes, if they are fine scratches, you can go over the whole glass with the polisher.
Smooth and light pressure is the key.

Mike

 

Why not just get a new windshield? Why go blind looking thru a distorted windshield.

 

If scratch can’t be repaired,
Will your insurance not cover a repair or replacement ?

 

More encouragement on keeping your cool.....therefore, you are cool ! God bless ya........

 

Hope the windshield repair works out!
The important part of this story already took place. You are a good man. But I already knew that.




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I've polished out some pretty noticeable scratches with the cerium oxide kits, like from Eastwood. Like others said, if you can feel it with your fingernail...

 

Yep, if you have a relationship with your agent, check your Comprehensive deductible first. I was an agent for over 20yrs. and for my hot rod guys, we always used a $0 Comp. deductible to take care of them. First big rock chip or
crack and I'd call it in. Plenty of replacement glass out there, and be sure to tell them that you will need a new
gasket as well. And in Colorado, any Comp. claim does not affect your rate!

 

My rouge is in talc powder form. It's from CR Laurence. But it's light brown color.