repairing vintage kit glass

[gtx6970]

I am looking at some old kits and the glass is fogged up . is this normal and is there anything that can be done to bring back the clarity?

[Jantrix]

I would try polishing it with a variety of fine sanding cloths and rub it out with some compound.

[StevenGuthmiller]

A lot of times old kit glass will get tiny spider cracks all through it. If that's the case, there's no fix. But as a rule, most glass can just be polished out if it's just surface oxidation. Kind of like the plastic head light covers on your car. Steve

[sjordan2]

What car/kit are you building? There are a number of fixes, such as what Plowboy suggested.

- Trace the outline of the windshield on tape or paper and see if it can be translated to a piece of clear styrene or Lexan that will conform to your needed shape.

– See if something like Meguiare's Scratch-X polish for clear headlight covers will work.

- Mount your windshield on a sturdy backing base of clay or malleable putty that covers the entire back of the windshield, then heat some very thin clear plastic and immediately pull it down over the original windshield (a technique used by aircraft modelers to duplicate canopies)

Edited December 11, 2014 by sjordan2

[Snake45]

Modelhaus also sells very nice vacformed replacement glass for a number of old kits. Quality's very good and the price is right, too.

[gtx6970]

Thanks for all the tips fellas.

I am looking at buying an original AMT 1959 Mercury convertible and the windshield is fogged pretty good in the pictures I have of it

I may go ahead and pull the trigger on it and take a chance the glass can be cleaned up.

Already ck'd Modelhaus and they show a vacuum formed replacement if it comes to that

[StevenGuthmiller]

A common problem with vacuum formed "glass" is that because it is formed over the outside of an original piece, it's often too big for the opening. Not a problem for relatively flat curved glass. But, if the glass has compound curves, it sometimes won't fit well at all. I only use it if I can't repair the kit glass or make my own.

I've had the opposite problem with most of the vaccu-formed glass that I've used. It always seems to be a little too narrow. Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

Thanks for all the tips fellas.

I am looking at buying an original AMT 1959 Mercury convertible and the windshield is fogged pretty good in the pictures I have of it

I may go ahead and pull the trigger on it and take a chance the glass can be cleaned up.

Already ck'd Modelhaus and they show a vacuum formed replacement if it comes to that

Don't be shy about using Modelhaus glass Bill. I've used it several times & it works nice. As a matter of fact most times it looks better than the original kit glass just because of the thickness. A lot of the old kit glass is excessively thick. Steve

[unclescott58]

Toothpaste. I've had great luck since read about that way back in the early 70's Car Model magazine. Be careful. Some toothpaste can be too abrasive. Back in the early 70's they claimed Colgate worked best. And it still does.

Scott

[Snake45]

If it's just "fogged" and not cracked or glue-damaged, it can be polished out.

Glue damage is deceptive. You can file and sand it off and polish several thousandths down and it's still in there. It goes right to the bone.

[StevenGuthmiller]

This old '61 F-100 windshield has several spider web cracks around the size of a finger print in one area. After dipping it in future and tinting it, a camera even can't pick them out. I have to look at it very closely and hold it at a certain angle in the light to find them now. That's good enough for me.

What do you use for window tint Roger? Looks nice! Steve