Polishing Windshield

[FlyingMonkey]

Over the years my windshield has accumulated a number of light scuff and scratches.  I'd like to tackle polishing it to remove the scratches, but I'm a little afraid to screw it up.  Has anybody done this on a CT (or other airplane really) and have a a good idea how to tackle this successfully?  I have watched several YouTube videos, but there's some conflicting information out there.  I think I just need a polish, I don't think I want to go to using fine grit sandpaper and then polishing as some do.

Any tips are greatly appreciated!

[Madhatter]

For years there have been products to remove scratches from aircraft windshields, you might want to check Aircraft Spruce. 

[FredG]

Aviation Consumer has reviewed these type of products.  Might be a good place to start.  

[FlyingMonkey]

2 hours ago, Madhatter said:

For years there have been products to remove scratches from aircraft windshields, you might want to check Aircraft Spruce. 

Sure, I have found several.  Lots of people seem to use Flitz which is a metal polish.  I have a couple of different polishes.  I just was hoping for some recommendations of products and techniques.

[GrassStripFlyBoy]

Don't be intimidated by this, but know what you're doing before laying into the plane.  Round up a few products and get a chunk of plexiglass and experiment on that.  I can't say 100% on the material for CT but it should be acrylic, as that's the typical windshield material in aircraft.  Automotive headlamps are primarily acrylic, could possibly reference some of the products and techniques for those, and certainly don't start as aggressive as people do on those - both in technique and products, but acrylic is acrylic and you'll likely find a lot more intel on materials and techniques in a broader search than aircraft windshields.

[Madhatter]

Aircraft Spruce has a complete system well proven for a little over $80

[Jim Meade]

Do an online search using terms like "glider sailpane canopy polish" or something similar. "Wings and Wheels" and "Cumulous Soaring" have products.  I got tips from Brian Carpenter in the glider add-on to the RLSM-A course, but it's been a while and I'd have to brush up on the procedure before I tried it.  Anyway, the glider community is a good resource as they get pretty fanatical about a clear canopy.

[Roger Lee]

I have been using a product called 210 for around 40 years. You can buy it all over the internet. It's very popular. I used it on my CT. I use the spray cleaner / polish anytime I cleaned the windshield and door windows. It's designed to be a plastic polish and cleaner and helps stop fogging. So every time you clean the windshield it gets polished. It comes off easy and doesn't require tons of wiping like many plain windshield cleaners and doesn't leave a residue. At 1500 hours those windows looked like they were brand new and not a mark on them. 210 also makes  a scratch remover paste for deeper hard to remove scratches. I used it once a year, I used 210 on my motorcycle windshields too long before the CT and those were spotless too.

https://www.amazon.com/40934-210-Plastic-Cleaner-Polish/dp/B00AWRFAHY/ref=sr_1_7?crid=227MA5G7ZPVFE&keywords=210%2Bplastic%2Bcleaner%2B%26%2Bpolish&qid=1696774204&sprefix=210%2Caps%2C193&sr=8-7&th=1

 

https://www.campingworld.com/210-plus-plastic-scratch-remover-15-oz.-310346.html?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=[adv%3A Camping World] [plt%3A Bing] [fun%3A Performance] [ini%3A DSA] [str%3A PROSP] [tgt%3A DSA] [cou%3A US]&cq_con=DSA All Webpages&cq_term=campingworld&cq_net=o&cq_plt=bp&&msclkid=93bd085d42791b2209c16d7ffb812117&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=[adv%3A Camping World] [plt%3A Bing] [fun%3A Performance] [ini%3A DSA] [str%3A PROSP] [tgt%3A DSA] [cou%3A US]&utm_term=campingworld&utm_content=DSA All Webpages&gclid=93bd085d42791b2209c16d7ffb812117&gclsrc=3p.ds

[FlyingMonkey]

Thanks guys.  Roger I have used the 210 polish in the past, but I think the number & depth of scratches might be past that point.  210 used to have a liquid scratch remover, and I used to have a bottle but misplaced it.  Now I can't find it on Amazon or anywhere else.

[FlyingMonkey]

And then there's this interesting method.  Seems high risk.
 

 

[Roger Lee]

Hi Andy,

Just use it multiple times over a couple months when you want to clean your windshield.. Use the thicker paste in the bottle. It takes out deeper scratches. Only polish in one direction. i.e. up and down. Do not go in circles.

[FlyingMonkey]

1 hour ago, Roger Lee said:

Hi Andy,

Just use it multiple times over a couple months when you want to clean your windshield.. Use the thicker paste in the bottle. It takes out deeper scratches. Only polish in one direction. i.e. up and down. Do not go in circles.

That's my issue, the paste is no longer available from any source as far as I can tell.

[GlennM]

On 10/7/2023 at 6:15 PM, GrassStripFlyBoy said:

 Automotive headlamps are primarily acrylic, 

Polycarbonate

[GrassStripFlyBoy]

7 hours ago, GlennM said:

Polycarbonate

20 Years ago, yes.  Then OEM's learned PC yellows quicker, crazes, and costs more, amoung other issues.  Acrylic with sometimes a hard coat, is nowday's standard.  Built molds, ran parts, and lived in the industry last three decades.

[Animosity2k]

22 hours ago, FlyingMonkey said:

That's my issue, the paste is no longer available from any source as far as I can tell.

Is this the paste?

https://wingsandwheels.com/lp-210.html

[Animosity2k]

@FlyingMonkey

https://pilotshq.com/products/sumner-laboratories-210-plus-plastic-scratch-remover-cleaner-polish-15-oz-bottle?variant=39468915687560

Also this one? 

[FlyingMonkey]

2 hours ago, Animosity2k said:

@FlyingMonkey

https://pilotshq.com/products/sumner-laboratories-210-plus-plastic-scratch-remover-cleaner-polish-15-oz-bottle?variant=39468915687560

Also this one? 

That's the stuff, but in that link (and everywhere else!) it's sold out.

[Animosity2k]

1 hour ago, FlyingMonkey said:

That's the stuff, but in that link (and everywhere else!) it's sold out.

https://aspiana.com/product/sumner-laboratories-23305-2pk-210-plus-plastic-scratch-remover-cleaner-and-polish-2-pack/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw7JOpBhCfARIsAL3bobdHzI4D_0UDwmUZs1KI-9G3FLDSKFku3EefNpMaB4i_KsV5884O-0gaAqLyEALw_wcB

Lets me move forward w/ an order here. 

[procharger]

Meguiar's Plastx clear plastic cleaner and polish white bottle I have done a couple of

CT's it works well you can buff it with a polisher but your hand will work to.

 

[Dave Ceddia]

I started down this window-polishing rabbit hole recently too. Years ago I got way into car detailing for a bit, and this was a trip down memory lane, including the feeling of being totally overwhelmed by a billion different products, each one saying it's better than all the rest, using made-up phrases like "nano-tec coatings" and such.

I found a good number of recommendations for Novus plastic polish and ended up buying some from Amazon here (Aircraft Spruce also carries it, and reviews looked good).

Last night I tried hand polishing a corner of the windshield. Granted, it's not in terrible shape, but I can see some swirls under the bright hangar lights, and I figured I might be able to stay on top of it if I shine it up now.

Here's the Before:

And here's after about 30-60 seconds of polishing with Novus 2, using a microfiber towel, moving it in circles and in a cross-hatched motion (a pass going vertically, another pass going horizontally, etc):

It's not perfect, but it did seem to help. There are definitely fewer swirls. It gave me enough confidence that this stuff won't destroy the windshield, so next time I'll come back with my buffer and try another spot with that (a random orbital Porter Cable PC7424, probably with a white pad).

Having had some experience with polishing cars from a while back, and recently watching a bunch of videos on plastic polishing, it's pretty much the same process. Use a small amount of polish, wipe it for a bit in a circular motion, then wipe off. I used an M&M-sized drop on the towel here, it dried out pretty quickly, and then I added a tiny dab more. (Definitely gonna avoid that heat gun strategy though! that scares the crap out of me haha).

On the circular vs. straight motion - I think the theory with polishing is that since the fine swirl scratches are already in every direction, you want to work the polish in every direction too, to wipe them out. Or at least, moving in a circular motion doesn't make it worse while polishing. I've seen a lot of detailing people talk about polishing in circular motion, and of course the random orbital buffers they use do that too. But then when it comes to cleaning and maintaining it, wiping in one direction avoids creating the swirls in the first place.

[Anticept]

Basically, what polishing is, is to remove material until the surface is uniform. Grinding and polishing are mechanically the same thing, just that polishing is with extremely fine detail meant to remove imperfections and try to get the surface flat so that it doesn't scatter light.

Polishing by hand will take a very long time, but it can be done.

Motorized polishers that can be used:

- Random orbital - safest, because the pad will barely move if you are pressing too hard, preventing surface burn or pulling it from your hands. Fantastic for beginners but takes a lot more time, you can't use much pressure or the disk stops moving. Must be held flat to work, but you can apply a little pressure to one side if you need some aggressiveness.

- Dual action - effectively mimics hand movements of small swirls imposed on larger circular arcs, and it's mechanically linked. This makes it a fast polisher and allows you to use more pressure if you need to remove more material from the surface, but it will pull itself out of your hands if you bear down hard enough on it if you have a powerful enough model, and has a lot more potential to damage the surface. Realistically that's not going to happen unless you're really leaning into it or just resting it in one spot. Many pros use these because it makes the job simple. Hold it flat and do back and forth strokes, let the tool do the spinning. This is the least flexible tool for corners and crevices because of how the throw works, it will beat the crap out of anything it hits, and you cannot tip this at all especially on long throw type dual action devices, which are designed to do large areas at a time.

- Rotary - very advanced, and you can burn the shit out of the surface even without pressure because it does one thing only: spins. You have to use your own hand and arm movements to keep it moving in randomish circular motions and prevent swirling. Can do small and large areas alike, it's all in the technique. Pros probably have one of these in their toolkit too for more difficult areas, though these days dual action is preferred for bulk work. One big advantage of a rotary is you can use it to get into corners; since the movement is only rotational, you can tip the disk without banging things up.

[FlyingMonkey]

Thanks Corey.  That’s all very useful information.  Some I knew some I didn’t.  I think for the surface I have and the scratches, a random orbital polisher is the best choice.  Even if it takes longer it’s safer and I enough grunt for my purpose.

[Anticept]

Random orbitals are my go to for sanding and polishing as well, but I do have a rotary too for weird spots. I have the time to spend on things. If I were doing polishing regularly like at a body or paint shop, I'd be justified in a dual action. Everything I do is small touch ups and doesn't justify a dual action.