Tweet
I recently had to remove the windshield from my postwar BC12D to repair the fabric over the cockpit area. While I had it out I figured I would remove the scratches that had acumulated over the years. I ordered a Micro Mesh kit from AC Spruce for about $24. I learned several things in the process and thought I would share them with the "tribe".
I had a reluctance to use very coarse grit sandpaper, which caused it to take longer than it should have. Eventually I learned that using the course grit paper was what it took to get the scratches out. Once the scratch I was working on was sanded out, it was easy to progress through the finer grits of paper to remove the sanding scratches.
The kit comes with a small container of fine grit polish and a couple of felt cloths to polish out the remaining haze. I used it a little until my arms were tired, then I got my Harbor Freight buffer and really polished it, several times in fact.
If I had it to do all over again I would tape off a grid pattern with electrical tape, and work each section of the grid. The hardest part getting rid of the scratches is figuring out which side of the glass they are on. I ended up sanding and polishing a scratch only to later find another one just a few inches away. Using a grid pattern and starting with a fairly coarse grit paper would have sped things up considerably.
I was pleasantly surprised how easily the windshield came out. I did not remove the strip across the bottom that screws into the boot cowl. I just removed the screws across the top of the windshield and at both side posts. Then I just lifted the top up and brought it forward at the same time. I am hoping it will go back in just as easily.
I had a reluctance to use very coarse grit sandpaper, which caused it to take longer than it should have. Eventually I learned that using the course grit paper was what it took to get the scratches out. Once the scratch I was working on was sanded out, it was easy to progress through the finer grits of paper to remove the sanding scratches.
The kit comes with a small container of fine grit polish and a couple of felt cloths to polish out the remaining haze. I used it a little until my arms were tired, then I got my Harbor Freight buffer and really polished it, several times in fact.
If I had it to do all over again I would tape off a grid pattern with electrical tape, and work each section of the grid. The hardest part getting rid of the scratches is figuring out which side of the glass they are on. I ended up sanding and polishing a scratch only to later find another one just a few inches away. Using a grid pattern and starting with a fairly coarse grit paper would have sped things up considerably.
I was pleasantly surprised how easily the windshield came out. I did not remove the strip across the bottom that screws into the boot cowl. I just removed the screws across the top of the windshield and at both side posts. Then I just lifted the top up and brought it forward at the same time. I am hoping it will go back in just as easily.
Comment