Rubber Marks On Windscreen

[Ravintow]

The previous owner has obviously fitted the wrong wiper blade at some point 'cos there's a nasty black streak about an inch away from the existing blade. Anyone got any ideas how to shift this? (I don't wanna do anything which might make it worse - it's just annoying at the mo and doesn't look very nice) The usual car shampoo stuff certainly hasn't shifted it. Thanks.

[dave.m]

White spirit, then some good glass cleaner ???

[bothwell_buyer]

various remedies

vinegar

Irn Bru

Coke

a mild glass polish

Don't drink them all at once or you'll make yersel ill :D

[Ravintow]

various remedies

vinegar

Irn Bru

Coke

a mild glass polish

Don't drink them all at once or you'll make yersel ill :D

Thanks guys - but after trying both vinegar and Coke (plus surgical spirt as one of my own ideas following the white spirit tip suggested) - all on the windscreen I hasten to add!!! to no avail, I took a closer look at the marks and discovered 'tis NOT 'rubber' at all - but 'scuffing' (presumably from the metal of that longer blade the previous owner had fitted) S/he had then obviously attempted to try to remove this with a Brillo pad - 'cos there's some circular 'scuffs' at the bottom of the 'arc' (at least s/he didn't continue!)

So... I guess it's a new windscreen then? (unless anyone's got any other bright ideas)

Real shame 'cos the rest of the vehicle, both inside/outside/underside and engine bay etc is in immaculate, almost 'showroom' condition - truly amazing for a +10 yr old vehicle

[Davrav]

It might be worth contacting your friendly neighbourhood windscreen folk anyway. They may be able to polish it out. When I last had a windscreen replaced I had discussion with the fitter about scratches on a side window caused by a wet football covered in grit off a school playground and I remember him mentioning the use of jewellers rouge polish and an electric buffer with a soft pad. You could have a go yourself if you can get hold of the rouge . A glazier may well have a similar polish specifically for glass.

Is the mark in 'line of sight'? If you do polish it and it is, you could generate some awkward reflections when driving at night

Good luck

[Pat2u]

I posed your problem to a friend of mine and he said he had some success from useing normal T cut, however he did say it was a long process and it was only on a small area of 5 inches and the mark was not very deep.

Its only a suggestion that you may want to try.

[GIDDLEPIN]

You could try "jewelers rouge" as a last resort before lashing out loads of brass ;) It is used for fine scratches in glass

[shcm]

Yep, "Jeweler's Rouge" is the usual answer.

I think the stuff that gets refered to sometimes is cerium oxide - the stuff amateur astronomers use to grind their own telescope mirrors.

I have quite a nice scratch on my screen, caused I think by a tiny piece of metal thrown from a scrap truck just as the wipers were sweeping, so I've looked into this a bit.

However, I think the same rule applies to glass as it does to paint work. If you can feel it with your fingernail, it will be almost impossible to polish out and if you do manage it, you can end up with some odd optical distortions (lens like) and/or a nice "shiny" patch on the screen, which can look worse than the scratch itself.

Think this kit has the stuff, although the you might find a cheaper source for the powder.

http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail.asp?pro...=&subCatID=

There are also some companies claiming they can remove this kind of scratch from screens without distortion, if you google for them. Possibly not many on Orkney though.

It would appear it can be a long job. e.g. this chap, trying to remove very fine scratches from his fish tank:

http://www.fitchfamily.com/glass.html

I've had a preliminary go at my scratch, but came to the conclusion, it was too deep to remove by polishing and would probably just leave a shiny mark where the polisher had been, but then you may have more skill or be more successful than me

[Ravintow]

It might be worth contacting your friendly neighbourhood windscreen folk anyway. They may be able to polish it out. When I last had a windscreen replaced I had discussion with the fitter about scratches on a side window caused by a wet football covered in grit off a school playground and I remember him mentioning the use of jewellers rouge polish and an electric buffer with a soft pad. You could have a go yourself if you can get hold of the rouge . A glazier may well have a similar polish specifically for glass.

Is the mark in 'line of sight'? If you do polish it and it is, you could generate some awkward reflections when driving at night

Good luck

mmm...thanks.There's a few good glaziers here in Orkney so I may try and 'pick their brains' (I don't mind paying out a few bob for a professional job as the rest of the car is in such good nick, and don't want to make the 'scuff' any worse than it is already.) No, it's not 'in the line of vision' at all. As you'll know the RAV wipers have quite a wide sweep, so if you can imagine about a 2" 'arc' beyond the end of your wiper blade, you've got it, so I don't think night driving will present any problems. Thanks again for your time and kind suggestions.

[Ravintow]

I posed your problem to a friend of mine and he said he had some success from useing normal T cut, however he did say it was a long process and it was only on a small area of 5 inches and the mark was not very deep.

Its only a suggestion that you may want to try.

T cut on glass? Never heard of that one before, but well worth a try - on a tiny, unobtrusive area of course! Thanks.

[Ravintow]

Yep, "Jeweler's Rouge" is the usual answer.

I think the stuff that gets refered to sometimes is cerium oxide - the stuff amateur astronomers use to grind their own telescope mirrors.

I have quite a nice scratch on my screen, caused I think by a tiny piece of metal thrown from a scrap truck just as the wipers were sweeping, so I've looked into this a bit.

However, I think the same rule applies to glass as it does to paint work. If you can feel it with your fingernail, it will be almost impossible to polish out and if you do manage it, you can end up with some odd optical distortions (lens like) and/or a nice "shiny" patch on the screen, which can look worse than the scratch itself.

Think this kit has the stuff, although the you might find a cheaper source for the powder.

http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail.asp?pro...=&subCatID=

There are also some companies claiming they can remove this kind of scratch from screens without distortion, if you google for them. Possibly not many on Orkney though.

It would appear it can be a long job. e.g. this chap, trying to remove very fine scratches from his fish tank:

http://www.fitchfamily.com/glass.html

I've had a preliminary go at my scratch, but came to the conclusion, it was too deep to remove by polishing and would probably just leave a shiny mark where the polisher had been, but then you may have more skill or be more successful than me

Ah - now that's a thought! You're right - we haven't got any specialist screen companies here, but we DO have a keen amateur astronomer who builds his own telescopes, so a good bit of 'lateral thinking' - thanks a lot. Fish tank glass I think will be a different material than the laminated stuff they use for windscreens (it certainly shatters differently!) I'll also investigate that website you kindly sent. Many thanks for your kind help

[bothwell_buyer]

toothpaste ?

Barmans powder polish (get it from a pub/restaurant probably)

[Ravintow]

toothpaste ?

Barmans powder polish (get it from a pub/restaurant probably)

Wow, you guys are FULL of bright ideas! (good excuse to go for a pint too!) Will do toothpaste first tho' as that sounds less 'abrasive' and don't wanna **** it up more than it is already! Thanks a lot.

[Ravintow]

toothpaste ?

Barmans powder polish (get it from a pub/restaurant probably)

Wow, you guys are FULL of bright ideas! (good excuse to go for a pint too!) Will do toothpaste first tho' as that sounds less 'abrasive' and don't wanna **** it up more than it is already! Thanks a lot.

Ha. Thought I'd cracked it (no, not the screen, the problem!) Found a Co. online called 'scratch repair' who offered a kit, complete with a drill pad and Cerium powder for just £22.50. First gale-free day here for over a week, so thought I'd have a go...

Two hours later, my lovely blue RAV was now spattered with Cerium solution so it looked as though our gulls had been using it for bombing practice (the pics on the ad show just a lovely smooth brylcream-like arc on the screen - but anyone should know that a drill pad whirling around would be like the **** hitting the fan, wouldn't they?). Another hour or so with the hosepipe and soapy sponge and 'Ravi' is back to his gleaming self again. As for the marks on the screen? Nae Man, thae's STILL there! Back to the drawing board then. (The toothpaste didn't work either, Bothy - but at least it didn't cover the vehicle!) Ah well, at least it jolted me into giving him a shampoo! Dare I now go for the Barman's powder polish I wonder? - Watch this space!

[Davrav]

Have you tried the jewellers rouge? If you can't get it, I think I have some in my toolbox from my silversmithing days [Not 100% sure but will check if you want to give it a go]. If I have it I can post you some. PM me with your address if you want to try it and I will explain how to use it.