nctinter Posted November 17, 2008 Report Share Posted November 17, 2008 I don't do much flat glass. Maybe one house or something a month. Just curious of some techniques for prep and cleaning windows. Say just a standard 3x4 single pane window. I have done some where I just scrape off any silicone and razor the window real well, clean the edges with microfiber towel, squeegee, then put film on and cut. I always leave a little gap on all edges(1/32). I dont use a 5 edge cuz it leaves a little too big of a gap. Usually comes out great. I did one yesterday, brand new windows, tons of silicone. I got the glass perfectly clean, all edges. I cut the film and put it aside, recleaned and then installed. I do one squeegee swipe on the top edge. Then go down the middle to about an inch off the bottom. Then repeat that working towards the sides right to the edge. Then finish by squeegeeing the bottom from one side to the other. So yesterday on a couple windows I was getting some debris on the edges, sometimes top sometime sides, sometimes corner. It wasn't outrageous but still on a brand new house I figured they would be flawless. Any input? Should I do something else when cleaning? I know there are some great flat glas installers on here. Any input would be great...Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrin1 Posted November 17, 2008 Report Share Posted November 17, 2008 are you precutting the piece to fit before peeling it? if that's the case then the edges aren't as clean as you think before install. get all edges clean and dry and inspect them, especially the bottom edge. are you cutting the piece to fit after the squeegee? keep the squeegee a good 3-4 inches away from all corners and edges except the top before cutting. one inch for me is too close to an edge that hasn't been trimmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nctinter Posted November 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2008 I usually apply film and then cut. I tried both yesterday and had the same results. I will try and stay farther away from the edges. What do you use to clean and wipe down edges with? Paper towels? If so, which kind? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TintJunkie Posted November 17, 2008 Report Share Posted November 17, 2008 Make sure you flush the top, sides, and bottom really good. After all the prep work is done, I do my final clean this way. Spray the window and wipe the top good. Two or three times if that's what it takes. Then I use my channel squegee and go side to side, going down. After that I wipe the sides and bottom. Then I get the window wet enough on the top of the window to make the film slide, and wet the rest pretty good and lay the film. I use a straight edge when cutting film so rarely to I cut the top edge. Lay the film on the glass and immediately seal the top of the film to the glass. Then I go one squegee down the middle (T) to anchor the film. Then I cut the sides and bottom. The I squegee the rest of the water out going in a downward motion. After that, I wrap a paper towel around my blue max and go along the edges to make sure the water won't go back into the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrin1 Posted November 17, 2008 Report Share Posted November 17, 2008 I usually apply film and then cut. I tried both yesterday and had the same results. I will try and stay farther away from the edges. What do you use to clean and wipe down edges with? Paper towels? If so, which kind? Thanks I use bounty paper towels. after cleaning spray the glass and wipe the top and sides so you have a dry edge about an inch wide on the top and sides. wipe through the corners instead of ending in the corners. this keeps potential contaminants out of the corners. put the sgueegee at the top on the dry section and pull down. the blade always starts in the dry area and doesn't touch the frame. hope that helps. also, I'm not big on flushing the frames out. stuff will come out of the frame all day sometimes. get the edge perfect and lay the film without bumping the edge and it will be clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sprinter Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 microfiber works great when applying don't get the top 2 inches wet and use the films straight edge to use at the top so you don't have to cut it. seal the top and then finish the rest, I use a pink teflon card cut diaganal so the gap is very small if you can't find pink then use the white ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mr3y1956 Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 It's always best to contact the people from whom you bought your film. Most any Distributor worth his salt would be more than happy to give you hints tips and tricks. If they can't, I would find a new distributor. Flat Glass is not something to toy with, you can damage far more than you could ever hope to make if you make a mistake. IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest joesinla Posted November 23, 2008 Report Share Posted November 23, 2008 I've found that adding a small amount of sand to my water bottle helps alot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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