Took 20 years off my windshield!!

[PaulE]

Originally Posted by jakeru

Hi Paul - if you didn't glean from the link Gelbster posted already, "random orbital" polisher is another name for "dual action" polisher. Basically, it oscillates in small circular motion, while allowing the pad to rotate freely. The small oscillations help keep the edge from digging in.



Yes, I also noticed those "specs" in my glass as I was polishing my windshield. As BoxsterSteve said, the very fine abrasives and polishing techniques described in this thread aren't aggressive enough to have any significant effect on those.



A rotary polisher is generally the most aggressive polishing tool. The drawback is the relatively fast-moving edge can easily "dig in", making even removal of material more of a challenge. However, I think the issue for pock mark removal is too fine of an abrasive.

Personally, when using a dual-action/random orbital, I like the speed set low enough that it doesn't sling material. By controlling downward pressure, you can influence cut rate. Running things at higher speeds, or too much downward pressure, can also input more heat into things, which can be problematic if things get too hot. In my case, I managed this heat by re-misting with water from a spray bottle a few times.

I have a set of diamond polishing pads for polishing stone/granite countertops, that are designed to use with rotary polishers, and ideally, flooded with a constant flow of water, as both a coolant and to keep freshly removed grit removed. While it would be an interesting experiment to try using them to polish automotive glass, and I'd be fairly confident they could break through at least some of those "pocks", I'd be very fearful that attempting this may result in uneven material removal (more likely the more aggressive you get with removal). You could easily make things worse (inducing optical distortions/aberration) than just leaving the small pits! Not to mention the time and effort required compared to the alternative of replacing the windshield.

You might look into some sort of windshield chip-filling resin might be workable to fill your pock marks, but I can't say whether it'd be worth the effort or not. Typically the chip-filling resin is done one chip at a time, and is UV-cured. The excess resin can be mostly shaved off flat with a razor blade afterward.

Thanks for your detailed response. These specks in my windshield of my daily driver, and also in my Boxster, are very small, and there are lots of them. When the windshield is clean, and I'm driving into the sun, it can sometimes be like looking through a galaxy of stars in the sky on a clear night. It's annoying but not the end of the world. If I'm not driving into the sun, if it's raining, or night time, you can't see these specks. You can barely feel them if you run a finger nail over them. I'm going to try again in the Spring, first on the daily driver. If I get some improvement, great, but if not, I'll leave it alone until the time comes that I need a new windshield. I appreciate the advice and things I learn here!