Re: [Cal_Boats] window glass

Anyone else had surface crazing due to UV exposure on the plastic windows? Which are the best plastics to prevent this? Cheers Charlie From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 4:31 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [External] Re: [Cal_Boats] window glass On 11/5/2012 9:17 PM, Brian McNamara wrote: I was told that tempered glass is very hard but shatters if it does break whereas the laminate is designed to stay in tact - however on a boat, it might pull out of the frame after breakage leaving a very large opening after all. So, it'll likely be tempered glass or alternately polycarbonate with a light gray tint to last a long time, hopefully. Tempered glass is the stuff that you see in little, crystal-like pieces on the street after an accident. On my boat, the glass had shattered before we bought her but stayed intact, possibly because it was a small opening port. But is was the stress of the slightly misshapen frame that caused it to shatter. That same stress caused the laminated glass to fail immediately. The polycarbonate (slightly smoky, because that's what the plastic shop had in the junk box) has been very durable. (If I'd been a perfectionist, I would have had a machine shop fix the bronze frame's distortion). The polycarbonate is in a semi-sheltered location because of the depth of the opening port's frame arrangement, so it's not subject to much abuse. I don't even wash it much. It has served very well. It might be less satisfactory than glass if it were in a place where it was exposed to a lot of abrasion or other physical contact. My Cal 20 has a deadlight that's laminated and shows a bit of moisture hazing at one corner. That's a project for another day. Chris Campbell

Charlie, I'm not so sure it's "surface" crazing. I knocked off a chunk of plexiglass from the edge of my "crazed" lite and it followed the outlines of the crazyness, or craze, if you like. Jerry From: "Husar, Charlie [USA] (ASE)" <hu… [at] bah.com> To: "Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com" <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 6, 2012 1:51 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] window glass Anyone else had surface crazing due to UV exposure on the plastic windows? Which are the best plastics to prevent this? Cheers Charlie From:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 4:31 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [External] Re: [Cal_Boats] window glass On 11/5/2012 9:17 PM, Brian McNamara wrote: I was told that tempered glass is very hard but shatters if it does break whereas the laminate is designed to stay in tact - however on a boat, it might pull out of the frame after breakage leaving a very large opening after all. So, it'll likely be tempered glass or alternately polycarbonate with a light gray tint to last a long time, hopefully. Tempered glass is the stuff that you see in little, crystal-like pieces on the street after an accident. On my boat, the glass had shattered before we bought her but stayed intact, possibly because it was a small opening port. But is was the stress of the slightly misshapen frame that caused it to shatter. That same stress caused the laminated glass to fail immediately. The polycarbonate (slightly smoky, because that's what the plastic shop had in the junk box) has been very durable. (If I'd been a perfectionist, I would have had a machine shop fix the bronze frame's distortion). The polycarbonate is in a semi-sheltered location because of the depth of the opening port's frame arrangement, so it's not subject to much abuse. I don't even wash it much. It has served very well. It might be less satisfactory than glass if it were in a place where it was exposed to a lot of abrasion or other physical contact. My Cal 20 has a deadlight that's laminated and shows a bit of moisture hazing at one corner. That's a project for another day. Chris Campbell

Jerry, it does not seem to affect the structure of the plastic (lexan, or polycarb, or whatever it is). It is just obfuscatory. Lots of little squiggly lines. Mark Heacox always said something else must be the cause, but the sun side of the boat at the dock gets a lot more of the “crazing”. Cheers Charlie From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Gerald Sobel Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 5:15 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [External] Re: [Cal_Boats] window glass (Charlie) Charlie, I'm not so sure it's "surface" crazing. I knocked off a chunk of plexiglass from the edge of my "crazed" lite and it followed the outlines of the crazyness, or craze, if you like. Jerry From: "Husar, Charlie [USA] (ASE)" <hu… [at] bah.com<mailto:hu… [at] bah.com>> To: "Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com<mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com>" <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com<mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com>> Sent: Tuesday, November 6, 2012 1:51 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] window glass Anyone else had surface crazing due to UV exposure on the plastic windows? Which are the best plastics to prevent this? Cheers Charlie ,___

A few years ago someone on this list recommended putting duct tape on the crazed windows for a week and then remove it and most of the crazing would be gone. I didn’t believe this would work but my friend had a port with crazing and some duct tape so we tried it with a 4 inch long piece of tape. After five years the crazing has not reappeared. John B Cal227#650 From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Husar, Charlie [USA] (ASE) Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 4:51 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] window glass Anyone else had surface crazing due to UV exposure on the plastic windows? Which are the best plastics to prevent this? Cheers Charlie From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 4:31 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [External] Re: [Cal_Boats] window glass On 11/5/2012 9:17 PM, Brian McNamara wrote: I was told that tempered glass is very hard but shatters if it does break whereas the laminate is designed to stay in tact - however on a boat, it might pull out of the frame after breakage leaving a very large opening after all. So, it'll likely be tempered glass or alternately polycarbonate with a light gray tint to last a long time, hopefully. Tempered glass is the stuff that you see in little, crystal-like pieces on the street after an accident. On my boat, the glass had shattered before we bought her but stayed intact, possibly because it was a small opening port. But is was the stress of the slightly misshapen frame that caused it to shatter. That same stress caused the laminated glass to fail immediately. The polycarbonate (slightly smoky, because that's what the plastic shop had in the junk box) has been very durable. (If I'd been a perfectionist, I would have had a machine shop fix the bronze frame's distortion). The polycarbonate is in a semi-sheltered location because of the depth of the opening port's frame arrangement, so it's not subject to much abuse. I don't even wash it much. It has served very well. It might be less satisfactory than glass if it were in a place where it was exposed to a lot of abrasion or other physical contact. My Cal 20 has a deadlight that's laminated and shows a bit of moisture hazing at one corner. That's a project for another day. Chris Campbell

Had crazing on the interior (acrylic) due to solvent out-gassing. Wilkie On Nov 6, 2012, at 1:51 PM, "Husar, Charlie [USA] (ASE)" <hu… [at] bah.com> wrote: > > > Anyone else had surface crazing due to UV exposure on the plastic windows? Which are the best plastics to prevent this? > > Cheers > Charlie > > From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell > Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 4:31 PM > To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > Subject: [External] Re: [Cal_Boats] window glass > > > > > On 11/5/2012 9:17 PM, Brian McNamara wrote: > I was told that tempered glass is very hard but shatters if it does break whereas the laminate is designed to stay in tact - however on a boat, it might pull out of the frame after breakage leaving a very large opening after all. So, it'll likely be tempered glass or alternately polycarbonate with a light gray tint to last a long time, hopefully. > Tempered glass is the stuff that you see in little, crystal-like pieces on the street after an accident. On my boat, the glass had shattered before we bought her but stayed intact, possibly because it was a small opening port. But is was the stress of the slightly misshapen frame that caused it to shatter. That same stress caused the laminated glass to fail immediately. The polycarbonate (slightly smoky, because that's what the plastic shop had in the junk box) has been very durable. (If I'd been a perfectionist, I would have had a machine shop fix the bronze frame's distortion). > > The polycarbonate is in a semi-sheltered location because of the depth of the opening port's frame arrangement, so it's not subject to much abuse. I don't even wash it much. It has served very well. It might be less satisfactory than glass if it were in a place where it was exposed to a lot of abrasion or other physical contact. > > My Cal 20 has a deadlight that's laminated and shows a bit of moisture hazing at one corner. That's a project for another day. > > Chris Campbell > > > > > > >

John sounds wonderful, only with my lite I'd probably have a four inch section missing, with a very jagged edge. Yikes! Duct tape left outside disintegrates in a matter of weeks, so it wouldn't make much of a repair for the missing piece, either. Jerry From: John Boyce <je… [at] gmail.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, November 6, 2012 2:43 PM Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] window glass A few years ago someone on this list recommended putting duct tape on the crazed windows for a week and then remove it and most of the crazing would be gone. I didn’t believe this would work but my friend had a port with crazing and some duct tape so we tried it with a 4 inch long piece of tape. After five years the crazing has not reappeared. John B Cal227#650 From:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Husar, Charlie [USA] (ASE) Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 4:51 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] window glass Anyone else had surface crazing due to UV exposure on the plastic windows? Which are the best plastics to prevent this? Cheers Charlie From:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 4:31 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [External] Re: [Cal_Boats] window glass On 11/5/2012 9:17 PM, Brian McNamara wrote: I was told that tempered glass is very hard but shatters if it does break whereas the laminate is designed to stay in tact - however on a boat, it might pull out of the frame after breakage leaving a very large opening after all. So, it'll likely be tempered glass or alternately polycarbonate with a light gray tint to last a long time, hopefully. Tempered glass is the stuff that you see in little, crystal-like pieces on the street after an accident. On my boat, the glass had shattered before we bought her but stayed intact, possibly because it was a small opening port. But is was the stress of the slightly misshapen frame that caused it to shatter. That same stress caused the laminated glass to fail immediately. The polycarbonate (slightly smoky, because that's what the plastic shop had in the junk box) has been very durable. (If I'd been a perfectionist, I would have had a machine shop fix the bronze frame's distortion). The polycarbonate is in a semi-sheltered location because of the depth of the opening port's frame arrangement, so it's not subject to much abuse. I don't even wash it much. It has served very well. It might be less satisfactory than glass if it were in a place where it was exposed to a lot of abrasion or other physical contact. My Cal 20 has a deadlight that's laminated and shows a bit of moisture hazing at one corner. That's a project for another day. Chris Campbell

On 11/6/2012 4:51 PM, Husar, Charlie [USA] (ASE) wrote: > > > Anyone else had surface crazing due to UV exposure on the plastic > windows? Which are the best plastics to prevent this? > When I was trying to use Google to remind me that Lexan is a trade name for polycarbonate, one of the sites was making a big deal about their UV-stabilized version. I gathered that UV effects were once a problem for that form of glazing but that it had been addressed if you selected a stabilized version. My boat's Lexan opening port looks good after about 15 years, but it is vertical, in a recessed opening-port frame, under a partial cover in the summer, and indoors all winter. The old runabout's Plexiglas windshield got lots of UV exposure and is still clear, except for 50 years' worth of minor scratches. Chris Campbell > Cheers > > Charlie > > *From:*Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] > *On Behalf Of *Chris Campbell > *Sent:* Tuesday, November 06, 2012 4:31 PM > *To:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > *Subject:* [External] Re: [Cal_Boats] window glass > > > > > On 11/5/2012 9:17 PM, Brian McNamara wrote: > > I was told that tempered glass is very hard but shatters if it > does break whereas the laminate is designed to stay in tact - > however on a boat, it might pull out of the frame after breakage > leaving a very large opening after all. So, it'll likely be > tempered glass or alternately polycarbonate with a light gray tint > to last a long time, hopefully. > > Tempered glass is the stuff that you see in little, crystal-like > pieces on the street after an accident. On my boat, the glass had > shattered before we bought her but stayed intact, possibly because it > was a small opening port. But is was the stress of the slightly > misshapen frame that caused it to shatter. That same stress caused > the laminated glass to fail immediately. The polycarbonate (slightly > smoky, because that's what the plastic shop had in the junk box) has > been very durable. (If I'd been a perfectionist, I would have had a > machine shop fix the bronze frame's distortion). > > The polycarbonate is in a semi-sheltered location because of the depth > of the opening port's frame arrangement, so it's not subject to much > abuse. I don't even wash it much. It has served very well. It > might be less satisfactory than glass if it were in a place where it > was exposed to a lot of abrasion or other physical contact. > > My Cal 20 has a deadlight that's laminated and shows a bit of moisture > hazing at one corner. That's a project for another day. > > Chris Campbell > > > > > > >

Charlie Poly-carbonate crazes with extended exposure to ultraviolet light. Plexy-glass does not but it has its own problems, The farther south you are the faster it happens. The last I heard it happens to all poly-carbonate the stabilized version lasts several years longer. They may have made some headway in that area since I looked into it. Both plastics scratch pretty easy and as a result turned somewhat foggy over time. I have read that some have had good results buffing it with polishing compound but I haven't had much luck with it. I look at it this way If I have to replace it every three or four years I haven't saved squat using plastic instead of tempered glass. It is such a pain in the southern region to take a window out , clean the sealant off the cabin side and window frame then, put new glazing in the frame seal it and re mount the window and clean up the mess. I,m lazy I only want to do it once so I can spend my time doing something I enjoy like laying in a hammock sucking down a cool drink. I recently re did my cabin windows. (they needed it after nearly thirty years) Cleaned all the old sealant off (three different types of sealant used by the previous owner in an attempt to stop the leaking) and re mounted the glass in the frames. (the glass was in better shape than the frames) remounted the windows in the openings using butal rubber tape. (That is the best stuff since sliced bread.) Easy stuff to use, no messy clean up and better yet no leeks. So that's my two cents worth. Plastic is not cheaper in the long run. Dan R > >

With respect to dulling ports and crazing, another method is to you plain old fashion Colgate toothpaste. It has a mind abrasive in it that acts similar to rubbing compound but much milder as it was designed to polish tooth enamel. Works pretty good on car headlights that are now made of a plastic material as well. Put some on rub it out by hand and retreat till its gone. You can put a polish or buffing pad on it as well. Best of luck /ch