Drill or not to drill

[shawn2369]

Hi, I have recently started to do windshield repairs. I have talked to a couple people regarding drilling. Some have said drill every chip before injecting the resin. Others have said if there is a good pit there you do not need to. I have tried both. I find the no drill makes a better looking repair but I see there is some benefit to drilling. That seems to ensure a secure chip repair. Also, I would like to hear from the community regarding which burs (type/size) people like to use and for what type of repair they use them for. My kit came with two different sizes but no instruction for use. I also see on the product list there are at least 3 sizes. I am thinking the smaller the bur the nicer the repair.

[old school]

Almost always drill a little, I used the largest burs that Delta sells.

[screenman]

I use the FG2 all the time.

Understanding a break and which way the break runs should help you decide to drill or not, I drilled a lot for the first 20 years in the business, for the past 7 years I have not drilled any where as many times. It may have something to do with the fact that is when I started to use Delta equipment.

We see some very poor drilling over here on repairs that offer no benefit from drilling, it shows a complete lack of knowledge as far as I am concerned.

If you wanted to drizzle sauce around the outside of a whippy ice cream, you would not stick your finger in the top first.

I do use the drill on it's side as a powered scribe though on most damages, I find this more accurate than a scribe.

[shawn2369]

Screenman

Are you saying you use the drill as a power scribe. You basically clean out the pit with the bit?

[screenman]

Yes, use it very lightly and on it's side. I am not looking to make the pit deeper in most cases only cleaner.

[Mr Bill]

I use a FG-329 burr.
Its quite skinny. so it makes a smaller, less noticeable hole.
I use a sewing needle, held in a pin vise to pop the bullseye.

[shawn2369]

Mr Bill do you drill every repair you do? Or do you just use the bit to clean out the pit like screenman?

[Mr Bill]

I can make chips on a practice windshield at home using a center punch, and they never need drilling.
Most of the chips I encounter in the field don't behave like chips I can make at home, so this is what I do:
If the chip is a bullseye, I don't drill , as I would be drilling into a glass cone.
Anything else gets drilled. The drill creates a pathway for the resin.
There are people on this forum who would never drill, but I am interested in getting the job done and moving on.
The FG-329 burr makes a very small hole, and if you drill at the point of impact, it is narrower than the impact crater.
You would have to look very closely to see any sign of drill use when the repair is completed.

[Mr Bill]

photo 2b.jpg

photo 1b.jpg

Drilling this chip would have made it look worse.
It filled nicely.
I use a little clip-on macro lens on my smart phone, so I can get good, clear close up pics.
Customers like it when I can show them before and after pics.

[Brent Deines]

Good repair Mr. Bill! I would not have drilled that one either, but then again, I drill very few and I don't feel it slows me down much at all.