Hello.

 

20 years ago, I had my car windows glass tinted overseas by a guy that removed the glass from doors, applied an ink to the inner surfaces by dipping -or spilling onto- (masking the exterior surface); let 24 hours to dry in a dust-free place and reinstalled them.

The somewhat involved job result was a superb, yes, superb hard surface with no visual distortion, scratch resistant, UV filtering and unable to peel off. There was half a dozen hue choices in smoke, grey, clear, goldish, bluish, greenish...

 

Several years later, by accident, a bottle of alcohol leaked inside my car parked under the sun and some areas of the ink "crackled" with the fumes.

 

Does anyone knows how to prepare such product? Or ever heard of such process ?

 

Thanks,

Miguel

 

[edited: changed the word "crackeled" to the appropiate "crackled" to accurately describe the effect of solvent fumes]

does it show any similar affects with water vapour.

Interesting.

 

Are you sure the person applied an "ink" to tint the windows? When I've had my windows tinted, they usually just add a layer of plastic to the window. It's like adding a thin piece of plastic wrap or sticker to the surface. To smooth out the air bubbles in the plastic however, they need to get the window very wet so they can sort of squeez the bubbles out from under the plastic.

 

I'm not sure why your tinting "Crackled" but it seems to result from the alcohol (obviously). When I had my windows done, they technician specifically stated not to use "regular" glass cleaner since it would ruin the tint. I had to buy special glass cleaner specifically made for tinted windows (I assume it was alcohol free somehow).

Hi.

No.- water vapour, water, heat, cold, did not cause any alteration to the tinting; neither was affected by window cleaners nor showed any aging.

At edges where the deposited film remained thicker, it was clearly observable micro puddling areas and dried beading. Was not water based.

Imagine wetting an almost horizontal glass, water runs off but the lower edge forms a thicker non-running bead by whatever cohesion reasons.

 

 

This was no Mickeymouse film job at all. Am very sure it was a liquid applied onto the glass surface. I had a conversation with the person that developed the product and there was not much magic in it; he just had his successful formula and made a side living out of it.

The reason the glass had to be removed and laid flat to dry the ink was exactly because was so thin and fluid, that could not be applied to vertical surfaces as most of it would drip and make a big mess.

Most customers were reluctant to have the glass dismantled from their cars, but the guy was soooo good, experienced and careful not to miss a clip or lose a screw and keep alignments that I had zero problems, zero complains about the job.

 

The only similar process I am aware of, is gradual tinting in "degradé" done to eyewear lenses, were the lenses are repeatedly vertically dipped onto a solution, at gradually different dephts to dye the upper portion of the lenses darker. Seen it done.

 

Miguel

i prosume the alchohol dissolved it into little blobs which then solidifyed