Need backglass advice

alejandromad

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I just brought this Charlie's Angels home... yikes.

Would the "Triple Thick" method save this?

I'm afraid to breath on it.

Any tips or tricks that would increase my odds of success?

Thanks!
 

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the only thing i have seen guys do in that case is they use like clear packing tape to hold it in place.good luck
 
the only thing i have seen guys do in that case is they use like clear packing tape to hold it in place.good luck

Whatever you decide to do. Don't do this.

You could try triple thick but you're going to need to use the "cling wrap" method. At least that's what I would do.

You can buy the blue score windows. It's an advanced restoration as far as backglasses are concerned but you should be able to do something with it.

EDIT: Then again you might destroy the whole thing. It's really not an exact science.
 
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So... to make sure I understand (before I try this over the weekend) as long as I put the 'cling wrap' on while the Triple Thick is wet... and I don't pull it off until the Triple Thick is completely dry... it will come off without sticking?

The Triple Thick won't adhere to the cling wrap?
 
If it were me, I would not use the cling wrap method for this backglass, with the reason being that while the ink has delaminated from the backglass, it is still largely all in one piece. The Saran wrap method works best for backglasses that have flaked like so many potato chips, with pieces sticking up that need to be pushed back down against the glass. Here, while you've got a glass with lifted ink, there aren't gaps in it so that the Triple Thick can seep between the cracks and adhere it to the substrate. Even so, I would definitely Triple Thick this glass (and the sooner the better), but I would do it without applying anything afterward.
 
Shipping tape is a very bad idea for the condition of your backglass. You can do it with either cling wrap or not and still have good results. I would use cling wrap myself and go slow don't pit it on too thick or it may make the colors bleed.
On a side note. Charlies Angels replacement BackGlass should be available used. Try Mr. pinball. There is a guy on there that had a bunch of NOS gottlieb system 1 and system 80 backglass. I think his name was donal murphy.
Glennon.
 
So will the Triple Thick actually cause the paint that is lifted to "collapse" or move back toward the glass?
And... if so, it will do that without me pushing it down (via the cling wrap)?

Here are a couple other pics...
 

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So will the Triple Thick actually cause the paint that is lifted to "collapse" or move back toward the glass?
And... if so, it will do that without me pushing it down (via the cling wrap)?

Here are a couple other pics...

Not necessarily... but maybe. You'll really need to decide if you're going to use the cling wrap after the clear is sprayed. If it lays down and you're happy with it then let it dry. If the paint still needs to be pressed down use cling wrap. You'll have a few minutes to decide.

You can use toothpics to push the paint down but you don't want to be hovering your face over wet triple thick for very long. Trust me.
 
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Not necessarily... but maybe. You'll really need to decide if you're going to use the cling wrap after the clear is sprayed. If it lays down and you're happy with it then let it dry. If the paint still needs to be pressed down use cling wrap. You'll have a few minutes to decide.

You can use toothpics to push the paint down but you don't want to be hovering your face over wet triple thick for very long. Trust me.
Triple Thick??????? Are we talking about clear paint or something else? LOL

Glennon
 
Not necessarily... but maybe. You'll really need to decide if you're going to use the cling wrap after the clear is sprayed. If it lays down and you're happy with it then let it dry. If the paint still needs to be pressed down use cling wrap. You'll have a few minutes to decide.

You can use toothpics to push the paint down but you don't want to be hovering your face over wet triple thick for very long. Trust me.

The cling wrap actually works well, IF and I stress IF...the Triple Thick gets under the lifted piece of paint. I did this on 2 backglasses with success, but they had 2 or 3 isolated problem areas, and I was able to get the clear under the piece of paint. The cling wrap lets you realign the loose piece.

I'm pretty sure that..if there was a large area of flakes, and the TT didn't actually get under the flakes and you spray the back with Triple Thick - The clear will probably help hold it all together in the long run, but will do little to help it adhere back to the actual glass.

Good luck
 
Update: I did the first coat of Triple Thick this morning, before leaving for work, and decided to go ahead and use the cling wrap too. I didn't use very much Triple Thick... I saw someone's posts about what happened to their Mr & Mrs Pacman glass (and the pictures that were with it) and was a little freaked out about too much moisture. It's a little hard to tell but I do think it's better. I used a paint roller to apply gentle pressure once I had all the cling wrap down and positioned. Seemed to have worked OK. Once I get home tonight... or possibly tomorrow... I will pull the cling wrap and spray a few more coats.
Here are some pics from this morning...
 

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I wouldn't rush to pull the cling wrap off. It will most likely take a day or two to dry good since air is being kept from it with the wrap. Better to be safe than sorry.
I have used the triple thick on pin back glasses but never used the cling wrap also.
 
I'm pretty sure that..if there was a large area of flakes, and the TT didn't actually get under the flakes and you spray the back with Triple Thick - The clear will probably help hold it all together

I've cleared several dozen glasses. There's really no substitute for experience and learning as you go. Every glass is different.

One thing I wouldn't recommend is trying to build structure and strength with the paint. I've tried that a couple of times and it's not a good idea. If you have a bubble it's better to flatten it out than try to leave it as a bubble and hope the clear will be strong enough to protect it. If you bump it from the back it will crack. That said... you could crack it trying to get it to lay flat. Like I said... every situation is different. There is no single method.

I usually only use "cling wrap" if there is flaking and I want to press the pieces down or move pieces around but I would try it in a case like this is I felt like the clear softened the paint enough that it wasn't going to crack into a huge mess.
 
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Update: I did the first coat of Triple Thick this morning, before leaving for work, and decided to go ahead and use the cling wrap too. I didn't use very much Triple Thick... I saw someone's posts about what happened to their Mr & Mrs Pacman glass (and the pictures that were with it) and was a little freaked out about too much moisture. It's a little hard to tell but I do think it's better. I used a paint roller to apply gentle pressure once I had all the cling wrap down and positioned. Seemed to have worked OK. Once I get home tonight... or possibly tomorrow... I will pull the cling wrap and spray a few more coats.
Here are some pics from this morning...

You should consider putting the class on something like empty beer cans to get it off the paper. you don't want it to stick to the paper. Sure you could just scrape it off but that's a pain. Worst case would be you lose paint or pull up a piece of clear dealing with the paper that's stuck to the glass.

I like to use a heavy first coat and usually won't do more than one additional coat. Methods vary and the best thing to do is work out what works for you.

The cling wrap actually works well, IF and I stress IF...the Triple Thick gets under the lifted piece of paint.

I try to avoid letting the triple thick contact the glass at all. I've had cases where that made the glass look worse. Ideally all of the clear would be on the back of what was the original paint.

Just my method...
 
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I used triple thick and saran wrap on my thrashed 1948 gottlieb Buccaneer. But the wrinkles inevitable in the saran wrap were an issue and were obvious in the final product. I would try a stronger cellophane which hopefully won't wrinkle. I used just a little triple thick on a small crackling part of my 1982(83?) Haunted House and the green color bled a little only noticeable when the backglass was lit though.
 
OK... final results time... here's what I ended up doing:
I put a not-so-heavy first coat of TT on the backglass, covered with cling wrap and used a paint roller to flatten.
I waited 36 hours and was able to pull the cling wrap off without any issue. The paint was better but there was still a fair amount of lifted paint. It really seemed like maybe I wasn't generous enough with the first coat of TT... so I did another coat... heavier this time. I didn't go crazy but I hoped the first coat provided a bit of a barrier and that a second, heavier coat, would not be completely absorbed (resulting in possibly worse delamination) while still absorbing enough to make the lifted paint pliable.
I did the cling wrap again... I let it dry another 36 hours... here are the results. I am very pleased (especially considering it's my first). Thanks to all of you for your wisdom and your cautions.
 

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