Tinting curved side windows

[mcneon]

I bought some frosted tinting film from Camping World for the bath window (side bath) in my '74 Argosy. When I applied it, I discovered that the windows are curved both horizontally and vertically, and the film won't lie completely flat. I finally settled for slitting the film in a few places to get rid of the bubbles, but that's not a very attractive solution.

Professional car window tinters must encounter this all the time and have a way to solve the problem. I'm thinking that some careful application of heat from a heat gun might do the trick. Any guidance out there?

Bob McKeown

[aviontt]

Heat shrink tint.... apply heat and shrink to fit.... Ibelieve the company is called Lumanar not shure...

[mcneon]

That would sure solve my problem. From what I've seen, though, the frosted films don't come in heat-shrinkable versions.

[Navigator]

I am about to embark on the same project only using "Dark Limo" tint film on my front curved windows. I know that polyester film does not conform as easily as some other films, but will give it a try anyway.
If that bombs out, I may try tinting stretch wrap (polyvinylidine) film.
Dick

[fundave]

As a professional glass tinter, I can say that this window will be difficult but not impossible to tint. First, smoke automotive film shrinks only on the 'machine edge' rather than the lineral or roll edge. Second with a curve this severe, 'dry shrinking' is preffereed this invoves useing baby powder or dry sheets(for anti static) rather than water. A good heat gun and some quaility film(LLumar ATR Smoke) and a lot of patients. A good firm should be able to do this for you...not really the type of thing for the DYI eccept for those w/ good luck and persistance and quite possibly a lot of film.
I can get you some of the technical bullitins from llumar if you are interested.

also, for 'fun' I will attempt to tint this window on my airstream here at the shop this afternoon and post my results.

[mcneon]

A friend told me about a product that just may be the answer. Krylon Frosted Glass Finish - see details at http://www.krylon.com/main/product_t...roduct_details - can apparently be sprayed onto any glass surface to give a frosted appearance. It's available at art supply stores.

I'll try it and report back.

Bob

[cosmotini]

It looks like they have another version of the product that may be more durable for window use.

http://www.krylon.com/main/product_t...roduct_details

Dennis

[mcneon]

The solution, it turns out, was as close as my nearest Wal-Mart Superstore! The type Dennis mentioned, Krylon Glass Frosting Spray, is available at the BWM as well as Sears. I paid $3.70 for a can that would probably do three or four windows.

The result is great! It looks like you've sandblasted the window. The secret is to use several very light coats, continuing until the window is as obscure as you want. I waited about ten minutes between coats, and that worked well. One caution: after every couple of coats, you need to clean off the nozzle. A clump of dried spray will accumulate there and cause drops to sputter out, which will create white spots in the coating. I did this the first time, but it was very easy to scrape off the dried coating and reapply. Ask me in a year or so about the durability.

Kudos to Krylon, too, for their customer service. I got a real human being on the phone, and in five minutes he'd told me where to find the product.

This is one of those old-time, really nasty smelling sprays, so use it with adequate ventilation and/or a respirator. Happy frosting!

Bob

[nickcrowhurst]

Originally Posted by mcneon

The solution, it turns out, was as close as my nearest Wal-Mart Superstore! The type Dennis mentioned, Krylon Glass Frosting Spray.Bob

As a result of this thread, I used the Krylon spray on our bathroom window, and the result was excellent, at first. However, after a year, with the window in the shade in a pole barn, the finish had cracked all over, and was rapidly disintegrating. It looked very ugly, and was no longer doing its job. Removal of the film is not as straightforward as the can label suggests. Paint thinner had only a slight effect, and I had applied several coats of the spray. I removed the window from the trailer, and found that the best way to remove the spray was to use a sharp Knife blade, scraping at a shallow angle. To finish the cleaning, I found alcohol to be more effective than mineral spirits paint thinner.
I looked up "sand blasting" in the Yellow Pages, and found a company in Alachua, North Florida, that listed as offering sand-blasting as part of their stained glass window production. The company charged $65 to sand-blast the inside of the window (masking off the frame and rubber), with "an oxide of silicon at 25 psi". The result was completely even and opaque. When re-fitted to the window, the privacy effect is complete, even when the lights are on in the bathroom, and it is dark outside. We are delighted with the result.
Nick.