Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:03:44 -0700
Reply-To: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Rear Window Defroster Strips Pretty Much Fugeddaboutit?
In-Reply-To: <4ae222a5.0703c00a.2e2b.2063@mx.google.com>
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I dunno -- I sure didn't see any solder visible on the bus mainly because
this copper bit and the one on the other side both disappear under the
rubber.
I didn't see any solder on the copper bit, either. Looked like nothing
more than old-penny-brown copper.
I remain dubious of the solder theory of connection. I am a solder denier.
Any re-soldering to be done would be need to be under the rubber if one
wanted the thing in the original location.
If simple pressure from the rubber does not achieve defroster joy I'll
look at more aggressive and advanced bonding methods. Explosive bonding,
maybe.
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Bend, OR
KG6RCR
On 10/23/2009 2:39 PM David Beierl wrote:
> At 05:12 PM 10/23/2009, Rocket J Squirrel wrote:
>> But in the fracas the copper bit pulled out of the rubber/window space so
>> I just sort of shoved it back in. I could not tell whether there was
>> anything fancier needed to achieve a connection between the copper bit
>> and
>> the window stripe.
>
> I'd be fairly astounded if that wasn't soldered to the common bus that
> runs down the side of the window. If you're clean, careful and quick I
> bet you can solder it back, maybe a little inboard of where it was
> before. Everything super clean, rosin flux, make sure you can (and do)
> tin the spots where the terminal is going first, likewise tin and remove
> excess solder from the terminal. Helper positions and holds terminal
> while you heat the ends and melt them onto existing solder. Can feed a
> little more in if it seems skimpy. I'd be inclined to shove a cut
> potato against the reverse side of the glass, use a soldering gun with
> enough power to very rapidly heat up the joint so that the glass doesn't
> get too hot.
>
> If it breaks you prolly needed a new one anyway.
>
> A safer method, maybe not as effective -- epoxy the terminal down, then
> use lavish amounts of the grid repair paint to flow around all sides and
> top of the attachment points. Several coats -- the paint repair in
> general is meant to carry only the current in one of the thin grid
> wires, not the whole thing. If it runs hot, more paint. Paint has to
> dry before being energized, I believe.
>
> d
>
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