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Finished re-tinting my baby.

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mobilepolice

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I followed instructions I found here: http://csobeech.com/windowtint.html


I used Gila's 35% on the front* and Auto Expressions' "Black Magic" 5% aft of the pilot. I only used the peel and cling.

The previous owner had tinted the windows but it was getting to look bubbly and wasn't as dark as I wanted it on the back. During annual I had to stop drill some cracks on the right side windows so it was a perfect time to peel the old stuff off.

Being the peel-and-cling and not the damaging chemical automotive based tint, it was easy to just grab a corner of the tint with a small flat blade screw driver and gently pull it off.

Once it's on and dry on the window, it stays put very well. There's a lot more going on than just static electricity. I would equate it to removing that plastic protective material that covers the fascia of newly purchased electronics like tv's or laptops.

My only advice which they didn't really cover is to use a white or silver sharpie. Lay the tint on the outside of the window in the typical fashion, and then use the sharpie and draw a line all the way around the tint in the little gap where the window meets the frame.

When you cut this out, you want to cut either right down the line you drew, or just enough to the inside to remove it all.

I really struggled when I tried to cut the tint just a little oversize and then make it work by shimming it into the window frame. Instead, it's easier to work with if you're just a hair undersize.

Yes, you'll have small inaccuracies and little thin strips of light from tiny sections that didn't get tint, but on the whole it's a decent enough job.

Another big thing is you don't want to be in the sun while doing this. the sun will heat the liquid between the film and the window and you'll be chasing bubbles, only with the liquid evaporated/gaseous, it's very hard to get the bubbles out.

my job isn't perfect, it's amateur by any stretch, but the nice thing about peel and cling is that so long as the tint itself remains undamaged, you can peel it off carefully, respray the glass, and reapply it. This way if you find bubbles a week or two later that you just can't live with, you're not stuck cutting a whole new sheet, or dealing with some horrid removal process like on cars.

Hope you like!

* Yes, there's a FAA reg on VLT and it's 70%. I was unable to find 70% peel-and-cling and I was tired of having my arms, shoulder, and face set afire anytime the sun was off to my left in cruise. Instead of wearing a blanket like I have been doing, I'm trying this. In the event that I get ramp checked and some fed has already run off the 135/121 guys and is ready to pick on the part 91 guys, it's a 15 second deal to become complaint again: just peel it off.
 

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