Carlite etched windshield logos

Cougar Community Classic Cougar Maintenance Restoration and Repair
1

Guys,

I have just recreated the Carlite logo on the GT-E’s new windshield and thought I would share the technique, which has turned out very nicely.

Unfortunately the original windshield was cracked so had to be replaced. The new windshield already had a manufacturers logo imprinted on the surface, which I removed with some 320,800, 1500 grit wet and dry paper, and using a screwdriver to press on the folded sandpaper to sand only the logo and not a large area of glass. Autosol metal polish finished the job - no trace remaining of the logo.

To create the Carlite logo, I took a photo of the Carlite logo on the original windshield, edited it in photoshop until it was black on white with razor sharp edges, which took a lot of work. I then had the local art store turn the black and white image into a silk screen etch template, with one sticky/tacky side.

After measuring the exact location on the windshield I placed the template on the glass, pressed it down tightly, used some masking tape to hold it firm. Etching cream is then applied thickly over the template, wait 3-4 minutes, peel away the template and immediately wipe away any residue with a wet cloth ( the etching cream will bite immediately, so you cannot afford to get any on the glass). The newly etched Carlite logo looks identical to the original!!!

ORIGINAL LOGO ON THE CRACKED WINDSHIELD

NEW WINDSHIELD ETCHED LOGO

2

Way to go! This is exactly what I did for all the glass in my car (which is all new).

3

That’s really cool, looks great. Thanks for sharing your technique!

4

That is really cool and very resourceful! Would you be willing to share your template here? Or you could make it into a kit and sell them through the Cougar and Mustang retail outlets.

5

+1 with what others have said. I’m very impressed!

6

Very resourceful. I really like the way that turned out. Well done.
Steven

7

That’s really nice. Brilliant.

I don’t suppose you have any photos of the new windshield manufacturer’s logo before removal, your removal tool setup, and the glass surface after removal? Those would be helpful references for those of us who might try to duplicate your success.

I’ve really been enjoying your build updates. Cheers,

8

It has been said that Auto Restoration is the highest form of counterfeiting.

9

I guess you haven’t seen the plastic “cosmetic” surgery they do here in Scottsdale?

10

Yeah but look at the results… Our counterfeits often look better than original!

11

Most of it doesn’t look anywhere near as good as the original.

12

Nate,

I didn’t take any photos of the manufacturers logo, but it was similar to any you see on modern windshields- done in some sort of hard baked enamel. I tried scraping with blades but had no impact. I then tried some 320 grit wrapped around a small flat piece of plastic and saw that it was slowly removed the black logo. Just kept working at it with 320, ensuring that I kept the paper tight and only worked on the logo area. Once it was gone I used 800, 1500 and 2000 grit to remove any scratches. Final polish was done with folded business card and autosol metal polish which brought the glass up like the logo was never there.

Mike