[ihc] Windshield Storage

["Joseph Shaw, II" <josephshaw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, I saw that you got no response, so even though I really know nothing
about glass professionally, I will tell you what I have heard and what my
experience has been.

I have never stored a windshield for any amount of time, but have stored
several of the rear windows from the '60's period Travelalls for a while at
different times and different places.  Though these have a curve in them that
probably gives them a bit more vertical strength/rigidity, I have found they
only seem to crack or break when pressure is applied perpendicularly to their
surfaces (not really "perpendicular, but in any direction that strikes the
surface-if force is applied againts the edge of the glass, along its main
plane, it is quite rigid).  So, I was told, and do believe that it is best to
store them as staight up and down as possible, instead of laying (lying) them
flat.  This presents less of a surface area for anything that falls on them to
hit, as well as making it a stronger area to hit should something fall on
them.  Of course, this also makes them easier targets for things being thrown
at them, cars backing into them, people shooting at them with BB guns
(depending on your storage area and neighborhood, etc), but hopefully you have
a nice safe indoor area to store in.

In the past, my most successful storage attempts have been to wrap the windows
in an old blanket and put it in my storage shed standing straight up, but
attached to a wall so it couldn't simply slide out and fall and crash.

This may be mroe basic info that you were looking for, but I had never really
thought about it until I needed to store some and someone told me the reasons
to store them straight up and down as opposed to well padded and lying flat.

Good luck!

Michael