Strataglass Fabrication Guidelines and Tips

Helpful Fabrication Tips

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We always recommend that you lay the Strataglass sheets flat on a table in a relatively warm room the night before you plan to fabricate the enclosure curtains.

If the vinyl sheets have paper marks or lines from the inner cardboard edge, these marks can be removed with a heat gun, common hair dryer or direct exposure to the sun. Hold heat gun 4-6 inches away from product and work in 12-inch areas at a time. Be careful not to overheat or concentrate the heat in one area for any length of time.  After a few minutes, as the product reaches the temperature gradient, it will clear up. Strataglass has structural memory, and that memory is the perfect flatness it had when it was produced.

To remove cloudiness, “pools” or sharp impressions (zipper marks, etc.) simply heat up the surface area, small sections at a time, with a heat gun or common hairdryer.  Do not overheat or concentrate heat in one area for any length of time.

If installing in colder weather, we recommend that you heat up the enclosure during the installation and stretch the product into position. Product installed tightly in the cold may relax and appear loosely fit when warmer weather returns.

We recommend using Strataglass Protective Cleaner to thoroughly clean the enclosure panels followed by a thorough application of Strataglass Protective Polish, both inside and out, as a final step in the fabrication process.  This will establish the first basecoat of protection and promote watershed.

New clear vinyl products are soft and easily impressionable. We recommend that new Strataglass enclosure curtains remain in the installed position and stay fastened securely to the boat as much as possible. If the new Strataglass curtains must be removed, the enclosure panels should be carefully interleafed with a soft fabric such as a bed sheet and stored flat.  The vinyl will inherently strengthen over time and become less impressionable.   When the boat is not in use, always close and fasten the Strataglass enclosure panels in place to prolong the life of your curtains and maintain clarity.

Our Customers Answer Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is your cutting table setup?
    • We have a snap-on cloth for our sewing table to help prevent scratches. This also helps the glass slide easier while sewing it. The cloth is a poly/cotton material. We have the edges reinforced and bound in order to hold the female snaps that snap to the table.
  • How do you store your Strataglass?
    • 1. When we get the glass in it stays in the drum until we are ready to fabricate the curtains. 

      2. We built a large 5’ X 10’ Strataglass storage drawer under our table.  We store the sheets flat in this drawer with tissue paper between the sheets.  The sheets are always flat and ready for fabrication.
  • How do you setup a project?
    • The glass is laid out flat on the cutting table with the sheets of paper left in between the sheets of glass. Each window is cut and sewn to completion and then transferred with the paper to another table. The completed windows are also stacked with the paper between them. 
  • How do your transport a completed job to the work site?
    • Transporting the completed windows to the boat has the paper left between each window. The windows are stacked with the paper between them as we transfer the project to the boat. The paper is not removed until they are ready to install on the boat. 
  • What kind of thread, needles, stitching do you suggest?
    • We use PTFE thread exclusively. We normally sew about 6 stitches per inch. Other shops may sew less per inch. We use MR needles rather than standard needles because we use PTFE. The size of the needle will be an MR5 or MR5 (equivalent to an 18 or 20 respectively). The needle size many times depends on the machine and the sewer.