Can we talk about using a heat gun on tempered glass?

I was on a job in Tampa last week, trying to remove a stuck vinyl decal from a storefront door. The glass was clearly tempered, but my partner insisted on using the heat gun anyway. He set it to 450 degrees and held it about six inches away. We heard a loud pop and the whole panel just shattered into a million pieces. I had to call the shop for a rush replacement, which cost the client an extra $200. Has anyone else had a boss or crew member push for a method you knew was wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

veramartin15d ago

Oh man, my buddy did that to a shower door once. Same loud pop, glass everywhere.

ninasingh15d ago

That sound is so specific, it's like a tiny explosion. It happens with glass bakeware too, when you take it from the fridge and put it straight into a hot oven. The temperature change is just too fast for the material to handle. Makes you realize how much stress we put on ordinary stuff without even thinking.