No subject

ity, or maybe rather that it is convex on the outside (don't know the equiv=
alent form of that word), makes it like a dome or an arch, so it's pretty s=
trong as far as compression from the outside.  From the inside, I would ima=
gine it is less so, because by pressing out you are helping the window to c=
urve more than it already is, capitalizing on the inherent weakness of the =
shape from that direction.

<<Haven't tried it at a junkyard (and don't plan on it, either), but the fr=
ont
door windows look fairly easy to break _from the inside_, as their only
restraint points are the bottom "sill" and that connector in the top corner=
,
adjacent to the B-pillar which runs in a track - the rest of the perimeter
of the window is unrestrained from flexing outwards as it sits on the
outside of the window gasket.>>

Yeah, you could probably force the window out of the seal at the top perime=
ter, leaving the bottom connected until you got enough pressure to snap it =
at the bottom.  All the tension on the tempered glass is at the edges I hea=
r, which makes sense.

<<Hell, the A-team always seemed to make whatever they needed from the
contents of their van - which had to hold 4+ "adults" and a set of
oxy-acetaline torches and bottles, and MacGuyver could make an A-bomb from
pocket lint ;-) (not true examples, but anyway) - the guy was surrounded
with things that would have helped him get out - the problem was he panicke=
d
(hey, I probably would have too)>>

Even the metal of the seat belt buckle might have helped.  I agree that it =
can be very difficult to break tempered auto glass without something very h=
ard and/or small in surface area.  Speaking of improvising, there is an exa=
mple of that in Scary Movie 2, seen it?  When they need to get out of the w=
alk-in freezer.

<<As far as the sale of automatic centre punches to thieves - around here I
have heard the fave tool of choice is a spark plug (found this out from my
uncle after his Jeep was almost stolen - caught them in the act...)>>

It's only takes a very small piece of porcelain, smaller than you'd think, =
like a chip from a spark plug insulator (the ceramic part, don't know if th=
at's the correct name either), to break a car window.  It can be thrown "th=
rough" (at) the glass, or a sling shot or something could be used (I bet it=
 would only take a teensy little piece that way).  A method that bad guys u=
se is to slip a flat bladed screwdriver between the glass and window frame,=
 and then just pry the tip towards the edge.  With the right material or to=
ol, it's very easy to break the glass.  Without it, it can be impossible.  =
It makes sense scientifically I suppose, but when seen in person it is surp=
rising.  I knew a wide variety of people back in high school, which is wher=
e this information comes from, btw.

Later,

Ken