this invention relates to making continuous ribbons of clear , flexible interlayer material into a maximum number of interlayers having a coating of graded intensity along a longitudinal edge portion thereof for use in curved laminated safety glass windshields . the method avoids rubbing or differentially stretching the flexible interlayer material during processing , which includes cutting a continuous ribbon of clear , flexible interlayer material into successive interfitting flexible sheets of trapezoidal shape , applying a shade band , preferably by electrostatic spraying , to a predetermined portion of each sheet and laminating the sheet so treated to one or more rigid transparent sheets of glass or a recognized plastic substitute for glass . when the flexible sheets so treated are laminated to one or more relatively rigid transparent bent sheets of glass or rigid transparent plastic , the resulting laminates are safer than those produced by the prior art method that requires differentially stretching the partially shaded interlayer and have better optical properties than prior art shaded laminates comprising interlayers produced by pervious prior art techniques that incorporated rubbing the sheet while applying a coating .