This blog is going to be discontinued. The posts will be transferred to https://glass-smart.blogspot.com/ in time. Then it will be erased.
The Glass Smart Bulletin (GSB) will be continued as an email newsletter. It will include a running description of all the new products I am working on. Including their cost. Which will be exactly the same price that I pay for materials, ten USD to cover my time to send the package, and the cost of shipping wherever you happen to be in the world. Of course if you happen to be located in New England, and come to the monthly Meets, you can pickup what you need there. I am making these products and the GSB available to members only of both NEGSA or IGSA.
The GSB will also include potential work contacts such as general contractors, real estate brokers, residentials, and others.
There will be a paid membership of fifty USD to both NEGSA and IGSA. The first month will be free. Then it will be billed on a quarterly basis.
There are thousands of window cleaning companies in the USA and other companies with 5 and more employees. The simple matter is that the owners of these companies absolutely cannot run around to every job and inspect every window before and after it has been cleaned. Neither can these owners train all of the employees so they will be able to determine if the window is safe to scrape or not. Even if they did know the lazy thing is to just grab a razor and do a thirty second scrape. Which might cost three hundred to fix. These are just the facts. There is no way around them. And glass surfaces are not getting better. Also low e coatings are becoming more difficult to detect. So what do we do?
Just put the ducky down!!! Take the razor away from all of your employees. And put yours in your truck or the trash. If there is heavy dirt from years gone by don't take out 0000 steel or bronze wool. I have seen that scratch if the glass is defective enough. For this problem and greasy finger prints you can use a sprinkle of a soft plastic super-abrasive powder on your applicator or a soft cotton towel like a Huck. I have done this at restaurants before. Wet the window, then apply the powder to the long swivel applicator, then scrub. Next squeegee. It all comes off super clean. No steel wool, no razors.
I am working on several other plastic super-abrasive powders right now. You don't want to know what they are or why they work so I won't tell you. You just need to know where you can get them and what they work on. This I will tell you. I think one of the most important and most practical replacement products for the razor will be a soft cloth that has been impregnated with a plastic super-abrasive powder. Hoping to have this very soon. I know you guys use the Magic Eraser a lot.
Which I still need to test for absolute safety. This is a great product but I don't know exactly what type of abrasives it has been impregnated with. I think a cloth would be much more practical since we could quickly drape it over our strip washer or scrunch it up in our hand for cut ups. The Magic Eraser shown above could be put on a swivel flat scrubber. The bottom line here is we cannot be lazy. We have to use alternative products. As glass gets worse, and metal factory coatings become more common, we have to eliminate the razor.
I keep on getting calls and emails from guys all over the world about lawsuits from scratches. They are losing their companies. Especially the anxiety that they all have to deal with is just beyond belief. I wouldn't want even an enemy to have to tolerate this. So please start working with this new tech. These products DO work. You are likely working with at least one of them right now.
These are three different technologies that essentially define exactly what Glass Smart is all about. They are also the focus of the education work that I am using to develop and train both NEGSA and IGSA. In this post I will briefly explain each one.
Inspection; there are many different problems that happen with windows. From negative deflection to hardwater spots to failed insulating glass units, and much much more. Some of these problems can be fixed, others cannot. Regardless the very first step is always the same;...identify the problem. Whenever I get called in to a consulting job this is the very first thing that I need to do. At times it is very easy. I have been able to figure out problems in five minutes that have baffled property maintenance management companies for years. But there have been others where it took a series of different tests to identify the problem. When working with the members of NEGSA since they are all window cleaning companies that live close by in New England it is very easy to accomplish this because I can visit the building. But when working for the members of IGSA it is much more difficult since I must use technology. Pictures, and video. Usually I also have to give directions to the window cleaning companies to perform the tests and send them special superabrasives, and chemicals.
Restoration; this is a matter of repairing the surface. Whether that be scratches, or stains. It too however requires the first step of identification. What type of scratches, how did they develop, is the surface defective, etc. Stains must be identified. What are they? What type of surface are we working on? Is it metal coated such as low e, plastic, transparent or tinted glass, defective or frictive, etc.? These questions must first be answered before seeking a solution.
Preservation; includes of course identifying the problem so that once it has been repaired (if possible) the proper steps can be taken to prevent it from returning. This step usually involves the use of specific treatments whether hydrophylic or hydrophobic sealants. There are many of these aftermarket products out there. Some of them are very expensive. Some of them are also rather ineffective. But there are only a few that are very effective. Members of IGSA have been helping by testing different products.
Some of you don't know that I have another blog which I started many years ago. This contains over 100 posts that are full of very technical information with many links and videos. I am very sure there is much information here that you will find fascinating. I know I have when I was writing it. And am still active in writing it. The focus is on my larger association called IGSA or the International Glass Smart Association. And will be taking a turn to developing more Glass Smart Products. PolySkrub is a current first product developed primarily for low e coatings.
Written by Henry Grover Jr. glasssmart@protonmail.com
Many window cleaners believe that all abrasives scratch glass. Even if it is only very slight. This is simply not true. What is true is that window cleaners are only familiar with commercial products sold by industry suppliers. These products are based on relatively crude abrasives. Powders that have what is called a particle size distribution curve (PSD) which has a bad tail. All abrasive powders have a PSD. We don't care about the front of the curve so much. Because particles which are smaller than our optimum size will not visibly scratch. Such particles if they are as hard as glass must be between 2 to 5 microns. Particles in the tail could easily be 15 to 25 microns or more. If so these are the ones that could scratch. Especially if they form agglomerates because the formulator of the product didn't do it correctly. The question that must be asked is exactly what percentage of the PSD is at or below the crest of the curve.
We must take into consideration what is the hardness of the surface we are working on relative to the hardness of the superabrasive particles we are working with. If they are as hard as or harder than glass they must be about 3 microns at a very high purity. If they are softer than glass than they can be larger. The shape of such particles must also be considered. Particles that have an amorphous shape will much more easily cause scratches. Particles that are flat, tubular, or especially round will more likely rub instead of scratch. Every scratch begins with a Point Impact Fracture or a PIF. PIFs are much more easily created by particles with sharp edges and points. They are even more easily created by particles that are harder than glass, such as diamond. If diamond is used the PSD must be very carefully controlled and lubrication is critical.
My point through all this technology is simply that there are much more effective and higher quality superabrasive powders out there that can be used for non-routine window cleaning. When used along with the correct application techniques then the very best surface will be created. Would you like to see exactly what I am talking about? Just send me an email, text, or give me a call.
So many IG Units have filming, wipe marks, fingerprints, scratches, and many more defective markings "in between" the two plates of glass. These defective units cannot be repaired. They must be replaced. Window manufacturers and sales companies don't even know about this problem most of the time. This is the number one reason why windows MUST be cleaned by a professional window cleaning/consultant before a house is purchased/sold or immediately after a house is built. Forget about scratches and defective/scratch sensitive surfaces;...as I have just said, this is the number one problem that must be addressed when house or store front windows are cleaned. Also this is New England, and IG Units are the most common type of window out there. This is also a problem that no one can blame the window cleaner for. We should do our best therefore to educate our customers about defective IG Units.
IG Units are manufactured in a factory for the window manufacturers. The glass sheets come from the glass manufacturers. Which is also where the hard and soft low e coatings are applied. The glass is cleaned here too. And should be inspected by the IG Unit manufacturer for perfection. But usually is not. The workers in the IG Unit Manufacturing Plant should inspect the glass sheets to make sure they are "good". To make sure they have been properly cleaned and are free from all surface defects before they are used to make the IG Units. They will use spray cleaners and paper towels or rags. The low e coatings will show imperfections much better than glass. Low e hard coats can be cleaned. However low e soft coats cannot even be touched without permanent damage. Soft coats are always intended for placement in between the two sheets of an IG Unit. Hard coats can be used between the two sheets of IG Units or exposed to the inside or outside of the building. The picture below is of an IG Unit with the Low E coating in between. Sometimes however low e coatings are not used at all when the customer is charged for them. Or they are reversed so they are put on the outside. Another mistake. This is a big part of what we offer when we clean windows. And believe it, people do care. When they pay very high prices for the home, or are looking to put the house on the market for a nice price.
Once a low e window loses its seal and develops the effect shown below it cannot be repaired. Further this usually begins very slow and becomes worse over time. It doesn't just remain barely visible. It usually cannot be detected at all if the window is dirty. Once the window has been professionally cleaned it can be detected by the trained eye. Once it becomes worse it can be easily seen by the untrained eye. To reiterate this is what we can offer as NEGSA Professional Window Cleaners. Please use the picture below any way you want to to further and support your business! And if there is any way that I can help you with any specific jobs you might have or be looking at just send me an email. Or give me a call.
The first NEGSA Meet at the Poor Peoples Pub in Sanbornville NH focused on methods for testing abrasive and acid based products for safety. The second Meet will focus on the service of Scratch Maintenance. This Meet will also include seven hands on demonstrations. Scratch Maintenance is NOT being offered by any window cleaning company that I know of. And should be a very profitable service. It should also help you acquire many regular commercial jobs. Some of the demonstrations that will be shown at the PPP Meet you will be able to show to your potential customers. They will be very powerful marketing tools!
When glass is smooth with no factory surface defects and is not frictive, it is not prone to scratches. Therefore the first step when the Glass Smart window cleaner acquires a job is to clean all the windows very carefully and inspect each one for scratches. Whether the building is brand new or not. Then make notation of the results. Including notes on which surfaces are defective and or frictive.
Defective surfaces come that way from the factory. And frictive surfaces can also come from the factory too. But not only! There are certain acids and abrasives that can change a scratch resistant surface to a frictive surface. There are also chemistries that can change it back, and even make it more scratch resistant. It is going to completely shock all attendees as to exactly which ones these are. And again I will be demonstrating this.
Since the Glass Smart professional window cleaner will not be the only one to clean the windows, they should be cleaned and inspected on a very regular basis. If any chemical treatments have been applied they should be inspected for integrity.
There are also completely transparent plastic films that can be applied to certain areas such as door handles. or the bottom of doors where people push it open with their feet. Also places where foodstuff accumulates that must be removed on a regular basis. Such as the bottom part of restaurant windows. Here is a sample of one of these products. Very easy to apply. You should charge by the square foot and use your name.
Paw Gard
Demonstrations;
How HF creates a frictive surface which will make the glass scratch sensitive.
How optical silica compounds or cerium oxide also creates a frictive surface making glass scratch sensitive. Every time!
Which hand applied coatings can change glass back again to a scratch resistant surface.
What chemical treatment will not only resist scratches but will also resist hard water deposits and will last the longest.
Testing HCL on glass for reactivity using the scratch method.
Demonstrating the penny method to test for defective surfaces.
Introducing Poly Skrub, the first super-abrasive plastic powder for non-routine window cleaning.
