Aggressive Stain Removal Pads

Four zero steel wool pads are based on strands of actual steel.  Each strand of steel is about 20 microns across.  It is also round.  As it passes across the glass surface it does not cut, but rather rubs. It does not abrade.  It is not abrasive.  But it is hard.  Just about as hard as glass.  So it will literally push abrasive particles such as silicas or diamond directly into the glass and drag them enhancing their abrasive action.  This is why steel wool pads are more aggressive than hard felt, or sponge pads. Even nylon/plastic pads are not as aggressive as steel wool.  This is because steel is much harder than plastic.  

There are other pads that are "aggressive". Any pad that is very hard can be considered aggressive. Steel wool works so well because it is wool.  It is a mesh.  The polishing particles are about 1/6th the size of the diameter of four zero steel wool.  They are easily caught up in that mesh and are also easily dragged under the strands.  Which force them into the surface.  Any other material that does this will have similar success in polishing glass.  There are various commercial pads that have very small holes all over the pad surface.  Such holes perform a similar function to a steel wool mesh.  In fact, as the particles begin to drag between the pad and the glass they can become embedded in the surface of the pad.  Once embedded they will abrade the glass on a microscopic level.  They will polish the glass and remove mineral deposits.

There are particles which are very effective at abrading glass.  They are very effective at removing stock.  Silicon carbide, boron nitride, and diamond are three.  When these are used in conjunction with very aggressive pads they can remove stock very fast.  So they are very effective at grinding glass for scratch removal.  Or are also very effective are removing mineral deposits.  These have been used for many years in the field of glass "cold working".  One problem that can happen involves the formation of glass dust agglomerates.  When scratches form on glass seen or microscopic, there are always little pieces that break away.  These can stick together forming larger "particles" which can leave very large scratches.  To avoid this problem when using aggressive pads with aggressive particles much water is also used during the grinding process.  Such will flush away most if not all of the glass dust agglomerates.  I am guessing that a similar use of water during the polishing process should prove just as effective. 

Grinding and polishing glass is a very old technology.  Silicon carbide and cerium oxide have been used for many years.  Water has always been an integral part of the process.  Only in later years have there been alternate synthetic pad materials created that have proven rather effective.  Especially in nano-polishing.  The goal has always been to create a better surface with smaller and smaller imperfections.  Surfaces are now routinely engineered down to a quarter of a micron.  On all types of substrates.  The particle zoo is not small.  There are all kinds of particles.  Of all types of chemistries, shapes, and sizes.  We even have functionalyzed nano-particles.  Scanning electron microscopes show us not just their shapes, but also the exact arrangement of the atoms that make up each particle. This is where this 'old technology' has become very high tech and modern. 

It is my dream to explore many of these high tech pads.  By doing this we will merge this high tech world of polishing glass with the Window Cleaning industry.  

Written by Henry Grover Jr.

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