How I Made 500 Bux in One Hour and You Can Too!

There are buildings all over the world that have thousands of square feet of glass that have been damaged by hard water stains, etching from the inadvertent use of acids, scratch sensitive surfaces, chemically altered low e coatings, and so much more.  With the right knowledge and experience Window Cleaners can act as "Field Techs".  The people you will work for could even become your customers.  Or not.  But if a "surface repair" is possible, you will be the first one to be asked to do the job.  If you do this in reverse you end up giving away your time, knowledge, and experience.  Further you might not even get the job.

One of many consulting jobs I was referred to was a high rise building.  The owner had windows that were badly stained.  It was a window cleaner that referred me as is usually the case.  The owner did not know where the stains had come from.  Especially since the building was only four years old.  Another mystery was why only half the windows were stained.  Which is also usually the case.  The owner also needed to know how to safely remove the stains, and how to keep them from coming back.  When I arrived at the building I was there about fifteen minutes early so I had some time to look around.  In that amount of time I had all the answers.  I also was able to learn that the windows had a nearly invisible first surface low e coating.  This demonstrates how lacking in knowledge building owners, property maintenance managers, and yes even architects are.  Not to mention real estate agents and brokers, lawyers, janitorial companies, and even other window cleaners.

The concrete exterior facade and glass are both flush so that the rain leaches from the concrete over the glass

When the people arrived that I was scheduled to meet with I was able to explain everything to them.  Then I took about twenty minutes and did a quick demonstration showing how the stains could be easily and completely removed.  This had already been attempted with only 80% success.  I drove away feeling very happy.  When home I took another fifteen minutes to write up a report in an email and sent it off with a bill for five hundred bux.  A month later I got the check.  Usually I get paid the day of the job.  But this was somewhat more complicated because it was a very large company.

I have done many jobs similar to this one over the last twenty five years.  All of them were very profitable.  Never have I been able to make as much money in the same amount of time cleaning windows.  The people I have worked for have always been very appreciative.

Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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The Cause of Scratched Glass & How To Protect It - A Quest For Answers

Did the IWCA test disprove that glass fines/particles can fuse to glass?

For decades now, window cleaners have reported encountering glass with a “rough surface” that has a “drag sensation” and also many times exhibits a “tinkling sound” when a razor blade is passed over the surface.  Both the roughness of the glass and the tinkling sound does vary from window to window.  This type of surface has historically been described as being impregnated with fabricating debris in varying amounts. Historically, “fabricating debris” has been described as particles that were not adequately washed off prior to entering the tempering oven, thus getting fused or “baked” onto the surface during the tempering process.  Such particles could be glass fines resulting from the scoring and cutting of glass sheets.  Or sand/silicate particles from atmospheric conditions inside the glass factory.   However, research by the IWCA in recent years has shed light on some inconsistencies in that theory.  First, lab tests that attempted to fuse glass and sand particles failed. After heating and cooling glass at the industry standard temperature of tempered glass, particles with the same coefficient of expansion as glass, and silicate particles did indeed fail to fuse to the float glass surface.  Such particles simply "popped out" after they were pressed in.  The simple answer then to the above question is an absolute yes.  It is not only plausible but also quite possible and very probable.

Microscopic Analysis;... What of It?

When this information was presented to me my first reaction was to simply get out a microscope and look at the animal.  Isn't that what we do with everything? Richard Feynman used to say, "look at the animal". So this is what the IWCA Glass Committee attempted to do.  Very powerful microscopes were used to attempt to see fused particles on actual samples of offensively scratched glass "from the field".  However;...no such particles could be identified!  So it was not possible to actually "see" what our ears were telling us was there.  Several years passed as the IWCA went through this phase of exploration.  This was the most irritating exercise in futility.  But it did serve as an educational experience for everyone involved.

So, after more than five years of searching, no actual physical specimens of glass tainted with fused fabricating debris have been delivered to the IWCA. However, the Glass Committee was able to gather scratched glass samples from actual construction sites in all parts of the country.  Sure enough, these scratched glass samples exhibited a “rough surface” whereas many times similar glass windows on the same job site exhibited a smooth surface and did not scratch even though the same cleaning methods were used.

Nano-Scale Roughness Exposed

At last years IWCA Convention we introduced the idea that the rough surface of glass that appears more likely to scratch could be due to a change at the microscopic or even the nanoscopic level. From this the IWCA introduced the term nanoscale roughness.  In fact there is an entire field of science that discusses how surfaces with a nanoscale roughness may be more prone to physical damage.  3D surface metrology is a very real science.  The question remained however; how do the “rough surfaces” and that "tinkling sound" which are encountered in the field originate? Do they develop during the tempering process? Or are there other considerations? Could the development of "nanoscale roughness" go back to the actual float glass process where glass is made on a bed of molten tin - producing what is known as an “air side” and a “tin side”?  All float glass has two sides.  The underneath where it rides the molten tin down the glass ribbon.  Also the side that faces up and is only in contact with air.  It is in fact interesting to note that in the IWCA's collection of scratched glass with “rough surfaces",  the tin side was the rough side.  Also, the tin side was more easily scratched.  Should this surprise us? Is it possible that the tin side of float glass can develop a random roughness?  But exactly how?

A Closer Look at the Tin Side

To begin to understand this, I direct your attention to the paper “Statistical Analysis of the Metrological Properties of Float Glass” by Brian W. Yates and Alan M. Duffy.  This paper speaks of a “surface roughness” that develops on the tin side of float glass and reports “It can be seen that the overall tin side surface roughness average is indeed rougher on average than the air side”. The conclusion reads: “Statistically significant differences were found between the tin and air side surface roughness values for both untreated and acid treated, with the tin side being significantly rougher than the air side.”  Is there a definite  link between the rough tin side of some glass surfaces and surface scratching? Does post production heat treatment of glass exacerbate the roughness of some glass surfaces?  These questions will be closely examined as you are about to see.

Real Science

Armed with this knowledge, questions and the collection of scratched glass samples, the IWCA has embarked on the first of its kind scientific research during the summer of 2016. Dr. Paul Duffer has greatly expended his time and energy leading the way for the IWCA to participate in a special research program at the world class Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. Professor Seong Kim, phd  is quite dedicated to materials science and has much experience with glass surface studies. He has been and will continue to oversee the IWCA research of scratched glass at Penn State.  Already we have learned so much about the real science of float glass surfaces.  But this is only the beginning.

  

Where Will This Take Us?

The IWCA is dedicated to helping window cleaners better understand the glass surfaces that all of us work on every day of the week! Armed with knowledge as an industry we can develop much more effective, efficient, and safe cleaning methods.  Such advanced knowledge will result in the very best products, and practices that will assist us in maintaining the integrity and beauty of glass, reduce possible damage, and adequately protect ourselves legally should aggressive cleaning techniques and restoration become necessary on a job site.

The GANA/IWCA Joint Bulletin

GANA TD 03­1003 (Reapproved 2010)

Construction Site Protection and Maintenance of Architectural Glass

Steps Must Be Taken to Avoid Permanent Damage to Glass

This bulletin focuses on the fact that attention and blame should be put on general contractors for not protecting the glass during the construction process.  It states that, "The complex nature of construction projects and site management requires well‐planned and executed material delivery and storage.".  Regarding storage the bulletin states that the duration of site storage must be minimized.  Also storage should be under roof to avoid direct rain and water runoff.  Further adequate ventilation must be maintained to prevent damage from condensation.  Deposits from concrete or masonry runoff can cause hard water spots during storage.  It discusses glass surface or edge damage as being the result of inadequate on‐site protection and ill‐advised or vulnerable storage locations, also exposure to other trades.  Stating also that, "Deep  surface  scratches,  contact  by  hot  weld‐splatter  and  edge  damage  threaten  the  structural integrity of glass and may require glass replacement.  Surface contact with harmful materials will require  prompt  cleaning by  professional window  cleaners, such  as members  of  the  International Window Cleaners Association (IWCA).".  It is further stated that it is the responsibility of the general contractor to educate all of the other trades, regarding glass protection during storage and installation.  For this reason the glass in storage should be inspected daily.  There is much information in this bulletin which expertly identifies the chemical and physical damage that can result during storage and how to determine the cause of this damage. 

Protection Options During Construction

The very first thing that must be addressed is the fact that glass with nano-scale roughness is exposed to scratching during storage and every other phase of the construction process.  Glass with this type of surface must first be identified.  We are the very best choice for the general contractors to do this.  Then once it has been identified adequate steps must be taken to protect it from scratching and other surface damage.  There are temporary self clinging films that can be applied prior to storage which can be quickly and easily removed after construction.  There are also paint on protective plastic coatings that can be pealed off too.  When these are contaminated by construction debris such as concrete splatter, hard water spots, silicone caulk, stucco runoff, paint, wood stain, or other deposits;... such will come off with a simple pull.  There are other wipe on completely transparent products/sealants that are intended to be much more permanent and everlasting.  They are not intended to be removed.  Certain ones even offer a measure of scratch protection.  However just use caution, as the brush on temporary peal off films will actually stick to these permanent sealants.  So you will want to apply the permanent sealants after first pealing off any temporary brush on films.  Protection during construction, (from glass storage to the finished construction project), is an aditional service that window cleaners should offer.  Especially if we are doing post construction work.  It will be necessary to first become familiar with this new technology of glass protection, the various products available, and then educate the general contractors we work for.

The IWCA and the Glass Committee is your best defense against the ignorance surrounding the scratched glass issue.  It is also your best source of information that will help you to earn greater respect from your customers and a much higher profit margin.  Join the cause today.

Written By Paul West and Henry Grover Jr.

Members of the Glass Committee of the IWCA

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Polishing Glass with the Gyro Wheel and Pure Compounds

There are many different gel like hard water spot removers on the open market.  But most of them are not true polishing compounds.  They are not pure blends of high tech optical grade polishing  powders.  It is because of this that the application method along with the results obtained are both quite different.  Polishing optical glass surfaces is both an art and a science.  As a case in point you will notice the optical fibers in the picture at the upper right.  The ends of these fibers must be perfectly polished.  To do this polycrystalline diamond lapping films are used.  Very special procedures are also used in production polishing of optical lenses and substrates for mirrors.  Then why should our technique be any different for removing mineral deposits from windows?  If we are so focused on perfection when we work our squeegees, why shouldn’t we also be just as determined to recreate the very best surface for our customers?

The first thing we should focus on is the flatness of what is called in the industry;...the lap.  There are many different materials including pitch and even wood.  Along with some rather esoteric laps that I will be researching for the WCR.  But right now in this letter lets look at hard felt.  I have chosen a flat ring with an outside diameter of six inches, an inside diameter of four, and a thickness of 1/4 inch.  It has a pressure sensitive adhesive on one side so it can be easily fixed to the Gyro Wheel seen here in the picture.  This wheel can be di
rectly connected to most any drill motor.  It has a universal joint built into the shaft that allows for a twelve degree variance.  With a fail safe collar surrounding it.  I like to start my speed at about 1,000 rpms.  Faster speeds will remove stains even quicker.  But you must keep on testing the surface to make sure the glass doesn’t  get too hot. 

First you should clean the window with exact precision.  Making sure there aren’t any sand like particles remaining.  Next wet it well with a clean soapy solution or a liquid designed for polishing glass.  Next put about six or more drops of compound on the bottom of the hard felt ring.  Then put the ring up against the window and start the drill motor.  A variable drill motor that runs between 0 and 3,000 is a good choice.   You will want to move around a two by two foot area.  Give it about a minute, then squeegee off the slurry.  Examine the surface to see if all of the spots have been removed.  You might feel the dry surface with a dry fingertip.  But the best way to determine if all of the deposits have been removed is to fog the new surface with either a fogger or your own breath if possible.  If there are any deposits remaining you will see their appearance in the fog.  If you have indeed created a brand new surface without any deposits remaining, the fog will ‘sheet over’ showing absolutely nothing.

With the angle of variance that the wheel allows, you will be able to easily keep the hard felt lapping ring totally flat on the glass the entire time you are polishing.  This will maximize the overall effectiveness of the compound and the system.  It will also help in reducing the operators stress making the work much more endurable.

This is just the beginning.  I will be looking into different laps and building many different pure polishing compounds.  That will be based not just on high tech powders, but also different suspensions.  The reason for this is that polishing is not just a physical process but also a chemical one.  In fact it is for this very reason that some particles have been chemically ‘functionalized’. 

Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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A Technical Explanation of Organic Solvents and the Green Terpene

Organic solvents are simply put hydrocarbon liquids that break up and dissolve other hydrocarbon based substances.  Some other elements other than carbon and hydrogen that OS molecules use are oxygen, chlorine, and nitrogen.  The OS molecules will move in and around  surrounding the molecules of the solute (that which is being dissolved) forming a solution. 

Now there are two very basic types of organic solvents;...polar and nonpolar.  OS liquids with a dielectric constant of less than 15 are said to be nonpolar.  Those with a very high dielectric constant are said to be polar.  This is important to us because it helps us to choose the best OS for the job.  Since like dissolves like, deposits that are very polar require very polar solvents to dissolve them.  The opposite is also true.  Most oils and waxes are very nonpolar.  Hence they require very nonpolar liquids such as hexane to dissolve them.  It follows from this that it is important to determine exactly what the polarity of the substance being removed is.  Then match that with the right OS with the same polarity.  A quick search on the net will reveal the dielectric constant, and therefore the polarity of both the substance to be removed and the OS needed to dissolve it. 

There are also protic and aprotic polar solvents.  Protic solvents work well with negatively charged solutes.  While aprotic solvents work well with positively charged solutes.  The solute being the substance in need of being removed/ dissolved.  You can find quick lists of protics and aprotics on the net.  Remember any OS with a dielectric constant in excess of 15 is polar.  Less than 15 is nonpolar. 

Some other properties we might want to look at are melting point, boiling point, autoignition temperature, and water solubility/miscibility.  The melting point is also the temperature at which the OS will become rigid or form a solid.  Which is difficult if not impossible to work with.  So a melting point in excess of 0 Fahrenheit is obviously necessary.  The boiling point is the temperature at which the OS becomes a vapor or gas.  Since there are times we are working on very hot glass it would be good to have an OS with a relatively high boiling point. Next a solvent with a very high autoignition 

temperature will not automatically ignite without notice.  If our OS were soluble or easily emulsified in water it will be easy to remove from the window once it has done its job. 

Lets next take a look at an OS that comes from the rind of the orange.  It is gaining much attention in the cleaning industry because it is relatively nontoxic yet powerful enough to dissolve many hydrocarbon based substances.  It has been called the green terpene and is d-Limonene (a monoterpene).  The chemical formula is C10 H16.  It has a boiling point of 349 Fahrenheit.  A melting point of –140 Fahrenheit.  A flashpoint of 110 degrees.  Autoignition temp of 458.  Although it is not soluble/miscible in water it can be blended with certain synthetic detergents so that it is easily emulsified by water.  The dielectric constant is 2.3 as it is an aprotic nonpolar solvent.  It is used as a paint stripper, and a cleaner.  It is actually possible to add it directly to water if it has been emulsified with the right surfactants, to effect a cleaning solution.  Just a few ounces per gallon of water will work. 

There is a product that is based on  93% dLimonene and a couple of different surfactants for emulsification.  It is easy to remove from glass with any cleaning solution.  And is very effective at dissolving most non polar aprotic organics.  It will soften water based paints making them very easy to remove with a razor.  Just apply the product, wait a few minutes, and blade the paint away.  It also softens fully cured silicone caulk (this is not a hydrocarbon but is rather based on an Si-O repeater backbone chain).  It will soften fully cured oil based paints.  And works on many other hydrocarbons.  It is even possible to add it to your cleaning solution at a concentration of about four ounces to a gallon of water.  Or a one to sixteen ratio.   

There is also a urea plastic media/compositional abrasive with a particle size between 200 to 400 microns.  It has a good sharp cut and is softer than glass.  So it cannot scratch glass but will chew through silicone caulk and paint.  When coupled with the Green Terpene or another very powerful solvent it is much more effective at removing deposits such as cured silicone caulk, paint, or wood stain.

Written by Henry Grover Jr
henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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Big News From The Glass Committee

I just received this update from Paul West about three events that will be taking place that will have a direct effect on all window cleaners.  As you might know the IWCA has been directly involved now with NGA/GANA regarding scientific studies.  This lab work has turned out some really fascinating discoveries.  Headway is being made and I think you will find the following as hard evidence of that fact.  Read on.

1) Annual NGA/GANA Conference - January 22-24, 2019. The IWCA has been invited to do a presentation on 01/24 to all the Glass Fabricators at their annual convention. The seminar will be dedicated to the history of IWCA/GANA relations and present future cooperation. The one hour presentation will discuss joint bulletins, industry relations and research - along with paving the way for future cooperative efforts. Dr Paul Duffer will present and both Jeff Klass and President Butch Chapman will attend. 

Here is link:

http://www.glasswebsite.com/annual-conference.html

2) Glass Expo Northeast - Thursday March 28, 2019. Dr Paul Duffer is scheduled to present the “Unique Vulnerabilities of Glass at Construction Sites” seminar for official AIA Continuing Education credit.

3) International Congress on Glass - Boston, MA in June 2019. Professor Seong Kim, lead researcher at PennState, has been invited to do a presentation. It will be called “Glass for Buildings and Transportation.” He has asked to include the results of IWCA funded research and how it impacts glass in buildings, window cleaners, architects, and general contractors.

These three events represent major exposure for the window cleaning industry and the IWCA to thousands of parties interested in glass including but not limited to: glass fabricators, glaziers, tempering companies, equipment companies, architects, designers, and general contractors. A huge step forward in getting our message out to a massive amount of people. Very exciting!

Paul West

Kohala Window Cleaning LLC

808.885.7600 (O)

808.443.3833 (M)

www.KohalaWindowCleaning.com

Information presented by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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THERE WILL BE NO THIEVES !!!

For four years now I have been working on this blog (aprox 132 posts), written articles in the AWC, WCM, and the EClean, and met and conferred with many amazing people who own and work in the window cleaning industry.  My research goes back to the time when I began cleaning windows which was the spring of 1981 according to the best of my memory.  It was the very late 80s and early 90s when I discovered Rich Fabry and the AWC and started writing for it.  Some years after that I gave a couple of seminars for the brand new IWCA.  Met all of our industry icons of that time.  Had the opportunity to get to know and work with the Unger family.  Also I had the opportunity of getting to know other industry leaders through consulting work on some very famous buildings.  It has been a long time for some.  But it seems like a short time to me.

Here are some pictures that were taken from one of my many visits a long time ago.  It was one of my most enjoyable journeys.  I met many very interesting and amazing people.

At that time I didn't even have a cell phone.  Just a pager.  A few years later I got a flip phone.  There is absolutely no comparison between old tech and current tech.

Nonetheless I digress.  Let me say that it has been a very interesting journey.  Through my writings over the last four years I know that many people have been "mining" for information that they can use to develop products.  And some have been developed.  Twenty five years ago I put one manufacturer onto a certain chemistry that was being used to seal glass.  Which was ultimately abandoned.  But that chemistry was adopted by one of our industry icons who created a product from it.  It is still doing well on the market.  

I have experimented with many newsletters over the years, none of which ever lasted more than a year.  The last one call the Glass Smart Insider only lasted a month.  I tried selling products.  Unfortunately that did not work out as most of the packages were either stolen or were destroyed in transit.  Distributors absolutely earn their wages!  And no one else is very interested in picking up any of the "products" I have developed whether they be chemical or mechanical.  

I am very pleased that Chris and Alex Lambrinides have allowed me to continue with whatever ideas I come up with on their Community Forum.  I have met so many great people here.  We truly are a very innovative and honest group.  Window Cleaning has given me the money to pay my bills and the freedom to live my life.  Being able to reach out to others has only enriched my experience.

Very recently Paul West invited me to participate with the IWCA Glass Committee.  This has become one of the most fascinating endeavors of my work.  Having the opportunity to study very technical reports from a real science lab has been very satisfying.  I am also very grateful to Mike Draper for allowing me to join with Paul in writing a series in the AWC over the last year.  It has been a real treat.  And I hope it has benefited many.  Although my priorities have become very refined recently and I am not able to continue writing for any outside industry publications.  Nonetheless I am sure you will find the information presented in this blog very useful.  I will only be writing on the WCR Forum and this blog.  Chemical names and formulas will be given freely.  Which will make it most impossible to develop products from.  I do suppose it might be possible for manufacturers to mine my writings and decide to use certain chems in a formula they develop.  Then keep the actual name off their SDS by not using more than 1% of the chem.  Or some other trick.  I know right now they will add water and not mention it other than as a "proprietary" ingredient.  This just confuses people.  So that other manufacturers will not know exactly what the formula is.  This way they cannot "steal" the formula, and change the product name and label.  The end user doesn't care of course if they get a good product for a reasonable price.

So there will be no thieves.  No manufacturer will care to copy whatever I have developed and will develop because all of the information will be out there.  You will find it here on this blog and or on the WCR Community Forum.  I will not be working with any manufacturer on any product.  My love and focus will always be on custom products, chemistry, glass science, and glass Surface Maintenance And Restoration Technology (S.M.A.R.T.)

Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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