Water Marks

Water spots come from water.  The spots are mineral deposits left on glass by evaporation.  Water drops always form on top of old spots.  There they continue the process of mineral deposition.  But water does something more than deposit minerals.  The atoms within the water molecules react with the atoms in glass surfaces.  This is an exchange reaction which results in a breakdown of what is called the moderator matrix.  In particular the leaching of the sodium atom.  In enough time and at a high enough temperature time there is a breakdown of the silicon oxygen network which is the builder matrix.  When both the moderator and builder matrix has been broken down the near glass surface has gone through total dissolution.

Water marks are very similar to water spots. The greatest difference being dynamics.  Water spots are caused by static water drops.  Water marks are created by water drops that run down vertical glass surfaces.  Without "doing the science" as my friend Paul West says, it isn't possible to know exactly and to what extent the glass has undergone total dissolution or exactly how many minerals have been deposited on the water "tract".  Just as water drops tend to form on top of water spots, so do water drops tend to run down the same water tract.  After years of this activity visible curvy lines form.  They are much easier to see in direct sunlight.  And appear as dark diffuse lines.  Sometimes they run the full length of the window.  Sometimes they just run halfway down.  Enough water creates an interesting pattern of water marks.  When they form on the inside of a window they can be more easily seen from the outside looking in.  But are easily revealed with your breath in fog.

Water marks can be very difficult to remove just like spots.  I am guessing this is true because they are the result of etched glass.  I do know of one case of water marks that I was not able to remove them using cerium oxide.  It was necessary to use a diamond compound by hand.  The compound was based on artificial diamonds of about 3 microns particle size.  The diamond compound completely removed the marks.  Such that when fogged by my breath a film developed that was completely smooth and showed no marks at all.

I was able to locate a hard water spot remover today from Envirosafe called Waterspot Pro that was able to completely remove these water marks.  It is also much less expensive than diamond compound!  Here below is the purchasing and contact info.

WATERSPOT PRO

Sold By Envirosafe Inc.
61535 S Hwy 97 suite# 5-415
Bend, OR 97702

www.envirosafeinc.com
800-856-7233

Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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