This blog is for Glass Smart Window Cleaners.
It is focused on the development and discovery of custom products for the Surface Maintenance, Restoration, and Protection of different window surfaces. Join me. henrygroverjr@gmail.com
Defective glass is very easy to scratch. But not as easy to identify. Simply because the scratches can be so small that they can only be seen in the direct sunlight at just the right angle. Or they can be so large that they can be seen at night with a dim flashlight. This is very simply because the size of the ghost particle is learned by the depth and size of the scratch. The number of ghost particles is also determined by the number of scratches per square inch or as I like to say the scratch density.
It is very easy to mistake frictive glass surfaces for defective surfaces. This is because defective particles can be so incredibly small. As small as nanometers. I have included here an example of 50 nanometer sized aluminum silicate particles.
Here is an example of just exactly the type of scratch I am talking about. These were created by a short four inch edged razor. I took the picture with my IPhone in the direct sun. Gotta love these phones and digital technology!
Frictive glass can be quite rough and yet show no scratches when a razor is used. I know this is counterintuitive but I have observed it. Then there exists defective glass with ghost particles so small that they feel like frictive glass but do in fact cause scratches from a razor. Now with this being said we should not get the idea that frictive glass is not totally safe. When we polish glass to remove hard water spots with a cerium oxide slurry we end up creating a frictive surface that will scratch much easier than most glass surfaces that feel very smooth with a penny.
Admittedly this discussion can be rather confusing. But i think all that is required is the reader to spend a few years cleaning glass for a few years to know that all glass is NOT the same. There is a great difference. Sometimes on the same plate! Just beware. Defective glass is more abundant now then it every was. And it is waiting to cause a lawsuit. You do not want to have to face such a thing. Your insurance will not cover it. And it could destroy your entire business.
Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com
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The very first of this product line, and the first IGSA product, is a dry plastic powder. It was developed exclusively for hard metallic coatings such as TiO2, frictive glass surfaces, and defective glass surfaces. The idea behind its creation was to locate a plastic particle that was small enough, had the correct shape, and was softer than glass and low e, and antireflective coatings. The purpose is to be able to remove paint and other debris from such problematic surfaces without leaving scratches. So it is NOT intended to use on every window. In order to increase the effectiveness of these products I am currently tesing Poly-Skrub with different solvents. Some of these solvents are on the market. The idea here again is to not scratch glass. When you join the best of both worlds (solvents and soft but course abrasives) you end up with custom products that are much more effective at removing paint, wood stain, etc., without creating scratches on frictive, defective, or coated glass. I have demonstrated here in this video how effective Poly-Skrub 1 is at removing paint using only soapy water. By using a soft cotton cloth only, soapy water does not even budge the paint. You can see here how it doesn't even come off the glass just a little. Which would show up as a very slight red color. But using the same effort, the same time, the same cloth, the same soapy water, but a buff of PS it is quite possible to scrub off the paint. Can you imagine how much easier it would be if you were to add the correct solvent? That is the direction that I am going with this. My future videos featuring the Poly-Skrub Product Line will demonstrate the effectiveness of adding specific organic acids and organic solvents. Also I will be looking at different ways of building compounds based on these abrasive powders, and affixing them to scrubbing pads that can be attached to our poles for high windows. This will dramatically reduce the amount of powder needed for the job. Which will also allow us to use much higher "tech grades" of plastics. These Glass Smart Products will NOT be sold in high volume amounts by IGSA. Simply because they are specialty products.
I have written many posts on the science of particles. But have focused mostly on cerium oxide, aluminumoxide, silican carbide, silicas, and others. Not plastic particles. But the truth is that plastic particles will likely prove to be a large part of the answer we are looking for when working on "Scratch Sensitive" window surfaces. When searching for a specific plastic particle/powder I am looking at hardness (glass and low e surfaces are rated 7 Mohs), particle size, particle size distribution (PSD) curve, chemistry (for solvency resistance), and morphology (is the particle round, oblong, cubic, or amorphous?). All of these properties will affect the overall performance of the product. Lets take size as an example. Very small particles will not chew through paint very well at all. But they are very effective at eating up almost invisible thin residues of cured silicone caulk or concrete sealant. Very large particles are rather effective at removing globs of silicone caulk and even shot gun fungi. The only real way to know what works best on what is to do the test.
Particle science will always play a very large part of the Glass Smart Products that IGSA brings to market. What is also going to be very exciting about these products is that the affiliate members of IGSA will be able to assist in developing these products as IGSA beta testers. If you would like to purchase any of these products and get your name and email on the IGSA mailing list just send it to glasssmart@protonmail.com IGSA (The International Glass Smart Association) has been initiated for the purpose of developing and selling specialty products for non-routine window cleaning.
These pictures will demonstrate one of the most intense problems with hydrophobic glass. It tends to create a severe fogging effect when the inside of the building is rather cool relative to the outside air. This happens usually in the hot weather when the AC is cranked and it is very hot and humid outside. This is why you should be very careful before sealing with a hydrophobic sealant. One of the main functions of IGSA is to develop products to be marketed all around the world. But the other purpose is to educate. Because products are completely useless if no one understands them, and how to use them. So unlike other manufacturers IGSA is very very much focused on education. The logo alone should prove this.
Below you will see a series of pictures that I took one very hot and humid day with my phone. This was at the local Dunkin Donuts that had very good air conditioning. They are always cold inside. No one has applied a phobic sealant to the outside of these windows. Which are all insulating glass units. They have a double wall of glass with a partial vacuum and nitrogen gas.
This last picture was NOT taken at this Dunkin Donuts. It is rather a picture of some naturally ocuring (no sealant) hydrophobic glass that I have converted to hydrophylic. You can see the center where it has been converted. No chemicals were used. I used an IGSA product which is a highly concentrated silica compound. This demonstrates how effective phylic surfaces can be over phobic in improving visibility! IGSA will have both phobic and phylic sealants.
The International Glass Smart Association was started for the purpose of gathering window cleaners around the world to act in the capacity of on site consultants for other window cleaners, real estate agents, lawyers, insurance companies, general contractors, home owners, and much more. These individuals will also help in the development of products used in the Surface Maintenance And Restoration Technology of window glass. Including the distribution worldwide of such products. With the goal of creating as many as possible that are in fact Green/Earth Friendly.
A bit about the logo. The letters of course stand for the name. They are the color of nature that being green. This is a diagram of the bohr atom which is silicon. The basic element of what is called the builder matrix of soda lime glass. I chose purple for the electrons because it used to be the color of royalty in Bible times. Which is how I view our association. Then of course I have inserted a small Earth at the center to denote the international nature of IGSA. The Earth however is very small denoting its size relative to the rest of the universe. It is also placed in the center where it rests where the protons and neutrons are. These hold the atom together just like the Earth holds all life together in one place.
So there you have it. IGSA is a worldwide association of professional consultants. Created for the purpose of raising the status of the window cleaning industry to a brand new level.
