Superabrasive diamond powders when used the right way can make us a heap of money. When used the wrong way they can do absolutely nothing for us or create a very bad lawsuit! Let me explain how this is true.
I have experimented with superabrasive diamonds in different ways over the last several decades and have discovered some rather fascinating results. Which I expect will continue to grow over time. Here in this post I will list just a few of them.
The first had to do with a bad white stain/deposit on plain clear window glass. It was from a cleaning solution that could have been a mix of two different products. One based on sodium metasilicate and the other sodium carbonate. This is a very powerful combination of chemicals. When trying to remove the stain with a cerium oxide slurry using a rotary polisher at about 1200 rpms I got no results at all. I tried a microcrystalline silica compound. Again no results. Then I tried a superabrasive diamond compound with the polisher. Yes the stain came off but this left scratches. So it was unacceptable. Next I tried the diamond compound by hand with paper towels. No rotary polisher. The stains were cleared. No staining left. Crystal clear. No scratches. And it even removed some of the scratches that were left from previous efforts. This was a total win win. It taught me that superabrasive diamond does have unique properties that can make money. I made about 10,000 from this job. BUT the diamond MUST be used with the correct technique. Or else the results can be quite counterproductive.
Another interesting occasion was when I came across some dark tinted glass that was covered with some rather light hard water spots from the sprinkler systems. No compounds would remove them. There was a lot of square feet so this would have taken a rather long time even if I could have found one that worked. Next up I experimented with a wheel that was used to polish granite table tops. The disk was covered with little plastic drops. Each was loaded with a superabrasive powder. I spun it against the glass using a soapy water solution. The plastic nubs did not dissolve releasing the superabrasive. But within a minute all of the stains were gone. The problem was there were millions of extremely fine scratches that would need to be removed with a cerium slurry. That would have added more time. But considering this might have been the only technique that would have adequately cleared the windows to the satisfaction of the customer, it might have worked. Even at a couple hundred dollars per window. Depending on replacement cost.
Another time I decided to experiment with a felt pad on my "Wobble Wheel" and a diamond compound. I wet the window with soapy water, applied several drops of compound to the felt pad, and went at it. This technique completely removed all of the hard water spots in very little time. The glass was totally clear. The only problem was an extremely fine haze on the window which was only visible in the direct sun at the right angle. So the overall results were not acceptable.
One other time I received a diamond based compound which was intended to be used by hand to remove stains. I tried it on my pellet stove glass door. No other compound worked on this. I was working by hand, no machines. The diamond compound took it all off in seconds. Only problem was that it was based on a rather crude diamond powder. So ir carried some particles that were much too large. Which left some rather deep scratches. When I tried the product on ordinary window glass I had the same results.
Now when using a ready made highly pure superabsrasive compound by hand on ordinary window glass I ended up with some very positive results. It was able to quickly remove very light scratches, routine hard water spots, light vapor etching, blunt metal abrasions, and water run/drip marks. It also is very efficient at converting phobic surfaces to phylic in preparation for hydrophobic coatings. Which can be used for scratch protection. So all together these compounds can be used for what I call "scratch maintenance" of storefront windows. They are great to carry around with you in a 20 gram syringe in your front pocket. You could make an extra 25 bucks in five minutes by just removing a single blemish that nothing else will remove. Do that four times in a day and you will have made an extra hundred bux.
This one here looks like someone tried to remove a couple blobs of ketchup with a greeny scrub pad. You can plainly see the linear scratches. It would take some time by hand to remove. But a cordless Dremel with a felt bob and the right diamond compound should take it off quick enough. I would go for a hundred bux on this one. It measured out at about three by three inches. This type of scratch patch can be found in almost every restaurant. The thing is they look like unsightly food stains!
Henry
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