Diamonds are a Window Cleaners Best Friend!

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

henrygrover222@gmail.com

Creating A Product for Water Fed Pole Window Cleaning

The Holy Grail of WFP window cleaning has always been a product that would convert a glass surface from phobic to phylic in a single application.  Or at the most a double application where the first is used to "deep clean", and the second to apply a coating of silanol functionalyzed nanoparticles.  

Some window cleaners have used glass etchants such as hydrofluoric acid to deep clean glass.  Which is quite frightening if you know anything about the dangers of this acid.  But there are other chemicals such as dilute solutions of sodium hydroxide that will deep clean window glass making it hydrophylic.  As for coatings that use functionalyzed nanoparticles;...these are quite common.  Most of these are used to created hydrophobic (water hating) surfaces.  As for the use of silanol groups (which are quite hydrophylic) to functionalyze nanoparticles, this is also a rather common practice.  But it is currently used for a completely different application other than WFP window cleaning.

I write this only to demonstrate that the technology for creating such a product is well within our reach.  It is just that no manufacturer has done it yet.  So what about any of you manufacturers that are reading this blog.  I know you are out there.  I know you are reading what I write.  And I know you are watching my videos like the one I just posted from my Youtube account.  Which plainly shows how to convert glass from phobic to phylic.

Do you want to talk?

henrygrover222@gmail.com

Henry

How many of these 50 nanometer particles could you functionalyze and fit along the inside walls of a glass micropore which measured about 5 microns across?

Converting Glass To Water Loving For Water Fed Pole Work

Have you ever been able to snake off a window after wetting it with pure water?  I mean water with not even a drop of soap of any kind or chemical like TSP or sodium metasilicate.  Not even a little ammonia.  No GG3 or GG4.  Nothing but pure water.  Well I have!  When I wet the window the pure water completely sheeted over EVERY square inch of glass right to the edge. This is an absolute dream for window cleaners that use water fed poles.  But how do we CONVERT a glass surface to love water this much?  Convert it to what is called hydrophylic?

I will begin by explaining that ALL glass is naturally hydrophylic.  It is in fact very hydrophylic.  IF it is as clean as it can be!  Which most of the time it is not.  You see glass is mostly made up of silicon dioxide.  Which is somewhat polar.  Therefore it will attract water.  Further the surface of "clean" glass has silanol (SiOH) groups which are very water loving and attract water molecules.  So why is glass hydrophobic in the field?  Why does water bead up unevenly?

Because glass gets dirty on a molecular level.  It also collects soap residue, oily contaminants, and other residue.  Sorry to tell you but our methods don't really clean glass that well.  Also people are using all manor of coatings on glass.  Repcon was one of the very first hydrophobic coatings that came to market back in 1971.  Which then became Rain X.  Which then became the Invisible Shield.  There have been over a hundred different aftermarket hydrophobic products that have come to market between 1971 and 2025.  Currently we have aftermarket hydrophobic products based on functionalyzed ceramic nano particles. There are also hydrophobic coatings applied to float glass at the factory as it comes off the float bath.  It is fused to the glass surface.  

To convert a hydrophobic glass surface to hydrophylic we must completely remove all contaminants and coatings.  By doing this you will expose all of the surface silicon dioxide and silanol groups.  Personally I will go one step further and increase the roughness of the surface which increases the surface area for greater exposure.  So the glass acts like a sponge.  I do this by using a cerium oxide slurry.  The cerium should be as pure as possible so near white.  Also a particle around 2.5 to 3 microns is good.  This a "mechanical cleaning" or polishing technique.  The time needed for this is around thirty seconds per square foot.  So it is very time consuming.  The results however are unbelievable.  Other window cleaners have experimented with other mechanical techniques like using 0000 steel wool or ultra fine bronze wool.  Then there are some products that have come out based on nanoparticle slurries.  Or some people have turned to using glass etchants such as hydrofluoric acid or sulfuric acid.  As they clean with a water fed pole.  Using an etchant with a water fed pole is probably one of the most frightening things I can imagine.  So of course I would NEVER suggest doing it.  The only reason I mention it here is to advise AGAINST  using it.

The goal here is to find the most effective, completely safe, most quick ways to "deep clean" glass surfaces on a molecular level for the purpose of returning the glass to its original hydrophylic nature.  Here is a complete demonstration of a product that was developed to do precisely what I have been explaining in this post.  This product IS available.  There are others too.  In this video that I made I show not just how to deep clean in this case a mirror, but also how to snake off with ONLY pure water once the glass has been "converted" to a hydrophylic surface.  Also exactly what a true hydrophylic surface looks like when covered with totally pure water.  If this does not amaze you nothing will.  Watch it a few times.  Then send me an email and let me know what you think.

Henry

henrygrover222@gmail.com

Ricks Fight to Live

Rick is a good old friend who has worked hard to provide for his family all of his life.  He is now about 58 and just had a massive brain bleed.  The details are below on this link.  I wanted to help by posting the link on this blog and my FB page.  Of course I have also helped financially.

Rick and Lisa

Ricks Gofundme Page

Unlocking the Power of Organic Solvents

The true power of an organic solvent such as terpene, or napthalene lies in several different properties.  These are solvency power, water miscibility, slow evaporation rate, and low toxicity.

Solvency is simply to what degree the OS will dissolve or soften the deposit in question such as paint.  Different solvents are based on different chemistries.  This information is easily discovered.  But how powerful your chosen solvent will be at dissolving paint as an example can only be determined by experiment.  I remember one consulting job I was working on once.  Where I had to locate a chemical that would eat up a very strong epoxy paint.  The answer turned out to be a 50% water based solution of sodium carbonate.  NOT an organic solvent but a VERY powerful alkalie.  Also NOT a chemical you would want to get on your skin or in your eyes.  Just look up the msds on a 50% sodium carbonate solution.

Water miscibility is VERY important because it will make your product very easy to remove with an applicator, soapy water, and a squeegee.

Slow evaporation rate is critical because the longer you can leave the product on the window the better it will work.  Always remember however that powerful solvents have the ability to destroy plexiglass and polycarbonate plastic.  So keep them far away from vision plastics.  I have a video here that demonstrates the solvency power of a very good solvent with a very slow evaporation rate.  This video also shows how plastic which is stressed can be destroyed in short order.  Even by a simple solvent such as alcohol.

The Elevance 1200 product here is a VERY powerful solvent.  But it still took a good half hour soften the green paint.  Not even a sharp single edge razor would remove the paint which I applied extra thick with several layers.  This demonstrates exactly how practical products like this can be.  Especially if you are working on a metallic coating such as titanium oxide.  But again I encourage safety.  Because we still would need to test the solvent against the coating.  Then make sure you get your waiver signed.  Don't risk a lawsuit.  Such a thing could literally be sickening.  Even if you win.  Furthermore the customer must absolutely know that a painted pyrolytic or low e coated window has already been wasted.  Also whatever warranty it had is totally gone.  So if you were to perform a successful restoration on the building you would be saving the owner a ton of money.  You must also be very careful about doing harm to the seal of IG Units, and any metal framing around such units.  It should be put in writing that you will take special care to not let any solvents or chemicals come into contact with the window (IGU) seal.  Otherwise the window could fog up even a year later and you might be blamed for that!  So again I emphasize cover yourself.  Also charge a percentage of replacement cost for the job.  Do NOT charge too little.

Henry

henrygrover222@gmail.com

I HATE It When They Paint MY Windows!!!

 This is what I used to say before I discovered the perfect paint.  Now I look for ways to convince people they need to paint their windows.  Because when they do I will make money by selling them the paint, and scraping it off.  Which is really easy to do without creating a mess!  No mess because the paint does not break up into small pieces and blow away in the wind.  I just scrape it off SO easy and put it into a hand held large paint cup.  In fact with Glass Smart paint the images will not bubble up and end up looking really bad when it rains.  They will stay perfect looking even when I clean the windows with my wand and squeegee.  The chemistry of the paint is perfectly balanced.  No rain damage, easy to clean the window without damage, messless paint removal when needed, and a very smooth application.  Take a look at some videos and pictures I have taken.

These two pictures were taken of some paint work done by an artist NOT using a Glass Smart paint.  You can see how rain has seriously bubbled the image by softening and getting under the paint.  This type of paint will also break up into small pieces that cannot be controlled and make a big mess.  They have to be swept up with a broom and dustpan.  Another problem happens when the paint just dissolves with your solution turning your applicator whatever color the paint was.  It then gets all over the window sill and the sidewalk!  What a royal horrible mess.  I am SO annoyed by these painters!  But now I am actually looking for them to paint the windows on my little route.  Here is why.

These three videos show Glass Smart paint can be very easily scraped off in large sections using soapy water.  No choppy pieces.  And NO RUNNY paint.  The applicator/wand stays perfectly clean!  When peeled off by hand it can actually be stretched out.  I can scrape a five by five foot window in 1 to 2 minutes.  Also by charging ten bux per plate I can make well over 200 bux an hour for my time.  But I control the process because I can sell the Glass Smart paint to the artist who makes the application.  So I make money off the paint sales and the service of paint removal.  That is a big win win for me!

If you want to know more just send me an email.

Henry Grover Jr.

henrygrover222@gmail.com 

Why Glass is Like a Cake

Why Glass is Like a Cake-Understanding the science behind the surface--Glass Genius

Discover how float glass is made-and why every stage from glazier to restorer plays a part in keeping glass flawless.  Learn why glass is like a cake, and why respecting its surface matters.

To read the entire article just go to https://www.glassgenius.co.nz/why-glass-is-like-a-cake

Written by Nick Evans of Glass Genius

glassgenius.co.nz

The Absolute Best Aftermarket Hydrophobic Sealant

Repcon was likely the very first hydrophobic sealant for glass developed in 1971.  It was created specifically for aircraft.  Rain X came out the next year in 1972.  This was 54 years ago.  Since that time there have been many different chemistries that were developed to accomplish a similar effect.  It would not surprise me if there has not been well over a hundred different products put out on the open market.  Most of which have claimed to be the very best.  Many of these have been tested by accredited testing companies for things like hardness, rain repellancy, contact angle, scratch resistance, protection against hard water spots, longevity, ease of application, self assembling monolayer formation, and so on.  With all of this confusion I don't think anyone could ever know the real truth about which one is indeed the absolute best.  So I am not going to even attempt to answer that.  But I will do something much better.

We can set up our own tests to determine which product we want to use.  I have been doing this since 1985.  Along the way I have discovered some fascinating truths.  Which you can follow if you want to take the time.

The very first one that I would like to write about in this post is longevity.  Using what I call field application testing.  First find a single window that has full sun exposure.  Meaning every square inch has the same sun exposure for the entire day.  Then using a random oscillating polisher and a felt pad with some cerium, polish the window.  Do a full polish and clean.  Test to make sure pure water evenly sheets over the entire window.  Meaning it is completely hydrophylic (water loving).  Next apply the product you are testing to the entire window.  Then tape some cardboard to half of the window.  Give it a full month to bake in the sun.  Now remove the cardboard.  On a cool overcast day fog the entire window.  This can be done with an cold ultrasonic fogger.  Then take a handheld lighted microscope at 40X and look at the microdroplets on the fogged surface.  The product protected under the cardboard should nut have been affected by the UVC of the sunlight at all.  Those microdrops should be the same exact size they were a month ago.  But if the side that was exposed to the burning sun had been degraded then those microdrops will be larger.  The contact angle and hence the hydrophobic property will have changed.  It should be quite apparent.

Using microdrops and a handheld lighted microscope is actually one of the most basic and very simple ways for testing other interesting properties of hydrophobic sealants/products.  Solar UVC radiation is not the only means of hydrophobic degradation.  Another is concrete deposits.  As concrete cures it goes through a hightened pH at the glass concrete interface.  Which can go as high as 9.5.  At that number the sealant can completely break down leaving the phylic glass surface unprotected and exposed to attack by other construction chemistries.  Hard water drops can also accomplish the same effect as they increase their pH as they evaporate and leave behind hard water spots.  Using a light cerium oxide to remove secondary hard water spots will also degrade a phobic sealant/product.  It should also be true that certain chemicals could also degrade phobic sealants.  

But again the test is yours.  You can even compare different products one to another to another over time for other properties.  There really is no need to try to understand what certain test companies have discovered.  We are the scientists.  We are the technologists.  We are the window cleaners.  And it is our reputation that is on line.  We must stand behind our work.  Also we must demand top dollar for what we do.  That takes confidence.  Which also takes complete trust through private individual testing which we develop!

Written by Henry Grover Jr.

henrygrover222@gmail.com

Glass Smart Products for The Window Cleaning Professional

I will be writing more this winter about Glass Smart products which I will be selling directly and as an affiliate marketer.  These are products that will be used specifically for glass restoration, maintenance, and preservation/protection.  My hope is to develop and get out to the window cleaning industry as many different products as possible.  Also to make known and explain other products that are already on the market.  This is my third attempt at direct sales, and my first as an affiliate. 

There is a dire need within our industry for safe performance chemical and abrasive products.  Especially for coated glass.  I think this is partly because this type of product requires an understanding that is different from that of mechanical systems.  If you look at the mechanical tools we all use you will find most of them were directly developed by window cleaners.  Some people like Henry Unger developed large manufacturing businesses that have spanned the globe.  Whereas others designed products like the Super System, and then sold the patent to a manufacturer as Rod Woodward did to get the money to start the American Window Cleaner Newsletter.  Manufacturers have attempted to develop such chemical products over the decades but they have for the most part lacked an understanding of what they were creating.

In later years it seems that most of the new products we have were developed by window cleaners.  Especially the Water Fed Pole.  The name that comes to mind immediately is Phil Alexander.  He is an old guy like me, and a hard working window cleaner.  Having talked with him many times over the years I have gained much respect for his creativity.  He is the inventor and marketer of the Simpole. 

Of course there are many others which I will be mentioning in these posts.  I would really love to start a podcast on this subject alone.  My only concern is the time element.  Already I am maxed out.  Just writing this blog has taken much time.  But it has no scheduled timing, no deadlines.  Also I can write a four paragraph post like this one or a much longer one such as the last post I just wrote on the Ghost Particle.  So it works well with my lifestyle.  I think that is why I have been cleaning windows for 45 years!  But right now I really really must make a paradigm shift.

Henry

henrygrover222@gmail.com

Don't Let Coated Glass Destroy Your Company!

Glass Coatings have become the driving force behind the float glass manufacturing industry.  There are hundreds of different types based on many different chemistries and materials.  Unfortunately almost all window cleaners have no clue how to maintain them.  Or even detect when they are in contact with one. The reason for that is just because coatings are becoming more difficult to see.  Here is a company that sells a simple and inexpensive tool for quickly identifying coated glass.  It even tells you what surface the coating is on.

EDTM Inspector Tools

First we all MUST know that we should never use a metal razor on a coated surface.  Razors will scratch and leave abrasion marks.  Which are usually invisible except in the bright sun.  Another problem is it is very difficult to identify exactly what the coating is because of proprietary knowledge of the coating.  Knowledge such as the actual name of the coating including a knowledge of what metals have been used are usually hidden.  So you can't know what chemicals will do damage and which are perfectly safe.  Typically I would sway anyone away from a high or low pH.  So no alkalies or acids.  Further it is difficult to know which superabrasive based products are safe.  These are questions that will only waste your time.

Your greatest aid will be in identifying that there IS a coating that you are in contact with.  It could have any number of deposits that would make you reach for your razor.  But don't do it.  If the owner wants the window cleared then they will need to sign a waiver giving you the absolute choice of doing whatever you need to in finding an answer to the problem.  On the first window.  With that freedom please call me and we can walk it through.  If you find an answer then get a second waiver signed that will give you the right to do the entire building.  Get payment for your time to locate an answer to the problem on the first window.  Then a second payment for the first half of the building.  Then a last payment for the rest of the job.  These three payments should be defined in the first waiver.  Which can be your contract.

If you need a legal waiver it would be a smart move to go to a lawyer to get  one written up.  Then get it signed and dated before you begin.  

Henry Grover Jr.

henrygrover222@gmail.com

A Much Closer Look at the Ghost Particles Motley Family!

Take a look at this company.  https://www.glass-ts.com/sectors/architecture-glazing/  Here is a copy/paste of what this company does.

A centre for glass research and development Glass Technology Services Ltd (GTS) is an independent glass laboratory and consultancy, accredited to ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 quality standards and unrivalled in the UK for its glass expertise. The specialist team provide a range of services to analyse defects, resolve issues, conduct research and verify international quality standards for glass, coatings and glass products. Expert analysis and assessment is conducted by a dedicated team of scientists, who have expertise in glass manufacture, processing, material sciences, chemistry, physics and engineering disciplines and together hold over 380 years collective glass experience. Services provided include: - Fracture analysis - determination of the cause of failure of glass articles; - Analysis of the chemical composition of glass; - Investigation of inclusions in glass – solid stones, bubbles and cord (in-homogeneity); - Microscopy and analysis of surface deposits, and other surface damage on glass; - Development of novel glass compositions; - Small scale manufacture of glass; - Mechanical properties measurements; - Fitness for purpose testing of glass articles; - Environmental monitoring; - Consultancy of recycling and other environmental issues; - Consultancy on all aspects of glass manufacture; - Research, development and innovation of glass and glass products.

Did you notice the sentence highlighted in red?  Solid stones, bubbles, and cord are all surface inclusions.  Which are also called "defects".  Granted this company is on the other side of the pond.  But they work with Penn State in PA.  They are very deep into the science of the chemistry and physics of architectural/flat/float glass.  The kind we clean.  How many different types of scratches and especially sounds do you get when you drag a metal razor across a defective surface?  Many right?!  Well friends there is a REAL SIMPLE answer to the question why.  Because there are many different types of defects.  GTS only mentions stones, bubbles, and cord here.  The full truth is that there are well over fifty different types.  The Ghost Particle has a VERY LARGE MOTLEY family!  Here is another question.  Who in their right mind would think that they could pull out an electron microscope and start taking micrographs of unknown defects on vertical glass.  Not me!  This is the core reason why the Glass Committee in my honest opinion couldn't get too far.  It was like someone held out a handfull of all sorts of coins and said take that coin.

Another thing.  I found a company that specializes in some very powerful unique light microscopes.  I called them and explained what I was looking for.  I was even going to meet with their salesman where I lived to see a demonstration. I figured I would get a free picture of one of the Ghost Particles family that I could feature in this blog.  I guessed I wouldn't even need an electron microscope because the Ghost Particles family are anywhere from 2 to 100 microns in size.  According to GTS.  That is an easy thing to do with a light microscope.  But it was not possible.  Not even remotely possible.  For one reason I could not find a microscope I could mount to a vertical plate of glass. For another microscopes are built for very small samples of glass.  Like two by two inches not feet.  Most inclusions are found on tempered glass.  So even if I had a sample from the trash at a glass company I couldn't cut it down to the size I needed. Tempered glass dices when cut.  Also, what I really wanted was a microscope I could take into the field with me to look at windows already installed in a building.  NOT an easy thing to do!

But I do have a handheld lighted microscope I can hold up to vertical glass and take pictures and even videos that I can send to my phone over the net with a free app that I have downloaded.  Mine operates at around 40X and is great for average scratches, point impact fractures, and chips.  Further there are handhelds you can get that work up to 100X magnification.  So I will continue with my handhelds.  But they will not show particle defects.  At least I have not been able to do this yet.  If I do capture one my IGSA and NEGSA members who read this blog will be the first to know.   You will be more than welcome to print it off and draw a smiley face on it.

This is the most revealing post on the subject that I have written to date.  There will be more coming.  So stay with me.  But know this.  Giving everything that we know so far it is not going to change how we approach the problem at hand.  The only thing it will do is force us to be more aware of what type of surface we are dealing with.  Be observant!  Also if we come up against special problems like silicone or silane based concrete sealant overspray on tempered glass with negative deflection imperfections and defective scratch sensitive surfaces;...we will have to find a safe but effective answer to removing the overspray.  Otherwise walk away.  But before you walk away send me an email so we can talk.

Henry Grover Jr.

Glass Smart Consulting

henrygrover222@gmail.com

Stop Scraping Negative Deflection Tempered Glass with Surface Inclusions

Door glass is required by ANSI protocol to be safety.  It is usually tempered.  As such it usually has defective surfaces that sound like sandpaper when scraped.  They have surface inclusions.  This is the correct technical name.  When a razor blade is used scratches will result.

Now if the IGUs are concave or have negative deflection, your razor blade will not nake adequate contact.  Which will force you to bear down on the glass to scrape off whatever needs to be removed.  This will just cause you to leave even more scratches.

It is truly amazing how many windows out there share negative deflection and surface inclusions.  So many brand new windows have IGUs with these problems.  You know that glass and window manufacturers don't care about surface inclusions because they don't cause windows to break or obstruct vision.  Seal failure on the other hand does obstruct vision.  Not at the very beginning of the problem.  But over time.  Also negative deflection can cause implosion.  Especially when the window is struck by a sharp rock from a lawnmower, or some other means.  This can cause a point impact fracture with legs.

Simply put glass should be inspected on a frequent basis.  Especially from day one!  Which is what the window cleaner does.  

Henry Grover Jr.

henrygrover222@gmail.com

6034989474

Now on Whatsapp

Join NEGSA if you work in New England

 I have just started another blog to promote my consulting/onsite inspection work.  The link is https://glassinspectionservices.blogspot.com/  This new blog is intended for you to use for promoting your own window cleaning business.  It already has several posts that are embedded with pictures and videos to help you educate your potential and current customers.  Right from your phone.  If there is anything you would like me to write about just let me know.  The Glass Smart blog which you are reading right now, is intended for the education of window cleaners.  Of course you can show your customers any of the pictures or videos from either the Glass Smart blog or the Inspection Services blog.  You choose.  The intent is always to educate.

My intention is to continue to build this association of companies here at home making the products I have and will be developing available to anyone who wants to join NEGSA.  Education will be made available through the blog and onsite hands on seminars.  Free samples of products will be made available to anyone that shows up at the Glass Smart/NEGSA seminars.  These will be made available along with many others at a very reasonable rate.  I will have to ask 75 dollars for each attendee.  I am NOT looking to make a profit on any of the products.  But products are critical to clean, maintain, restore, and preserve window surfaces.  Products will give us the leading edge over every other non NEGSA member. 

If you are interested please let me know as I am in the process of setting up the very first NEGSA Seminar someplace in New England.  You can email, text, or call.

I am looking forward to talking with you VERY soon!

Henry Grover Jr.

henrygrover222@gmail.com

6034989474

The Ghost Particle Further Revealed

Since Penn State University was hired by the IWCA over nine years ago to help identify the reason why some soda lime window glass scratches so easily and why other glass surfaces are extremely smooth and are quite resistant to scratches;...not much has been happening.  At least not to my knowledge.  However a fantastic amount of research was performed by Penn State at that time.  Which went on for several years before Paul West left the Glass Committee.  At the very end of his time there I remember one of the last white papers which listed the results of a spectrographic analysis of what we have been calling fabrication debris for many years.  More specifically we have also been calling this feature glass fines.  But the truth is that we really have not known exactly what we were talking about.  The idea has been that the particles are either dust/dirt in the air or from the rollers on the float line, or microscopic pieces of glass released at the end of the line when the ribbon is scored and broken into plates.  If indeed this is true then the elements, and how much of each, should match that of the glass ribbon.  Which should be easy to prove with a simple spectrographic analysis.  But there was no perfect match.  In fact it actually showed a much greater amount of aluminum than what is typically in glass.  So simply put, what's up with that?! 

If you go back to the post I wrote in this blog nine years ago you will discover some rather fascinating information.  The post is called A Glimpse of the Ghost Particle?  As I have written certain authorities have explained that microscopic glass inclusions, which occur just below or above the glass surface, are in fact a very common occurrence.  They are NOT called defects by the glass manufacturers.  However the properties of the tin bath and atmospheres in the factory are VERY closely monitored and controlled.  Testing is a regular part of the manufacturing process.  Also there are over 50 different types of inclusions that have been conclusively identified.  Almost all of these are not considered a problem or a default by the glass manufacturer.

So you tell me.  Are we talking about a ghost here that cannot be seen, and cannot be identified?  There are many pictures of this particle zoo.  Many tests have been done and much information has been written.  We even have books on the subject. What I personally find fascinating at this juncture is that our experience in the field matches perfectly the information we have uncovered here.

The most interesting discovery is the variance.  The surface defects can be very small and there are millions of microscopic particles.  Or they can be somewhat larger with not so many.  Or even larger yet but very few.  I have also learned that the very small particles seem to scratch easier than the larger ones.  Some of the large particles don't scratch at all!

I advise anyone reading this post to go back to the first one I wrote and study it.  I will be researching the references made in that one and will be writing about what I learn there.

I do not believe that we will ever be able to get through the secrecy surrounding this science.  The glass industry is not going to completely draw back the curtains on this matter.  But I think we have already come a long way.  And have enough to use in the field.  It will always be a subject for my inspection and consulting work.

Written by Henry Grover Jr.

henrygrover222@gmail.com

Defective Glass Inspections

For thirty years now window cleaning professionals have blamed such defective glass surfaces on what they have called glass fines.  In other words the glass dust that is routinely released at the end of the float line when plate after plate of glass is scored and broken.  The float line almost never stops!  It has become routine to let it go for many months and sometimes years before the line is stopped for cleaning.  Because of this dust and other contaminants every plate of glass must be properly washed before it is heated again for tempering.  It also must be scored and cut again to the correct size before tempering.  Tempered glass cannot be cut.  The idea has always been that when float glass is heated again, any glass dust (fines) would fuse to the surface and be driven into it by the tempering rollers, if the glass were not hung vertically but rather passed horizontally on ceramic rollers.  All very logical.  Right?  But.

If such "glass fines" were from the glass plates, then shouldn't they have the same exact elements in the same exact proportion as the glass they came from?  It is my understanding that a spectrographic analysis was performed and a readout of the atomic elements was produced.  Which did NOT match glass at the factory where the fines came from.  In fact there was a very high level of aluminum that made absolutely no sense if you were to accept the first theory explained at the beginning of this post. You see window glass only has a very small amount of aluminum present anyhow.  So how do we figure out exactly what such roughness or particles are?  Where do we go from here?  

As a famous physicist once said you simply have to look at the animal!  I try to look at things as much as I can.  And ask questions that to me seem obvious.  We must get the questions right of course.  Because getting the question right is at least half of the solution.  Nonetheless our first encounter with a defective/scratch sensitive surface is not sight;... but sound.  In fact none of us has likely ever really seen a particle.  We have all heard them however.  As we drag our razor blades over them in soapy water.  What we learn from the sound is that each defective glass surface is different.  But since the process of scoring and breaking is always the same, why would the dust be made of different sized particles and in different amounts?  The sound is always quite characteristic/different.  Telling us that the particles can be large, small, or even microscopic.  Also telling us that there can be millions or only hundreds spread out over the glass.  

The closest we have ever really got is to look at the scratches that result from dragging a razor over the glass.  The goal here would be to look at such scratches using a quality handheld lighted microscope.  I have had good success so far with a handheld lighted 40X magnification microscope.  If nothing else these scratches will tell us the size of the particles in question.  Once we know that we could focus our microscopes on the particles.  Here I would ask questions like what is the shape of each?  Do they show a different colored reflection?  Are they in some fashion lodged in the glass surface?  Also there are likely more interesting questions we could ask.  But above everything else by actually LOOKING at the animal we should come up with some very pertinent conclusions.  Also we should come up with some truly fascinating questions that will take us deeper down and guide us in discovering greater truths about the real answers to just what these mysterious "ghost particles" really are.

So stay with me here as I dig deeper down in revealing some truths which we can use in our quest for more reasonable answers.  Of course even if we know exactly what the ghost particle really is, it is not going to just vanish. They will still be out there in abundance on almost every building.  They will continue to be created and end up on new glass.  Further we will have to work with this problem or walk away from windows that have them.  The glass industry is of course much larger than the window cleaning industry measured by the dollar bill.  So this problem will never go away.  It is here to stay.  We will just have to contend with it as is. 

Written by Henry Grover Jr.

henrygrover222@gmail.com