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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Solving the Problem of Hydrophobic Glass for WFP Work

As I have explained in previous writings there are three steps to solving the problem of hydrophobic (water hating) glass. The first part involves "deep cleaning" of the window.  In other words removing all hydrocarbon pollution which is hydrophobic.  There are several different ways this can be done.  I am currently researching the most efficient but safe way to do this.  The products and technique used to do this will be made known in the Insider weekly e-letter.  The second step involves treating the surface with some type of a hydrophylic film, crosslinked or not.  The longer that it lasts the better.  We need to seal glass that has been deep cleaned.  Such deep cleaning makes glass very sensitive to scratching.  So it is important to choose a hydrophylic sealant that makes glass that is scratch sensitive, scratch resistant.  This type of sealant also helps to maintain the hydrophylic property of deep cleaned surfaces. This sealant will also help the pure water rinse to sheet over the entire window and drain down from top to bottom leaving no spots.  The third step includes using a super-wetting surfactant/soap that will effectively sheet over the entire surface effectively cleaning it.  Very little of this type of syn-det is necessary.  But we need one that is based on a silicon chemistry.  Not silicone but silicon.  It also should be an anionic.  Super wetting syn-dets will effectively sheet even Rain X coatings.  Which is truly amazing.  And do it at extremely low concentrations.  But remember the final rinse will always be with pure water untainted by any soap.  Which needs to sheet, not bead up.  So the first two steps are critically important.  This would be deep cleaning and sealing.  

Both the products and techniques to accomplish all of this will be given in the Glass Smart Insider over the months.  This is a monthly e-letter which is available by email as a PDF attachment.  The subscription price is ten bux per month.  Or 20% off as a half year subscription.  Sent as a Paypal request by email.

Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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To subscribe to the Glass Smart Insider just send me an email.

Fantastic Profits in Surface Testing and Protection

3D Optical Microscope Measurement of a Textured Glass Surface

The Glass Smart Insider will help you learn how to test glass for scratch sensitivity and how to protect glass from scratching.  This is a brand new science for window cleaners.  It is a very much needed service, and is potentially very profitable.  According to the Wikipedia metrology is, "the science of measurement, embracing both experimental and theoretical determinations at at any level of uncertainty in any field of science and technology.".  What we are concerned with in this article is the science of measuring the physical characteristics in 3D of the surface of window glass.  So 3D surface metrology.  Why?  Simply because this measurement will tell us exactly how sensitive any window is to scratching.  You see it is in fact the microscopic and possibly even the nanoscopic roughness of the surface that determines how easy windows will scratch.  I have proven this by simply polishing one half of a brand new mirror plate with a cerium oxide slurry and a felt pad.  This is the typical procedure that window cleaners will use to remove hard water spots.  Then dragging a broken piece of glass from one edge to the other.  The half that has been polished will show a perfect scratch.  The other half will show some scratching but not much.  This can also be done with acids that etch glass such as hydrofluoric and sulfuric.  To desensitize a polished surface it is necessary to treat it with a long lasting sealant.  Not one that is degraded by UVC in only a month.



What is fascinating about this condition is that it does exist on brand new float glass.  Obviously something is happening during the manufacturing process to alter the microscopic roughness.  Right now we do not know what that is.  But we have learned that it can be created both mechanically and chemically.  In other words it can be a mechano-chemical process.  We have also learned that this type of surface can be changed.  It can be made scratch resistant.  That kind of technology opens up a brand new market for window cleaners.  Especially on post construction sites.  We can first test glass to learn which glass is scratch sensitive.  Then we can offer protection.  Both at a cost.  Which will be explained in the Glass Smart Insider.

Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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Gaining the Competitive Edge with Diamond Products

Products that are based on microscopic and even nanoscopic diamond particles can easily give you a very strong edge over your competition!  The real key to accomplishing this is twofold.  First you must know precisely what diamond products to use for what purpose.  Second you must find a way to use this technology in your marketing.  The first is quite obvious.  Diamond can create serious problems if not used correctly, or simply be ineffective.  As for using this technology in your marketing efforts you will have to focus on the real benefits to your potential customers.  Also your existing customers because they will help you with publicity.  

Diamond particles have been used in colloidal suspensions, compounds, coated films, and loaded metals and ceramics.  Probably the most common type of product available that window cleaners are familiar with is the colloidal suspension.  There is a product out now called Diamond Magic which uses a liquid suspension of diamond particles.  If you look at the SDS for this product you might notice that the amount of diamond by weight compared to the total volume is rather small.  This is likely for two reasons.  First diamond powders are not inexpensive.  I remember twenty years ago paying fifty United States Dollars (USD) for about a tablespoonful!  Surprisingly the price is approximately the same today.  I know this blog goes into many countries worldwide so your supplier might charge different.  The bottom line here is if you are going to develop a glass restoration product based on a diamond powder you will have to multiply your total cost by a factor of 4.5 to 6 to get the end retail price in order to make a profit.  Second it is not necessary most times to use very much diamond to get a certain desired result.  In fact along this line of thinking water is one of the best ways to lubricate diamond products. So at times less is more.  I always say check your surface.  Checking in the direct sun is always best.  There are always variables involved here.  One of the most notable is that we are not working in a facility, nor are we working in a lab.  We are working with surfaces that are completely unknown.  When polishing a glass surface that has been covered with hard water spots or mineral deposits, you really have no clue exactly what they are made of.  You don't know what the size of the mineral crystal structure is either.  Also you don't know how the polishing product you are using is going to react with the deposits you are attempting to remove.  This is a great deal of unknown factors here.  So as my friend and glass restoration guru Marc Tanner puts it, every job is different!  We cannot take much advice from the lab techs because they do NOT work in the field with us.  We are the scientists.  We are the field techs.

Another type of diamond product are the compounds.  Now compounds are very thick blends of diamond powders and suspending agents.  These products use way more diamond powder.  Even as much as sixty percent.  They are very effective at cutting glass when using the correct technique.  Even polishing compounds will cut through glass very effectively.  Although it is rather easy to leave swirl marks that are visible only in the direct sun.  For some of the different reasons mentioned above.  I remember one time tackling a restoration job that had about 1,974 very small windows that were badly stained from a cleaning product based on sodium metasilicate and sodium carbonate.  I tried a small rotary machine with a hard felt pad and a great diamond compound;...but it left visible scratching.  It was very effective at clearing the stain, which no other polishing product would.  I even tried some of the very bad acid based products out there that I would never do a job with;...just as a test.  They also would not touch the stain.  The only way I could remove the stain and leave no scratches from the diamond compound, was to rub it out by hand using Bounty paper towels.  

Here is the most efficient way to use diamond compounds on large area glass plates.  You will need a rotary machine that remains flat on the glass at all times.  I have included a picture here of a wheel that I had built special.  You will notice the 3/8 shaft is tilted slightly to the left.  That is because there is a universal joint added to the inside which the shaft is connected to.  The holes in the wheel gives it lightweight.  It is made from mag/aluminum.  And the center cylinder allows for safety.  There is only a 12 degree variation in movement of the shaft.  Any hard felt pad can be glued to the bottom.



The easiest way to use such a tool is with a rotary drill motor.  First clean the window.  Then apply some clean soapy water to the window.  Next apply just three or four drops of diamond compound to the hard felt pad.  Now apply the pad to the window and pull the trigger.  It is always best to start out slow and gain speed.  I would first try removing the spots as slow as possible.  You can get a zero to three thousand rpm drill motor.  Or if you decide to get a much more powerful grinder which is much heavier you can also get a variable.  But will have to adapt the shaft to the grinder.  Whatever wheel you have built or purchase.

Here is an old video I made about five years ago showing how this concept actually works.  I made up what I call a slow release felt disk based on a cerium oxide.  Currently I am still working the bugs out of a microcrystalline silica slow release pad.  Such a pad would eliminate the need for continually applying drops.  But you would need a trigger to apply soapy water.  No matter whether you use compound drops or a slow release pad, there is the definite advantage of not needing to clean up a huge mess.  You will be able to minimize the amount of product you use.  And squeegee from time to time to check your work.  Here is the video.

Now this is just the very beginning of this technology.  Check out this picture.  
This pad/wheel is used with pure water for polishing granite counter tops to a high shine.  It is essentially a plastic medium loaded with diamond or silicon carbide particles.  Over time it is worn down and is thrown away.  But is capable of doing many square feet.  One time I had a bank of windows that were seriously stained by hard water spots.  It was dark glass and so was the most difficult surface to restore.  None of the compounds I had would work.  Again not even the acids would work.  So I picked up a fifty dollar diamond disk and spun it with nothing but pure water.  In a single minute it knocked off the stains perfectly!  The only problem was it left very fine scratches all over the window.  These could have been removed with a cerium polishing compound.  But I was looking for a simple single step answer.  It is likely that any scratches of this type left on a granite top would not be easy to see.  But when working on glass anything jumps right out at you.  Especially in the direct sunlight.

Now there are thousands of different products out there.  If you look at the left column of this blog you will be able to pick out at least three or four companies that sell diamond products.  A couple specialize in just diamond products.  But how do you know which ones to buy, and how to use them?  That is what I have decided to focus on in my very latest newsletter called the Glass Smart Insider.  Still focused on the most innovative technology for the window cleaning industry.  There is so much out there.  So much to learn.  And so much to apply.  I am seriously looking for sponsors to help me with the time and expense of furthering this technology.  I am asking only ten USDollars per week for this very simple grassroots electronic newsletter.  It is a very pain letter I am sending out by email. Available as a subscription only.  But you can pay as we go.  No need to pay in advance.  You can pay once a week if you want.  I have set up a Pay Pal account if this is easier for you.  And will be exploring other means for those living in other Countries. But if you just want to send a check that is another way.  I just have not set up with credit/debit cards yet.

I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know those who have been reading this blog for the last several years.  I am almost at 100,000 views.  And am hoping it has already made a difference in your business.



  

November 2018 Glass Smart Bulletin

The Destructive Power of Acids

Unfortunately most building owners, property maintenance managers, and even window cleaners are not aware of the destructive power of acids.  The general opinion is that windows cannot be harmed by acids.  That even when windows become seriously stained by hard water as is shown here in these two pictures, all that is required is a quick "acid wash".

Little do they know that chemicals such as hydrofluoric, sulfuric, and ammoniumbifluoride  have a detrimental effect on the window surface;...every single time!    

Acids and Dark Glass

Actually there are an assortment of acids and alkalies that react with glass surfaces. Hydrofluoric acid however is probably the most common.  This is the one which has been favored by the window cleaning industry for many years.  It has been added to so called professional glass restoration products.  Companies have even used it pure in much higher concentrations.  The destruction caused by this acid can be seen all over the world in every country.  Based on what I have personally seen in the field it has had the greatest effect on dark glass.  That is glass that is tinted with different metal oxides all the way through from the inner surface to the outer surface.  The full thickness in other words.  I believe that dark glass is most easily "dissolved" by hydrofluoric (HF) acid.  HF will "eat away" at the surface leaving behind clear impressions of hard water spots.  This causes a type of "orange peal" effect.  If used to remove long drips of a concrete sealant this results in a "banding" effect.  Any light scratches that might have been covered over and hidden by newly formed hard water spots are fully revealed and become magnified fifty times.  On occasions these are difficult to see unless the sun is shining directly on the glass.  So they become visible when the sun moves around to that side of the building or comes up the next day.  It is also possible that the surface could take on a patchy/cloudy etch.  Again this could be rather light or very intense depending on different conditions present at the time the acid was used.  One other effect I have not wrote about yet involves a change in both the chemistry and the physical properties in the glass surface.  When glass is exposed to HF it becomes very prone to scratching.  So glass that was previously very smooth and resistant to scratches now becomes very rough and easy to scratch.  Making it that much more difficult to maintain over the course of its life.

Acids and Clear Glass

All of the effects mentioned above also apply to clear glass.  Just not as intense in my opinion.  Although it is true that both hard and soft low e coatings are much more frequently used these days on the first surface of clear glass.  The trend also is for these coatings to be very transparent.  So it is very difficult to know they are even there.  You would have to test the surface with a device or some other way to determine if it had a coating. Companies have come up with coatings that are supposed to have photoreactive and even photovoltaic properties.  Any of these high tech coatings would be destroyed by the first time use of these different acids such as and especially HF.   I have include below a picture of the kind of damage that is caused by the use of HF on an old coating from PPG called Solar Cool Silver.  This coating was literally stripped off by HF and is now impossible to repair.  The windows on this building have been permanently destroyed.

This Bulletin is published in this blog for the general public.  Not that this information is necessarily known by all window cleaners.  Because it is unfortunately not.  The sad truth is that there are thousands of window cleaners that do not know and or simply do not accept this information.  The ability to make a quick buck coupled with the desire of the building owner to save thousands of dollars, has driven the widespread use of acid.  The cost of properly and correctly restoring a window can easily be ten times the cost of clearing it with an acid such as HF.  The risk of losing a window here and there or even all of the windows is seen as the price that must be paid to save all that money.  This is rather faulty reasoning however.  For if you must replace the windows because of acid use the stains will still return.  The old and or new windows must be sealed with the correct product and then the windows must be properly maintained.  The ultimate cost of window replacement could be very expensive.  Much more then having a proper restoration performed or certainly much more than a quick acid wash.  If you are looking for more information on this subject just send an email to henrygroverjr@gmail.com

Written by Henry Grover Jr.

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Introducing Jared of Aztec Innovation

Everyone talks about developing products as if this was some kind of a ticket to the easy life.  But the reality is it is not as easy as we think.  It truly is another business system that has to be followed according to certain rules.  One of the greatest innovators and inventors we have had in our industry was Henry Unger.  And we have had many.  He told me once that he had over fifty patents.  He also told me the best way to do this was to work on only one product at a time.  To focus.  Of course there is so much more.  I have learned a great deal from people like him.  Listen to Jared talk about his process.

Written by Henry Grover Jr.
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Stain Removal;...Dark Glass, Clear Glass, & Low E

If the stain has the same exact chemistry will it come off dark glass just as easy or hard as clear or low e coated?  Absolutely not.  How do I know this with such unwavering certainty?  Simply put because I have a building that has both dark glass and windows with a low e surface.  This building is covered with mineral deposits from the same exact water source.  So the stains are identical.  When trying to remove the stains by what I call the "hand test" using a simple compound based on a microcrystalline silica, I was able to easily remove the spots/stains from the low e pyrolytic surface, but not the dark tinted glass.  The stains on the dark glass would not budge at all by hand.  When using a machine it became possible to remove them but not without much effort.  From other testing on buildings that had both clear glass and dark glass I know that stains on dark glass are much more difficult to remove then stains on clear glass.  Although stains on low e coated windows are the easiest to remove of all.  So it goes in this order from the most difficult to remove to the least difficult to remove;...dark glass, clear glass, and low e coated glass.

I have created my first beta SRC pad based on an optical microcrystalline silica.  I made it for light stains on clear and low e surfaces.  Not for dark tinted glass.  Even the "lightest" stains on dark glass can be exceptionally difficult to remove.  I am guessing this has something to do with the possibility that the surface of dark glass goes through a reaction with the water and literally breaks down in solution.  Through some rather simple testing I was able to prove that water spots are able to etch dark glass surfaces removing some of the glass.  This leaves a transparent/clear "imprint" of each spot on the surface.  Such an anomaly appears not to happen on clear glass or low e pyrolytic surfaces.  Although it has been conjectured that "pinholes" can form on low e pyrolytic coatings when an excessive amount of mineral deposits are allowed to develop on this type of window and remain for some time.  Either way stains should never be allowed to form on windows and remain.  Especially on windows with dark glass owing to the amount of excessive labor that is necessary to effectively remove them.

Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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Avoid Lawsuits with Scratch Testing!

What scratches and when?
  
This is usually a total crap shoot.  A throw of the dice.  We might win or we might lose.  Did you know there is a way to dramatically increase the odds in our favor?  It involves a very simple test that almost no window cleaner has ever performed.  Let me explain.

Testing Conditions.

I have developed many very simple tests over the years that anyone can do.  This one involves the use of a one by one foot square mirror.  I choose mirror plate because it is very easy to get.  Also mirror shows up the slightest blemish.  At times I will take the "test plate" into a totally dark room and shine a flashlight at the surface at a 45 degree angle.  Then look straight down the beam of light.  This shows up every imperfection.

Tools, compounds, and machines.
  
So I take a brand new mirror and polish the entire surface with a cerium oxide (optical quality).  It should look perfectly fine without any imperfections.  The best way to do this is with a rectangular piece of soft felt glued to the based of a random oscillating buffer of about 10,000 opms.  That is oscillations per minute.  



You will know that you have set up the surface correctly because when you rinse it under the tap pure water it will sheet evenly over the entire plate.  It will be so hydrophylic (water loving) that it will appear to be dry.  Now squeegee off the water so it is dry.  You will notice that the surface is now quite rough if you pass a dry fingertip across it.
  
What surfaces are way easy to scratch?

Rough surfaces are extremely easy to scratch.  Items that would hardly ever scratch a smooth plate of glass will absolutely scratch a rough surface.  This test plate is great for testing metal wool, synthetic wool, and many other things.  While it is not absolutely fool proof, it will help out tremendously at revealing what items are very prone to scratching. 

Adding Glass Etchants to the Test.

Another additional feature of this test involves the use of hydrofluoric or sulfuric acid.  Sulfuric is easy to get from an auto parts store because it is battery acid.  So very dangerous.  Hydrofluoric can be obtained by purchasing so called glass restoration products based on a little over 1% HF.  One product called Crystal Clear 550 has this chemical.  Again it is a very dangerous chemical so be very careful  I have posted some very educational videos in this blog.  You can search the blog with the search bar.  When testing I will try to scratch and area.  Then treat only half that area with either acid.  HF works best.  Take the test plate into a very dark room and look at the area that was tested with a bright flashlight.  The acid will have magnified any blemishes 25 times over making them very visible.  You will also be able to compare all three surfaces.  The roughened surface untouched.  The roughened surface tested with the product in question.  Also the roughened surface tested with both the product in question and the acid applied afterward to magnify and blemishes.

Minimizing the Likelihood of a Lawsuit.
  
If you know what most likely is going to scratch and what most likely is not going to scratch you are most like going to be able to avert any lawsuits.  This is indeed our goal as many times we are faced with removing various things such as construction debris but do not want to do damage to the surface.  Especially if it is brand new glass.  Being an older house no one seems to care that much.  But brand new homes always come under the responsibility of whoever is the very first one to clean them.

Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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Be a SRC Beta Tester !

I am looking for some assistance in developing a line of Slow Release Coated Pads.  Or SRC Pads.   They can be used with any commercial system out there. My Hard Water, Glass Renu;… anything! No more messy slurries and compounds. Save time, and money. Remove stains, convert glass to hydrophylic, activate glass surfaces to receive hydrophobic sealants, and use for low e coated glass. Below is a picture of a two inch pad. The base is hard felt with a crack and peal adhesive back. The top has been coated with a slow release formula. Which gradually releases the particles slowly as the hard polymer carrier softens and dissolves in pure water.  Not my imagination guys. I have done this. Will be working on videos soon. There will be an entire line of these pads. Email me with any questions.  henrygroverjr@gmail.com

There is no cost for anything I might send to you for testing.  I just need some people to do testing.  I need to start a product development/sales business for my old age.  But need to keep it very small, highly specialized, and very personal.

If you want to keep up on the Beta Testing of the SRC Pads and other technologies just type your address in the bar at the top right, "Follow by Email".  Each post will then come directly in your inbox.

Written by Henry Grover Jr.

Simplifying Stain Removal

Stain Removal can be a rather messy affair.  The best "one step" polishing compound or slurry is based on cerium oxide.  This is either a thick compound or a water slurry.  In either case it is very difficult to apply.  It is also very difficult to use without spraying compound all over the other windows, or the window frame.  Usually so much of it is used that when cleaning the window much of it will drip down onto the concrete or other sills or exterior facade.  This can discolor the exterior wall directly underneath each window.  

Another problem has to do with the expense of the compound.  Most people have chosen to use cerium oxide powder which has dramatically increased in cost over the last several years.  It becomes very expensive when it is over used.  You see in reality it doesn't take very much of this at all to clear most stains.  

Timing is another concern.  It takes a lot of time to keep on applying the compound/slurry to the glass as you are polishing.  Then if you use too much it can take a lot of time to clean up after.

With a slow release pad all of these problems are eliminated!  I can coat any pad that you are already using with a custom blended slow release plastic coating.  It goes on like a thick paint and then hardens to a solid coating.  Which coating can be loaded with any microcrystalline polishing powder.  So we can use an optical silica, zirconium dioxide, cerium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, or even diamond.  Or we can precisely blend any of these powders.  

To use a slow release pad you first must clean the window.  Then just apply a clean soapy water and begin polishing.  After about thirty seconds the hard plastic coating will begin to dissolve in the water releasing just the right amount of microcrystalline powder.  Once done all you need to do is soap up the window and squeegee it off.  Wiping up the bottom edge.  There will be very little residue to wipe.  Since you are using only a very little amount of powder and only have to apply water,  There is very little mess if any.  Also the expense is dramatically minimized.  Further the time to clear the window is likewise reduced.  All of this greatly simplifies the job.  It likewise reduces the total expense.

There is even the option of adding acrylic or walnut powders to the coating for working on coated glass.  It is necessary to test whatever coating you are working on to determine whether or not a custom slow release pad will cause scratches.  This could be a very practical way to remove residue such as concrete sealer/water proofing from low e coated glass.  There are water miscible solvents available that will soften concrete sealers, silicone, paint, and wood stain.  These will also dissolve the plastic coating of a slow release pad thereby releasing the acrylic or walnut shell powder to physically rub off the paint or whatever else which has already been softened. Then all you have to do is agitate with soapy water and squeegee it off.

I am now working on a series of videos to demonstrate exactly how each of these custom pads work.  Again it should be emphasized that any polishing pad can be coated with a slow release plastic.  So if you have a felt pad that has a crack and peal backing to stick on a wheel we can coat this.  Or if you have a soft pad that has a velcro backing we can also coat the front of this.  There are many different applications.

Here is an old video I made several years ago using a special wheel I created and a hard felt ring/pad with a slow release cerium oxide coating.  The wheel wobbles because it has a universal joint built in between the shaft and the polishing wheel.  This keeps it flat on the glass all the time which makes the system very easy to work with!  But.  Any wheel, machine, or stain removal system can be used.  All that needs to be done is to coat the pad.

If you are interested in exploring any of these ideas just send an email to henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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Exposing Tech7

There has been much buzz over this rather simple looking tube.  Many are claiming that it has the ability to change water on a molecular level.  Actually changing the hydrogen bonding of water or the cohesive properties of the molecules and thereby changing the memory of water which is controlled by the identity of the micro-clusters.  They claim that it can change the electrical conductivity of water and even change the surface tension like detergents do.  Some believe that it uses cavitation to increase the cleaning power of water.  Beyond these claims is the belief that it will extend the life of DI resin in a water fed purification tank.  They go so far as to declare that high TDS water run through the Tech 7 tube  will not spot glass so that DI/RO systems are not needed when working with a water fed pole.  Just use tap water.  Some say too that water run through a Tech 7 tube will run off glass faster than normal leaving very few spots.  Are all these claims true, or are they just the productions of a wild imagination?

What exactly is a Tech 7 tube?

Lets start by asking what is inside of the tube?  It is lined by another tube of copper which is covered with little nubs or indentations.  Four lines of many of these little indents go from one end to the other.  The outer tube is made of a hard plastic.  Anyone can see this.  To take the pictures below I shined an LED flashlight up the tube.  You can just make out the little nubs as they reflect the light.  The theory is that these nubs affect water by creating a vortex and reacting electrically.  Also that the plastic outer tube somehow improves this effect by insulating the copper.  So there are no chemicals or detergents used.  All you need is the tube to make Tech 7 water.

What REALLY matters 

The bottom line here is it really doesn't matter how it works.  What matters most is does it work.  I am sure many of you thought I was going to debate all of these claims which I listed at the beginning of this post.  But not!  If we can first prove beyond any doubt that the Tech 7 does indeed work, and show very plainly exactly what it does do;...then we can theorize after how it does it.  So lets get to the testing.

Testing Tech 7 water for surface tension

The first test involves measuring the surface tension of water.  Surface tension is caused by hydrogen bonding of individual water molecules and is otherwise known as cohesion.  This is science.  There are some very simple ways to see the surface tension of water.  One is to count the number of water drops that can be put on top of a penny before the surface tension breaks and the accumulated water rolls off the coin.  To do this test you must be very careful and hold the eye dropper straight up.  Watch the size of the drops so they are exactly the same size.  I was able to get as many as 33 drops on a penny before the surface tension broke.  I then added a few drops of detergent to my large cup of test water.  It became very apparent that the soap seriously changed the surface tension of the water.  I was only able to get about 14 to 18 drops on the penny before the tension broke and the water rolled.  Here is a short video of the experiment I am talking about.

Some say you can get up to 44 drops of water on a penny.  I say that depends on the size of the drops coming from the eye dropper.  The key to performing this test correctly is to use the same eye dropper for all of the fluids/mixtures you are testing.  To test the Tech 7 to see if it changes the surface tension of water just hook up the Tech 7 tube to your water source.  Collect some water in a clean cup.  Now collect some water from the same exact water source in a second cup.  Then start counting.  How many drops of Tech 7 can you put on a penny before it rolls off ?  Now using the same penny and the same eye dropper see how many drops of plain water you can put on the penny before the water rolls.  Remember to use water from the same source.  I did this experiment.  The results I got were not definitive.  I was not convinced that the Tech 7 had changed the surface tension of water.  My advice to you is do the test for yourself and see what you discover.

Testing Tech 7 Water for Spotting

Does Tech 7 water cause less spotting from minerals?  This is really important because it would mean window cleaners could as our friend Jack Sedore puts it, "tap spot free".  Here is how to find out.  Find a source of high TDS water.  Check it with your meter so you know what it is.  It might be 65, 125, 225, 325, or even higher.  For the test it would be good to know what the silica content is.  This requires another type of meter.  Here is one that costs about fifty bux.  Also here is the link for where to go to buy it.

https://hannainst.com/hi770-silica-hr.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI99zfg8Pr3AIVj4-zCh1YlALuEAQYBSABEgLIhPD_BwE

Now put some of this water in a clean cup.  Next hook up your Tech 7 tube to the same water source and run some into another clean cup.  Next take a perfectly clean mirror plate and lie it down flat on a table in the hot sun.  Put several drops of your Tech 7 water on one side, then put about the same number of drops of the other water which I call the control on the other side.  Let all of the drops on both sides completely dry.  Now compare the spots that were left.  If the TDS or silica content of the water was high enough you should definitely get some spotting.  Also if the Tech 7 tube has changed the minerals in some way it should be possible to see this.  Some how.  When you do this you might want to also see how easy it is to wipe off the spots once dry with a dry towel.  If the spots left by the Tech 7 water are easier to wipe off that would also tell us there is a difference.   

Testing Tech 7 Water for Electrical Conductivity

Once again take some water from a tap.  Rate the TDS and the silica content.  Put some straight from the tap into a clean cup.  Then run some through a Tech 7 tube.  Put that in a second cup.  Now use an ohm meter and check the resistance and or the conductivity.  These are opposites of the same thing.  One is the inverse of the other.  You can get a small battery powered meter from an electrical supply house.  By the way your TDS meter for your water fed pole is nothing but an electrical ohm meter.  Pure/distilled water does not conduct electricity.  But water that has minerals/silicates in it does conduct electricity.  This is a very simple test.  Just look at the numbers.  They should be different for the Tech 7 water.  If you want to be absolutely sure just test a different source of water with a much higher or lower mineral content.  A much higher or lower TDS rating.  I am very curious about water that has a very low TDS reading but a rather high silica level.  If the Tech 7 does in fact change the conductivity/resistance of  hard water, is it more effective at changing silica water?  This might be difficult to test using an ohm meter because silica does not promote conductance of electricity.

I am quite sure that we can come up with other tests for the Tech 7.  I just want to emphasize it is absolutely necessary to use a "control".  Make sure you do a side by side test.  Also be as precise as possible.  It is critical to the reliability of the results.

Looking straight down a Tech 7 tube

Look for the light reflecting off the little "nubs".  There are four perfectly straight rows of them from one end of the tube to the other.  The inside of the tube is made of copper.  The outside of a hard plastic.

Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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