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Cleaning glass

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

Moderators: Ron Percell, Mike Jackson, Danny Baronian

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Roderick Treece
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Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2004 8:04 pm
Location: San deigo Calif
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Cleaning glass

Post by Roderick Treece »

I have been having probelms with scratches after I have cleaned my glass.I allways use some sort of liquid ,water or soapy water and use a razor blade to get the stuck on junk off.
I just talked to a freind that told me about using 000 steel wool and soapy water and it seemed to work good but I like to heard from other people what they do.
Thank Roderick
Danny Baronian
Site Admin
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Post by Danny Baronian »

Bon Ami or whiting and ammonia diluted with water. If you have residual adhesive, try a adhesive remover first. Your scratches are probably coming from the razor blade. I was always told not to use a razor blade unless absolutely necessary, and then only with a new blade.

Bon Ami in bar form has been discontinued, but check the local hardware store or Orchard Hardware Supply, which carries Bon Ami in a mustard colored can, the formula is exactly the same as the bar, and performs in the same manner. The can probably contains as much as the bar and at under two bucks a can it's a better price than the bar.

There is another can of Bon Ami that comes in a gold metallic colored can, but it is not the same as the original, and should be avoided.

In visiting a mirroring shop recently, the owner was cleaning his glass with the whiting and ammonia mixture. The whiting was in a glass container like the ones found in restaurant that dispense parmesan cheese. He'd spray the glass, sprinkle the whiting on and scrub with a sponge. For cleaning it's easier than the bar.

Steel wool? No.
Danny Baronian
Baronian Mfg.
CNC Routing & Fabrication
http://www.baronian.com
Roderick Treece
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Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2004 8:04 pm
Location: San deigo Calif
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Post by Roderick Treece »

Danny,
Was that steel wool NO! or steel wool (I don't know)? The steel wool (000) seemed to work great to get off the old varnish,stain and etc.With lots of soapy water it didn't seem to scratch.Mind you I only used it for removeing the worst stuff.
Part of what I'm doing is useing antique glass to do my work on so it has years of build up on it and it has to be cleaned first.
A friend of mine that builds new custom homes told me about the steel wool.

Roderick
Danny Baronian
Site Admin
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Post by Danny Baronian »

No as in don't use steel wool.

If you have paint or varnish on the glass, use Jasco paint stripper.
Danny Baronian
Baronian Mfg.
CNC Routing & Fabrication
http://www.baronian.com
Brian the Brush UK
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Post by Brian the Brush UK »

Hi all,
I use a product here in the UK called Brasso, you guessed it....it cleans brass ! ! I call it the signwriters best friend !
It comes in a liquid and has a slight abrasive, works a treat, even used it like rubbing compound to remove old painted lettering.
Brian.
www.brian-the-brush.com
With a stroke more imagination.
Sarah King
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Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2004 8:43 pm
Location: Oak Park IL
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Post by Sarah King »

Brian,

I think the Brasso idea is great. We certainly have it here in the States and the combination of solvent and mild abrasive could work really well. I"ll have to try it to remove old house paint on my next stained glass repair.

I've never had trouble with razor blades. They work best when the glass is wet and soapy. I buy them in packs of 100 and use a new one every time.

You might want to be careful about the whiting you buy - these days it's sold as a way to mark out football fields rather than as a glass cleaner. Scratching the grass is not a concern for most folks.
Sarah King
AngelGilding.com
vance galliher
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cleaning glass

Post by vance galliher »

Like Sara, I use razos with wet sollution when necessary. To help prevent scratches, I mark one side of the blade with a fel ttip and always have that side up .
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