Hey guys,I have changed hydrophobic coatings to now using NG1010 from nanovations for when I do showers,I want to use a lambs wool buffer to buff up the coating after applying it to the glass,just wondering which type of buffing machine to get? I know the proper rotary type machines are really good but they are desgined for cars and to get the job done quicker,other option is random orbital which are slower than rotarys…would I be better to go with random orbital so as to not burn through the coating if that’s even possible,it’s a pretty durable coating so I doubt I will burn through it but I don’t want to damage it in any way by using the wrong type of machine.what do you guys use?
At the moment I just hand buff with microfibres but I want to find ways of making it easier for myself and less work for my fore arm and elbow over longer periods of time.Thanks.
Generally the buffing machine would be used to remove the hard water staining not to apply or buff the sealant.
From what I remember they recommend a non absorbent cloth to apply the sealant.
The glass sealant I use, is a mop on, squeegee off product. No buffing needed or necessary. I would think (but don’t know for sure) that the NG1010 would not benefit from buffing. Maybe @Henry would know more since he has worked with it some.
I don’t think this product is like a car wax, and that’s what it seems you are trying to treat this product like.
Interesting thread. The NG1010 is certainly not comparable to a car wax. The hand buffing process is used to drive it into the glass pores where it is supposed to react with the glass chemistry. By forming a self assembled monolayer within 24 hours. The more reaction sites on the glass the better. Please tell me Hoosier which product you are applying without buffing? Is it JR’s Barrier? Because I know about the chemistry of that product and the application technique. It has been advertised as a real simple wet and walk product. But it is not. Had an argument with the chemist that built the molecule one day. My experience against his head. Not to say there aren’t any sealants that are wet and walk. I have played with some. As one of my videos shows. Only problem is the glass must still be buffed. Not the sealant but the glass. Glass should always be treated before applying any sealant.
Say Oz. This idea for applying a sealant such as the NG1010 with a rotary machine at a very slow rpm is excellent. I have thought about it many times. Will have to run it past Australia to see what they think. I think it should be good on a simple real cheap rotary drill motor variable from 0 to 3,000 rpms. The material used for applying the chem to the glass would be critical. I know Barrier works best with paper towels. There is one company that sells polishing fabrics. I will have to post that on my blog. www.glass-smart.blogspot.com
Keep this going. Sealants are very important. Since I started to write my three part article/series on Glass Coatings for the American Window Cleaner Magazine I have been wondering if anyone has created a sealant specific for Low E glass. I have sent the question over to Nanovations just recently. We will see what I get back.
I didn’t have plans on using a buffer to apply the coating,although that’s a good idea but it may use too much product that way,I mean after the product has been applied they say to use a cloth to buff away any left over residue,then their instructions say you can speed the process up by using a buffing machine or for when you have large areas to coat a buffer will get the job done faster,
Interesting!!! The exact sealer chemical is not listed, The carrier fluid is isopropanol. Very much the same as Rain X. Except Rain X is very much an acid with a pH between one and two. Protect On from ABC Window Supply has a pH of 9.5. Very much an alkaline fluid. Now 3 Star Barrier is based on this chemical. Innovative Chemical Technologies It has a pH between 4 to 7 which is acidic. Again not an alkali. Whatever the case the exact molecule used in the Protect On product is not listed. Also it has a VERY high pH compared to other products which are acidic. The pH of Nanovations NG1010 is not listed on their MSDS. What I am saying is that Protect On appears to be somewhat different if only because of the very high pH. Whether or not we can simply wet the window and squeegee it off instead of rubbing, well this might be possible as Hoosier says and ABC says. I would have to do the test to know for sure. I can tell you this however. Most of the pollution that blocks the reaction sites of glass is hydrocarbon based. Which does not yield to acids as quickly as it does high pH chemicals. That is because hydrocarbon pollutants are acidic. And alkaline fluids neutralize acids. So ABC might just have something here. I still would need to do the test to know the rest.
Have at it Hoosier and tell us what you find. Do a side by side on some really hydrophobic glass. But polish half of the plate with a cerium or silica compound to turn it hydrophylic. The hydrophylic surface will tell that all of the hydrocarbons have been removed. Treat the entire surface of the window with Protect On. Then apply a pure water mist. If there is NO DIFFERENCE in the size of the micro-drops on the polished surface compared to the non-polished surface you will know you can get the optimum coating from Protect On;… WITHOUT prepping the glass.
We hand buff using microfiber cloths as well. We tried power tools(ryobi battery operated buffer) to buff it on showers but it was pointles. 1 cloth to apply and 1 to buff. Repeat for the 2nd step. New cloth is always nice.
