pertaining to my post above, my suspicion is that these tempered windows had fabrication debris and it got caught in the wool, the reason i suspect the scratches were finer than with a razor is because being caught in the wool they aren’t pressed into the glass as hard as they are with a razor.
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Thanks everyone! I will stick to using it with windows, just not mirrors… being that I am not insured.
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I would have to trouble shoot the issue myself to draw any conclusions. I am sincerely not trying to insult your intelligence or expertise. I have just cleaned so many different windows with wool with no issues that I just can’t buy it unless I experience it first hand. I have always willed any glass that scratches with a razor and have willed the worst glass I have ran across and never with with any issues. Again I am in no way trying to be insulting. Steel wool is used in pretty much every first time clean and extended return jobs here. That’s a lot of glass scrubbed with steel wool and to have no scratches ever it just makes it a horse pill to swallow for me, and it’s not just me.
I’m curious, what was on the mirrors that you found the need to use steel wool on it?
we still use it on most cleans, and when i showed the builder i said “i’ve never had steel wool scratch before and it’s an industry standard” he saw the scratches (which can only be seen at the right angle, in the sun, though then they were very noticable) he said not to worry about it.
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Most sincerely no offense taken Whatapane. I understand everything you are saying. I have been using blades and 0000 steel wool for 37 years. 99 percent of the time no problem. But this is a brave new world. Glass is getting real bad. Yes I have also used wool on bad glass without scratches. I have even used a blade on bad glass without scratches. This is the reason why the research the Glass Committee is working on with Dr. Paul Duffer and Penn State is SO important. It will raise our industry to the next level. Beyond anything we can imagine.
Also Leavingnc, I agree about the bad glass issue. Also your point regarding pressure. I have created waves of microscratches with a razor that could only be seen in the direct sun and looked just like streaks. But again the problem was with the surface. I do not use the term fabrication debris anymore. That is in my opinion an oversimplification. This will NOT be an easy science. But it is necessary. This thread quite plainly demonstrates that.
Henry
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This same thing happened to us once as well. Fortunately It was just the one pane that got scratched.
all the previous panes were in the shade, this was the first one in the sun and it made me feel sick to my stomach
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I have to agree with @Henry on this one. It’s defective glass surface being scratched by the steel wool. In my case it was plain to see as I saw the swirls happen before my eyes. Clearly a surface issue here as the scratched side shines of a reflective orange hue. Thus aligning with Henry’s assesment of the tin side facing out.
They have a couple of little dots (not sure what it is. It is pretty sticky). Its not paint, but it came out on their windows with 0000 steel wool, just not sure about the mirrors.
At this point we could experiment with different product alternatives. Solvents and different compositional abrasives like plastic supers. I am working on this stuff. My products will only be available at meets and through distributors. Couldn’t make USPS work. Too many thefts and no arrivals. Then UPS and FedX are way too expensive. Just let distributors do what they do. Worx for them and worx for us.
Henry
@Tenpointer @whatapane @IronLionZion @Garry @Henry @wcs @leavingnc @TheDoctor
I just remembered, magic erasers do a very similar thing to glass, I think they should be fine on mirrors. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this at first.
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Always loved that product! Just remember it is bad surfaces that produce scratches. Not the blade. Not the wool. Not the magic eraser.
Henry
