polishing glass windows

[Lumatic]

I took apart a double pane window to clean out where the butyl deteriorated. Where the deteriorated butyl was in contact with the glass it appears to have chemically etched the glass. Solvents, cleaners and elbow grease won't touch it. Any way to polish out the discoloration, or any other suggestions?

[lewster]

There are several true glass polishing kits on the market that will actually cut into the glass. I have used the one sold by Eastwood..... Eastwood Company: Auto Tools, Body Repair, Classic Car Restoration, House of Kolor Paint, Powder Coating. It is very effective, but you have to be careful that you don't cut the glass too deeply.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Lumatic

I took apart a double pane window to clean out where the butyl deteriorated. Where the deteriorated butyl was in contact with the glass it appears to have chemically etched the glass. Solvents, cleaners and elbow grease won't touch it. Any way to polish out the discoloration, or any other suggestions?

Cutting, polishing glass is a piece of cake.

Until you get involved with tempered glass.

Tempered glass has the temper on the surface. Disturb the surface, and you will have a lot of glass, in very small pieces.

If you wish to try, make sure you have reserved money for a replacement.

Andy

[eubank]

Dang, I'd forgotten all about Eastwood! Our truck has lines in one of the side windows, probably from having opened the window after driving to Taos in the winter. (They use ground-up volcanic cinder on the roads during the winter in Taos county!) Looks to me like Eastwood has exactly the kind of product we're looking for, too.

Lynn

[Excella CM]

Cerium oxide is a cheap white super-fine abrasive powder that is excellent for polishing glass. Use it with a little water and feltpads (power driven is good). I was able to remove the wiper scratches from the International windshield with this method and also to remove heavy staining from one of the Airstream windows.

[vinstream]

Well in a former life... windows were my life... not realy... it just paid the bills.. As for your question or problem...

The edge of a double pain glass (not single) is always etched! Here is why! The coatings (low e) on glass all have silver in there make up, we all know what happens to silver in the air... Well the same thing happens to the coating on the glass.. The glass factory removes this silver coating around the edge of the glass (by grinding or chemicals) because it chemicaly messes with the butyle by eating it away (not sure for the reason). So by grinding it away, just around the edges where the butyle make contact, the butyle seal last longer!

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Cutting, polishing glass is a piece of cake.

Until you get involved with tempered glass.

Tempered glass has the temper on the surface. Disturb the surface, and you will have a lot of glass, in very small pieces.

If you wish to try, make sure you have reserved money for a replacement.

Andy

I'm not sure I understand how a little polishing could do any harm. But both my tempered glass windows blowing out into thousands of little pieces without any apparent cause within on my 71 within 24 hours makes less sense. That is why I am messing with cleaning up these windows to replace what is now cardboard and duct tape. The windows I am using to replace the 71s are from a 75 and while double pane and thicker than the single pane 71s are still tempered glass. Andy, when you said some months ago that tempered glass can loose it's temper and be prone to shattering out of nowhere it didn't make much sense to me. But I have not found any alternative hypotheses that make any more sense. Therefore I have decided I don't necessarily want to go through this window thing again and now that I look at it the discoloration is not really that bad, I guess I can live with it, and a little window tint film will go along way.

I will use the stuff recommended above on the windshield on my Chevy; and Andy you will probably be hearing from me soon about a rock guard.

[Excella CM]

Your Illusions May Not Be Shattered Afterall.

[Lumatic]

I took apart a double pane window to clean out where the butyl deteriorated. Where the deteriorated butyl was in contact with the glass it appears to have chemically etched the glass. Solvents, cleaners and elbow grease won't touch it. Any way to polish out the discoloration, or any other suggestions?
__________________

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Cutting, polishing glass is a piece of cake.

Until you get involved with tempered glass.

Tempered glass has the temper on the surface. Disturb the surface, and you will have a lot of glass, in very small pieces.

If you wish to try, make sure you have reserved money for a replacement.

Andy

I tried this and it looks promising:
I put a thin coat of nail polish over the "etched" area of the glass. Not perfect and I don't know how long it will last but the glass looks transparent again rather than frosted.

[laducky]

I also have severely clouded vista views... no amount of "cleaning" will get rid of those marks caused by the butyl. I read something about putting warm vinegar soaked rags on it for a while would do the trick. It seems too simple and cheap to be effective (cuz that's how Airstreams roll down the high-maintenance road) but for those reasons it's going to be the first thing I try.

[laducky]

Well, I gave it a shot and while they are clean, the vinegar didn't help cure my etched glass... on to the next 'fix'.