Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: paul alan on November 24, 2017, 11:23:20 am

Title: calcium speckles
Post by: paul alan on November 24, 2017, 11:23:20 am
Just done a first clean to my usual sterile standards but was horrified to see little speckles covering the glass.

tried Virosol, no joy! tried bronze wool, no joy!

What to do??
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: Slacky on November 24, 2017, 11:49:05 am
Have you told the customer you'll clean them or restore the windows?
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: Seymour Sunshine on November 24, 2017, 12:50:23 pm
If the bronze wool won't shift them, they must be incorporated into the surface of the glass.

I've heard about fabrication debris on American glass. It's tiny globules of glass that can get dislodged by scraping and leave a small scar behind. Never heard of it in the UK, though.

Anyway, if they're incorporated, there's nowt you can do.
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: paul alan on November 24, 2017, 03:51:58 pm
Have you told the customer you'll clean them or restore the windows?

cleaning! But for my own future reference I would like to know how to shift it.

Its only a bungalow, all the windows are within easy reach and there isn't many of them
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: paul alan on November 24, 2017, 03:54:11 pm
If the bronze wool won't shift them, they must be incorporated into the surface of the glass.

I've heard about fabrication debris on American glass. It's tiny globules of glass that can get dislodged by scraping and leave a small scar behind. Never heard of it in the UK, though.

Anyway, if they're incorporated, there's nowt you can do.

I don't think it is a matter of it being in the glass its definitely on the surface and its not on all of them, just most of them.
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: pristinewindows on November 24, 2017, 03:58:08 pm
Any lead about?
If its run off from lead you need acid.
(If you take the acid you wont see the speckles or they'll be brighter colours) ;D
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: paul alan on November 24, 2017, 04:04:05 pm
Or if I give the acid to customer she wont care about the windows at all.
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: cat9921 on November 24, 2017, 04:06:31 pm

tried Virosol, no joy! tried bronze wool, no joy!

What to do??

Tell them that you are a crap window cleaner and need to pay more for a better job  ;D
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: p1w1 on November 24, 2017, 04:08:26 pm
Get some of that special hot water that melts concrete that will do it, just make sure you dont melt the frames as well  :D
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: Simon Trapani on November 24, 2017, 04:11:23 pm
Get some of that special hot water that melts concrete that will do it, just make sure you dont melt the frames as well  :D

LOL ;D
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: paul alan on November 24, 2017, 04:27:26 pm

tried Virosol, no joy! tried bronze wool, no joy!

What to do??

Tell them that you are a crap window cleaner and need to pay more for a better job  ;D

put them claws away cat!
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: andyM on November 24, 2017, 04:42:39 pm
Are you sure it's not white paint from a sprayer?
 
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: paul alan on November 24, 2017, 05:34:01 pm
they're little out of shape circles that have a stronger outline then goes lighter in the middle, looks like hard water stains!
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: p1w1 on November 24, 2017, 05:45:10 pm
does she have hanging baskets with flowers near them
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: paul alan on November 24, 2017, 06:11:53 pm
does she have hanging baskets with flowers near them

No nothing near by, I asked if she had any type of work done recently and she told me she had the fsg cleaned by a plastics guy who used some type of chem in a spray.

Some of the most phobic glass I have ever cleaned, I did a test on one window with bronze wool and that went phillic afterwards but spots remained.
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: Barryy on December 09, 2017, 11:45:29 pm
Just done a first clean to my usual sterile standards but was horrified to see little speckles covering the glass.

tried Virosol, no joy! tried bronze wool, no joy!

What to do??
It could be damage to the glass due to someone using an angle grinder to cut metal nearby. If the sparks of metal  from the angle grinder hit the glass, they can actually lodge in the glass and become part of it, impossible to remove. I've come across this time and again.
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: paul alan on December 10, 2017, 09:52:31 am
Just done a first clean to my usual sterile standards but was horrified to see little speckles covering the glass.

tried Virosol, no joy! tried bronze wool, no joy!

What to do??
It could be damage to the glass due to someone using an angle grinder to cut metal nearby. If the sparks of metal  from the angle grinder hit the glass, they can actually lodge in the glass and become part of it, impossible to remove. I've come across this time and again.

Yes ,mate I know exactly what you mean, see it all the time too. they are brown rust colour and protrude a mm or 2, this is different.
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: andyM on December 10, 2017, 09:53:24 am
It could be damage to the glass due to someone using an angle grinder to cut metal nearby. If the sparks of metal  from the angle grinder hit the glass, they can actually lodge in the glass and become part of it, impossible to remove. I've come across this time and again.

I don't think so.
Whenever I've seen damage to glass from an angle grinder it leaves dark speckles on the glass.
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: Og on December 10, 2017, 09:54:50 am
Is it under a stone wall? Or limewash?
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: paul alan on December 10, 2017, 10:53:47 am
Is it under a stone wall? Or limewash?

yes its all surrounded by some kind of render, not sure what though, but you can see where the rain water has been running down as its staining the frames black too in runs.
Title: Re: calcium speckles
Post by: martinw on December 10, 2017, 06:07:35 pm
Etore water spot remover or titan a1 heavy duty remover. If latter used first do not use Etore or acids afterwards as it needs to be thoroughly rinsed.
You will need to clean  area first then 3m pad or felt pad( in pinch high density sponge)  to buff it in.
It is not guaranteed to work as I haven't seen this in person.