Cerium Oxide

N

njcarting1

Dewey,Cheatem & Howe ESQ.
I guess I am going to take the plunge and buy a pound of cerium oxide and try the stuff. I have some hard water etching on a vehicles glass that is not coming out. I have tried most of the conventional methods with no change. I have seen what people say about the CO slurry and will give the stuff a try. Its not an expensive product and worth a shot, due to the expense of replacement glass as my last resort cure.

I will add any and all info on my process and findings. Dave knows what I have for a mess here on the glass and if the stuff works will have this product in his arsenal as well I am quite sure. He was the one that originally told me to get and try some. We will see what we will see, I will add info when I get the product.:inspector:
 
I have a friend in the furniture refinishing business industry who wants to check the stuff out too. I'll be watching to read your findings. Here is an interesting article I read while researching the stuff that you may want to read. Note the mention of diamond dust in different abrasive levels.

http://www.fitchfamily.com/glass.html
 
I know that many here have used many different methods to remove hard water etching some being successful and unsuccessful in the process. I guess being fussy is a curse but I really want to know if the CO process is an option. On another note this also opens up another add on for most detailers in what services they can offer the public. I know at least here wells are what many have as a water source. If they are in fact on a well the water in most cases is in fact "HARD" and if not dried after a wash will etch paint and glass.

The potential for added business is huge inho adding this service to your business. I am sure many people have tried and exhausted there efforts and settled for whatever the finished product was, KNOWING THAT REPLACEMENT WAS THE MOST LIKELY CURE. I guess we will see if this process is the total answer for restoring most glass problems. From the start we already know its cheep to buy, and somewhat labor intensive. We also have what we need for tools already so that's also a plus.



WE will see...:inspector:
 
For what it's worth department..........After many many unsuccessful attempts removing water spots from glass I used Barkeeper's Friend. It is a powder like Bon Ami. I scrubbed the windshield with a wet sponge with the product on it. It took elbow grease but it worked. Total cost was about $1.00. It may or may not do what you need it to but I thought it worth mentioning.
 
This is something I would really be interested in offering if it works. Hard water spots are a big issue in my area. Many people and even 1 dealership I do work at has well water, and Ive tryed everything to remove them with little result. I even bought a PC off of Ebay last month with the intention of using it mainly for Glass Polish. That didnt work out either. I definatly look forward to the review.
 
RTexasF said:
For what it's worth department..........After many many unsuccessful attempts removing water spots from glass I used Barkeeper's Friend. It is a powder like Bon Ami. I scrubbed the windshield with a wet sponge with the product on it. It took elbow grease but it worked. Total cost was about $1.00. It may or may not do what you need it to but I thought it worth mentioning.
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I second this. I'd give it a try (Bar Keeper's Friend / Bon Ami).
 
I did try the barkeepers as noted and yes it works nice. I will say by hand its a job for sure. It works well and I will try it up against the CO when it gets here. The water spots were a mess on the side windows and windshield as well. I spent about 20 minutes on each side window just to see if it was gonna do the trick. The answer is they are gone 100% on drivers side and I need to spend some more time on passengers side 75% "gone" to rid the glass of spots.

I mixed the stuff up like a paste very thick and applied it with a foam application pad "wax pad". After each section was semi dry I hosed the stuff off and started in again. I did wash all the doors and affected areas with a wash mitt and soap after I was finished. The stuff will make a mess if ya don't keep the panels wet. It is also abrasive as well so be sure to get it all off the paint.

Thanks guys for the info and help...
 
Fixed it, sorry bout' that. Rhodite was the medium it used along with a variety of different cut pads. They were using an air DA but I'm thinking a high quality electric one would also work

Of course at the price of this kit you have to be pretty serious about wanting to tackle the job. One little tip I picked up was that they marked the back side of the glass where the scratch was because as you begin to get the scratch out you lose your reference point.
 
GearHead_1 said:
Fixed it, sorry bout' that. Rhodite was the medium it used along with a variety of different cut pads. They were using an air DA but I'm thinking a high quality electric one would also work

Of course at the price of this kit you have to be pretty serious about wanting to tackle the job. One little tip I picked up was that they marked the back side of the glass where the scratch was because as you begin to get the scratch out you lose your reference point.
Click to expand...

That is good advice I would not have thought about that.
I don't need this product now but you never know when you may.

If I had a windshield that was in need of a lot of work I think I would just let my insurance buy me a new one.
 
I here that about replacing, I just didn't want to buy new glass. Its only 450.00 dollars for 2 side windows and a windshield. I also wanted to try and get the hard water out and see if ti's possible to do. I spend money like a drunken sailor in most cases, but didn't want to on this(service truck). I have only done the side windows with 80-90% correction on the entire surface. Some of the surface is 100 and some spots on the edges are at 80-90%. That said, It can be done and it takes some time and effort (by hand)

I just might opt to do the windshield replacement and correct the sides myself.:idea :howdy
 
GearHead_1 said:
I'm with you on this one unless of course it is something that is no longer being re-popped. ;)
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Yep I see guys that struggle with that a lot when I go to shows and talk to guys with odd ball cars man what they go through to find parts.
It is not so much how old just not popular, you can buy parts for old Cameros-Mustangs 55-56-57 Chevy's and pickups all day long but for a 41 Packard GOOD LUCK.
 
black bart said:
That is good advice I would not have thought about that.
I don't need this product now but you never know when you may.

If I had a windshield that was in need of a lot of work I think I would just let my insurance buy me a new one.
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Insurance company??? WHY?? its a ford, the rates are high enough and a new windshield installed is less than 200 bucks. Claims don't enter into the equation when its a small cost like that. Now if it was 7-8 hundred like some are, sure get the adjuster on the phone...:idea
 
njcarting1 said:
I did try the barkeepers as noted and yes it works nice. I will say by hand its a job for sure. It works well and I will try it up against the CO when it gets here. The water spots were a mess on the side windows and windshield as well. I spent about 20 minutes on each side window just to see if it was gonna do the trick. The answer is they are gone 100% on drivers side and I need to spend some more time on passengers side 75% "gone" to rid the glass of spots.

I mixed the stuff up like a paste very thick and applied it with a foam application pad "wax pad". After each section was semi dry I hosed the stuff off and started in again. I did wash all the doors and affected areas with a wash mitt and soap after I was finished. The stuff will make a mess if ya don't keep the panels wet. It is also abrasive as well so be sure to get it all off the paint.

Thanks guys for the info and help...
Click to expand...

I'm glad it worked for you. Credit goes to an old episode of Shade Tree Mechanic when it was on many years ago. I still miss that show........
 
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