Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: Bernard C on October 04, 2011, 05:17:17 PM
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I've been contacted by a member who has a problem with how to clean tiny household paint spots off iridised glass, presumably because it's well known that I try to keep a reasonable stock of Walsh Mother of Pearl for sale. Unfortunately I don't buy damaged Walsh Mother of Pearl, so my experience with cleaning it is limited to cleaning it and freshening it up with standard household cleaners such as Fairy Liquid (washing up detergent), kettle descaler, and, occasionally, Cillit Bang and washing soda, all of which work OK for me.
I would welcome appropriate advice to pass on. Note that I've not been informed whether it is gloss or emulsion paint, but it seems to me to be more likely to be emulsion paint.
Bernard C. 8)
:huh: On my first draft I mis-spelled one emulsion as "emusion", and the GMB Spell Check didn't pick it up. Nor did it this time. :huh:
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Quite a lot of glass I see seems to be spotted with white paint, presumably a result of people painting walls and ceilings with a roller. Usually emulsion if that is the case. Soaking the item overnight should soften up the paint so it cleans off easily. If it is gloss then I would use nail varnish remover and a cotton bud.
John
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my choice would be a lancet - at least you can see soon enough if the iridescent surface is damaged by cutting off the individual drops. Any chemical means would be much more drastic, and the result might be disappointing over a larger surface. Use goggles and strong magnification.
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why the goggles if you're using only a scalpel?? rather late in the day to stop after seeing damage ;D...............and my opening sentence (which I lost), was going to suggest that physical means might be the one method not to use. John's ideas seem safe and worth trying - but you might try a little white spirit on a small area, before bathing the object. When cleaning paint brushes, white spirit seems less violent that most solvents - alternatively, try throwing some white emulsion on a piece of disposable glass, and when dry seeing how abrasive you need to be for removal. Doesn't nail varnish remover contain acetone?? - this might be a stronger chemical than white spirit, so perhaps caution.
I've notice the anomaly in the spell cheque be4.... words r simply not picked up that seem glaringly rong. I noticed that in my first effort to post it didn't recognize iridised, and instead wanted me to use iodised - whatever that means. I've checked again, and the only error it reads it 'rong'. - but seems to find emulsion o.k. :)
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I've received a few vases from ebay sellers with paint drops on them. I use a razor scraper to remove them - never had any damage. It seems the least invasive way to deal with them, imho. (I've also used the scraper on a halogen hob and Aga range with no problems.)
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I would scrape rather than apply a chemical.
m
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then I stand corrected ............I've removed lots of spots of paint, although on non-iridised glass only (where you can scrub to your heart's content without fear of damage) :).
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Scraping on an iridised finish is a risk, any scratches will stand out distinctly. If there is no other way use a brand new razor or stanley blade so there are no nicks in the cutting edge to scratch the surface. Scraping would be my very last resort if all else failed.
I have used nail varnish remover because it contains acetone and it shifts paints that paint stripper/white spirit/meths has not.
John
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Maybe over simplifying it here but mostly it's emulsion anyway where people have been too lazy to remove or cover their glass when painting, for me over the years I have simply removed it with the edge of my fingernail not sure about iridised glass though but it's simple enough on crystal and soda type glass.
Did once have one of these splattered with paint and gave up in the end.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MDueY7-QJyE/TbKqO0kex8I/AAAAAAAAKJ8/Og5RQrmPzXg/s512/SDC14492.JPG
Chris
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I usually go with soaking then the fingernail option.
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Bernard, the dictionary must have emusion in it for it not to be picked up.
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quote from Julie ........."I've received a few vases from ebay sellers with paint drops on them. I use a razor scraper to remove them - never had any damage". - but did these pieces have an iridised finish? :)
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No they didn't but does it matter? The blade didn't scratch the glass.
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Iridescent finishes these days are usually the result of fuming with stannous chloride which results in an extremely thin coating on the outside of the vessel. Any scratch tends to stand out like a sore thumb....
John
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I think this was my original worry Julie - when commenting that I wouldn't use a blade to remove the paint by scraping with a steel blade. Glass, generally, has a hardness of something like 5.5 on the Mohs scale - which is way out harder than the thin surface coating of most iridised finishes. Whilst it is quite harmless, usually, to use steel on ordinary glass provided actions are sensible, I still think that there is a high risk of damage if a Stanley blade is used on a Carnival type finish. But at the end of the day, if people have used a blade of certain finishes without disaster then, with care, I guess they have learned to be successful. Just a personal approach I suppose. Moral of the story..........always cover your glass before painting the house......or alternatively, put it into a cabinet to start with :)
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I find that Eucalyptus oil is very good for cleaning off all sorts - particularly good for sticky label residue. It seems to be very gentle on most things and I suspect it will work really well.
Ross
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Hot iridised finishes are quite hard and emulsion or acrylic paints are unlikely to bond to the finish, not sure about solvent based paints though.
Cold applied iridescent finishes are not bonded to the glass and can flake even with normal handling and also due to airborne pollutants.
Professional restorers of paintings do have to face the challenge of removing paint from fragile surfaces and they do this using good quality scalpels and powerful magnification slicing the paint be removed in the tiniest chips to minimise mechanical stress. They will also use solvents where possible.
This approach should make it possible to restore the most fragile surface and I would try and use that if I felt there was any risk, first testing durability of the iridising under the base or other out of site position. Scraping on an iridised surface will always have a risk so better to work as slowly as possible. A final option would be to repair not restore, by simply colouring the spots to blend in with the surface - suitable paints exist in the better art shops.
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:angel:
I'm no help as far as cleaning paint off a surface like that, I'm afraid. On ordinary glass it's true that you can be fairly ruthless with due care. Just wanted to say, sooooooooooo much 'preloved' (not very loved, I'd say) glass is spotted with paint! Lazy, lazy uncaring messy painters! Always white paint. Move things, cover them up! ::) Best of luck with finding a working solution. :X:
angel2
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I bought a vase today and it was filthy dirty (otherwise known as minging in this neck of the woods). Anyway, when I started to clean it I noticed a blob of something stuck to the bottom and small splashes of this same material on the outside. It looks like cement and not grout or tile adhesive or something that may be easier to soak off. The little splashes on the outside came away easily enough but poking the blob on the inside was getting me nowhere (water had not softened it) and I did not want to risk smashing it. To clean cement of brick requires acid so I soaked my blob in vinegar for five minutes and that worked a treat.
I am feeling twice as smug as usual now. :smg:
John
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I make no bones about not lifting the following from Wiki..................."Acetic acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3COOH. It is a colourless liquid that when undiluted is also called glacial acetic acid. Acetic acid is the main component of vinegar (apart from water), and has a distinctive sour taste and pungent smell. Although it is classified as a weak acid, concentrated acetic acid is corrosive, and attacks the skin".
So John has a vase that now reeks of vinegar :24: :24: - but sounds like a useful agent for removing our spots of whatever. :)
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HP Sauce does the trick as well.
Mike www.abfabglass.co.uk
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HP Sauce does the trick as well.
Oh the waste :o I can't buy that here and my last bottle is nearly empty. :spls:
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I would recommend the squeezy bottle for air mail: http://www.britsuperstore.com/acatalog/Hp_Sauce.html
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Thanks for the thought 14 quid is not available for HP glass cleaner :ac1:
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Hp sauce is also great when removing chips from plates....
...oops sorry wrong forumn. :24:
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:24: oops cafe split coming