Window spots

N

nordicstallion

New member
Will salt water etch glass? I have what look like water spots on the outside. So far ive tried windex, a high tech mirror cleaner,laccquer thinner,salt eliminator,muriatic acid full strength. Windows sure are clean but the spots remain. The only thing i havent tried is polishing coumpound for fear of scratching the glass. Any thoughts? Vern / c- dog
 
I had the same problem on sailboat ports (glass lenses) years ago. They looked like they had permanent "droplet marks" on them from saltwater. I tried all kinds of things and really started to wonder if it was permanent; however, I did finally have success. The annoying thing is now I can't remember for sure what I used, but I believe it was one of those polishing compounds meant for plastic windows (Meguairs and 3M have them). I'm not positive though :cry

I guess the one good thing I can say is that I was ultimately successful, so likely yours can be cleaned too. Sure is stubborn though, isn't it?
 
We also experience that sort of problem on our sailboat. I used a product sold by TAP Plastics - NOVUS Plastic Polish. It worked quite well for us. It comes in 3 different grades. The first is really just a cleaner. The second and third versions are for marks and/or light scratches, with the 3rd version being the more abrasive of the bunch. I really never used that one.

http://www.tapplastics.com/product/plas ... lishes/428

Rob
 
RobMcClain":2i8htg9i said:
We also experience that sort of problem on our sailboat. I used a product sold by TAP Plastics - NOVUS Plastic Polish. It worked quite well for us.
Click to expand...

That sounds similar to the Meguiars/3M plastic polishing products I'm pretty sure I used (and reinforces my belief that that is what I used).
 
Yes Sunbeam, the TAP Plastics (NOVUS) #1 grade is generally the same as the Meguiars product. I really like Mequiars products and have used their plexiglass cleaner with very good results. My first use of the NOVUS product was for a lexan hatch that was lightly scratched. The product was recommended by another boater berthed nearby. It worked great so I bought bottles of all 3 grades just to have them. I used grades 1 and 2 primarily - mostly grade 1 just for cleaning. It works quite well.

Rob
 
No wonder I couldnt find my posting. The internet was down so I used my new I-phone & misplaced it in c-dorys for sale. What was that saying about old dogs and new tricks? Im there. Vern
 
Hah! New iPhone sure explains the word "spotsts" in the title. I used my iPhone to correct it and move it!

Now get a can of that Barkeepers Friend powder and sprinkle a little on a wet towel and wipe those windows. It is on the shelf at the store next to the Comet Cleanser and the Bon Ami. If it doesn't work you're only out about a buck sixty nine and you can use it to remove gel coat stains.
 
In all probability, your spots are etched glass, so any effective approach requires polishing not cleaning. If they are spots ... and I'll bet they're not ... vinegar should work. If it's etching the polishing approaches mentioned should work ... with more or less elbow grease. I've been impressed with Zaino glass polish ... a car product found on-line. www.zainostore.com.

If glass is not cleaned regularly, both salt water and our industrialized rainwater will etch it. We hate the spots, but our new-to-us boat and our new-to-us dwelling both came with them and through the magic of the Internet, we got educated.

Greg
 
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