Cleaning Museum Glass

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DanGray

DanGray

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
May 15, 2007
Posts
530
Loc
Cody, Wyoming
I know, it is best to not clean if you have to. But there are a couple of marks on it and wanted to see what have been good ways to clean it with out making a bigger mess.

Thanks
 
I always clean it and use Sprayway and the microfiber cloth from Tru Vue. I use the Sprayway form Sam's club in the blue and white can. 4 pack for $6. Rub hard and there are no problems.
 
2 drops of Basic H in a 16oz spray bottle of your tap water ($.02 of product).

Spray.... wait a second and wipe down with out "rubbing hard" with a microfiber cloth. Finger prints and nose marks from the dog just float off.

Jeff likes to spend money and work harder than me. :D
 
Sparkle or the Tru Vue cleaner (same thing) n microfiber cloth.
 
I clean Museum Glass routinely, and the process is pretty much the same for as any other glass:

Spray non-ammonia liquid cleaner, such as Tru-Vue Premium Clean* on a clean cotton or microfiber cloth. Rub the moistened cloth on the glass until it is clean. Turn to a clean area of the cloth and buff to remove any streaks or waterspots, finishing with a dry section of the cloth.

Cleaning optically coated glass and acrylic is just like proper cleaning any other kind of glass. If streaks or waterspots remain, keep buffing.

* I have equally good results using Ultra Lite Concentrated Glass Cleaner from Frame Specialties, Precision Glass Cleaner from Kinetronics, and Sparkle from Bed Bath & Beyond. I'm sure many other brands that I haven't tried yet would work, as well.

The only glass cleaners I've had difficulty using were the aerosol sprays, such as the Larson-Juhl and Sprayway brands. They worked, but it's more difficult.
 
Our Tru-Vue rep told us to make a mix of 50% rubbing alcohol and water. To then spray some on a microfiber cloth, not on the glass, and then wipe in circular movements. As a shortcut, I have found that I can use just the rubbing alcohol and it seems to work just as well.
 
I use Sprayway glass cleaner spritzed on a TrueVue microfiber cloth and don't have a problem most of the time. If I do, I have used rubbing alcohol on a q-tip to touch those stubborn spots. Haven't had near the problems since we stopped spraying the glass to clean it.
 
Baer Charlton said:
2 drops of Basic H in a 16oz spray bottle of your tap water ($.02 of product).

Spray.... wait a second and wipe down with out "rubbing hard" with a microfiber cloth. Finger prints and nose marks from the dog just float off.

Jeff likes to spend money and work harder than me. :D
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This stuff is "green," right? Please send me the sample again. Please.
We need replacements for products in aerosol cans.
 
Breath on the mark and then rub with the cotton glove you are using providing it it clean.
 
I've only used Sprayway on one piece of MG, and boy, what a mess. Never again. I now use alcohol and water and buff like crazy, but it works. Distilled water.

Most of the time I dont clean at all, and just buff with a dry microfibre.
 
I use Glass Plus and I spray it right on the glass making sure I have a good amount on the glass. I then use Scott paper towels to wipe the cleaner thoroughly, then another set of paper towels to wipe till dry.

This has worked fine for me all these years with no problems from not using all of those other "special" concoctions.

Everyone makes it out to be a big deal and such a pain to clean yet I have had no problems using ordinary stuff.

Glass Plus has no ammonia in it so that is good, also.
 
I use the Sprayway from LJ ("for the graphic arts" in the red can) and KayDry paper lint free wipes, also from LJ, and have zero problems.
 
If you are diluting any concentrate or mixing water with alcohol it is extremely important to use distilled water. Not tap water and not bottled water.
 
nikfrz said:
Most of the time I dont clean at all, and just buff with a dry microfibre.
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Called TruVue one day, for a question other than Museum glass handling but we got to talking about this, because I mucked up a piece real bad...it looked psychadelic when I was through...they told me it was best not to clean at all...being a blonde, I asked how that was possible. They sent me some nice mittens in the mail, for handling the stuff. And they weren't even idiot mittens! I do sell museum now with less fear of a two hour cleaning time, and I have gloves for when it gets occasionally cold in Florida! Thanks Tru Vue! And thanks for not stinging them together for an idiot! :icon19:
The microfiber cloth is invaluable too!
 
I use Perfect Glass by Hope's. I get it at Lowes 3 something a bottle. Amonia free too. Cutting it is another matter though.

Dave whats witht red X? Are you in trouble? Hope not.
PF
 
A gift from Cathy... a.k.a. i-m-chickie.

:beer:
 
If we have to we clean it like any other glass, with Tru-Vue premiun cleaner.
Never had any come back and the customer is going to use whatever.
 
I cut a lite of MG glass about an hour ago for an order. Left over was a piece about 6x32 that I decided to experiment on.

I sprayed first with Sprayway and wiped with Paper Towel. Perfect!
I then sprayed with Sparkle and wiped with Paper Towel. Again perfect!
I then sprayed with some glass cleaner (maybe Windex or Glass Plus) and again wiped with Paper Towel. Perfect again!

I repeated the steps again using TV's microfiber cloth. Messy all three times. I then did it again spraying the cloth and wiping. Messy, messy.

I was able to salvage the glass by spraying with Sparkle and wiping with a paper towel. All those iridescent swirls dissapeared. Although I like Chickie's physcodelic version better. Perfect description!!
 
Dave said:
If you are diluting any concentrate or mixing water with alcohol it is extremely important to use distilled water. Not tap water and not bottled water.
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I know to use distilled water, I just don't know why. Can you explain to me the reasons for using one verses the other?
 
Blackcat said:
I know to use distilled water, I just don't know why. Can you explain to me the reasons for using one verses the other?
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Because if you used "brewed" water instead of "distilled", it would taste like Bud Lite instead of Jack Daniels Lite.

Some days you just have to answer the good questions with the dumb answers. :D
 
nikfrz said:
]
I repeated the steps again using TV's microfiber cloth. Messy all three times. I then did it again spraying the cloth and wiping. Messy, messy.

I was able to salvage the glass by spraying with Sparkle and wiping with a paper towel. All those iridescent swirls dissapeared. Although I like Chickie's physcodelic version better. Perfect description!!
Click to expand...

Agreed. I use Tru Vue cleaner and paper towels, followed by a blast of compressed air for any lingering fibers, and have had very good results so far...
 
Blackcat said:
I know to use distilled water, I just don't know why. Can you explain to me the reasons for using one verses the other?
Click to expand...

That's a good question and it deserves a real answer.

Tap water contains minerals and other chemical elements that could leave a residue on the glass. Water with a high content of minerals is called "hard" water. When the chemical content is reduced by a water conditioner, it is called "soft" water, but it still contains enough minerals and chemicals to leave a residue.

Filtered water may still contain some chemical elements, even reverse-osmosis filtered water. Distilled water is the most pure; it contains nothing but H2O, with no other chemical elements remaining. No chemical content, no residue.
 
This question comes up with predictable regularity~
I always remember the first time I used MG and was devastated that it didn't clean up like CC. My solution came from TruVue - they recommend that you use an alcohol free glass cleaner, or water, and an microfiber cloth. They also recommend using special gloves, and finally - not cleaning the glass at all if you can manage that (i.e., handling the glass in a clean manner, as it comes out of the package clean and usually does not need cleaning).

TruVue will send you the gloves for free, as well as stickers to put on the back of your finished pieces, which indicate what type of glass you have used. I started giving my customers microfiber cloths, and sometimes even a can of Sprayway, if they have done several pieces using MG.

:popc: PS: DO NOT EAT POPCORN PRIOR TO HANDLING ANY GLASS! ESPECIALLY IF IT IS BUTTERED!!!!
 
A tip I learned on TG some time ago...

Take a sheet of black FC,
-cover with felt bumpers...
-lay your MG (or any other glazing) on top of the felt bumpers and
-the areas needed to be clean are very visible.

I have no clue who shared the idea - but it helps immense-ly!
 
MnSue said:
A tip I learned on TG some time ago...

Take a sheet of black FC,
-cover with felt bumpers...
-lay your MG (or any other glazing) on top of the felt bumpers and
-the areas needed to be clean are very visible.

I have no clue who shared the idea - but it helps immense-ly!
Click to expand...

I think that was one (of many) of the inventions of Greg Fremstad. Greg was an engineer-turned-framer...a really smart guy that invented lots of cool stuff for the framing industry. He's a helpful, nice person too!! http://www.frametek.com/
:kaffeetrinker_2:
 
If I have to clean it for me the issue is not the cleaner, but the cloth. Micro fiber cloths bug me, they snag on my dry picture framer hands and make me feel icky. We use a service for shop towels, but they use a fabric softener which is pure misery when cleaning Museum glass. I like the 'Kim wipes' from Larson, they are non lint-y and have no dye etc to mess with my cleaning. One per day works, they dry fast making them ready for the next piece of glass till I have gotten the good out.
 
...I like the 'Kim wipes' from Larson...
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That may be OK for you in the shop, since the optical coatings are quite durable -- harder and more scratch-resistant than the UV coating on the inside.

However, it would be wise to advise customers to do as the maker says, and not as you do. Using any kind of paper towels for routine, repeated cleanings of optically coated glass or acrylic probably would cause visible hazing or scratches, eventually.

...One per day works, they dry fast making them ready for the next piece of glass till I have gotten the good out...
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You can keep one towel clean all day? Using a dirty cloth would cause problems in cleaning any type of glazing, but the problem is compounded on optical coatings. The slightest bit of hand cream/lotion, frame putty, matcutter lubricant, ATG, paste, glue, or any other contamination could cause stubborn streaks.
 
I came to the same conclusion as you Nancy. In my own little experiment, I found that the microfiber didnt absorb the cleaner fast enough and left swirly smears. I tried both spraying the cloth and spraying directly on the glass. Had no problems with the paper towels. I did swipe with a dry microfibre to pick up the lint left from the paper towels.

I will no longer put TV's cleaning sticker on the back. I cant recommend something to a customer that doesnt work effectively for me. I will provide the cloth with the recommendation of dry cleaning.
 
We use Ultra-Lite cleaner and cloth diapers which didn't get many mentions. I agree about the microfiber cloths. But the diapers seem to work with any type of cleaner. I just have to remember to keep them out of the dryer if it has a softener sheet thrown in.
 
MerpsMom said:
... I just have to remember to keep them out of the dryer if it has a softener sheet thrown in.
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Yes, fabric softener will kill the absorbency of towels, whether cotton or microfiber.

We learned that lesson the hard way and threw out several microfiber towels. We were told that soaking in something (I forget the recommendation) would remove the fabric softeners and restlore absorbency, but it didn't work.

No fabric softener for our towels.
 
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