Give a sucker a break
Bohle’s managing director, Dave Broxton, explains that the demand for larger, heavier glass products can leave its mark – but not indelibly.
Some vacuum glass lifting equipment can leave ‘rubber sucker’ marks on windows, which can lead to customer complaints.
Sometimes the glass is marked even before processing by the glass handling equipment in the factory. As well as glazing, the marks appear on other glass products, such as car windscreens, and are often virtually impossible to remove.
“Though apparently smooth, glass looks very different under a microscope,” says Bohle’s managing director, Dave Broxton. “The surface is pitted, with raised peaks and valleys, which over time attract and trap dirt.
“This can include particles deposited by vacuum lifting cups, which although virtually invisible on dry glass, become apparent when the glass is wet or carrying condensation. Most will disappear over time as the glass ages but in the meantime, it can be a source of customer complaint.”
Different manual and electric vacuum lifters on the market use different materials in their suction cups.
Most will be designed to leave as little physical or chemical residue as possible but sometimes plasticisers and chemicals can evaporate on the glass and particles can settle in the low spots of the textures in the glass surface. The chemicals can react and combine with the surface of the glass which significantly contributes to the difficulty in removing them.
“Trying to remove these marks can cause a real headache for customers,” Dave says. “Some even try toothpaste. In many cases, though, a strong Isopropanol glass cleaner should work, but if that fails, Bohle has developed Cero-gel, a cerium oxide polishing paste which, though mildly abrasive, is designed to remove surface contamination such as limescale, cement marks or silicone, as well as light scratches.”
Bohle Cero-gel was developed specifically for the window and glass industry. It is designed for easy use, packaged in a small aerosol and can be applied to vertical glass surfaces without dripping.
Surface contamination can usually be removed with a damp microfibre cloth, but for scratches a drill-mounted felt polishing bob is most effective.
When polishing-out scratches it is crucial not to let the glass get too hot and a water spray bottle will usually assist in lubrication and cooling. Cero-gel is also suitable for ceramics and stone, and it contains no irritants or corrosive ingredients.
When something stronger than Cero-gel is required, Bohle XtraClean removes more stubborn surface contamination quickly and easily, including limescale from glass showers, concretion on glass processing machines, and grinding residues, especially from satin-finished glass. It is especially good for removing burnt-in stains on hobs and oven doors but equally at home removing graffiti, flash rust, silicone residue, oil and grease deposits.
Like Cero-gel, XtraClean can simply be applied using a damp microfibre cloth. Higher temperatures will release more essential oils making the product go even further.
“Of course, the easiest way to avoid vacuum lifter marking is to buy good quality lifters at the outset, such as the Veribor range from Bohle,” Dave says. “The Veribor brand is over 50 years old and constant product development has led to some of the most efficient, environmentally friendly and above all safe, lifters on the market.
“Manufactured in Germany, with many lifters independently tested by the TÜV and carrying the GS mark, all Veribor lifters are guaranteed free of carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons, which is not always true of some imported products. The materials in Veribor suction cups are specifically designed to minimise marking, while offering exceptional service in use.
“In the end, maybe it is better not to mark the glass in the first place?”
