dodger windows
- Thread starter Bill C320 Papillon
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Rinse with clean water then lightly wipe with a chamois or CLEAN microfiber rag or a polishing grade cotton rag turning it frequently to move the dirt and grime away from the window. Follow this up with the IMAR Strataglass products and they will last for a LONG time. Never use any paper towels or cheap terry cloth or they will scratch.
The IMAR products are by far the best and this was recently supported by Practical Sailor in which both IMAR products won their classes.
Bill,
I have used Meguire's products in the past with reasonable success. I think they were number 58 and 59, but one is a cleaner and the other is a polish. Used together they can remove light scratches if you have lots of elbow grease.
I currently use a spray product that is marketed by the StrataGlass people for their windows (I think it's called "Imar" or something similar). I find that it cleans very well on the Strataglass in my dodger and on all my other plexiglas ports. It is a one-step product and easy to use.
Edited: MaineSail is right-on about the micro-fiber cloths and they are specified in the Imar instructons.
I have used Meguire's products in the past with reasonable success. I think they were number 58 and 59, but one is a cleaner and the other is a polish. Used together they can remove light scratches if you have lots of elbow grease.
I currently use a spray product that is marketed by the StrataGlass people for their windows (I think it's called "Imar" or something similar). I find that it cleans very well on the Strataglass in my dodger and on all my other plexiglas ports. It is a one-step product and easy to use.
Edited: MaineSail is right-on about the micro-fiber cloths and they are specified in the Imar instructons.
Our canvas builders told me NOT to use microfiber fabric when wiping the dodger window. They said no-lint cotton was the best. Go figure.
That's probably because..
When I buy a new 24 pack of them at Sam's Club I wash them then put about six each into 2 seperate 1 gallon ziplock bags. This keep the rags clean, uncontaminated and ready for dodger glass use. If you don't protect your microfibers they will be dirtier and more abrasive than cotton. Many folks incorrectly use and care for microfiber rags so they should be used with caution. The big problem these days is finding good quality lint free cotton rags..
This is probably because microfiber can attract more dirt than cotton and hold it in the fibers. Microfiber is very soft on the glass but ONLY when clean. I never re-use a microfiber rag on my dodger windows once I have used one for cleaning.
When I buy a new 24 pack of them at Sam's Club I wash them then put about six each into 2 seperate 1 gallon ziplock bags. This keep the rags clean, uncontaminated and ready for dodger glass use. If you don't protect your microfibers they will be dirtier and more abrasive than cotton. Many folks incorrectly use and care for microfiber rags so they should be used with caution. The big problem these days is finding good quality lint free cotton rags..
Larry what are your windows?
Wiping with a chamois such as an "Absorber" (brand name) is good practice but Seapower contains mild abrasives intended for cleaning gelcoat. These abrassives are much more aggressive than the abrasives in polishes designed for clear plastics. Seapower also contains silicone which is also not good for the longevity of clear plastics as it can cause distortion and orange peeling.
If you have an optically treated glass, like StrataGlass, then you most definitely want to follow their care guidelines to achieve the longest life.
Our Strataglass windows, at this point, look like they will outlast the Sunbrella and have already outlasted the original stitching.
It was/is eisenglass, and Sea-Power cleaned them, polished out the small scratches and filled in the larger ones. The windows outlasted the dodger. Sea-Power works on fenders and vents, aluminum, stainless, many things.
FIRST. rinse with fresh water ... to dissolve any salt crystals and 'blast away' hard particles (bird crap, etc.). BEFORE rubbing with 'anything'.
Use thoroughly cleaned/washed or New microfiber cloths
Lastly, use IMAR ... best stuff ever invented for clear vinyl windows.
Use thoroughly cleaned/washed or New microfiber cloths
Lastly, use IMAR ... best stuff ever invented for clear vinyl windows.
Eisenglass is an uncoated product and can be treated a little more harshly before failure than the optically coated stuff like Strataglass. With Strataglass you'd have likely ruined the optical coating after the first application and then been a slave to it. Using abrasives not intended for optically coated glass causes ireversable damage. Still I am amazed that the silicone in the SeaPower did not damage the eisenglass as I've seen it ruin even eisenglass in short order.
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