Fabricating debris. What is it? Can the scratched glass be restored to like new?
Unscratch The Surface is the only company that can solve your problem of removing excessive scratches on tempered glass with a no distortion guarantee! Not only can we repair the scratched glass, we can do it at a fraction of the cost of replacement, and much quicker too! We know of no other glass restoration company that can resurface glass faster or better which makes sense since we invented the tools and process!
In addition, we have the technical expertise to be able to analyze your tempered glass and be able to come to a definitive answer as to who is responsible for the problem, letting you determine just who should be responsible for the cost to have the scratched glass problem completely resolved. Was it fabricating debris and widespread scratches, construction damage or careless window cleaning? Check our references, see the many others who weren’t sure at first, and are now firm believers in Unscratch The Surface as best in the scratched-glass repair business.
Fabrication Debris = Low Quality Tempered Glass + Careless Window Cleaning = Scratches All Over Your Tempered Glass Windows + Doors!
Tempered glass is glass specifically designed for use in areas with a high risk of contact and breakage. When broken, tempered glass breaks into very small pieces, making it safer than annealed glass. It is 4-5 times stronger (not harder) than annealed glass, and can withstand more wind, heat, and impact before breaking.
Where Does Fabrication Debris Come From?
To answer this question, we need to understand how tempered glass is made. The third step in the process of making tempered glass is to wash the glass after it had been sized and ground, but not all glass manufacturers do an adequate job at this step.
Most problems in this area are related to the lack of maintenance to the washer and tempering furnace. If the glass washer and tempering furnace are not properly maintained, fabricating debris will build, making them less effective in cleaning and tempering the glass. Due to this, the glass will exit the washer with much of the fabricating debris still present as the glass is sent into the tempering furnace.
Once the glass is inside the furnace, the debris will begin to liquefy and fuse itself to the roller side surface of the glass and to the furnace rollers. It is this fabricating debris that causes the poor quality surface and the scratching on defective tempered glass. The majority of the scratches found on tempered glass result from poor glass quality.
The surface quality of tempered glass will have a direct effect on the possibility of scratching the glass during cleaning. Low quality tempered glass has fabricating debris fused to its surface, which at the time of cleaning has a very high likelihood of being dislodged and dragged across the glass surface, resulting in scratching. Scratches related to defective tempering are always widespread on the glass surface, usually covering the entire pane.
This scratching will only occur on the side of the tempered glass that was in contact with the rollers in the tempering furnace. The side facing up in the tempering furnace is usually defect free, and will not scratch when cleaned with the same window cleaning tools and techniques.
7 Facts about Tempered Glass
- Tempered glass is same hardness as annealed (non-tempered) glass.
- The entire glass pane is tempered from surface to surface and both sides are equal in hardness.
- The exterior surfaces of tempered glass are in compression and the center is in tension.
- Surfaces of tempered glass are not changed as a result of the tempering process. Tempered glass is no more porous than annealed glass.
- Every piece of tempered glass must have a permanent stamp or logo to signify it is tempered glass. However, there are no standards which regulate which surface of the glass is to receive the stamp or where the stamp is to be placed on the surface. Tempering stamps can face in or out on an insulated glass unit. (Customer can request the tempering “bug” not be there though).
- There is no standard or regulation requiring tempered glass to be washed or clean prior to tempering.
- Tempered Glass fabricators always put Low-E on “air side” of tempered glass, never on “roller side”. Ask them why this is!
7 Myths about Tempered Glass
- Tempered glass scratches easier than non-tempered glass.
- Tempered glass surfaces are different than annealed glass surfaces.
- Tempered glass stamp or logo is located in the same location on all windows.
- Tempered glass is only tempered on one side.
- Tempered glass is harder than annealed glass.
- Tempered glass cannot be “resurfaced” without leaving distortion, haze, or swirls in a timely manner.
- Nobody can resurface large tempered windows in a cost effective amount of time.
Specializing in commercial glass scratch repair, widespread “all over” scratches. Our unique, fast and neat glass restoration process is the only one of it’s kind to resurface large areas of scratched glass without leaving swirls, haze, hard edges, and especially no distortion!
Please browse the website to learn more about us and how we can save you time and money over glass replacement by removing scratches from tempered glass surfaces, including removing the widespread scratches caused by fabricating debris. We are the inventors of the process and the undisputed leaders of high volume window glass and glass door scratch-removal without leaving distortion, haze or swirls. Always adapting and improving our glass restoration methods to improve clarity, neatness, and speed of our proprietary glass polishing system. Second to none in high volume tempered glass scratch removal tools.
Glass restoration, resurfacing and consulting proudly performed in: Seattle WA, Portland OR, Denver CO, Santa Fe NM, Dallas TX, Houston TX, Austin TX, Miami FL, New York NY, Boston MA, Atlanta GA, and everywhere in between!
Based in California – Serving the World! “When Your View Matters – Call Unscratch The Surface!” 805-295-9020 or 888-986-7272
