best way to clean glass?
 

Things like finger prints and dust or hair and stuff smell bad when i get glass hot so what is the best way of removing them? I want to use a damp washcloth but is there a better way? I dont want to really use soap though since that probably wont smell so good either =P~

Coffee filter and alcohol. Paper towels work, too, but coffee filters are lint free.

Thanks for the tip i think i have both...somewhere anyway the coffee maker hasnt been used in years

I use a lint-free chamois with vinegar and water on it. Rods get a swipe before I use them.

sweaty armpit?

I use a piece of old t-shirt and alcohol.

If it's not really bad, then the armpit method works...it's not pretty...but it works.

If it's encrusted....alcohol and coffee filter, just like Shawnette said....

I use the blue paper shop towels costco sells and a mix of alcohol and water. Does a good job cleaning without lint.

Another vote for alcohol. Get the high octane stuff 90% or better and put it in a spray bottle. Then I use paper towel, or my t-shirt.

When I get new glass, I run the whole batch through my dishwasher. I store in blueprint drawers. When I pull to melt I get need to get a light swipe with a microfiber towel.
Joan

Coffee filter - brilliant! I never thought of that but I'll sure use it from now on. Thanks!

1 cup rubbing alcohol

1 cup water

1 tablespoon vinegar

place in spray bottle.

I use paper towels and haven't noticed a lint problem. I spray/clean each rod before I use it. If I pick up a rod off the table and notice something on it, the t-shirt method is used! :-)

Unless there's gunk on the glass that needs removing, I just use a dry microfiber cloth.
It takes off all fingerprints or smudges, makes the glass nice and shiny leaving no lint behind.

I prefer a new, unwashed microfiber cloth to an older one that's already been washed. Something about the texture of the cloth when it's new makes it work better on glass for some reason.

If you can smell stuff burning off your glass your ventilation might not be good enough.

There is a new cleaning product, I think it is a Clorox product, the bottle it comes in is awesome! You push down on the top with a cloth to wet the cloth. Only uses one hand. I kept the container and refilled it with alcohol. It is great! Works better than a spray bottle for me.

Just to clarify, I am not using the cleaner to clean the glass, the container is filled with plain alcohol now, it is the dispensing system that I love.

I use good old fashioned dish soap and water, dried with a tea towel. Then I put my sheet glass in a drawer until I use it, and wipe it off with a microfibre cloth before use.

As for rods, I'm one of those that finds a quick swipe under the armpit perfectly adequate ;-)

This^

Am I the only one that doesn't clean glass? I wipe clears on my shirt but that's about as far as I go.

I only clean the noticeably dirty stuff and clear.

I sometimes pickle my clears and transparents with diluted jewelry pickle.

Paper towel with nail polish remover (acetone based and not the oily kind!) is best for getting rid of glue residue from labels and old gooey rubber bands. Then I wipe again with a damp cloth. Do the cleaning away from the torching area, of course.

I just scrape old rubber bands, label residue, etc. off with a knife. Well, sometimes I just burn off the labels I admit, it just depends on if I take them off before I get to melting that bead.

If it's really bad I'll pickle it with heated pool chemicals (ph down) in water.

If it's fingerprints I'll dip the end of the rod in my quench bowl and use my t-shirt front to wipe it down.

Usually it just gets the armpit swipe.

Try washing your cleaning cloths without fabric softener or dryer sheets. These usually work by attaching fatty long chain acids to clothing to give it a supple 'oily' softness and smell we associate with clean clothing. May limit the ability of the cloth to grip/clean though.

I stopped burning off rubber band goo and stuck-on labels a looong time ago. Pretty early in my newbie days I discovered that it does not burn away completely most of the time. It is easy to see what impurities remain with transparent glass especially, and it shows as tiny microbubbles where the gunk was. Since I am not 100% sure the stuff burns away completely, I don't take chances. I have had beads crack around the holes where tiny flaking bits of bead release got into the glass and melted in. So I don't want to take chances with possble remnants of ash residue inside my beads which might cause incompatibilty issues.

Maybe I worry too much, but I am not alone in believing that glass needs to be cleaned thoroughly to avoid incompatibility problems. It is better to be safe than sorry! A good way to go through life. ;)

Is this the Dolt thread?

Lisi, I've never had that problem, but maybe it's the labels I use? I also don't melt the glass to the bead before I can see that there is nothing of the label left. I rarely do it though, usually scrape them off if I can safely do it, so maybe I've just been lucky.

I keep a bar towel and a spray bottle of the cheapest window cleaner within reach... spray, wipe, and into the flame 8-)

Either it is in the wrong thread or it is trying to be "stupid". Or it could be a lurker and it might be high, drunk, or a combo of both so now it stumbles out of its hole. I mean, really?? 15 posts since 2008?!

Go away troll! lol

(I am PMSing, so you really don't wanna get on my bad side today...oops..you already have)

Edited: I checked back on its previous posts and just like I thought, it IS a troll! :lol:

I'm just following what I learned from the lampwork masters of the time and that was nearly 12 years ago. When they said that glass needs to be cleaned thoroughly before introducing to the flame, I started cleaning my glass. I don't think anything has changed since then. Something about impurities not burning away completely.

I have rods lying all around the work surface and there is usually bead release dust on them. I know that definitely won't burn away! I keep a damp and a dry cloth on the work bench so I can quickly wipe off the dust while I'm working. A PITA to do it with one hand. :)