Etched Wood Stove Glass

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I'm wondering if at some point a less than fine abrasive was used on the glass? It sounds like it might be over-cleaned and scratched. If so, the best solution would be to replace the ceramic glass and be careful what is used to clean the glass.
 
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BeGreen said:
I'm wondering if at some point a less than fine abrasive was used on the glass? It sounds like it might be over-cleaned and scratched. If so, the best solution would be to replace the ceramic glass and be careful what is used to clean the glass.

Not by me, at least not until I started noticing this permanent film developing. After it got really bad, I tried 3 different grades of rubbing
compound and all sorts of cleaners (see the top post).

I may replace the ceramic, if this polish doesn't work. It may have just been a less-than-perfect piece of glass/ceramic to begin with... Or,
maybe it was flipped around. I'm going to check with my local ceramic-glass supplier, here in town and ask them if there really is a
front and back to this stuff.
 
I have Lopi's "Freedom Bay", and I got the glass etched with the "Ducks and Pond" scene.

http://www.lopistoves.com/product_guide/detail.aspx?id=218

In the website's Pamplet Info, all they show now is a landscape with a big Buck in the center. This fireplace insert originally came with a clear glass, so the etched scene was an extra cost and usually at the full factory suggested price.... What some buyers don't realize, is that the dealer will keep the original glass for their Parts Department if you don't know to ask for it....

The etching for Lopi's scene is on the outside, so the glass will usually burn clean with a good hot fire and the light gray wipes away easily as others have said. After cooling, cleaning of the smooth side of the glass with a 15 minute soaking spray of oven cleaner on the cooled-down glass is quick and easy if you should have Visitors coming.... It is a bit messy if you don't put newspapers under the door while cleaning, but it does get it clean only because the inside glass surface is so smooth.

Maybe a quick email to the Maker of your stove will help you find out if the glass was accidently installed backwards. To get it "Polished-Out", you would have to remove the glass. You'd never get it done evenly leaving it installed while the pad and compound is bumping up against the holding tabs and insulation gasket around the glass.

If you learn it is installed backward, after you hear from the Maker and clean out your stove, I'd call the store you bought from first. Then take the door off and take it back if they won't come back for a free Service Visit. I'd let them do all the work of changing it around...and request a new glass panel if they can't get it clean. (If it's a factory error, the vendor will get paid for correcting it. If it was installed backwards though the carelessness of the vendor, it might be harder to get it replaced. In either case, be prepared to use your old glass as it' likely they'll have to special order the glass which will take more time...)

Please let the Forum know how it works out.
 
billjustbill said:
I have Lopi's "Freedom Bay", and I got the glass etched with the "Ducks and Pond" scene.

http://www.lopistoves.com/product_guide/detail.aspx?id=218

In the website's Pamplet Info, all they show now is a landscape with a big Buck in the center. This fireplace insert originally came with a clear glass, so the etched scene was an extra cost and usually at the full factory suggested price.... What some buyers don't realize, is that the dealer will keep the original glass for their Parts Department if you don't know to ask for it....

The etching for Lopi's scene is on the outside, so the glass will usually burn clean with a good hot fire and the light gray wipes away easily as others have said. After cooling, cleaning of the smooth side of the glass with a 15 minute soaking spray of oven cleaner on the cooled-down glass is quick and easy if you should have Visitors coming.... It is a bit messy if you don't put newspapers under the door while cleaning, but it does get it clean only because the inside glass surface is so smooth.

Maybe a quick email to the Maker of your stove will help you find out if the glass was accidently installed backwards. To get it "Polished-Out", you would have to remove the glass. You'd never get it done evenly leaving it installed while the pad and compound is bumping up against the holding tabs and insulation gasket around the glass.

If you learn it is installed backward, after you hear from the Maker and clean out your stove, I'd call the store you bought from first. Then take the door off and take it back if they won't come back for a free Service Visit. I'd let them do all the work of changing it around...and request a new glass panel if they can't get it clean.

Please let the Forum know how it works out.

Mine's not purposely etched with a nice scene, like yours. It's on the inside with mine; caused by regular useage.

Well, I'm not going to take the glass off. I'm going to work on it just like I always do, attached to the stove...

I have a good place, here in town, that sells replacement ceramic and they should know if there's a front and a back. I'll
let you know what they say, later today... :)
 
Just out of curiosity, how old is your glass and stove?
 
billjustbill said:
Just out of curiosity, how old is your glass and stove?

It's about 2 years old. I checked with the experts on the glass/ceramic. It doesn't have a front and a back
side. Unless you've got a picture etched into it, then the picture would go on the outside.

My glass/ceramic is non-decorated. So, there's no front/back to it...
 
A slight white haze on the glass can be the remains of hard water. Fortunately we were warned about that and only use bottled water with a paper towel to clean the glass.
 
savageactor7 said:
A slight white haze on the glass can be the remains of hard water. Fortunately we were warned about that and only use bottled water with a paper towel to clean the glass.
Could be..I never had that haze till I tried the ash water deal.
My water goes through a softener though..but I still think you might be right.
If the glass is still warm that prolly makes it worse.
 
Well I got the cerium oxide (glass polish). I bought the liquid version. It's too fine for
this application. I used it with a 3" electric random orbital (on high-speed) and I tried several different
pads. My glass polishing pad seemed to work the best. But, I found that heavy duty
rubbing compound combined with that setup did remove most of the baked on crud and
left me with just a blurry ceramic. I spent about 30 minutes on it. But, the cerium oxide
didn't work all that well. I could see some blurryness dissapearing but it would have
taken many hours to really make a dent in it...

So, I'll live with it for a while and then probably replace the glass at some point... The top 25% of the
window is still in good shape, it's the bottom 75% that is blurry and etched...
 
UPDATE:

Well, I finally replaced the glass. The folks at elitecustomglass.com did a great job
for me and I got a good price.

I've since found out that certain stoves (probably the ones with "airwash") are prone to
etching the glass; just by way of their design. I'm hoping mine isn't one of them! But,
time will tell. The original ceramic started etching on me after only 1 year...

Stay tuned. I'll post an update again and we'll see if it's stove design or whether it was
something to do with the original ceramic...
 
You might check with Scan tech support and see it this stove uses IR coated glass, some do. If this is Robax IR, the coating is only on one side of the glass.
 
If you have new glass, I suggest using nothing but moistened paper towel with ash from here on out. I've used that for many years on both pellet and wood stoves and never had any etching or scratching.
 
You might check with Scan tech support and see it this stove uses IR coated glass, some do. If this is Robax IR, the coating is only on one side of the glass.

That could be. I'll ask them. Although, they don't have any tech-support. You have to pretty much contact
Jotul. But, Jotul is pretty good at answering back.

I did see that glass, while doing some research. But, at the same time,
I also found out that certain stoves are very prone to etching, just by the way their designed...

I'm pretty sure that my replacement glass is not IR coated. It's EuroKera Pyroceramic. So, hopefully, it will not etch...
 
If you have new glass, I suggest using nothing but moistened paper towel with ash from here on out. I've used that for many years on both pellet and wood stoves and never had any etching or scratching.

Thanks. That sounds like good advice. I have started the new glass out on the Rutland with silicone, though. I kind of like
the way it adds a thin layer of silicone, which makes the next cleaning a little bit easier. It's non-abrasive.

Only time will tell!
 
That could be. I'll ask them. Although, they don't have any tech-support. You have to pretty much contact
Jotul. But, Jotul is pretty good at answering back.

I did see that glass, while doing some research. But, at the same time,
I also found out that certain stoves are very prone to etching, just by the way their designed...

I'm pretty sure that my replacement glass is not IR coated. It's EuroKera Pyroceramic. So, hopefully, it will not etch...

Sounds good. I hadn't heard of EuroKera before. Looks like they make three versions of their pyroceram product. The regular product is uncoated. Stayclear (Everclear+) is coated.

http://www.eurokera.com/products/heating/heating.html#
 
Sounds good. I hadn't heard of EuroKera before. Looks like they make three versions of their pyroceram product. The regular product is uncoated. Stayclear (Everclear+) is coated.

http://www.eurokera.com/products/heating/heating.html#

I put my ohm meter on the old/original piece of glass from Scan. I tested both continuity and ohms on both sides. No current. So, it probably was not coated. But, if it was, I hear the coating is supposed to go on the outside. So, that's something notable.

I sent elitecustomglass another email to ask about the coating. My guess is that it's not coated. But, since I have a fire going this morning (it's chilly out), I can't very well put my meter on it right now! ;)

UPDATE: The glass company said that I have KeraLite/Pyroceram III, which is uncoated.
 
If you have new glass, I suggest using nothing but moistened paper towel with ash from here on out. I've used that for many years on both pellet and wood stoves and never had any etching or scratching.

Thanks for this advice Dan. I've been using your method and it's the very best. I use a wet sponge, dip it in ashes, cleans off
everything, rinse it out and go over the glass one more time to remove the soot water; then dry it with a towel. Cleans really well,
doesn't cost any money and it's non-toxic and biodegradeable! :)
 
If you've ever owned aluminum window screens, instead of the cheap fiberglass/plastic screens they make today, you may have seen a similar thing when the aluminum oxide begins to plate up on the glass after a few years. Happens fairly rapidly if you leave your screens in year-round. I wonder if something like that could be happening, such as platings from the metal components in the stove or fasteners in your wood (pallets? framing lumber?) plating onto the glass at high temperatures.

I put my ohm meter on the old/original piece of glass from Scan. I tested both continuity and ohms on both sides. No current. So, it probably was not coated.

What would you expect to find with an ohm meter? Anti-reflective coatings work by transforming ("matching") the wave impedances of two media (namely air to glass), in which you have a high index change, but most are dielectrics / not conductive.
 
If you've ever owned aluminum window screens, instead of the cheap fiberglass/plastic screens they make today, you may have seen a similar thing when the aluminum oxide begins to plate up on the glass after a few years. Happens fairly rapidly if you leave your screens in year-round. I wonder if something like that could be happening, such as platings from the metal components in the stove or fasteners in your wood (pallets? framing lumber?) plating onto the glass at high temperatures.



What would you expect to find with an ohm meter? Anti-reflective coatings work by transforming ("matching") the wave impedances of two media (namely air to glass), in which you have a high index change, but most are dielectrics / not conductive.

I would expect to get a "beep" from my meter, if the glass had an anti-reflective coating on it, because those coatings always
conduct electricity. :)

I don't think it had anything to do with "plating." It was etched somehow; either the "air-wash" feature or cheap ceramic; or a combination of both. The new ceramic is holding up very well, so far; still looks new when I clean it with ash and water...
 
I have read that if the ceramic gets very dirty, and is left dirty throughout a burn cycle our two, the ceramic can get etched. I had this problem last year when we put sub par wood in, had to leave and turned air way down, just to come home hours and hours later to black glass. Being tired, just reloaded and went to bed. Ceramic was etched on both lower corners. Got dirty there slightly ever since
 
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