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 Fabricating Debris Document & Links

"Scrapers and Fabricating Debris" bulletin by Gary Mauer 

A Window Cleaning Network resource for the glass, construction and window cleaning industries, and for owners of new homes and buildings.

This website focuses on one issue - excessive abrasive fabricating debris on some uncoated tempered glass surfaces. The mission here is to provide credible information, and to increase demand for quality tempered glass surfaces - without fabricating debris.

Builders and homeowners have taken the hit for millions of dollars worth of damage to tempered glass. They may have blamed window cleaning practices for this damage, often without realizing that fabricating debris may have been the root cause, or without understanding how an uncoated tempered glass surface might have so much fabricating debris that it will scratch so easily.

The issue here is why some uncoated tempered glass - but not all - may be so laden with abrasive fabricating debris that it will scratch when you clean it with a standard window cleaning scraper. Fabricating debris is an inherent problem with tempered glass, but clearly some temperers do a good job of minimizing it, while others do not.

A "perfect" surface is not necessary. What is needed is a surface that does not have so much fabricating debris that it will scratch when you clean it with a window cleaning scraper.

Check out our Fabricating Debris Documents & Links Page for links to glass industry magazine articles that address the issue of equipment maintenance. It is clear from reading these articles that equipment maintenance DOES have an effect on the surface quality of tempered glass.

Builders, architects and remodelers who understand that temperers are able to minimize fabricating debris issues can specify tempered glass surfaces without excessive fabricating debris - surfaces that can be cleaned efficiently with standard methods, not only after construction, but throughout the life of the home or building.

Scratches in Temperd Glass Caused by Glass Fines  

Scrapers do not scratch glass -
Fabricating Debris does!

Clearly, these (magnified) tempered glass scratches did not occur until a scraper encountered a surface defect.
Look closely and you can see that some of these surface defects have caused more than one scratch.
(
Photo courtesy Dan Fields, Fields Construction Services, Inc.)

"Scrapers and Fabricating Debris" bulletin by Gary Mauer 

Gary Mauer at Glass Performance Days 09
Click here to read press release - 1/30/09

Fabricating Debris Documents & Links

Builders, Architects and Remodelers - Start here!

Homeowners - Click here to learn what this means to you!

Professional Window Cleaners DO use scrapers

DVD by Dan Fields - "Tempered Glass Defects"
Click here to purchase!

Audio CD - Dan Fields on "Fabricating Debris Awareness" at the 2007 IWCA convention

IWCA official position on scrapers and fabricating debris on tempered glass.
Click to download IWCA position (PDF)

AUWC official position on scrapers and fabricating debris on tempered glass.
Click to download AUWC position -( PDF)