US3425870A

US3425870A - Surface cleaner for previously polished surfaces

Info

Publication number: US3425870A
Application number: US409858A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles W Marsh
Original assignee: Dorm Corp
Current assignee: Dorm Corp
Priority date: 1964-11-09
Filing date: 1964-11-09
Publication date: 1969-02-04
Anticipated expiration: 1986-02-04

Description

Feb. 4, 1969 c. w. MARSH 3,425,870

SURFACE CLEANER FOR PREVIOUSLY POLISHED SURFACES Filed Nov. 9, 1964 Z Y W /i A L I Him, a ||||||||I||||l|l (bar/ea W. Mars/7 1N VENTOR. 7 (/4540 4714 A, 4 M26; Byf A d-95217 ATTORNEY! United States Patent 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention is directed to a method of, and a compound for, removing deposits from previously polished surfaces, the compound being comprised of a mixture of volcanic ash having a coplanar crystalline structure, cerium oxide and colored chalk. The method involves applying a specific amount of moisture to the compound before cleaning.

This invention relates to a compound and method for the cleaning of previously polished surfaces, and more particularly relates to a method for removing water deposits from glass, aluminum, stainless steel, chrome plated surfaces, ceramic tiles, and the like.

It is well recognized in the art that surfaces, such as glass, are polished in stages, typically first by grinding, then finishing, and finally polishing the glass. A number of abrasives have been used for these purposes, including cerium oxide, jewelers rouge, pumice, and the like, all having been disclosed in such patents as Nos. 2,816,824, 2,830,884, 2,967,096, and other similar patents. The present invention does not relate to a compound which is capable of being used for abrasive polishing in the manner disclosed in these preceding patents.

As is well known in the various hard water areas of the United States, when water containing dissolved residues is allowed to evaporate on polished surfaces, such as glass, a water deposit is left on the glass. This water deposit is made up of various minerals, depending upon the particular geographical location, but usually includes an abundance of calcium. For example, in the high plains area of Texas and Oklahoma, the water which leaves deposits of this nature is colloquially called gyp water because it contains large quantities of gypsum, calcium or lime. When this water is allowed to evaporate on a polished surface such as glass or stainless steel, a generally whitish residue or deposit will remain on the surface and it adheres thereto tenaciously. Many different compounds and abrasives have been used in the past to remove this deposit but no great success has heretofore resulted.

When abrasives such as pumice or jewelers rouge are used to remove these deposits, the result is usually that the surface is scratched, defaced and/or the luster is removed from the finished surface. In addition to compounds of this nature, attempts have been made to remove these water deposits by means of steel wool, razor blades, and other forms of scrapers. Similarly, various chemical means, such as detergents, have been tried, but the water deposits remain and continue to adhere tenaciously.

The present invention is directed to an improved method and compound for particular use in removing these water deposits from highly polished surfaces, while at the same time not scratching or otherwise defacing the surface.

In attaining this object, it is essential that the compound be harmless in the hands of a housewife, and thus should contain no acid and should be nontoxic. Further, the compound must be incapable of scratching the surface intended to be cleaned. Each of these conditions are met by the herein disclosed invention.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a surface cleaner which contains an indicator to provide a visual indication as to the desired degree of wetness of the compound for polishing the surfaces.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a surface cleaner which contains a very fine polishing compound to remove any surface scratches or to polish any scratches on particularly soft surfaces.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method for removing water deposits from previously polished surfaces which includes wetting a soft cloth with water, charging the vwetted cloth with a particular cleaning compound, rubbing the deposited surface with the cloth and wiping the surface dry to remove the loosened deposit.

Other and further objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, given for the purpose of disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompaying drawings in which like reference numerals are used throughout the several views, and where:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the compound showing the ingredients,

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the crystal structure, and

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the crystal shown in FIG- URE 2.

The invention in its compound form generally comprises a mixture of coplanar crystalline volcanic ash, blue chalk, and cerium oxide as the dry ingredients which are sprinkled on a moistened cloth to form a paste which is used to rub away the water deposits.

With reference now to FIGURE 1, the reference numeral 10 generally refers to a particle of volcanic ash, while the reference numeral 12 generally refers to a particle of cerium oxide. As mentioned above, the compound also includes blue chalk and water, but as is well known, chalk dissolves in 'water and both have been eliminated from the drawing for purposes of clarity. The volcanic ash 10 is an essential ingredient in the compound and generally has a chemical analysis identical to pumice and pumicite, and the following is a typical analysis:

Percent Silica 71 Aluminum oxide 14.23 Alkalies 7.57 Water loss on ignition 3.81 Iron oxide 1.75 Magnesium oxide 0.90 Calcium oxide 0.54 Moisture 0.20

Because pumice, pumicite and volcanic ash all have essentially the same chemical analysis, it is important to distinguish between these minerals, because their physical features are radically dilferent. Pumice is typically described as a porous, weathered lava which is highly cellu lar and glassy. Pumicite, on the other hand, is composed of hard and glossy fragments of volcanic glass. Finally, it must be understood that volcanic ash comes in several crystalline forms and the present invention is concerned with only one of these. Thus, volcanic ash is usually found as a tetrahedral solid having a multitude of irregularly disposed facets. As can be seen from FIGURE 1, the volcanic ash 10 which forms the essential part of the present compound comprises a crystalline structure having two flat

parallel surfaces

14 and 16, which are joined by an irregular number of edges 18 perpendicular to these parallel surfaces.

As can be seen with reference to FIGURES 2 and 3, the edges 18 are all perpendicular to surface 14 (and likewise surface 16), although there is no particular angular relationship between the various edges 18 or the number thereof. In its overall aspect, the volcanic ash crystal 10 generally resembles a flake much like flake graphite. So far as is presently known, only one deposit of volcanic ash with this crystalline structure exists, and this is located near Laverne, Oklahoma. All other examples of volcanic ash which have been examined do not include the

flat surfaces

14 and 16. Throughout this application, the term coplanar is used to describe a crystal having these par ticular flat, parallel surfaces with the edges being perpendicular thereto.

In addition to the particular crystalline volcanic ash 10, the compound also includes cerium oxide 12, blue chalk, and water. The principal function of the blue chalk is to act as an indicator to give a visual indication of the desired degree of moisture or wetness of the compound. Thus, when the compound is sprinkled on a moistened soft cloth it is originally a light blue or gray color. As the compound absorbs water from the cloth, it becomes progressively bluer until a dark blue color is attained. The addition of further water to the cloth after the dank blue color is attained serves no useful purpose and merely results in dissolving the chalk and staining the cloth.

So far is is known, the blue chalk provides no other benefit except as that of an indicator for the amount of water. It therefore follows that various other colors of chalk may be used, and further that all chalk might be eliminated if the user is careful to supply the proper amount of moisture. When other colors are used, water is added until the paste reaches a deep shade of the particular color used. '-It has been found that from to of the total weight of the product may be blue chalk.

As mentioned, colors other than blue may be used for the chalk, but the particular advantage of blue chalk lies in its visual contrast with surfaces ordinarily being cleaned, as Well as its tendency to make white surfaces appear truly white. Red chalk has been successfully used in this application, but it tends to stain grout and other porous surfaces a slight pink color, which some housewives find objectionable.

Although the actual working characteristics of this compound are not fully understood, it is believed that the moistened cloth grips the coplanar crystals of volcanic ash and allows them to be pushed along the surface to be cleaned with either of the flat

parallel surfaces

14 or 16 against the surface to be cleaned. In this condition, it is believed that the edges 18 act as chisels or cutting edges to remove the water deposits, but since they are perpendicular to the surface being cleaned, they do not dig in and do not distort the surface. The function of the cerium oxide 12 is to act as a fine polisher of the surface and to remove any existing minute surface scratches and further to remove any slight scratches which might be caused in seating the coplanar crystals parallel to the surface to be cleaned.

This action is to be contrasted with that of the usual polish or abrasive which has irregular shaped crystals of pumice specifically designed to dig into the surface being cleaned and thus render a polishing action by removing a portion of the surface. The coplanar or flake crystalline structure of the volcanic ash of the present invention is thus seen to be quite important and essential to prevent this abrading action such as is found in the prior polishing compounds. The cerium oxide is added in quantities of 0.5% to 25% while the blue chalk may vary from 0 to 10%. The preferred percentages, by weight, of the various ingredients are 2.5% of blue chalk, 1.75% of cerium oxide and the remainder being coplanar crystalline volcanic ash. The cerium oxide is graded to pass through 400 mesh screen while the volcanic ash is graded to pass through 200 mesh screen. However, finer grades of cerium oxide may be used, and as the compound is being used, finer grades are produced because cerium oxide tends to break into smaller and smaller particles.

.In use, from O to 10% of blue chalk and from 0.5% to 25% of cerium oxide are mixed with coplanar crystalline volcanic ash to make a dry compound. Thereupon, when it is desired to remove water deposits from a previously polished surface, such as glass, a soft cloth is wetted with water and a small amount of the cleaning compound is sprinkled thereupon. As the water from the cloth is absorbed by the compound, a paste is formed and the blue chalk, acting as an indicator, will turn to a deep blue color, thus indicating that the moisture content is sufficient. T hereupon, the charged cloth is rubbed upon the polished surface having the water deposits to loosen the deposits. With glass having water deposits, the rubbing may be stopped when the glass begins to squeak, because this is an obvious indication that there are no further deposits on the glass. As the water deposits are removed from the various surfaces, the drag of the charged cloth changes appreciably, thus indicating that the deposits have been loosened. Thereupon, the surfaces are wiped dry, thus removing the loosened deposit, resulting in a thoroughly cleaned and polished surface which, advantageously, is not scratched by the present compound.

The present invention, therefore, is well adapted to carry out the objects and attains the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as others inherent therein. While a presently preferred embodiment of the invention has been given for the purpose of disclosure, numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination, shape, size, arrangement of parts and uses may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved surface cleaner for removing water deposits from previously polished surfaces consisting essentially of an aqueous paste of cerium oxide and volcanic ash, the volcanic ash comprising a coplaner crystalline structure having two flat parallel surfaces with all of the edge surfaces being perpendicular to these fiat parallel surfaces.

2. An improved surface cleaner for removing water deposits from previously polished surfaces consisting essentially of an aqueous paste containing, on a dryingredient basis, from 0 to 10% chalk of a specified color, from 0.5 to 25% cerium oxide, and with the remainder being volcanic ash, the volcanic ash consisting of a coplaner crystalline structure having two fiat parallel sur faces with all of the edge surfaces being perpendicular to these parallel flat surfaces.

3. The surface cleaner of claim 2 wherein the chalk comprises approximately 2.5% and the cerium oxide comprising approximately 1.75% of the total dry ingredients.

4. The surface cleaner of claim 2 wherein the specified color of the chalk is blue.

5. An improved method of removing water deposits from previously polished surfaces comprising,

wetting a cloth with water, charging the wetted cloth with a mixture consisting essentially of coplaner crystalline volcanic ash, cerium oxide, and chalk of a specified color,

adjusting the water content until a paste is formed of said mixture and the color of the paste is a deep shade of said specified color,

rubbing the deposited surface with the wet charged cloth, and

wiping the surface dry, thereby removing the loose deposit.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the mixture is comprised of no more than 25 by weight of cerium oxide and no more than 10% by weight of chalk on a dryingredient basis.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the percentage by weight of chalk is substantially 2.5 and the percentage by weight of cerium oxide is substantially 1.75.

5 8. The method of claim 5 wherein the specified color of the chalk'is blue, and the step of adjusting the Water content is further defined as adjusting the Water content until the paste is deep blue.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,560,659 11/1925 Burket 51307 8/1945 Polan 51309 6 OTHER REFERENCES Bennett, H., Chemical and Technical Dictionary, Chemical Publishing 00., New York, 1947; p. 978.

5 MORRIS O. WOLK, Primary Examiner.

BARRY S. RICHMAN, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.