Who here has polished glass with cerium oxide? Please advise!

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E

elbereth

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Feb 22, 2018
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Toronto, Canada
I'm planning to polish my hazy aquarium glass with cerium oxide. Looked at the glass polishing kits on Amazon but most of them seem to come with wool pads which I've read can be too aggressive and would need to be followed by a softer material, like the cloth buffing wheel mentioned in this article: https://www.amazonasmagazine.com/2019/02/06/polish-hazy-aquarium-glass-with-cerium-oxide/
(I can buy the cloth buffing wheels at my local hardware store but I'm having a harder time finding the arbor for the drill. Hence why I'm drawn to getting a kit.)

Has anyone used wool polishing pads on glass? Did you have to follow up with a softer material to achieve a final polish?

Any links to particular products would be extremely useful as well. Thanks in advance!

(Please don't tell me it might be more cost efficient to buy another tank instead of repairing this one! That's not the point.)
 
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I actually just finished using Cerium Oxide to buff a scratch out of a 220 gallon aquarium that I'm refurbishing. I accidently put a deep scratch on the front as I was flipping it over to redo the bottom seams. The biggest issue you have to get past is that it takes A LOT of time. Depending on the area and how deep the scratches are, of course. It took me about 10 hours over the course of a week to get my scratch out. There are many how-to videos on the net. You want to change your pattern of movement over the area your polishing. Up/down for a few minutes then side to side. Next, an X pattern. Also, the thinner the glass the more of a chance you have to develop a warp. The glass on my 220 is a 1/2" thick so I had nothing to really worry about. Having the tank full of water helps dissipate the heat from buffing so you don't have to stop or move around often.

I used a buffer with variable speeds. I've seen people us a drill as well but I didn't try it. It's easier if you get the Cerium Oxide premixed as well. I bought the powder first and it takes a bit to get the mixture right but once you do, you're good to go. Also, have a spray bottle with water handy. You want to wet the glass repeatedly as the buffer dries out quickly. Faster so at higher RPMs.

You can see the before, during, and after photos I've attached. I had to point to the little blemish that was left as my phone wouldn't focus on it.

I used this orbital. https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/g9+random+orbital+polisher.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn

And these pads. https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/glass+polishing+pads.do?sortby=ourPicksAscend&from=fn

Finally, this is the polish I used. They're brand of Cerium Oxide. https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/fine+glass+polish+16+ounces.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn


Before Polishing.jpgDuring Polishing.jpgAfter Polishing.jpg
 
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karpomatic said:
I actually just finished using Cerium Oxide to buff a scratch out of a 220 gallon aquarium that I'm refurbishing. I accidently put a deep scratch on the front as I was flipping it over to redo the bottom seams. The biggest issue you have to get past is that it takes A LOT of time. Depending on the area and how deep the scratches are, of course. It took me about 10 hours over the course of a week to get my scratch out. There are many how-to videos on the net. You want to change your pattern of movement over the area your polishing. Up/down for a few minutes then side to side. Next, an X pattern. Also, the thinner the glass the more of a chance you have to develop a warp. The glass on my 220 is a 1/2" thick so I had nothing to really worry about. Having the tank full of water helps dissipate the heat from buffing so you don't have to stop or move around often.

I used a buffer with variable speeds. I've seen people us a drill as well but I didn't try it. It's easier if you get the Cerium Oxide premixed as well. I bought the powder first and it takes a bit to get the mixture right but once you do, you're good to go. Also, have a spray bottle with water handy. You want to wet the glass repeatedly as the buffer dries out quickly. Faster so at higher RPMs.

You can see the before, during, and after photos I've attached. I had to point to the little blemish that was left as my phone wouldn't focus on it.

I used this orbital. https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/g9+random+orbital+polisher.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn

And these pads. https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/glass+polishing+pads.do?sortby=ourPicksAscend&from=fn

Finally, this is the polish I used. They're brand of Cerium Oxide. https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/fine+glass+polish+16+ounces.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn


View attachment 1469006View attachment 1469007View attachment 1469008
Click to expand...

What type of buffer or pad were you using with the orbital?
 
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