Hey guys,
I’m still new to WC’ing and had a quick question. How often do you change your scrapper blades? I’ve only used my scrapper about 5 times and it’s covered in rust. Mind you, I did use it with safe restore the first time while I was experimenting with hard water spots on my parents house. Is it normal for the blade to rust that quickly? Do I need to change it out now or just make sure it’s wiped down good before using it on a window?
Definitely change it if there is rust on it! We use stainless steel blades, so we generally don’t deal with the rust issue.
There are lots of choices of replacement blades here, Replacement Blades / Parts - Scrapers / Blades
We start with a new blade everyday on a house. Sometimes it will last the whole job, sometimes not. If it gets a knick in it, bends or breaks, we change the blade.
Good deal, thanks!
Do not use rusty scraper blades. [B]Rust will scratch glass![/B]
There are two types of steel scraper replacement blades.
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Carbon steel - Will rust within one day but the blade is stronger than stainless steel.
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Stainless steel - Will take longer to rust but is weaker than carbon steel. Suseptable to breakage
At ACWC we make it mandatory that all our techs change their blades every single morning.
After the first response I went and checked my blade types and they ARE carbon steel. It makes sense now. I was trying to figure out why the heck my blade was rusting after 1 use and was completely covered with 2. I’ll start switching out every job now.
They do turn and you can use the other side but as soon as I see rust I putt tape around it and trash it.
+1
We use stainless to stay as far away from the rust issue. Generally I change the blade after a big job of a few smaller ones. Or if it bends, breaks, or I notice it has lost it’s edge.
We change blades on every job usually. We dont use large scrapers tho. Got out of CCU a few years ago. We use basically use a small #9 blade holders. Most of our jobs only require minimal scraping (spot scraping). #9 blades are cheap. We change them frequently to ensure that we arent trapping rust between the blade and glass. Alex is right.
Steve
I never change them. Mine is rusty and has been since 3 years ago when I first got it. I use them on every window, everytime. I get a wavier signed so I don’t care about scratches. 
I get a waiver signed because I care about scratches.
If window cleaners cared about scratches they would do more then just get a wavier signed and pass the responsibility back on the customer. They would do more then leave the fight up to a handful of people.
The education and waiver help the customer know who is at fault for the defective product and have the information to be able to be protected in the future.
More than a handful of people are involved in the fight.
:eek:
What the F is that about. FD is not the only way to scratch glass. A few cents for a blade on a $100 job is nothing.
Having said that I seldom use a blade. If I can’t get it off with the brush it stays there on most jobs. I do cover this with the customer and explain the risks of scraping versus the job result with out scraping. If explained well most people would rather live with 95% clean windows and not scratching as opposed to 99% clean with the risk of scratching. Scraping is an add on now.
It’s sarcasm. Read the thread in the link below and you will know what Juggernaut is saying
http://windowcleaner.com/vBulletin/residential/7279-scrapers-every-first-clean.html
That’s funny, because I am familiar with the feud.
We almost always use stainless steel, but you do have to be careful with the stainless steel blades because of the weak structure, I have had more than one break and send a flying edge, so wear your sunglasses etc. Its usually outside on vinyl trimmed windows.
I LOVE YOU!!! lol. No seriously this is how I go at it with my customers also. I look at FD as a money maker. I explain to my customers that because of the FD issue, if they want me to scrap them I can but only with a wavier. I also explain to the customers that because of the possible risk, time it takes there is a charge. I only charge on homes that need scraping everyplace. But as you stated I explain to my customers before hand the issues and that there will be no scraping. I will scrap little things, as an example if there is paint on a few windows an not the whole home. I will scrape those windows included in the charge. I do have some customers who state their last window cleaner used a blade and no addtional cost. I then tell them that the cleaner must not have been educated in their craft as if they did they would not scrape scrape without a wavier. I have never had any issues. And the nice thing is it allows me to take on gigs and NOT walk away from them losing money. If the customer wont sign the wavier, it’s simple. They don’t get bladed.
But seriously I change my blades out everytime they are going to be used. New blade everytime.
Kind of a silly question. Is there a proper side to use on a blade? I cant really tell the difference but when i think of a razor i think of it like a chisel, beveled on one side and flat on the other. If you dont use the proper side against the glass you’re not accomplishing much. Am I close?
How do you protect yourself from preexisting scratches?
How do you?
You can use either side of the blade with any blade that a window cleaning supplier sells.
