I was wondering how everyone handles the detail work after poling upper windows. Hopefully, I can get some ideas to improve my skills. Here is how my squeegee is set up and my current process:
I have been using an 18" ninja lately, but sometimes use an 18" ettore channel with my ledger. I have my rubbers cut so they are about 1/4" bigger than the channels. Using ettore or pulex hard rubber. The results are similar with both.
-mop the glass trying not to touch the frame, but also get the glass wet.
-start from either left or right corner (whichever side I ended at while mopping) making a straight pull down, keeping my leading edge toward the frame.
-I continue down the glass following the same process, keeping my leading edge down.
(I used the 7 method but it did not reduce my detailing. I dont have a problem with my top edge, just the sides)
When I am all finished the glass is awesome except for about a 1/4 inch on both sides! Is there a way to help eliminate this amount of water from maybe my squeegee set up?
Currently I use a blue huck towel, wrap it on the pole and wipe from top to bottom, then turn to a dry spot and repeat. This process takes forever and it sometimes smears the water cause my darn towel is getting wet! My scrim is even more annoying since it comes un wound or is just a pain in the neck to get wrapped up, then gets wet and have to fight it again.
So, how are you guys detailing upper windows with a pole? (sorry for the ramble/rant) Thanks!
you could try a fixi clamp if you are unhappy with the towel wrapping method. I just wrap the towel if I am cleaning glass that is not very high above me, but for higher up work and/or tricky stuff I like to use a fixi clamp. You have a lot more towel to work with using the clamp - it definitely absorbs better than the one square inch you get wrapping the towel around the pole.
Thanks Jesse, that is something I have not tried and will give it a go tomorrow! Mark, I have tried to cut it closer, longer, notched, un notched and all results are comparable. I will trim it down again and see if that might cut down on the water I am leaving behind. I appreciate and respect your opinions, thank you!
I have not dog eared my channels. The ninja I dont think can be dog eared. My ettore channels I use the green unger clips which kind of gives the dog eared effect. Would dog earring plus the clips make a big difference in your opinion?
hey Mark great video! I could see how you wrap your scrim around your pole, you are a lot more efficient at that than I am. How much would you charge to make someone one of those bad boys! Hopefully wagtail can get something going, I do like their tools but not the scrubbing pads, being light weight is important for someone that does a lot of glass each day.
Anymore I wrap my huck [U]tightly[/U] around the pole and tuck the last part in. I use to use a rubber band to keep the huck from flopping around and picking up water. I also quit trying to wipe the bottom, it just ended up smearing more water around than it was worth.
Go with the fixi-clamp - it also comes in use for other situations. Wagtail also have a new detailing tool if you saw the blog the other day with the Wagtail videos. I have added a clip to my short pole - this stops the towel coming undone. Just drill a hole & face the clip upwards, but cover it in tape in case of scratching. Get a Wagtail for minimal detailing.
i use the fixi-clamp on a pole with damp scrim to give a good buffing/drubbing to high stained glass windows . i made mine sturdier so the jaws grip tighter
You said 1/4 inch with the rubber extended out, then your problem was 1/4 inch of water on both sides…Right ?
1/4 inch is the problem, as Mark had said, have the rubber coming out about at 1/16 of an inch, plus if you dog ear your standard channel just about a 1/8 inch at the corner of each end then your tools is ready to go. Plus fresh rubbers are always on the the plus side to a good side cut ! Also doing the He-Man notch can be beneficial.
Now the next thing is application…You said you do the 7 pull downs…Right ? Well that’s the go to standard for pole work when using standard squeegees, If you pull straight down meaning your channel is perfectly horizontal to the bottom or top ledge when doing the 7 pull, then the channel won’t cut the edge cleanly most of the time.
So try keeping the channel at a slight angle when doing your pull against frame and that should push the rubber right into the corner,and cut it in cleanly,along with 1/16" and dog ear and or He-Man notch, and you’ll avoid slop at that edge. Do the same on both side and try to have less water on the finished side so the water won’t push up the channel and leave a trail.
Most of the time if you apply this learned process, you won’t leave any slop. Still sometimes things will drip so just wrapping you huck around the poles end should work just fine, and once you get things working you won’t have to detail those edges all the time.
If your having trouble with the huck on the pole take a heavy rubber band and secure you huck on the pole with that, I keep one on the end of my pole below the end adapter. But most of the time I don’t need it because I’ve got keeping it on my pole pretty much down, and you can too if you walk through the process and get it down.
The fixi clamp works fine but it’s added time to the process, added time slow things down and time is money, but if that’s all your able to utilize then it’s better than nothing. To me it’s just a added
weight (figuratively - more time) to the process !
There you go Justin I hope your thread helps you out ! Work safe …
I have the ettore version of a fixiclamp and have one of my cut scrims folded into it. All I have to do now is reach behind me into my pouch, grab it and throw it on the pole; takes 2 seconds!
The rubber band idea sounds equally awesome, although I have not tried it yet since I don’t have a rubber band.
Dangerous, your suggestions are what I was looking for in regards to my tools and technique. I had my rubber cut really close and noticed the problem with water at the edges, but my angle was down away from the frame. Tomorrow I am gonna leave a smaller piece of wet glass next to my last edge and then keep the edge side down tight into the frame.
Thank you so much for the valuable knowledge helping me to make my process more efficient!
justin, i do it the same way you do, have to detail the edges.I can do it pretty quickly tho now. I dont think theres a way around it- at least i havent found one.
