cleaning glass/stove

I tried the scotch-brite pad. No good.

http://www.3m.com/us/home_leisure/scotc ... &WT.srch=1

I last coated the glass with Butcher's Wax (Carnuba/Carnauba) in July. With a low fire in the warm weather, the window does accumulate a coating which is a dry white haze. It washes off with water only. Now that the colder weather is here and I have raised the fire the window has what appears to be a oily coating, which stays wet and wipes off with a rag only. What this coating is-I have no idea, maybe a combination of products of combustion and humidity in the combustion air. The top of the window has a haze that does not wipe off at this time. When I shut the stove down for maintenance (when I have time) I will clean and recoat the window. I should mention that I wipe off the glass every 2 days.

The idea here is to coat the inside of the window with a material that serves as a barrier. The only 2 windows I know of that stay clean are my Harman hand-fed and the old Kent wood stove (still for sale...CHEAP!).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnauba_wax

It's interesting that Carnuba is made up of fatty esters primarily. The hydrocarbons probably boil off in the application of a stove window which then may leave some of the fatty esters behind. These may be what are helping with your window. I may try some pure Carnuba on my window. I speculate that the fatty esters may cause the white haze to become less opaque, similar to how it looks when water is applied. The esters don't evaporate like water, so the glass looks clear.

Just a theory.

i tried my porter cable palm sander with 440 grit.looked like new

The isinglass on my stove is easy to clean. At first I thought it would cloud up just like the more modern glass, but; it hasn't proven true. The little bit of soot that gets on the isinglass is burned off by the heat of the coal. And all it takes to clean it is some paper towel with Windex on it. Nothing sticks to the surface and it cleans up with no effort at all. I have to be easy with the rubbing pressure because the isinglass is paper thin. I have enjoyed a clear view of the fire since October.
Another thing I have noticed about the isinglass is that it allows a large portion of the heat to radiate out of the stove into the room because of its thinness. It's good stuff.

wsherrick wrote:The isinglass on my stove is easy to clean. At first I thought it would cloud up just like the more modern glass, but; it hasn't proven true. The little bit of soot that gets on the isinglass is burned off by the heat of the coal. And all it takes to clean it is some paper towel with Windex on it. Nothing sticks to the surface and it cleans up with no effort at all. I have to be easy with the rubbing pressure because the isinglass is paper thin. I have enjoyed a clear view of the fire since October.
Another thing I have noticed about the isinglass is that it allows a large portion of the heat to radiate out of the stove into the room because of its thinness. It's good stuff.

I'd never heard of isinglass until I saw this post. My immediate concern has to do with the thinness. Being able to seal the glass, accidently breaking it, ect. Would it be reasonable to think that installing it up against a new piece of standard coal stove glass would give me the best of both worlds; ease of cleaning and durability? I know it would be an expensive installation, but what are hobbies for?
Just a thought...
-Len

CoaLen wrote:

wsherrick wrote:I'd never heard of isinglass until I saw this post. My immediate concern has to do with the thinness. Being able to seal the glass, accidently breaking it, ect. Would it be reasonable to think that installing it up against a new piece of standard coal stove glass would give me the best of both worlds; ease of cleaning and durability? I know it would be an expensive installation, but what are hobbies for?
Just a thought...
-Len

It doesn't have to seal as the stove is always in a state of negative pressure.

The thickness or lack thereof is a concern though.

Looks like it's simply Mica. Mic has been used for a very long time for this purpose....mainly before high temperature glass and ceramic was available. That should tell you something.