How to Polish Glass with Cerium Oxide

Glass is a common household material. We can easily find glass anywhere around us. We see it in our homes, offices, transport, and even on electronic devices. All we know is that it is easy to break and may get scratched over time. Let us take a simple example, we use mobile phones or glasses and we find it uncomfortable when we see through the scratched texture. We want a glass polish. Glass can be polished with Cerium Oxide.

Now, you might be wondering what Cerium Oxide is, and how to polish glass with Cerium Oxide. We will cover all points in detail below.

What is Cerium Oxide?

Cerium Oxide or CeO2 is a rare-earth metal found in the crust of the Earth. It is a pale or yellowish-white powder and is used as a commercial product. Cerium Oxide has multiple names. The most common of all are ceric, ceric dioxide, or cerium dioxide. The chemical formula is CeO2.

In recent years there has been an increase in the usage of the powders of metallic oxides as a means to polish optical glass. These materials have become very popular in the optical industry and are used for grinding and polishing glass. Cerium oxide is used as an abrasive to grind or polish glass. It is insoluble in water and it cannot be diluted in any acid. Therefore, the powder is commonly used to polish specialized glass.

How to Polish Glass with Cerium Oxide:

After understanding the basics of Cerium Oxide, we can now move forward mentioning the process required to polish glass with Cerium Oxide.

First of all, you know that Cerium Oxide is available in a powder form so you will need to mix it with lukewarm water to form a paste. This powder is a very powerful tool to remove any marks, blemishes, and tiny scratches on any glass material. However, if you feel that there are deep scratches on your glass surface, you should think of any other chemical formula or prefer replacing it with new glass. Cerium Oxide is useful in the bright polishing of glasses.

Once you have formed the paste, you can apply the mixture with the help of any rotary tool or may use an electronic polisher. You can always apply it with your hand and a piece of cloth. If you are using a felt wheel, you should try to keep it wet. You may apply the mixture on the wheel again and again once it dries out. Otherwise, you may slightly wet the rotary tool with warm water to apply the paste more smoothly.

If you want a light mixture just for the sake of some shine on the glass object, you can make a more diluted paste by adding more water to it. Otherwise, you may add 2 parts of Cerium Oxide to 1 part of warm water. This will make a good paste to buff glass scratches.

Use Cerium Oxide on a big surface

If you intend to use Cerium Oxide on a big surface, make sure to use a polishing wheel. You should clean your glass surface before starting the polishing process. Make sure that your polishing wheel is free from any build-up materials left from the previous polishing process. You can turn off the wheel sometimes and moisten the buffing pad again for a better-quality experience.

Make sure to repeat the polishing process the second time with a new buffing pad. This will enhance your glass polish. Let it dry in the open air and flip once the surface is completely dried.

Homemade Polish for Glass:

If you are planning to polish your glass surfaces without using Cerium Oxide here are some easy DIY tips to remove glass scratches.

·         Use toothpaste

·         Use Nail Polish

·         Use Baking Soda

Use Toothpaste:

Toothpaste is readily available everywhere. Even if you are home alone and need an urgent home remedy you may use toothpaste instead of Cerium Oxide to remove little scratches from your glass surface. However, you should always use a white paste instead of a gel paste to polish glass more effectively. If your toothpaste has baking soda in it, then it is a plus point for you.

The process is the same, clean the glass surface, let it dry, apply a little amount of toothpaste to the glass and rub it gently in a circular motion with a wet clean cloth for half a minute. Then you may rinse it with water. You may repeat the process if the scratch is still present.

Use Nail Polish:

Now keep in mind that we are referring to clear nail polish not just any nail paint. The cleaning process of the glass surface is the same. Then, apply clear nail polish directly to the scratch and wait for an hour. Later, use a damp cloth with a nail remover on it to clean any excessive nail polish from the surface. In the meantime, the nail polish should have filled the scratch smoothly without requiring any Cerium Oxide.

Use Baking Soda:

As discussed above, baking soda can be found in kinds of toothpaste and may effectively fill any scratch gap on glass surfaces. If the required toothpaste is not available at the moment, you may use baking soda instead to complete the process.

Gently clean the glass surface, and let it dry. Mix 1 part of baking soda with 1 part of warm water. Apply the mixture to the surface and rub it gently for several seconds. You may then clean the surface with a damp cloth to see the bright and shiny new surface without any minor scratches.

Cerium Oxide polishing compound is the best compound for achieving good results. It is found everywhere. It is present in glass cleaners and skincare products. It is an effective compound and is used for optical layering as well. You may find its covering on lenses, cameras, and glasses or shades. It is also a reflective material.  It means that once you clean your glass window with Cerium Oxide you can see your reflection in the window. That is why it is used for polishing glass materials, and mirrors and removing any marks or scratches. Thus, Cerium Oxide glass polish is a cool compound to try on your own. Visit Belka Glass for the installation of mirrors.