what do do about acid etch graffiti on glass

March 8, 2005 6:12 PM

The front window (5'x7') of my storefront was hit with acid etch graffiti last weekend. Does anyone have any experience with trying to buff out acid etch or will the window need to be replaced? I'd also like to hear about protective (read sacrificial) plastic coatings for storefront windows
posted by puppy kuddles to grab bag (4 comments total)

google - "acid etch graffiti" turned this up: 3M PDF about anti-graffiti window-films.

I think you have to replace the window. Buffing a surface removes a very thin layer of material, generally the underlaying surface is hard enough that the buffing removes only oxidation, rust, paint, etc.. the etching is a deeper gouging of the glass.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 6:23 PM on March 8, 2005

I read about the acid etch graffiti stuff in Vice Magazine a couple issues back (in the section that features new/upcoming/wierd products like Popular Science does). It said there was absolutely no way to remove it other than replacing the glass. But according to this article, it could be buffed out in a few hours if the etching is not too deep. / Doesn't sound promising.
posted by fourstar at 7:42 PM on March 8, 2005

I hope you find whoever did that and destroy them.
posted by ryanissuper at 6:53 AM on March 9, 2005

The glass windows of my office building get hit by taggers nearly weekly with acid. The building gets a guy to buff it out -- he uses some sort of smallish industrial buffer. The tags are never very deeply etched, though.
posted by desuetude at 11:27 AM on March 9, 2005