Welding spatter is a common occurrence when welding and can happen with any type of metal.

However, if you don’t clean it up properly before the weld sets, then that spatter will be there for good on your glass or other surfaces. We’ll show you how to remove welding spatter from glass so that you can get back to work!

How to Remove Welding Spatter from Glass

In the previous blog, you learned how to add leather to the welding hood. Now, let’s take a look at how to remove welding spatter from glass.

There are several different ways to remove welding spatter from glass. The following step should be done immediately after welding.

The longer the spatter is allowed to remain on the glass, the more difficult it will be later removed.

Method 1: Scrub Spatter with a Brush

A simple scrub brush.  can be used to remove most of the welding spatter from the glass as soon after it is created as possible. This will help prevent any oxidation and allow for easier removal later on if needed.

If your area is filled with dust, you may want to cover the surrounding surfaces prior to beginning this step since these particles can contaminate or scratch the surface of your workpiece during cleaning efforts.

The use of water pressure (from a garden hose) is also recommended when using a scrub brush in order to aid in dissolving oils that might have been left behind by gloves or hands which were touching the piece before welding began.

Often, this alone will make removing all traces easy enough, but sometimes it will require the use of a mild abrasive in order to finish off any remaining residue.

Method 2: Soak with Acetone

Another way that you can remove welding spatter from glass is by simply soaking it down with acetone or ethyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol).  

These products are known for their ability to break grease and oil bonds, so they should be effective at removing most oils that might have been left behind on your piece during handling before welding began.

This process is fairly simple but takes some time because it requires patience while waiting for the liquid to fully evaporate without assistance once applied. Try heating up your work area prior to the application to make this method more efficient since heat helps speed things along.

Method 3: Use a Commercial Solvent or Degreaser

Another way to remove welding spatter from glass is by using one of the many commercially available solvents.

These products are specifically designed for removal and should work much faster than traditional acetone but try not to use anything which might be too harsh because it could cause damage over time.

Products like paint stripper or even brake cleaner (which is known to be extremely toxic) should not be used because they can cause damage.

Stick with a degreaser which is specifically made for this purpose instead of so you know it won’t harm the surrounding area when applied.

Method 4: Sanding and Polishing

After scrubbing, soaking, or using an acetone-based solvent, you may still find that your piece of glass has bits of spatter left behind in order to attempt removing them by sanding down the affected areas might do the trick, especially if things are scratched up after all other efforts have failed.

This process will take time but sometimes does produce better results than anything else since most mild abrasives work fairly quickly. Just be careful not to over-sand in order to prevent damaging the glass itself.

Once a piece is sanded down enough, it can easily be polished back up using any one of a number of commercial products designed for this purpose or even by combining your own homemade mixture, which will work just as well if done correctly.

Method 5: Glass Etching

Sometimes welding spatter simply doesn’t want to come off no matter what type of method you use, and at that point, trying an etching product might do the trick instead.

These chemicals are specifically made with cutting through grease and oil bonds in mind so they could potentially remove anything left behind from previous methods, including heavy oils like motor oil, WD40 (which is known to be extremely difficult to remove), or anything similar.

Method 6: Wax and Oil Remover

One of the most common ways to remove welding spatter from glass is by using a wax and oil remover that can work just as effectively on this material as it does with car paint jobs since these products are designed to remove both types of materials.

You should know that some people have experienced success just by applying something like WD40 directly onto their piece but only if they use gloves in order to keep oils off the surface itself beforehand (and then thoroughly clean everything up after removal).

This method works best when things aren’t too badly scratched up, so you don’t need too much effort involved during cleaning efforts.

Not everyone knows the proper way to remove welding spatter from glass but this article should help you learn how to do it correctly. In the next blog, you will learn how to purge weld.