stain on frosted glass window

gogirlgo

a painter has got zinsser shellac stain blocker on my frosted glass bathroom window. it has smeared and wont come off. i have tried everything except paint & varnish stripper and cellulose thinner. meths & white spirit dont work or vinigar. has anyone dealt with this problem before or got any ideas. it really has sunk into the glass.

Aylesbury_Duck

You need to use an alcohol as a solvent. Make sure the frame is well protected and find a way to allow alcohol to soak into the shellac, such as allowing alcohol-soaked tissue to stick to it. Then slowly rub it away. It may take a lot of repeating and patience if it's thick.

gogirlgo

thank you but what exactly do i use? ive tried meths & acetone & white spirit. been at it all week!!!

Aylesbury_Duck

Isopropyl alcohol.

One caveat, though. You may have made it a harder task by trying other solvents on it. It's always a good idea to google or check with the manufacturer of the unwanted product as to the correct solvent to use. Trying out different products could chemically change the original problem, making it difficult to find a solvent to get rid of it. The tin of shellac will have the manufacturer's contact details and maybe even a helpline you could call.

Strider590

I would have said acetone, but given that you've tried it (it was pure acetone right?) I would next try Xylene.

BUT what you really need to do is repeatedly rinse, otherwise it'll just smear even more. On a window that's going to get very messy

Aylesbury_Duck

It needs to be alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol is the right solvent. Neither xylene or acetone are alcohols.

gogirlgo

where can i get this please? i have phoned zizsser and they said meths . i will get what you said but from where? thank you . i really at my wits end &dont want to replace glass as more hassle.

FreeBear

One used to be able to buy meths and IPA (isopropyl alcohol) from chemists like Boots, but thanks to namby-pamby Big Brother, you can't. However, if you have an old fashioned hardware store in town, they may well stock both.

Failing that, there is always ebay - Great for all that stuff that has been banned from sale to the general public (including "fun" chemicals).

One word of caution - The dye used in meths can leave a slight purple stain.

Notice that B&Q, Toolstation, and Screwfix also sell meths - You can also get Zinsser B-I-N Brush Cleaner which contains (amongst other things) methanol and will remove shellac.

gogirlgo

thank you. ive spoken to the company and they said meths, then detol, then paint& varnish stripper like nitromore which i haven't tried yet. have found the isopropyl on amazon. impossible to buy from the high street. must have called every chemist in london! do you think it will work? the painters boss said he will replace the glass but thats another hassle as the outside will have to be painted & im on the second floor so no one wants to work off a ladder. if only the stupid painter had covered the glass but its done now.

gogirlgo

thank you. please read my reply to other post. meths didnt work.

Aylesbury_Duck

The problem is that you've tried so many different chemicals on it, you can't be sure that what you're dealing with now is the same composition as the original spillage. Every one of those chemicals you've attacked it with may have reacted with it and formed new compound layers. You may end up with no alternative than to replace the glass.