[Peter Fogwill]

Some very interesting comments on what uses more water fans or pencil. 

I remember years ago a customer who had bought a brush with fan jets phoning me up after he had used them a few weeks.  He said he had the brush tested in a lab where he cleaned windows and they had actually measured the amounts of water used with both types of jets and he gave me a certain percentage of water that was saved using the fan.  I cant remember the figure or how it was done, but I was not in the least surprised at his comments.  A fan spray will use less water, give better coverage, and a better clean than a pencil jet.  Less water because it is coming out under more pressure. Better coverage because it gets right up to the edge of the brush. A better clean because it is under more pressure. 

Now for the very observant ones that have picked up on the more water with pencils, and my earlier comments on time saving with higher flow rates.  I still think the fans are just a fast if not faster, with less water because under the more pressure, more of the water is getting to the glass, and in a more effective way.
 
More people use pencil jets than fans because they are sold them, pencil jets are much easier to obtain and make.  I have even seen them made out of a self tapped screw with a hole drilled in it.

I know some people will always prefer different things to others but the laws of physics is involved here.

Peter

[Smudger]

Peter, thanks again,

i can confirm that making a pencil jet is very straight forward and would take around 1 minute on a cnc lathe ( set up to make hundreds )

are the fan jets the same as on cuprinol sprayers ? - these look like a moulded part ? or are they better quality ?

think i might get some and give it a go.

cheers

Darran

[jouk45]

i use pencils and if you use the right technique on beading  glass, there is no problem, you cant expect the water to do all the work for you

[Peter Fogwill]

Peter, thanks again,

i can confirm that making a pencil jet is very straight forward and would take around 1 minute on a cnc lathe ( set up to make hundreds )

are the fan jets the same as on cuprinol sprayers ? - these look like a moulded part ? or are they better quality ?

think i might get some and give it a go.

cheers

Darran

I don't know about others fan jets where they get them or how they are made.  Mines are 6mm blank plugs that go into 6mm quick connect connectors.  I put a slit in with a hacksaw , and then partly drill from the inside into the cut.  This produces a very effective fan spray.  I did try years ago some custom made fan sprays, one costing £13, but it just didn't do what I needed it to do, so I made my own.

Peter

[Peter Fogwill]

i use pencils and if you use the right technique on beading  glass, there is no problem, you cant expect the water to do all the work for you

Bristles, bristle density, water distribution, water flow, water pressure, technique, this is what you expect to do all the work for you, and it does.

Back in the old days of traditional cleaning I have seen me when needed dipping my applicator in a puddle of dirty water when my bucket was too far away to go for a dip.  Now the particular window was done to the same standard as every other window, but dosn't mean I would use this solution every day as my preferred solution. 

Yes you can go out with a backpack (sorry for bringing backpacks into this) and a Vikan brush with pencil jets and get an excellent finish, but it dosn't mean to say that this is the best way of working.

Like a few people here have stated, lifting the brush to rinse separately is what they have been taught, much the same as the pencil jets, they have been taught to use them when they were sold them from their supplier.  Now some people will try something different and it may take a slightly different technique, and they just think it is not as good because they are using their old technique with their new equipment, so go back to their old way of working. 

Now obviously this dosn't apply to everyone, but it does apply to a lot.  And it will also apply to people using fan jets as well when they try pencils, but again I say physics apply here.


Peter