Process for polishing glass

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF POLISHING IRREGULAR PIT AND PEAKCONTAINING PLATE GLASS SURFACES WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF: (1) LOCATING SAID GLASS PLATE BENEATH AND IN WIPING AND RUBBING ENGAGEMENT WITH A WIPING TOOL HAVING A FLAT WORKING SURFACE PARALLEL TO SAID GLASS SURFACE; (2) FLOODING THE SURFACE OF THE GLASS WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A SALT WHICH IS A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POTASSIUM FLUORIDE, AMMONIUM FLUORIDE, AMMONIUM BIFLUORIDE, POTASSIUM BIFLUORIDE, IN THE TOTAL PROPORTION BETWEEN 15 AND 40% BY WEIGHT, HYDROFLUORIC ACID IN THE PROPORTION BETWEEN 0 AND 16% BY WEIGHT, SAID SOLUTION CONTAINING THE CONSTITUENTS OF HYDROFLUORIC ACID, ACIDIC HYDROGEN AND FLUORIDE ION, IN THE MOLAR RATIO H/F BETWEEN 0.5 AND 0.7, AND AN ORGANIC SOLVENT WHICH IS A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF METHANOL IN THE PROPORTION BETWEEN 0 AND 20% BY WEIGHT, ETHANOL IN THE PROPORTION BETWEEN 0 AND 10% BY WEIGHT, ACETONE IN THE PROPORTION BETWEEN 0 AND 10% BY WEIGHT, ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL IN THE PROPORTION BETWEEN 0 AND 10% BY WEIGHT, METHYL ETHYL KETONE IN THE PROPORTION BETWEEN 0 AND 5% BY WEIGHT, AND MIXTURES OF METHANOL, ETHANOL, ISOPROPYL, ALCOHOL, ACETONE, METHYL ETHYL KETONE, IN THE TOTAL PROPORTION BETWEEN 3 AND 20% BY WEIGHT, THE REMAINDER BEING WATER, TO CAUSE SAID SOLUTION TO REACT CHEMICALLY WITH THE SURFACE OF SAID GLASS WHEREBY A CONTINUOUS LAYER OF WATER-INSOLUBLE REACTION PRODUCTS IS DEPOSITED OVER THE SURFACE OF THE GLASS AND PITS THEREON; (3) SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVING BOTH SAID PLATE AND SAID WIPING TOOL TO REMOVE SAID LAYER OF REACTION PRODUCTS FROM THE SURFACE OF THE GLASS, WHILE LEAVING THE SURFACE OF SAID PITS UNDISTURBED; AND (4) REPEATING SAID TWO CONSECUTIVE STEPS OF FLOODING THE GLASS WITH THE POLISHING SOLUTION AND RUBBING WITH THE WIPING TOOL UNTIL THE LEVEL OF THE GLASS SURFACE IS LOWERED TO THE LEVEL OF THE BOTTOM OF SAID PITS AND THE PEAKS ARE REMOVED AND A FINISHED SURFACE IS OBTAINED.