In our daily lives, we hold a variety of things in our hands, such as smartphones, glasses, and cooking utensils.
Fingerprints are one of the things that bother us when we hold something in our hands. Metal products are difficult to remove fingerprints from, especially those made of stainless steel, which are very noticeable and difficult to remove.
In order to keep your metal products cleaner, here are some tips on how to deal with fingerprints on them.
This video explains how to clean common hairline and stainless steel vibrators, and also introduces “MaCoat GC” as a precaution against fingerprints.
contents
About Fingerprints
A fingerprint is a pattern formed by the raised lines (pattern-like ridges) of sweat gland openings from the skin on the tips of human fingers, and these patterns are marks that adhere to metal surfaces.
The shape of the fingerprint is different in every person.
And the components of fingerprints that stick are said to be amino acids and lipids.
Lipids are like oil. When you touch it, it adheres to the metal surface.
If you grab a glass cup, you will see a white, transparent fingerprint.
Metal and Fingerprints
A familiar example is fingerprints on the screen of a smart phone.
Wiping them off with a handkerchief or tissue seems to remove them easily.
Recently, anti-fingerprint films have appeared on the market, and there are many products with structures that make it difficult to see fingerprints even if they stick.
Recently, anti-fingerprint films and other products have appeared on the market, making it difficult for fingerprints to stick to the screen or for fingerprints to be seen even if they do stick.
However, it is said that fingerprints on metal are difficult to remove.
It is the mirror polished and buffed products that can remove them as easily as glass.
There is a misconception that these mirror and buffed surfaces are very smooth and glass-like.
When fingerprints appear on the surface, it is tempting to put some cleaning agent on the surface and wipe it off, but if it is just an initial fingerprint stain, wiping it off with dry tissue paper or a dry towel will clean it.
I recommend a microfiber cloth used in factories.
If it is an initial stain, it can be easily removed.
On the other hand, hairline polished products and vibration polished products are very prone to fingerprints.
In addition, the minute irregularities on the surface make it difficult to remove fingerprints.
For this reason, it is said that fingerprints on metals such as stainless steel are difficult to remove.
What should I do if I get fingerprints or smudges?
Now, let’s talk about what to do when fingerprints or smudges actually get on the surface.
First, as mentioned about the components of fingerprints, they are oil and amino acids.
They can be removed by washing with something that dissolves the substances that make up these fingerprints.
Dirt can also be removed by cleaning with something that dissolves the components of the attached dirt.
The key point here is to always wipe off fingerprints and stains with a wipe after they have been removed with a dissolving agent.
The fingerprints and stains are dissolved into a liquid, but if left unattended, they will dry up again and stick to the surface.
The trouble is that the stains will reattach themselves to the surface in a stretched state, making it even dirtier.
Also, there are a variety of cleaning agents on the market, but basically anything with too much of a mixture will eventually leave a residue on the surface.
A cleaning agent with a simple composition is recommended.
For example, let’s look at the case of fingerprint removal from a fittings part using stainless steel vibration polishing products.
As shown in the left photo, fingerprints and stains are attached.
This is mostly oil.
Therefore, cleaning with something that breaks down lipids (oil) will clean it.
In the case of this cleaning, it is done with an alcohol or hexane based solvent.
Alternatively, commercially available brake parts cleaners can also be used to clean, depending on the fingerprint and dirt conditions.
As for the procedure, it works well if you prepare several cleaning materials and try wiping one part to determine if it can be removed or not before deciding on the cleaning agent.
Wiping is essential for cleaning dirt.
Now let us explain how to actually remove fingerprints and dirt.
The first step is to remove dust and dirt from the metal surface with a dry cloth or brush.
If you wipe the surface with a liquid, the dust and dirt as well as the stain will melt together and adhere to the metal surface.
Therefore, it is important to remove the dust beforehand.
The next step is to use a cleaning agent that has been tested beforehand to dissolve the fingerprints and dirt on the surface and spray it up.
At this point, it is important to follow up with a wipe.
When fingerprints and stains are rubbed with the cleaning agent, they are dissolved and peeled off from the surface of the board, but they are captured in the cleaning solution.
However, they are captured in the cleaning solution, i.e., they reattach to the board surface when it dries.
Therefore, it is important to wipe off the dirty cleaning agent with a new rag while it is still in the cleaning solution.
Let’s take a look at the specifics.
(The MAKO logo is now the old logo.)
The video I am about to show you can be applied to initial hand stains and dirt, but for fingerprint stains that have passed over time, you will need a stronger cleaning agent.
First, here is a general hairline cleaning.
※動画リンクはこちら
The next step is to clean the general stainless steel vibrator.
※動画リンクはこちら
The next step is to clean fingerprints and stains on stainless steel mirror polished products.
Unlike conventional cleaning methods, this one uses a fine powdery substance.
It’s easy, but you need to use the right amount of powder because it will fall on the floor.
※動画リンクはこちら
In the initial stage of dirt, fingerprints can be easily removed with everyday items.
However, if they are left for a long time, they will become oxidized or corroded and cannot be removed with simple cleaning agents.
When this happens, it is necessary to use a professional cleaning agent that uses specialized chemicals.
Most of them contain acids and alkalis, and require specialized skills such as rinsing with water after cleaning.
Daily maintenance will prevent this from happening.
In order to implement fingerprint countermeasures in a simple way
If you want to reduce the amount of troublesome work such as daily cleaning as much as possible, you can either devise a solution from the material side, such as pruning stainless steel design polishing products that are fingerprint resistant, or if you want to deal with products that are already attached or processed, a post-coating is effective.
We have a product called MaCoat GC, which is a fingerprint resistant coating.
It is a highly effective glass coating that is easy to apply afterwards.
It is a good product to save your time and effort.
<MaCoat GC Product Page＞
> For more information. Click Here
<MaCoat GC Construction Video＞
<MaCoat_GCのWater Repellency＞
※The video link is. Click Here
Finally
Fingerprints and smudges on metal are unsightly and unpopular.
However, they can be cleaned easily if you know the cleaning procedure.
However, if you know the cleaning procedure, you can easily clean them.
In order to reduce maintenance work, it is recommended to use design stainless steel products with improved fingerprint resistance or to use fingerprint resistant coating.
In order to reduce maintenance work, it is possible to use design stainless steel products with improved fingerprint resistance or apply fingerprint-resistant coating.
Please give it a try.
