DSS-R.04.05 — Nicotine / Tar Film

Nicotine / tar film is an appearance change on glass from tobacco smoke or vape condensates (nicotine, tars, glycols, aromatics) and combustion by-products that deposit as a sticky brown/amber veil. It often shows edge build, finger wipe “windows”, and drip legs on vertical glazing where condensation cycles occur. Classification is appearance-only per VIS (method-agnostic). Inspect after Non-Invasive Reveal under VIS lighting/geometry; record surface numbering and worked-surface status.

• Warm brown/amber cast (can be subtle to pronounced), especially in specular.
• Uniform tacky veil with finger/hand wipe arcs, lettering attempts, or rag stop-marks.
• Vertical drip legs beneath frame heads or HVAC paths; odor may be present on frames/sills/cloths after contact.
• May co-present with HVAC aerosol/oil film in smoking/vaping lounges or entries.

Surface-catch class (MSRT)

• Typically SC-0 (sticky organic film on surface).
• SC-1 may appear where dust-laden/abrasive wiping compacted soil or introduced very shallow micro-texture; SC-2 is uncommon-recheck classification if observed.
• Perform one light, non-marring pass on a small revealed test patch (substrate). Use a polymer stylus if a functional coating is suspected. MSRT supports classification only.

Visual signature

• Brown/amber veil with wipe windows/overlaps, edge build, and sometimes vertical drip legs.
• No chip-flank sparkle (not mechanical scoring); no discrete fused pits/nodules (not hot-particle).

Viewing / lighting

• Evaluate clean & dry at 12 / 36 / 72 in, normal incidence and oblique sweep (~60°-120°); raking macros to resolve sheen, wipe edges, drip legs. Record distances/angles in-frame.

Location / access

• Record pane ID and surface numbering (#1-#4; laminate-internal). Most common on inboard (#4) faces near entry vestibules, smoking areas, or residential interiors. If fixed parallax places the veil on #2/#3 (IGU cavity), classify CAT-5 by location (out of in-place scope) and refer.

Mechanism cue (context)

• Smoking/vaping activity, ash receptacles, signage, odor on frames or cloths, nearby HVAC returns carrying smoke.

Assign CAT by visibility at acceptance geometry and MSRT after a controlled reveal test. Depth values are indicative-field measurement not required.

• CAT-1 (Benign / non-relief): Thin amber veil; SC-0; mainly angle/raking visible; minor wipe marks. Indicative relief: 0-10 μm (optical film).
• CAT-2 (Light): Persistent tacky film with wipe overlaps/drip legs and localized SC-1 from prior dusty wiping; limited standard-view impact. Indicative relief: ~10-40 μm.
• CAT-3 (Moderate): Wide-area, high-contrast discoloration legible at standard distance (global amber haze), with scattered SC-1; often long-term exposure or poor housekeeping. Indicative relief: ~40-120 μm (film stack).
• Reclassify when: After true residue lift, any modeled micro-texture or SC>0 persists → evaluate under M.02 (abrasion fields); if soot predominates without amber tone, consider E.01.03 Soot/particulate pollution film.
• CAT-5 (by condition/location): Between-pane/inaccessible by parallax, integrity indicators, or confirmed functional-coating loss on the surface to be worked → CAT-5.

CAT is appearance-based; acceptance is separate under VIS-A at 12/36/72 in. Do not abrade to “force” removal during classification.

• vs. HVAC aerosol/oil film (R.04.03): HVAC films are clear/neutral with grille-aligned gradients; nicotine/tar shows amber tone, odor, and drip legs from condensation cycles.
• vs. Kitchen grease/aerosol film (R.04.04): Kitchen grease has spatter freckles near cooking lines; nicotine/tar is more uniform, room-wide, with entry/vaping area context.
• vs. Detergent/surfactant film (R.04.01): Detergent films show iridescence and tool-path streaks; nicotine/tar shows amber veil and odor cues.
• vs. Mineral staining/etch (Ch.03): Minerals make white/grey rings/runs; nicotine/tar is amber/brown, sticky, and non-crystalline.
• vs. Soot/particulate film (E.01.03): Soot is grey/black, more particulate-dominant with dry transfer; nicotine/tar is tacky/amber with odor.

• Photo set (VIS): 12 / 36 / 72 in, normal + oblique; raking macros of sheen, wipe overlaps, drip legs; context frames of smoking/vaping areas or signage/HVAC returns. Record distance/angle in-frame.
• MSRT result (substrate): After a small reveal test patch, perform one light, non-marring pass; record SC-class (SC-0/SC-1/SC-2).
• Forms: Pane ID; product family & surface numbering; worked surface Y/N; functional coating present on worked surface? (Y/N/Unknown); reveal status; lighting/time; geometry checklist; photos attached.
• Acceptance split: Post-restoration acceptance per VIS-A §6; classification ≠ acceptance. Coated-face appearance rules apply per VIS §6.2.e when the worked surface is a factory functional coating.

• R.04.05 Nicotine / Tar Film - Amber/brown tacky veil with wipe windows and drip legs on surface #___; post-reveal test patch shows [SC-0/SC-1]; visible at [12/36/72 in] under VIS geometry. Morphology: odor cue, edge build, no chip-flank sparkle, no pits. Classification: CAT-[1/2/3] by visibility and SC-class; CAT-5 if between-pane or coating-side loss on the surface to be worked. Forms + photo set attached; acceptance per VIS-A §6.