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Topic: Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches? (Read 74226 times) previous topic - next topic
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Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

I don't know why people have no respect for material they can borrow freely at a library, but any cd two months or older is usually scratched pretty bad at my local library. Sometimes, so bad I can't play them without skipping on my standalone sony single disk cd player.

So whats the best way to remove scratches from library cd's? since its plastic can I just  polish the cd with something?
"I have learned a lesson from the lessons I have learned"


Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #2
This is a longshot, but since we can't see where you live anymore, Infrared Archer, do you live in Vermont, USA at all?  There's a store in Burlington, VT that has this homemade buffer that works on any cd-media better than anything I've ever seen.

@ Downtown Discs, formerly Disc-Go-Round.

-Jeff

Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #3
No, I live in Tacoma, WA 
"I have learned a lesson from the lessons I have learned"

Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #4
"There's a store in Burlington, VT that has this homemade buffer that works on any cd-media better than anything I've ever seen.

@ Downtown Discs, formerly Disc-Go-Round."


How does this buffer work? Is it a polishing machine originally meant for a different task or something? I wonder which of these polishing solutions would work the best for scratched polycarbonate:

Emery Paper
Tooth Paste? I tried this with colgate, didn't work.
Brasso
Butane torch
Novus plastic polish
cd repair kits, bah 

I'm pretty happy with my liteon 24102b, and I don't want to put anything in the drive that would flake off.
"I have learned a lesson from the lessons I have learned"

Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #5
I spent half an hour with car polish and finished with car wax.
I used a machine normally used for polishing cars. That was probably a bad idea. I managed to save the one track that was damaged, but the cd cracked lightly near the inner ring.

Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #6
Hehe, Tacoma- I'm born & raised Kirkland trash.

-Jeff

Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #7
Whatever is used to try and temporarily revive a CD just long enough to grab the problem tracks has to be gentle enough to elleviate the problems versus making the disc impossible to grab anything from.

I've read tons of f.a.q.s about how to repair a badly scratched CD with homemade remedies (not repair kits) - the "do-this-do" that craze, however in my situation they've always pretty much failed and/or made matters worse by actually destroying the disc.

Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #8
I use an old bench grinder and car polish not wax I placed buffing wheels on grinder.  I also have used jewlers rouge with great results.  just be gentle when using high speed grinders keep moving as to not burn your cd.  Never had a problem and I can't even begin to tell you how many cd's I have rescued.  I buy alot of my cd's in pawnshops and used cd stores.  sometimes they are the only places I can find old upscured music so most of the cd's I get are well used.
What if the Hokey Pokey....is What it's all about?

Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #9
Quote
Hehe, Tacoma- I'm born & raised Kirkland trash.

-Jeff

LOL!  Born in Michigan, raised in Bellevue, WA. (not everyone there is wealthy... my parents were 'low to mid' middle-class during most of childhood).  Currently living just north of Renton (and poor as a churchmouse myself). 

P.S. for those not from WA. state, Renton is not to be confused with Redmond (home of Microsoft).  It's about 15 (20?) miles further south.

Edit -- as for the topic... try a google search on "Novus Plastic Polish."  #2 is the right kind for CD's.

Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #10
Hi. The system I use that is described in the link SometimesWarrior gave works very well. I have done at least 50 cd's and they not only read flawlessly and quickly with EAC, they also continue to play perfectly in my standalone stuff.

Its cheap and fast.

If you cant get to at least 2500 grit though, it will not work as the milkiness is too much to just buff out with felt.


Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #12
Quote
Try the Skip Doctor!

Bring Your Scratched CDs Back To Life
http://www.chrismyden.com/nuke/article.php?sid=126

I just bought one and it works great!

That's what I first used when I was starting out. I found it worked well for light scratches only.

And unless you have the motorized one, its a bitch to keep cranking. Less work to just use emery paper.

Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #13
Hmm.. You should suggest to the library to use CD-R's. They could put out a CD-R and keep the original CD, and then just burn a new CD-R when the old one gets too badly damaged.  B)

Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #14
Quote
Hmm.. You should suggest to the library to use CD-R's. They could put out a CD-R and keep the original CD, and then just burn a new CD-R when the old one gets too badly damaged.  B)

Or maybe just return the loaned cd as a cdr and keep the original for safe keeping 

On a more serious note, Is it legal for librarys to make 1:1 copies of cd's for backups? Thats really what they should do, because most of the cd's I check out are scratched pretty badly, especially ones that are 6 or 7 years old.
"I have learned a lesson from the lessons I have learned"

Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #15
I've asked them about vinyls. They didn't lend them, so I suggested they could make some CDRs out of them.
They told me the law was clear, it is absolutely illegal (in France).

Whats The Best Way To Remove Scratches?

Reply #16
Quote
On a more serious note, Is it legal for librarys to make 1:1 copies of cd's for backups? Thats really what they should do, because most of the cd's I check out are scratched pretty badly, especially ones that are 6 or 7 years old.

illegal in Australia I asked my mum who works in library a while ago. Too bad.