Removing scratches from cd’s ?

[Swivel]

Hi
Can anyone tell me how they remove scratches from cd's ? I thought of buying a special kit but, I would like to give something a go myself. I thought of maybe buffing the disks to polish them out ?

Thanks in advance
Swivel

[RayH]

I think you've got a "Monkey's Paw!" The cure may be worse than the illness.

[Steve R Jones]

I've heard of people using toothpaste to remove some scratches.

[Warthog]

Same with me.

Warthog

[randy48]

Swivel, you've got to remember that there is only a very fine protective coating on a CD, if you "rub" that away, you've ruined the disk! If it works with the scratches, burn another copy if you want a clean one!

[Swivel]

Hi
Good point randy48. I forgot all about the protective coating, no worries.
Thanks
Swivel

[vfrxsw]

My exprience with scratched audio cd's is that they can often be polished out.I have made at least 20 of 30 none playable audio cds playable . Of course there is a significant difference in the data stream format on an audio cd versus data cd and the error correction system with audio cd. So data cd's may be much harder to repair. The label side is where you have a easily damagable thin layer. The width, depth and direction of scratch all affect your ability to repair. I use Novus plastic polish available from local plastic supply companies. I am sure many of the special kits contain similar polishes. http://www.novus123.com/

[Dovaka]

my experience with the cd scratch removing kit is that it doesnt remove the scratches it just scratches the entire cd evenly

[scotter]

there is a web site that talked about this and they said BrassO was the stuff to use over all else if I can find the link I'll post it
they really did a nice write up and tested eash product to really see if it made a diff
brasso was the best
Brasso = brass polish

[This message has been edited by scotter (edited 03-15-2001).]

[richamies]

I can vouch for Brasso, I've used it many times and reccomended about a year ago.

T-Cut car paint polish is good too. Not sure what it's called in the states though. It takes off a very very find layer of paint, I guess you'll have similar things over there http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif.

Rich

[justy]

Found this, might be useful.

http://www.bithose.com/serfaq/REPAIR/F_cdfaq2.html#CDFAQ_012

Article 4.10

All the best, Justy.



[This message has been edited by justy (edited 03-15-2001).]

[codybear]

from experience...toothpaste....kids crest worked great http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[jad1097]

I think #3 is the way to go!

[brandon184]

Toothpastes are mild abrasives. If you use some toothpaste with little things in it, you are only going to put hundreds and hundreds more of tiny scratches into the disc.

- Brandon

[RobRich]

The blowtorch technique does work, assuming you take your time and are extremely careful. I've repaired several audio CD's through this heating method. The trick is holding the torch's flame parrallel to the disk. Never actually contact the disk with the flame, or you will melt the disk. After trying on a couple of dead, non-repairable disks, you can find the best height and position to hold your torch in relation to the disk. A simple low-temp butane torch is best suited for this recovery process.

Robert Richmond

[Lebo]

I am impressed with the "Blowtorch Technique" as put forward by RichRob.

Although I have tried to emulate this technique, after fourteen disks, two calls to the fire brigade, and a number of ice packs applied to my fingers , I have yet to complete a full restoration.

I am confident that with a klittle more determination I will succeed!

[cyphen]

hmmm... so kids crest works best, huh? Should I go for Fluoride, or non fluoride?

Crest - fights cavities in your teeth and on your CDs!
just one more thing to brush at night before you go to bed!
Thanks for the tip....good to know!

(Hmmm ... I wonder if Crest makes a product that will fix my Dad's File Allocation Table!) see this post for details:
http://www.sysopt.com/forum/Forum9/HTML/003444.html

[daveleau]

Just a note, be sure not to use toothpaste with baking soda. This only scratches the cd worse.

Brasso is the best. Be sure to move from the center outwars and not round and round.

I buff mine under running water, with brasso on my fingers.

Good luck
Dave

[gdlewis]

I repaired a scratched CD by gently rubbing the scratch with a bar of Ivory soap. Then "lightly" polished it out. Seemed to fill the gap, and works great in the shower too!

[Bovon]

From the following site, I found the following info. There is a lot of good info here...almost everything you ever wanted to know about CDs, but were afraid to ask. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/biggrin.gif

http://www.cdrfaq.org/


Subject: [7-12] How do I repair a scratched CD?
(1999/12/12)
If you scratched the top (label) side of a CD-R, and it no longer works, your disc is toast. (If you scratched it, and it still works, copy the data off while you still can.)

If you scratched the bottom side, then all you've done is etch the polycarbonate (plastic), and it can be repaired like any other CD. A common misconception is that the data is on the bottom, but if you examine it carefully you will see that the data is beneath the label. The laser reads the data through the polycarbonate layer, and if the layer is scratched the laser will refract onto the wrong part of the disc.

For small or radial scratches, the error correction in the CD format will allow the disc to continue working, but if there's too much disruption you will get audible glitches or CD-ROM driver errors.

If the disc works some of the time, you can "repair" it by copying it onto a new CD-R disc. If the disc is always unreadable, or is copy protected, you will need to repair the disc itself.

One product that may be useful is Wipe Out! (http://www.cdrepair.com/), a chemical abrasive that allows you to reduce scratches. Others include Scratch Suppressor from http://www.cdrestore.com/ and Discwasher from http://www.recoton.com/docs/disc/1-4.html.

The Repair FAQ at http://www.repairfaq.org/ has a section on repairing scratched CDs. Find the "Compact Disc Players and CDROM Drives" section, and skip down to 4.10 and 4.11.

Some people have suggested using plastic polishes or "fine cut" paint polishes sold for removing fine scratches on automobiles. These fill in the scratches and create a more optically consistent surface. Fine metal polishes may also work, and some people claim that plain old white toothpaste does the trick. There is some chance that the filler material will fall out over time, rendering the disc unreadable once again, and possibly gunking up your CD-ROM drive along the way. If you want to fill in the scratches, you should make a copy of the contents to a new disc as soon as possible, and stop using the original.

[MiKe85]

so - Which is the best alternative?

Mike

[Bovon]

Uhhhhh...flip a coin maybe?...

[KMBALO]

When I have a scratched Cd and try to burn it,sometimes my program won't let me, it says "terminated with errors". Then again I have bought a new software that's never been opened and it was terminated with errors also when I went to make a back-up. I have made disk to disk copies of a CD I was sure would be too scratched to burn and they worked find. I find that Pledge Furniture polish works great on CD's and it protects them to. it's even repaired skipping in some.

[King_Kooba_Fantastique]

the blow torch method really works ??..how?.

KKF.

[Warthog]

The microwave helps...

At least it's entertaining.

Warthog

[LittleKing]

In referance to the blow torch technique, how about using an oven? All you would need to do is turn up the heat high enough and all the scratches would melt away. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

LK

[G]

Hi
Try cleaning the CD with a damp cloth. Spray lacquer (hair lacquer) or the like, once dry, on to the CD/CD-ROM etc and gently remove excess. This may work. It is only a short-term method but it may help you recover important data and so on.

All the best,
G

[RobRich]

the blow torch method really works ??..how

By melting the lacquer finish back to an even state, thus sealing the crack. As I said, I've attempted this with mostly audio CD's. Data CD's are another story. I usually just buff the surface with a slow speed car buffer with a dry lamb's wool pad. Again, be careful, as this technique can also burn the finish if you apply any real pressure. A few passes of the buffer, and then the CD usually works enough for me to read+copy to a new CD-R.

Robert Richmond

[KMBALO]

THOSE UNDER 18-DO NOT TRY POSTER
"warthog's"
Microwave methed http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif
not good!
Shame on you warthog...You're suppose to save that for the 4th of July!