Tweet
Has anyone tried using Micromesh to fix scratches in DVDs? I have a couple of DVDs that our toddler got ahold of & scratched up pretty good. They will play partially & then skip or stop playing. I've read some of the recommendations online about using brasso, pledge, jewelers cloths, etc. It made me wonder why couldn't I use MM to polish out the scratches? For those who don't know, Micromesh is a very fine grit sanding cloth that gets used frequently in penturning. IIRC, it was originally developed to polish plexiglas airplane windshieds.
-
-
It should work. Any really fine abrasive will. I bought a commercial kit for about $20.00 once and it turned out to be a a glasses cleaning cloth and two ounces of SoftScrub in a bottle. Needless to say, I saw no need to post this in bargain alerts.
Chr's
__________
An ethical man knows the right thing to do.
A moral man does it. -
I don't think micromesh will work. While any cleaning fluid could be expected to take away the dust particles on the disk, micromesh would actually 'sand' the disk, making the surface nice and smooth, but necessarily close to what the DVD writer did. Most likely it might make it worse.
But gotta test that - maybe with a working disk that I don't need any longer.It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
- AristotleComment
-
I'm talking about a scratched disk, not a dirty one. The data for a dvd is actually not on the plastic, its on the foil on the "top side" of the disk. The suggestion of brasso & jewelers cloths were what got me thinking about Micromesh. All brasso or a jewelers cloth would do would be polishing the plastic. I would think MM would be the same end result. I have MM up to 12000, this polishes as fine as brasso. Am I missing something?Comment
-
It should work. I've had mixed results with some lexan polish. Deeper scratches require a lot of rubbing. The micromesh might cut down on the work.ErikComment
-
that is correct about the data being on the inside. The laser reads through the bottom of the plastic disk to read the underside of the dye or foil layer where the data is.
I'm not familiar with the micromesh, but any polish that will polish the surface to a crystal clear condition should work. If it leaves a cloudy finish it won't work.Last edited by LCHIEN; 11-29-2010, 10:51 AM.
Loring in Katy, TX USA
If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questionsComment
-
I would think just about any plastic polish would do the job. The scratch may be making the head skip. Smooth those edges of the scratch and you should be good.LeeComment
-
I've been toying with the idea of making a CD mount for the lathe with a backing plate..
Sand the disks working from 220 or 400 through 2000 grit paper. Finish it off with a loose buffing wheel and a plastic buffing compound.
I wonder how this would work.. heck it's almost the size of a CD..
http://www.harborfreight.com/12-minu...kit-65938.htmlLast edited by sscherin; 11-29-2010, 04:06 PM.William's Law--
There is no mechanical problem so difficult that it
cannot be solved by brute strength and ignorance.Comment
-
As previously noted, the data is recorded on the underside of the foil, which is just beneath the label. The polycarbonate underside can be polished with whatever "polishing" material that is suited to plastic. I've used Nuvell [sp?] plastic polish (designd for rear-windows on convertable), and Brasso. I think the Brasso, with a good cotton cloth worked best.
The problem with scratches and abrasions is that the defract the laser and thus make reading the embedded data a problem. Deep scratches may be a problem, but most will polish out just fine.
I think I would refrain from going through the "grit process" though, as the most abrasive will certainly cause more damage. Somewhere, a few years ago, I read where there was a liquid that was available that would "fill-in" deep scratches, and with a follow-up polishing, one could adequately rejuvenate most CD's. (I think it's the same principle as repairing nicks in windshields.)
The label side of the disc is far more delicate than the bottom. Scratches on the top, can be deep enough to destroy the foil on which the data is written. (I recall a story where some kid, prior to heading off to college, decided he would engrave his initials on all of his music CD's in an effort to guard against theft. It may be just one of those "legends", but I quite imagine his music collection was seriously damaged, if this was true.)
I hope this helps,
CWSThink it Through Before You Do!Comment
-
I have seen several posts on another forum in which engineers and maintenance folks at Bell helicopter (Ft Worth, TX) area use micromesh to sand scratches out of the plexiglass. Micromesh may conjure up sanding of sorts but some superfine microgrit sandpaper as in 12000 micromesh is finer than a lot of polish out there.
Micromeshed items are below - done over acrylic finish (cyanoacrylate) and or wood. No scratches and plenty of pure sheen/shine. Click on the individual pictures and look for scratches. None there. And no, it was not like that at the beginning. MM is what cleaned those up to that degree of shine. It will do the same for DVDs and CDs too.
Hank Lee
Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!
Comment
-
^^^^This is why I thought it might work for DVDs.^^^^ I guess I'll just have to try it & see if I can't buff out the scratches well enough to make the disk work.
BTW, that bowl is remarkable!Comment
-
My bad - I did not realize the 'surface' of the disc is not used to write stuff on!
OTOH, also did not know that the other side (with the label) is more vulnerable to scratches! Thanks, all.
Definitely want to try out my micromesh on some discs now...It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
- AristotleComment
-
Just remember that when you try to remove scatches from a CD or DVD always rub radially, never in a circle or any direction other than in and out.Comment
twistsol
Comment