Are we still using toothpaste on minor scratches? Does a microfiber cloth help, or does it add to the damage? What's the best method for getting gunk off? What about the ones that are warped? I have a pile of discs that need some TLC.
Wayne Parham Messages: 18793 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
You can repair light scratches on compact disks provided they aren't too deep. What you must do is to sand and buff the disk to remove a layer down to the scratch depth. That then removes the scratches.
As long as the damage is limited to light surface scratches, then sanding and buffing will work very well. It just can't be so deep as to get into the data layer.
Best to use a product that is designed for the purpose. Headlight repair kits are perfect for it. There are also CD repair kits that work well.
All that said, I must admit that I tend to replace CDs when they get scratched rather than to repair them. It's a price-versus-effort thing for me. A headlight lense is rather expensive to replace, so it makes sense to repair it. But unless a CD is rare, it seems to me it would be easier and less expensive to replace than to repair.
gofar99 Messages: 1955 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, I'm with Wayne on this one. CDs are pretty easy to replace now as many folks are getting rid of them and large buyers are snapping them up for resale. If it truely is rare I would contact one of the companies that will digitalize stuff. It seems funny to do that to a digital disk..but that may be needed. It will not be cheap though.
How grimy are we talking here? Just using plain water and a soft cloth should do the trick, but if they're in terrible shape, try diluting some rubbing alcohol with water and see if that cleans them up. In my experience, scratches on a DVD aren't a big deal. They usually still play just fine.
gofar99 Messages: 1955 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, I have used dish washing (liquid) soap on some. Dawn has one that has no additives and is the one I like. With really gooey stuff like adhesive I have used Simple Green followed by the soap. Afterwards they play fine. BTW this will work on LPs as well. Just don't get it on the label or it will deteriorate.
Has the toothpaste trick gone out of style? I remember when it was the number one piece of advice whenever you found a scratch on your CD. I guess I'm getting old.
Porter, well, there's no telling how long they've been hiding out in the basement, so that should give you a clue. None of the DVDs or CDs are particularly precious. Though it does include my King of the Hill collection. I'm watching one of the discs right now. Remember the time that Hank Hill found out that he was born in New York rather than Texas?
gofar99, you use Simple Green on vinyl? I figured it was too abrasive/strong. I'm probably treating mine too gently.
gofar99 Messages: 1955 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi. Vinyl doesn't seem to be bothered by simple green. I would not leave it on overnight, but it only takes a minute or so to get the gunk off. I use a flat painting pad (the kind with tiny bristles) to scrub it in the direction of the grooves. Next I use water to rinse it and I follow with a dip in my ultrasonic tank that has a mix of 1 oz dawn (unscented, and standard strength) 1/2 oz dishwasher wetting agent, 8 oz 91% alcohol and about 4 quarts of distilled water. I let the LPs (can do 5 at at time) spin for 15 minutes then use a record vac to dry them. It is about 95% effective on making even the cruddiest ones play well. The other 5% are just worn out or severely scratched and nothing will save them. BTW on some worn LPs (not scratched) using a cartridge with a really small stylus radius like many LOMCs will go further into the grooves and the LP will play quite well. The Dynavector Karat 23MR-RS I have is really good at this.
Leot55, I just don't remember using toothpaste on discs, but maybe I did, and I've forgotten. I've heard that you can use furniture polish to repair Blu-ray Discs, but I can't say that I've ever tried it.
I threw some furniture on one CD, just to see what would happen (it's Def Leppard, so no big loss). I don't think it left a residue exactly, but it also didn't help. Alcohol and water worked the best on the sticky stuff. The DVDs have played fine, which is surprising, because the CDs skip a bunch. Maybe they're more sensitive, or their playing mechanisms are more sensitive.
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