Removing scratches from LCD screens? [i.e. remotes, etc]

[Christopher]

I've had success using toothpaste [preferbly with whitening] + a cotton swab. Slightly dampen the tip of the swab, and put a smidge of toothpaste on the top. Work that into the LCD screen [like you'd buff a car] preferbly in a circular motion [and make sure you press down slightly whilst doing so] and let it idle for a minute. Dampen the other end of the swab with water and use that to remove the toothpaste. I'm sure you get the jidst of what I'm trying to say..just make sure you don't do anything in excess.

This method worked wonders on a scratched mc12elk remote I used to employ a year back. Honest.

You don't have to dampen the cotton swab too much, anyways. The main bit is to make sure that you work that toothpaste in, and even if some gets in the crack between the LCD + the unit it's easy to get out and doesn't affect the paint. End result is usually a clean LCD and a minty unit!

Some scratches [thinking severe] cannot be removed with the toothpaste method, no matter how many coats you apply. It can lessen the obtrusive appearance, though..

It stunned me at first how I transformed a slightly scratched MC12ELK to super-mint [haw haw :rasp:] condition with this method. If you have a heavy scratch, you may want to consider another coat of 'paste to see what occurs.

[sony_man]

what brand did u use?

[Christopher]

Maybe Crest? I can't remember. :laugh:

[sony_man]

i tried it on my ipod...... it didnt work, i guess its too abbrasive and i guess it cant tackle such a large surface.

[Syrius]

I imagine gel-type paste doesn't do the trick, does it?

[Christopher]

It should. Just make sure that you use a very small amount. I believe I should make a video of this procedure to help the community..

[BJ]

There's also a product on the market called CD 2000 that buffs scratches out of plastic. It's not as abrasive as toothpaste, so it may work for lighter scratches. We used this gunk at the CD shop I worked at with some nice results. It smelled pretty cool, too--nice and petrolium-y.

[Syrius]

Tried it on my Sharp SR 60 main screen, no noticeable improvement. Maybe because it's gel-based.

[Christopher]

So, you put the toothpaste on the tip of the cotton swab and firmly worked it in a similar fashion to buffing a car? You do have to push down a little bit.

[Syrius]

Seems like I got it right this time. Though the results are less than spectacular due to the unit seeing a lot of rough use, the screen looks a bit neater.

[sfo2phx]

A product called BRASSO works very well on plastic. I've used it on everything from plastic watch crystals to turntable dust covers to - yes - even LCD screens on minidisc players. You can find it at your local hardware store.

[xeroxide]

Yes, i've used that before, but use toothpaste before using brasso, brasso is more of a polish, it' will actually show the scratches more. i'm guessing use toothpaste then brasso.

Used this method before for watches. my md is too new to have any scratches just yet, but when it does, that's what i'll do

[sony_man]

dang, it doesnt work on my ipod..... this really stinks cause my ipod has a lot of scratches.

[Christopher]

I think I need to make a movie of this procedure. What should we call this movie?

[A440]

"Gone with the Paste"

"Scratchbusters"

"Swabber-Man"

"Back to the Toothpaste"

"The Dot-Matrix Display Reloaded"

or maybe just "Screen Saver"

[Christopher]

ahaha, I like those. Expect the vid to have one of these titles. :happy:

[hotsauce]

So, you put the toothpaste on the tip of the cotton swab and firmly worked it in a similar fashion to buffing a car? You do have to push down a little bit.

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hey i've used toothpaste to try and take out the scratches from my minidisc's screen and it doesn't really work and now it's a little worse in the sense that some of the toothpaste got stuck inside the screen and i don't know how to get it out. help!

[Christopher]

Describe to me exactly how you did this process.

[hotsauce]

well i took a toothbrush and placed toothpaste on it and started during circles on my mz-n910 screen and some of it, and some of it got stuck inside the screen on the bottom. i fear that the paste dried up and it's gonna be harder to remove. what can i do. do i need to explain anymore?

[hotsauce]

still can't get the stuff out from under my minidisc lcd screen glass. please, anyone with ideas. also, a side question, wanted to know why my picture that i uploaded to show up under my s/n for the forums is not showing up under my s/n for the forums

[Christopher]

Wow you're cute. Uh, you uploaded a picture, not an avatar. Try uploading an avatar instead.

Anyway, if it's under the glass it's not going to leave. I'm sorry..I may inspect the unit for you to see what I can do if you wish - where do you reside?

[hotsauce]

i would send it to u, since ur not far away, i'm in new york and ur in maryland, but since i'm about to sell the minidisc to someone, who doesn't care about the imperfections the minidisc has right now, their still willing to buy it off of me. thanks for caring though. by the way, what is an avatar, i can't find that word in the dictionary.

[Christopher]

Don't worry - I fixed it for you. Check out the "My Controls" link at the top of the forum sometime.

Anyway, so you sold the unit? Are you going to get another MD? Don't leave the format. :/

[hotsauce]

hey thanks for fixing that for me. just in case i want to change the picture later, is it possible that i can do it myself, or will u have to fix it for me again, lol. i don't really understand the many options in "My Controls", and to be honest it doesn't really matter to me, i don't really be in the forums that much. i haven't yet sold the unit, but by the end of this week i should have. i don't plan on getting another md, especially not a hi-md cuz the battery life is not so great, and they sure look a bit bulky and it's not something that i need. also, i'm getting kind of tired of music or i'm just not as into it as i used to be. i was thinking about leaving the format and going with the ipod, but the fact that battery life is even worse, there's no point. md is a great format, but it could be better. since i'm usually home, i'll just listen to music on the computer and won't have to carry my music with me.

[Christopher]

Well, at least come by to chat in the off topic section every once in a while. Good luck on whatever choice you make.

[EaglesNest]

i would send it to u, since ur not far away, i'm in new york and ur in maryland, but since i'm about to sell the minidisc to someone, who doesn't care about the imperfections the minidisc has right now, their still willing to buy it off of me.  thanks for caring though.  by the way, what is an avatar, i can't find that word in the dictionary.

←

First off, I would think that toothpaste on an LCD screen would make it considerably worse. Toothpaste has a very fine abrasive in it, and anything abrasive will cause more scratches not less.

Secondly, What dictionary did you look up avatar in?

One entry found for avatar.

Main Entry: av·a·tar

Pronunciation: 'a-v&-"tär

Function: noun

Etymology: Sanskrit avatAra descent, from avatarati he descends, from ava- away + tarati he crosses over -- more at UKASE, THROUGH

1 : the incarnation of a Hindu deity (as Vishnu)

2 a : an incarnation in human form b : an embodiment (as of a concept or philosophy) often in a person

3 : a variant phase or version of a continuing basic entity

Which essentially means a graphical representation of your personality.

Eagle

[hotsauce]

i always loved english class

[atrain]

abrasives are used to polish anything if they're small grained enough, so baking soda toothpaste makes perfect sense to me.

[robin726]

Secondly, What dictionary did you look up avatar in?

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Just use google and type "define:avatar". You'll get more than a dozen results but this is the first one:

"A digital representation of a user in a virtual reality site."

Seems to just about cover it.

[hotsauce]

and hey, robin, don't you think that the picture i have can be called an avatar, or am i wrong, just like eaglesnest pointed out

[EaglesNest]

and hey, robin, don't you think that the picture i have can be called an avatar, or am i wrong, just like eaglesnest pointed out

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Personally I would say so, the picture is graphical, and if that is a representation of your personality, then Yes you could call that an avatar...

Eagle

[hotsauce]

ok. so why the english class lesson then?

[peon]

"Gone with the Paste"

"Scratchbusters"

"Swabber-Man"

"Back to the Toothpaste"

"The Dot-Matrix Display Reloaded"

or maybe just "Screen Saver"

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lmao great names! i like screen saver and gone with the paste lol

[funkmasterta]

if u have silver metal polish, i've used that before with great success! i use the same way i use it on metal silverware.

rub on with qtip

swirl it around till it dries

then buff off w/tissue

then i usually use a damp tissue for a final cleaning.

[AMPlitude]

wow, i need to see this movie

[MZ-1]

Novus Plastic Polish. Three-step plastic polish system. used it to remove a scratch on the MZ-1's display.

Paul

[MDX-400]

Novus Plastic Polish.  Three-step plastic polish system.  used it to remove a scratch on the MZ-1's display.

Paul

This suff sounds like the "right tool for the job"; though as others have stated you'll find varying degrees of success with other methods. Toothpaste one is usually a good one. I prefer to use car polishes/waxes as these work quite well as well. For light "swirl mark" type scratches 3M Imperial Hand Glaze should be good as well (afterall that is what it is essentially for on cars ).

But the Novus stuff sounds like it might be the best way to go since it is intended for plastic. Novus is that the same company that has the glass repair systems for automotive glass (like winsheilds, etc.)?

[taterwa]

Easier to find and cheaper than the Novus polish is Meguiar's PlastX (about $6), which is available at auto parts stores. Apply with a Dremel tool using one of the felt buffing tips like a #422.

Using this stuff with the Dremel allows you to polish out even major scratches, and the results are pretty impressive. I've used it on plastic watch crystals and on some iPods with great results.

[tasdisr]

Has anyone tried this??

http://www.radtech.us/Products/Icecreme.aspx

It says it is for any acrylic surface

[IM40]

Wow, lots of concern on scratches. Why don't you use an LCD repair kit for 6 bucks? I use Merlin's LCD Magic, which fixed pavement scratches. I have seen other LCD repair kits on the net too. Anyway, scratches are a good way to personalize, unless they are obstructing the screen.