Repairing scratched CDs Options

[Emanuel]

Does anybody have experience from repairing scratched cd:s? There are a few repair-kits available, but are they really doing their job? The cd:s I would be happy to play/copy are not very badly scratched, but some scratches are deep enough to make EAC (with accurate stream/c2) lose the sync.

Emanuel

[Never_Again]

Yes, under the "Urban folklore" heading.
Eli's thread, referenced at the end of the seond page, is the real deal that should be noted, IMO.

[teh roxxors]

I apply Brasso with a piece of T-shirt. It's a lot of work, and it really only takes care of minor scratches.

I imagine there must be some type of small buffer or polishing machine that would do a better job applying the Brasso, but I'll be damned if I've found anything that works well. I've tried a Dremmel with a "buffing" wheel, but it spun too fast and burnt the hell out of the CD. I've even tried a palm sander/buffer, but even those are just too big for the job.

For really bad scratches, you can use 2000-grit or finer wet/dry emory paper (sand paper). You have to keep the CD/DVD wet when you do this! Work your way around the disc with radial strokes. The disc will turn milky-white and look totally ruined. After you rinse & dry it off, polish with a little Brasso on a scrap of T-shirt. Wait for the Brasso to dry (which can take hours), then buff with a clean scrap of T-shirt or other soft cloth. Repeat as necessary.

When the Data Dr. devices first came out, they had a good emory paper on them with a little tooth -- probably 2500 or 3000-grit. They worked great. Discs looked like hell afterwards, but the scratches were GONE. Since then, the manufacturer has made the sanding discs MUCH, MUCH less abrasive. All a Data Dr. does now is clean discs -- it can't remove scratches worth a damn.

Matter of fact, none of the various machines you buy fix scratched discs for crap. Every last one is a rip-off. They are designed NOT to remove any plastic, which is contrary to what must be done to remove scratches. In an effort to make the machines idiot-proof, manufacturers have made them entirely worthless.

This post has been edited by teh roxxors: Dec 27 2006, 01:58

[krabapple]

I apply Brasso with a piece of T-shirt. It's a lot of work, and it really only takes care of minor scratches.

I imagine there must be some type of small buffer or polishing machine that would do a better job applying the Brasso, but I'll be damned if I've found anything that works well. I've tried a Dremmel with a "buffing" wheel, but it spun too fast and burnt the hell out of the CD. I've even tried a palm sander/buffer, but even those are just too big for the job.

You can buy a benchtop 2-wheel grinder/buffer/sander at Home Depot for around $40. That's what i use.
When I'm not using it it goes in a box in the closet . Cloth buffer wheels cost about $2-5 depending on diameter. And in terms of being able to sell my unwanted CDs at 'like new' prices at my local used CD shop, it's already paid for itself.

For really bad scratches, you can use 2000-grit or finer wet/dry emory paper (sand paper). You have to keep the CD/DVD wet when you do this! Work your way around the disc with radial strokes. The disc will turn milky-white and look totally ruined. After you rinse & dry it off, polish with a little Brasso on a scrap of T-shirt. Wait for the Brasso to dry (which can take hours), then buff with a clean scrap of T-shirt or other soft cloth. Repeat as necessary.

Brasso should not take hours to dry, unless you've really glopped it on, or are in a really humid/cold environment.

Automotive polishing compound should work as well. If you really want a perfect finish, follow it with some scratch/swirl remover.

This post has been edited by krabapple: Jan 5 2007, 20:27

[bhoar]

You can buy a benchtop 2-wheel grinder/buffer/sander at Home Depot for around $40. That's what i use.
When I'm not using it it goes in a box in the closet . Cloth buffer wheels cost about $2-5 depending on diameter. And in terms of being able to sell my unwanted CDs at 'like new' prices at my local used CD shop, it's already paid for itself.

Interesting...

I'm curious about your technique for using the buffing wheels. How do you (safely) hold it in place? What speed do you use for how long? Etc.

-brendan