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

Hi. I have repaired probably over 100 cd's by now. I started with a " disc doctor " product and it worked very well for lightly scratched discs.

But I was still having trouble with heavier " yard sale " cd's. So I adapted the disc doctor system as follows.

Go to an automotive refinishing store and get some 1500, 2000, and 2500 grit emery paper. If they have 3000 or 3500 this will help with the final polishing.

Make a little sanding block from styrofoam or stiff rubber. Something like 5cm by 3cm is good. Cut the emery paper into strips that fit the block.

Place the disc on a flat hard surface and wet the clear side with clean tap water or distilled water. Sand crossways with light pressure, 1500 first, then 2000 etc.

The cd will now have a milky appearance on the reading surface. To finish, buff hard with a small piece of felt.

The whole process takes about 5 min per cd.

Generally, tracks go from being unreadable to near 100% quality, as read by EAC. If you can find 3500 grit paper, the final buffing can be done with a soft kleenex with near perfect results.

You can also do a search for Novus plastic polish, which is rumored to work well with CD's (they have 3 types, try #1 for cleaning & light scratch removal, #2 for serious scratches). I bought some recently to take the scratches of my turntable's dust cover, works quite well . Haven't tried it with CD's yet.

For my lightly scratched cd:s, I ran down to a local store and bought DiscRestore for about US$15 (conversted from Swedish Krona). It has worked excellent for 5 cd:s.
kennedyb64: I'll save that one for the future!

Thanks, both of you.

Emanuel

I've seen a reference to these on a different messageboard site (Guardian Unlimited), but I don't know how good the products are tho ..

http://www.cdrepair.com/

http://www.onecybersquare.com/cdindex.htm

yup...


i have had good experience with toth paste...
(no bull..) i have found the paste with a sander effect to be good..
(it contains teflon)

In the UK, we have an automotive product called 'T-Cut', removes the 'dead' outer paint layer, seems to work pretty well on scratched CDs.

There's this store by where I live in Vermont, Downtown Discs, in Burlington that built their own homemade buffer and it works great- they charge a buck per cd to use it and I've never had anything but the best results with it. Every cd that I get errors from EAC with, I take it there and the errors are gone when I take it. It works great w/ DVDs and the like (Duh!) too. One time, I had a copy of total recall dvd and it turned out that it was a data error on the cd rather than a scratch so I had to call the manufacturer on that one. I should ask them how to build it `cos that thing is awesome.

-Jeff:D

Hi,

I repair them with a hadheld small butane torch,

adjust the lenght of the the flame to about 4 cm.
(You may have to close one or two air intake holes if necessary)

place the cd on a flat surface

light the torch and wait until the flame lenght stabilizes

hold the torch horizatally and apply the tip of the flame to the scratch for a very short time

polycarbonate fuses and the scratch is gone....

try on a discardable cd first!!!!

If you hold the flame longer than necessary the cd warps

I haven't tried this on a cdr yet and don't know if the dye gets harmed.


regards,
Asral

See this thread at EAC forum for my test results:

http://www.digital-inn.de/showthread.php?threadid=10699

cheers,
Halcyon

Hi,

How do you polish a CDR without getting the data side wet?????

you should see my coasters used as a cupholder in two weeks time.

regards,
asral

Another suggestion would be to try ~1500-grit rubbing compound (used for touching-up surface imperfections on automobiles). The 2 or 3 discs that I own that were scratched responded well to this method, since I happen to have the stuff laying around anyhow.

Hi, Halcyon !
Nice to see you, I was just wondering if you gave up the CDR test, or just lost my adress

Use a polishing machine. If you know an optician, let her/him do it - the edges of looking glasses a polished with such a device and it works very well with CDs too (I know it, 'cause I did it in the past).

A polishing machine used for shoes or a drilling machine with a polishing add-on (connected to a table with a bench vice) should also work.

No matter which of the solutions posted here you choose, scratch some AOL CDs and practice! Don't risk to trash your CDs forever!

Maybe you can try to extract the tracks from a cd-writer,
at 4x or less, and then backup.
cd-writer is better than a normal cd-rom...

Are you serious about this method? I could see how it works but does T-Cut work well for plastic? Must try me thinks! God bless T-Cut!

I've been using several different things for CD repair. First thing I try is a CD/DVD repair cloth (available at most music stores and electronics places) with a French product called "Scratch Remover GS27" from Gaultier SA. I bought that from Rightaid I think in the automotive section for about $10. If there are serious scratches I use 2000 grit sandpaper from Walmart (per kennedyb4's suggestion) and polish it up with the GA27 and repair cloth. I also use brasso, but I prefer GA27 since it doesn't have such a strong odor but seems to work just as well.

Automotive liquid buffing compound works real nice. Just dab the end of a mild rag and rub lightly for superficial scratches, more heavily for deeper ones. Get the finishing polish type or, in case of serious damages, do a first pass with the paste (coarse) type followed by a finish buffing. Go easy with the paste though, it eats up more material..

Easy to find, cheap to buy, odourless, safe for all surfaces.

I also heard good things about the torch method, but I think it would require a certain dexterity plus a lot of practice to achieve good results, would it not ? The buffing takes a little longer but affords more control...

Been storing your CDs in a box of rocks?

First, examine the CD. If there is a scratch on the top of the CD (the label side), you are out of luck; this side is actually much thinner and more easily damaged than the bottom, and is almost impossible to fix.

Assuming its the bottom that is scratched, however, I have had good luck with Brasso brass polisher, which is available at any hardware store in the States. Just wet the CD, and buff the scratch out. CDs are encased in polycarbonate, so water won't harm them, but make sure you get all the brasso off before you try to read it in your CD-Rom drive.

When you buff, make sure you buff from the hole outward in a relatively straight line; don't use a concentric motion. Focus your efforts on the scratch, and it should disappear in a minute or two of concentrated rubbing.

When you are done, your cd will look like it has a million tiny scratches instead of one big scratch, but it should read fine; I have done this with about 15-20 of my cds and it has salvaged many of them.

I've read that Brasso metal polish works well so I tried it out today with a few CDs that when ripped in EAC would give me read or sync errors.

Using 2 different discs with varying levels of scuffs scratches and dirt I was able to extract tracks with no errors at all.

Works very well and is very fast. I recommend it highly.

Might you be able to explain the buffing process more? I'm not entirely sure what you mean. I'm really interested in this, because all my CDs managed to get this weird encrusted dust on them after keeping them in a CD binder for a while, and it stops EAC from getting an accurate rip.

We have a Industrial CD Repair Unit here at Fresno City College. The thing has 3 Sanders and a polisher. Of corse it cost the department close to $5K 2 years ago, but it comes in handy when a teacher comes in and ask what if we can save a CD. We even got out about 90% of the deep scratches. We even got a CD that was scratch up by someone sliding it on asfault repaired so they could make a back up of it.

Going back eons, I remember that the German metal polish Simichromepoli was a great polisher of anything, even watch crystals. It is an extremely fine grit, as fine or finer than jewelers rouge. Has anyone tried it? Or must I track down a tube and let you folks know?

L8R

I just rub some turtle wax on the play side, let it sit for a few minutes, and rub off. Works fairly well. I not do this to brand new CDs I get so they are protected.

If I get a CD that has a read or sync errors using EAC, I do the following:

1. Wipe the CD from the center to the outside with a soft cloth. Try ripping again.

2. Wash with mild dishwashing soap, again wiping and drying from inside out. Try ripping again.

3. If this fails, I have had some success with toothpaste. I've only resorted to this 5 times out of about 300 CDs. 3 CD's were recovered. It does work!

some toothpastes work, but you have to know which ones because otherwise you will only scratch the CD further. there are those "whitening" pastes with those mini-crystal particles inside. don't use these obviously

Side note I did not get any good results with colgate "cavity protection" toothpaste or 1500 -2000 grit sandpaper.

Many thanks you guys! My totally Mad cd colelction got babdly scratched, I succesffully backed them up using plain Turtle Wax car polish, some slight jolts during read but a full complete set again!

Can anyone explain (in detail) the tooth paste scratch removal method?

This is so cool to read all the different methods that people use. I really loved the blow torch. I am still trying to figure out if he is serious. For a sec, I thought he was going to say burn the CD and go buy another . I use that DiscDoctor thing and it works really well. I have some cushioned abrasive stuff called MicroMesh. It's very similar (if not identical) to the abrasive that the wheels on the DiscDoctor use. I use it on very bad deep scratches. It comes in grits from 1,200 to 12,000. I think it's used a lot in the auto paint industry. I got introduced to it as an airplane mechanic. We would use it to get scrathes out of the plexi-glass windows. They sure look weird when they come out of the DiscDoctor, but they work.

Don't use the Fellowes scratch repair kit. While it may work for deep gouges (I have yet to find out), it does nothing for CD's which are in generally poor condition, as I found out with my "The Matrix: Music From The Motion Picture" music CD.

It will look like it has repaired the CD, but on close inspection seems to dull it a bit.
So, if I were you I'd avoid the stuff.

On the other hand, it works wonders for a scratched watch face.

Yes, this is something I found out today. I've got a CD which is in terrible condition. The outer tracks are all scratched (some circular too) and I've tried many times ripping the last track with CDex + CDparanoia and EAC, all to no avail. There is more hop, skip, and jumping than at your typical Olympics after about 50%, to the point where it is just unintelligible. I ripped it using the DVD rom drive from my desktop and it got stuck there for hours upon hours. More than 100 errors

Then I tried to use cdparanoia in linux on my laptop which has a cd-r/dvd combo drive and it worked first go!! No errors or corrections of any sort and finished in about 2 minutes. The audio was as clean as a whistle. I never knew that something so unintelligible could sound so perfect, just because I used a cd-writer to rip, rather than a normal cd/dvd rom drive. Just ripped using EAC and not a single instance of error correction was needed.

Try some of this stuff
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/8194

I bought this and applied all three polish types on more than several CD's which are only scratched on the optic side. None of the CD's have anomoly's or scratches on the label (or data) side.
I have been very disappointed in the outcome. I have yet been able to succesfully rip an initially failed CD in EAC secure mode after applying this product. I even tried the polish process on a Maglite flashlight plastic lens and the product does not measure up to what Novus advertises about it's own product. The lens looks exactly the same if not worse after applying all three polish steps. They tout it as an amazing restoration product for plastic! Lots of people on the net recommend it for CD repair because they heard about it. I have yet to find someone publish their experience with repairing CD's with it...so I will.

I for one would not recommend this product for CD's and would not wholeheartedly recommend it for any plastic polishing. It doesn't perform. I found this exercise frustrating and disappointing because i have had to buy it through ebay, pay for it through paypal (which was a circus to set up in itself) and then wait for it's delivery through snailmail. Doesn't speak positively for internet purchases based on rumors read on the internet.

Wow, I never thought of that. I have a copy of From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah that won't rip the last track due to excessive scratching. I never thought ripping with my CD-RW drive could make a difference but it's worth a try.

I'm willing to bet that the brand name makes a lot more difference than the fact whether it is a -ROM or a writer.
As for the recommendations, I tried SkipDoctor and Brasso with three CDs with abysmal results. I guess I'm just too stoopid.

I did something similar. I was trying to get this song Waterfall by the Din Pedals on a soundtrack to play, and anytime it would get to 9 (the song) it would skip like crazy, so I did three things and it played perfectly, oh my computer at least.

1. Coated the CD in Dish Soap for 10 minutes, then washed it off with warm water, pat dry.

2. Coated it in toothpaste, and washed it off almost immediately with warm water, pat dry

3. Coated it in Skippy creamy peanut butter, and took it off with soft toilet paper/tissue, from center out, not circular motion, no washing.

It must have done somethin, because it plays just fine now. I'm not sure which exactly worked, but it looked its best after the peanut butter.

With the long list of solutions, they all boil down to 2 basic methods:

1) Remove plastic until there is a flat surface even with what was the bottom of the scratch. THis would include buffers, sanders, toothpaste, etc

2) Fill the scratch with something whose refractive index is closer to lexan than it is to air. This would include wax, and explains the peanut buttter thing which would leave oil in the scratch.

In a pinch, saliva works surprisingly well. Of course it is only good for 1 play since it will dry out. I haven't tried 40x ripping.. maybe it would fling out.

3) oh, yeah.. the torch melt method doesn't really fit into those 2 categories.

Yeah that sounds reasonable, I'll se if i can try some of this out. One thing i have noticed, before i used my nec for extraction, which wasn't all that good with scratched cds, now I use a plex premium, which is much better, but all my previuos "tricks of the trade" works much worse. If i can't read the cd with the plex, I rarly get it to work after polishing etc, but with the nec it often helped (I still can read more cds with the plex though).

AtW

Maybe it'd last longer if you had a cold and took a big nasal/throaty breath in and then placed your deposit on the damaged area

Is that anything like that green pen trick?

sorry, I don't want to hijack this thread and I know that this is slightly offtopic:

I am trying to test if PAR2 recovery blocks really work in the way I am intending to use them, so this is what I did:

1. Burned a data CD
2. Extracted an ISO image with isobuster
3. Created par2 recovery blocks for the iso image
4. Marked the CD in the media side with a felt tip marker to make some of the sectors unreadable

My intention is to extract again an ISO image of this now "damaged" data CD and use the PAR2 recovery blocks to try to restore the original ISO image. However I am facing a problem because isobuster is taking ages to rip the image, even using only one reread per damaged sector. This is really making me reconsider using this strategy, because I feel that all the hassle is not worth the trouble. I am starting to think that in my case it would be better to just get the corrupt data from another source (for instance burn the original data in CD and DVD and if one gets corrupt use the other as source. If both get corrupt then it's a sign of God )...

The question is: is there another tool that would perform the ISO image rip in a faster way (something like burst mode in EAC)? Attempts of error correction at extraction would not matter much because I know that the data is already corrupted. It would be interesting that the tool also be able to rip data DVD images.

thanks for the help.

the tooth paste trick

It helped me to save some data from a terribly scratched disc

Well seing this thread is alive and kicking in 2005 I'll offer another suggestion, which
I've used for years.

Meguires/Mirror Glaze 17 - Professional Plastic Cleaner (M-1708)

Works wonders even for the inexperienced polisher. I say that for people whom never
have polished/hand sanded (anything) before in that its safe enough to not have to
worry about making matters worse since its literally impossible to burn (overheat) the
plastic unless you fingers caught on fire as well .

I use it with an electric buffer on dodgier discs to speed things up however results
are great either by hand or machine.

While this will not get out deep gauges (in which the sandpaper method would be
recommended & you could follow up with this) it will however take care of over 90% of
the surface problems most people encounter.

While maybe not sitting in ones bathroom drawer or medicine cabinet, definitely
worth the purchase for anything plastic.

I found that 'spitting' saliva on scratched CD-Rs and cleaning over and over did very little to get data files off where Windows would eventually abort reading with 'CRC' errors.

Silver Polish that was applied briskly from wadding (it comes in the tin in clumps of wadding) and then left for a while, then buffed - this made a small amount of improvement.

After the above I tried taking out my DVD drive & opening it and blowing on the laser and dabbing the laser with a very-slightly damp cotton bud stick (like some people use for make-up or cleaning their ears). After that I did have success on on
CD-R - so I guess that was down to a combination of everything.

After purchasing a new dual-layer DVD drive I could read 2 further of the discs in the new drive - but strangely a couple of others that I could read fine in the old drive give me reading problems in the new drive.

I don't know whether to blame marks on the discs - there are actually only some faint normal ones because I take care of my discs - or the media brand. I had a major problem with some unbranded DVD-R discs too, whcih I have since found out are 'VIVASTAR' .

Like was said previously, I also have discovered that it is the label side of the discs which has the reflective surface from which the data is useless without and it is more fatal there to have a bit scratched - than to have a scratch on the 'reading side'

Use Brasso i had over 20 cds that were strached to hell and would not copy i put a little on the surface and rubbed it in (In a radial motion) left it for about 5 minutes and hey presto the cds worked fine. Make sure that you use a program with good error correction such as CDex or EAC (Recomended).

If this doesnt help i'm out of ideas?

Has anyone tried the Disc Repair Pro Kit or even know of the manufacturer or homepage of this product?

Tried it on a X-box game and it works. It will leave the disc surface with a frosted look.
Also tried it on a cd with some deep groves. It worked better, but not 100%. That was after 5 times in the Disc Repair Pro. 5 more times and it probably would work a lot better. Not all discs require that much work.

It is expensive so should you buy it or maby just rebuy damaged CD's. I like my discs shiny, so peronally I probably should have rebought the damaged discs instead of buying the Disc Repair Kit

You sure it's the same unit you tried? It's listed to roughly $60-$80 and since i've got at least 10 discs now that needs seriously repairing I think it may be affordable.

Try this thread, its a bit newwer:

Review: CD Repair and Cleaning Kits, The Digital Innovations Lineup