New use for PlastX ?

[Skuz]

I'm wondering if PlastX could be used to help remove small scratches on CDs.

Anyone tried it ?

[sneek]

never tried it
but i bet it would work i would try to use a cheap buffer to apply it tho and wipe off with a M/F

[Snowman]

i would think that it possibly would since the actual "CD" where the data is stored is encased in the plastic covering which is what we actually scratch up and beat from day to day. Might try some old junk CD first or even a blank CD before you go and use it on your favorite music CD's

[Mike Phillips]

It works great for light scratches, for deeper ones nothing will be effective. It all comes down to how thick the outer coating is.

Does anyone have any technical insight on the manufacturing of discs?

I've used PlastX on a number DVDs and CDs that would not play and using a soft foam applicator I was able to remove the defects and restore optical clarity so that the data on the disc could be read by the reader.

At my local Blockbuster Video Store, they have a machine that spins the DVD's while polishing them with a special compound of some sort and they are able to restore a lot of damaged DVDs.

I actually have a Beach Boys Greatest Hits CD that is so scratched up that I photographed the before condition and then I started polishing it by hand with PlastX to see if I could get it to the point it would play. I haven't finished the process yet because it was taking a lot time and my mind instantly thought it would be faster to place my rotary buffer in a vice and hold the disc against the spinning foam pad with some PlastX.

[sneek]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
It works great for light scratches, for deeper ones nothing will be effective. It all comes down to how thick the outer coating is.

Does anyone have any technical insight on the manufacturing of discs?

I've used PlastX on a number DVDs and CDs that would not play and using a soft foam applicator I was able to remove the defects and restore optical clarity so that the data on the disc could be read by the reader.

At my local Blockbuster Video Store, they have a machine that spins the DVD's while polishing them with a special compound of some sort and they are able to restore a lot of damaged DVDs.

I actually have a Beach Boys Greatest Hits CD that is so scratched up that I photographed the before condition and then I started polishing it by hand with PlastX to see if I could get it to the point it would play. I haven't finished the process yet because it was taking a lot time and my mind instantly thought it would be faster to place my rotary buffer in a vice and hold the disc against the spinning foam pad with some PlastX.

isnt that a little on the risky side
i saw this at my local best buy opifix
lol o wouldnt want my hand to slip and have a cd fly at my car

[Don]

Originally posted by sneek
isnt that a little on the risky side
i saw this at my local best buy opifix
lol o wouldnt want my hand to slip and have a cd fly at my car

I had one of those...they worked OK for minor problems, but when things get nasty, as they do when kids are involved, they don't do much good.

Here's how I clean my CDs, DVDs and Ninendo Game Cube games. It has worked on some of the most FUBARED discs my kids have gotten their hands on. My rotary (on lowest speed setting) + Scratch-X + polishing pad = new life to old CD/DVD/games.

This little plastic "handle" came from a broken PIONEER 3-way 6X9 speaker. It was the 'tower' the tweeters were connected to. I've never tried it with the vise, but I suppose if I put a small towel with a hole in it over the vise to protect the label side of the CD from damage, it should work fine.

PS...the box of 'BOUNCE' fabric softener sheets you see in pic #2 is there to make the wife feel better ONLY. Since I do laundry, I can make sure it's never used & can't leave residue in the dryer to mess with my detailing towels

[TKDDAD]

Can PlastX be used on Watch crystals effectively ?? Don't mean to hijack the thread ....

[sneek]

i wouldn't try it lol i think you can be the first tho

[TKDDAD]

I think I just might do that !!....(on an old watch of couse)....

[sneek]

lol keep us posted!

[BJClarke001]

Heck, I have a cheap pair of sunglasses that were pretty scratched up but liked the style they were but couldn't wear them anymore because of the scratches. So, over the summer, I broke out the PlastiX and cleaned them up pretty good where I can wear them again.

[Mike Phillips]

I know I've posted this before but a search would be painful...

When it comes to polishing plastics you have to be careful for coatings and hardness.

If the surface is coated like a lot of glasses, then you'll wear the coating off, so only test on something you can afford to be without. I have a pair of prescription glasses that fell into an in-ground hot tub and received some pretty bad scratches, (a concrete hot tub), because at that point I had nothing to lose I spent some time polishing them using a small piece of terry cloth ans some PlastX, it worked and I removed enough that I can see out of them unhindered. They still need some work but I tired of removing them by hand. I do have before and after pictures somewhere.

Some wristwatches have a soft plastic cover, like Plexiglas, they polish out very, very very easily.

So remember, you don't know what you can do until you try and always try in an inconspicuous area if you can afford a mistake.

[probegt]

Yes you can use plastX to polish cds. I've used it for cds, sunglasses, playstation games, etc. I use it with my DA and RB and 3.5" pads. Works great. You can also use 83 to polish plastic. I dont recommend it but have done it.

[TKDDAD]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
I know I've posted this before but a search would be painful...

When it comes to polishing plastics you have to be careful for coatings and hardness.

If the surface is coated like a lot of glasses, then you'll wear the coating off, so only test on something you can afford to be without. I have a pair of prescription glasses that fell into an in-ground hot tub and received some pretty bad scratches, (a concrete hot tub), because at that point I had nothing to lose I spent some time polishing them using a small piece of terry cloth ans some PlastX, it worked and I removed enough that I can see out of them unhindered. They still need some work but I tired of removing them by hand. I do have before and after pictures somewhere.

Some wristwatches have a soft plastic cover, like Plexiglas, they polish out very, very very easily.

So remember, you don't know what you can do until you try and always try in an inconspicuous area if you can afford a mistake.

As always Mike, you are very thorough....thanks for that.....

[OttoClave]

Hi everybody,

Lately I've been trying to fix some of my cd's that were scratched. So I looked all over the internet to find ideas, and have tried all sorts of things like Brasso and a commercial CD repair kit (which turned out to be just a paper towel, a 1" by 1" piece of 1500 grit wet or dry sandpaper, and a tiny bottle of a "polishing liquid" which smelled suspiciously like Brasso) with basically no success. I didn't try the blowtorch method, btw. I was getting really frustrated. (It's too cold out right now to work on the car .)

Then I thought of trying PlastX plastic polish. It worked exceedingly well. I am really happy with the results. The playing surface of the disc is almost perfectly reflective again. I had a CD that was scratched badly enough that 2 of the tracks on it would not play at all, and after a couple of applications of the Meguiar's PlastX it plays perfectly! I did this test using a program called Exact Audio Copy, scrutinizing every single read error on the cd. It's really amazing. This stuff is great! It goes to further reinforce my faith in all Meguiar's products, as I can honestly say that I have never had trouble with any of their products.

Also, with one bottle I can fix basically an unlimited number of cd's. You can't beat that value for the price. I love it.

I just wanted to pass on this tidbit. If anyone else has tried PlastX on other things, or if you have a tip on using it, please let us know.