Sorry for the music-related post.
I've got a brand-new disc with a pretty good-sized scratch from the center out. Can anything be done? It skips in my player, so I'm gonna try burning it to see if the copy turns out.
I've heard of a spray- has anyone used this w/ any success?
Thanks,
fp
Edit: Guess I should have Googled, first, since I found this: The record-care manufacturers sell a liquid that contains a fine abrasive that may be used to rub out scratches on CDs. There are alternative, less expensive, products that also work. Metal polishes, for example, contain extremely fine abrasive particles suspended in liquid. Brasso, available at hardware stores, is very effective for rubbing out scratches in CDs.
You might want to experiment with discs that you don’t care about until you are sure that the abrasive is fine enough to not cause scratches that will make the problem worse.
You will also need a few clean, lint-free cloths - the softer the better. Baby diapers or cotton undershirts work great. They will provide a soft surface to work on and will also polish away the scratch.
To repair a scratched disc, spread out a cloth on a flat surface and place the disc with it’s damaged side up. Shake the can of abrasive liquid and apply a little to another cloth. Then, holding the disc with one hand, use your other hand to wipe the polish into the affected area.
Polishing out a scratch is very much like waxing a car. First you rub in a coat of the polish, then you wait for it to dry, then you buff it off with another cloth. This takes some patience, because it takes several minutes for the liquid to dry. But keep at it - this really works! Make short, brisk strokes along the scratch, rather than across it. Replenish the polish with a fresh amount of liquid from time to time. Polish and buff.
Within a few minutes you will notice a difference. Hold the disc up to the light. You can see that the scratch is much less noticeable than before. It may take a lot of elbow grease, depending on how deep the scratch is, but it’s worth it. When you no longer see the scratch, wash the disc with water and allow it to dry completely before playing it.
Edit edit: Then I found this: Replace it! Various recommendations and products exist that may actually damage the disc. Record a CD-R backup if the disc is still readable. Order a replacement if it is not.
It is best not to attempt to repair scratched discs, even though "experts" suggest polishing with toothpaste (some even recommend brands!), car polish, or the use of commercial scratch repair kits. Although visible results may appear to be satisfactory, performance in the CD-ROM drive actually degrades. This happens for three reasons.
First, polishing does not actually remove the scratch, but instead replaces one big scratch with many, many small scratches. Although they are not visible to the eye, optical scattering from the multiple scratches reduces the intensity of the laser beam even more than the original scratch did.
Second, polishing locally reduces the thickness of the polycarbonate substrate and consequently modifies the optical path length. This causes focussing problems. The numerical aperture, or f-stop, of the objective lens in the pickup limits the depth of focus to only two micrometers at the critical pit-land surface. Focus servo systems are fast enough to track once-around variations from warped discs, but serious focus problem can occur if the disc is thinned only in a small region.
Third, any substance used to fill the scratch probably has an index of refraction different from that of the polycarbonate substrate, causing optical distortion in the focussed laser spot. This results in jitter, radial tracking, and focus problems.
If the disc is unique and unreadable, then a new draft Standard, ISO/DIS 12024, suggests cleaning using a soft, lintfree cloth and soapy water. The cloth must not contain any particles or hard fibers that could scratch the disc. The cleaning agent must be soap, such as Ivory Liquid; do not use detergents or solvents such as alcohol. Distilled water is best, since tap water may contain impurities that could remain on the disc. Gently wipe the wet cloth in a radial direction, being careful to avoid any pressure on the label surface. Then dry the disc. Do not allow water to remain on the disc.
If the disc is scratched, leave it alone. Avoid waxes and secret solutions that usually increase error rates, even though the visual appearance of the disc seems to improve. Prevent dirt and damage by keeping discs in jewel cases when not in use. Handle them only by the edge; never touch either the readout or label surfaces. Never write on the label surface with a solvent based pen, such as the popular Sharpie. Use only pens with water based inks, and write only on the clear inner ring if possible.
Severely scratched or otherwise damaged discs should be replaced. If they are unique, attempt data recovery in a high quality drive. Well-intentioned repair efforts usually make things worse, not better.
Now I'm
really confused.
