DVD care & scratch removal

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milk114 · #1 Post by **milk114** » Sat May 12, 2007 7:28 am

A question:

What is the recommended way to remove scratches? What products have you found most useful? What patently doesn't work?

I really have some problem discs that I'd like to watch again some day. Thanks for any advice.

Subbuteo · #2 Post by **Subbuteo** » Sat May 12, 2007 9:44 am

Something I've used in the past to great effect and excellent for removing all forms of blemish is Brasso. This comes in the form of liquid or soaked wadding.
But remember always work from inner to outside of the disc.

Gigi M. · #3 Post by **Gigi M.** » Sat May 12, 2007 2:30 pm

Yeah, Brasso works great.

davebert · #4 Post by **davebert** » Sat May 12, 2007 3:02 pm

As in the brass polish? Or is that just the brand, and then they sell a more appropriate-sounding product line somewhere that I don't see.

Just want to check before I apply what sounds like heavy duty stuff to a potentially expensive DVD...

addz · #5 Post by **addz** » Sat May 12, 2007 3:17 pm

davebert wrote:As in the brass polish? Or is that just the brand, and then they sell a more appropriate-sounding product line somewhere that I don't see.

Just want to check before I apply what sounds like heavy duty stuff to a potentially expensive DVD...

Have no idea if it's the same stuff in the UK as it is the US but this article seems to suggest it does the trick.

#6 Post by **Matt** » Sat May 12, 2007 3:22 pm

Brasso? Why not just use Comet and a wire-bristle brush?

Many suggest boiling.

patrick · #7 Post by **patrick** » Sat May 12, 2007 10:41 pm

Toothpaste will also often correct minor scratches.

It's really nice working in a video store and having access to a professional-quality buffing machine, between our two machines I'm able to get scratches out of pretty much any disc that's not damaged on the top. I would strongly recommend against getting a home repair machine like the Spin Doctor though, they seem to do more damage to the disc than anything else.

Subbuteo · #8 Post by **Subbuteo** » Sun May 13, 2007 12:12 am

addz wrote:
davebert wrote:As in the brass polish? Or is that just the brand, and then they sell a more appropriate-sounding product line somewhere that I don't see.

Just want to check before I apply what sounds like heavy duty stuff to a potentially expensive DVD...
Have no idea if it's the same stuff in the UK as it is the US but this article seems to suggest it does the trick.

Looks the same as that which is available in the UK. I would recommend getting the tin with soaked wadding (if available in the US) as you get the two products in one, the liquid abrasive and the means of application to disc.

I've had to use this method to repair a few discs loaned to friends who I can only assume have used them to stabilise the fucking kitchen table!
For the sceptical amongst you, Brasso really works.

A few tips: firstly - use rapid firm even- pressured strokes over affected area, this is a mild abrasive, your arm would drop off before you did any significant damage to the disc. Secondly allow the disc to dry (5 mins) before removing with a soft non abrasive lint.

MichaelB · #9 Post by **MichaelB** » Sun May 13, 2007 6:13 am

patrick wrote: I would strongly recommend against getting a home repair machine like the Spin Doctor though, they seem to do more damage to the disc than anything else.

Seconded - worst Â£10 I ever spent. Thankfully I tried it out on a disc that was completely expendable: the entire surface ended up with a bizarre moiré pattern, and it made no discernible difference to the orginal scratch.

godardslave · #10 Post by **godardslave** » Sun May 13, 2007 6:18 am

patrick wrote:Toothpaste will also often correct minor scratches.

um..how exactly?

patrick · #11 Post by **patrick** » Mon May 14, 2007 2:04 am

You can use it like any other abrasive cleaner, just polish the disc in a gentle circular motion. I've heard to only use the basic white kind, but I've used whatever was around the house before and it really did work.

Kinsayder · #12 Post by **Kinsayder** » Mon May 14, 2007 8:49 am

There's a discussion of this over at snopes.com (the urban myths site). Now where's that green marker pen?

milk114 · #13 Post by **milk114** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 6:31 pm

anyone have success with toothpaste?

#14 Post by **Matt** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 8:45 pm

If anyone here is serious about scratch removal (beyond bottles of stuff you find at the back of your grandmother's undersink cabinet), I cannot recommend more highly the Venmill Industries line of DVD repair products. If you're not willing to drop that kind of coin on DVD repair, they have a list of places that use their products to repair discs for consumers.

ltfontaine · #15 Post by **ltfontaine** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 4:20 pm

Matt wrote:If anyone here is serious about scratch removal (beyond bottles of stuff you find at the back of your grandmother's undersink cabinet), I cannot recommend more highly the Venmill Industries line of DVD repair products. If you're not willing to drop that kind of coin on DVD repair, they have a list of places that use their products to repair discs for consumers.

The Venmill website does not cite prices for their products even if you try to buy directly from the site and put the products in your shopping cart. Elsewhere online it appears that the consumer version goes for around $250. Matt, has your experience been with this smaller version or do you use one of the larger institutional grade machines? After treatment, is the disc visibly altered?

Darth Lavender · #16 Post by **Darth Lavender** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:38 am

Reading the "impressive impracticle packaging" thread, I noticed some mention of the whole issue of scratches, and thought it might be worth setting up a thread devoted tot he various problems that can affect DVDs, how to avoid them, how to treat them, etc.

To get the ball rolling; in my own experience, scratches are a pretty minor issue and I've had DVDs refuse to play without a single mark, and other DVDs horribly scratched and playing without a problem.
I'm not a fan of those gimmicky little repair kits, but a firm wipe across the DVD with one of those microfibre clothes has proven remarkably effective on the occasional 'unplayables' (which tend, generally, to have only a single tiny scratch)

Anyway, share your thoughts, experiences and suggestions. Scratches, layer-rot, etc.

greggster59 · #17 Post by **greggster59** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 2:38 am

I received the old hand cranked version of Digital Innovations' Disc Dr. as a gift a long time ago. I never had the need to use it until my copy of Fellowship of the Ring came with a serious skip during the scene where the Ringwraith asks a Hobbit about Baggins. It took a few applications but eventually Disc Dr. buffed the scratch/skip. out. It's helped out on a few dirty Netflix DVD's as well.

It was kind of awkward to use but the newer models look like they have improved ergonomics.

mmacklem · #18 Post by **mmacklem** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 5:36 am

Hi all,

I recently moved across the country, and due to a rather stupid packing job on my part, most of my DVD collection has been scratched in the course of the move. I've been trying to locate online a decent resurfacing machine, does anyone use these things? and if so, can anyone recommend one? I'm not looking for one of those $5.99 kits that Blockbuster sells, I remember seeing a service somewhere in town that had a machine that did this, but I don't particularly want to pay per disc since there's a few discs in question here.

(P.S. I remembered seeing a thread on this topic about a year ago, but I couldn't find it, so my apologies if this is a repeat.)

Trevor B · #19 Post by **Trevor B** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 5:52 am

I'm also wondering if anyone has tips for smaller scratches (I have a daughter who occasionally forgets her dvd manners). I've also purchased a few criterion discs with scratches, and scratches on criterion discs seem harder to get rid of than scratches on any other disc. I've seen other forums where soap, toothpaste, bananas, and metal polish have all been suggested, but I don't want to use any of that on a Melville disc unless someone here has tried it. Any thoughts?

Poncho Punch · #20 Post by **Poncho Punch** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 6:08 am

I have heard very good things about toothpaste but never tried it myself. I think you want the white paste kind.

#21 Post by **swo17** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 4:56 pm

When I have a DVD that won't play because of scratches, smudges, etc., I have a tried and true method for bringing the disc back to life: drizzle some dishwashing liquid on the surface of the disc, put it under warm water, rub the soap away with my hand in a circular motion, shake off the excess water, and then dry carefully with a paper towel moving always from the center to the edge of the disc. Unless the disc is in really bad shape to begin with, it usually plays fine after this, and I don't see that anything I'm doing is damaging the disc in any way.

However, I have tried this method with Blu-ray discs, and while it still seems to help with playback issues, the discs themselves end up looking worse after I've cleaned them. I don't know if I'm leaving permanent scratches by cleaning them this way, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable if there were a way to clean BDs that I knew wasn't causing any damage. Does anyone have any suggestions?

#22 Post by **mfunk9786** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:37 pm

Am I a satanist for open-mouth hot air breathing on them and rubbing them with a clean, soft t-shirt in a circular motion? Works for me.

anvilscepe · #23 Post by **anvilscepe** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:30 pm

mfunk9786 wrote:Am I a satanist for open-mouth hot air breathing on them and rubbing them with a clean, soft t-shirt in a circular motion? Works for me.

I think the stinkier the breath the better it works.

Napier · #24 Post by **Napier** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:36 pm

anvilscepe wrote:
mfunk9786 wrote:Am I a satanist for open-mouth hot air breathing on them and rubbing them with a clean, soft t-shirt in a circular motion? Works for me.
I think the stinkier the breath the better it works.

Good ole' six pack breath and a micro fiber cloth.

Murdoch · #25 Post by **Murdoch** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 7:28 pm

I have this computer monitor cleaner spray that I use on discs then wipe it with a clean t-shirt, that may work for BDs if they are more sensitive. I try to avoid using anything too rough to wipe the discs, usually a tissue or a piece of clothing.

Does the toothpaste method really work? I've never tried it myself.

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