Arghhh! Two of my favourite albums are screwed; Dream Theater Awake and Three Sides to every Story by Extreme. I hate it I hate it. Argghh!!!! Please, do you know anything I can do to get rid of CD scratches? I heard brasso works but i tried it on a joe Satriani and it didn't help too much. Are there any laquers which fill in the scratch marks rather than wearing everything else down to that level?

The short answer is "Get new CDs".

The data on a CD is read by aiming a narrow laser beam at the track of pits burned into the vinyl substrate of the disc. A smooth area between pits reflects the beam, so the photodiode detector 'sees' it. A pit scatters the beam, so very little of the light reaches the detector. This ON/OFF is interpreted as the 1s and 0s of the digital data. The reflective surface is covered with the same vinyl material as the substrate, to protect it. Scratches scatter the laser beam the same way a pit would do, so the detector gets false data. Unless the scratch is fillled with the same material as the prtective vinyl surface that has been scratched, the laser beam is still going to be scattered. I haven't heard of any repair kits that are truly successful at restoring damaged CDs.

So the long answer is "Get new CDs". And handle them carefully. The vinyl LP record technology gave us old farts a good background in proper handling techniques. Don't touch the data surface. Don't wipe them unless you have to, and then be very sure to stroke from centre-to-edge, so any scratches you cause will not run parallel with the data tracks.



[Edited by Lordathestrings on 10-20-2003 at 03:09 PM]

They make a piece that you can buy in your favorite video game store that actually shaves a very thin layer off of the disc to remove the scratches. I have heard it works, but I have never used it myself. I just go buy a new CD. I am thinking about trying though for my kid, because I just can't see myself going and buying another Backstreet Boys CD for her. It's just so embarrassing....

Originally posted by hairbndrckr
... I am thinking about trying though for my kid, because I just can't see myself going and buying another Backstreet Boys CD for her. It's just so embarrassing....

Anyone who's ditzoid enough to think you're buying a BSB CD for yourself is not worth the emotional effort of being embarrassed! :) And your daughter is worth getting a new CD for, right?

1) You can buy a CD polisher which will work (I have used them) providing the scratches aren't too deep. The system I have uses water as a lubricant and it is OK.

2) You can get a liquid polymer (filler) as part of a kit which also needs to be polished on and off to a CD. I haven’t used this kit but you used to be able to find them in HMV or Virgin records.

3) you may want to see if you can copy the CD with a PC. It may work and hell, you have already paid the industry there due !

Take some toothpaste and a small amount of water.Massage it in a circuler motion for 30-60 seconds and rinse...repeat if necessary.That SHOULD work depending on the level of damage.It sounds stupid and I laughed the first time I was told to try it,but I shut up when it worked.

Later! \m/

Originally posted by Dr_simon
3) you may want to see if you can copy the CD with a PC. It may work and hell, you have already paid the industry there due !

You're allowed to make copies for your personal use, so no need to worry about doing anything illegal there.
It's a good idea to make copies of all your cd's for everyday use, and store away your originals somewhere safely. That way if you scratch them up, you'll always have the original to make another copy of...

Anyway, a scratched up cd might be able to be fixed, but if it's only one cd I'd just go out and buy a new one(or even second hand, if you can find it).

Originally posted by chucklivesoninmyheart
Take some toothpaste and a small amount of water.

Depending on what toothpaste you use, it could mess up the cd even more. I think you might have been very lucky on that one! ;-)

Thanks for the advice guys;in spite of what lordathestrings says I'm going to TRY and repair my CDs, the cheap way with an abrasive, toothpaste! Failing that (damn) I'll have to buy them again. Still, I have a half decent computer so now Ican copy new ones and keep the originals safe.

Check this out:

SkipDr.

I've seen it at BestBuy in Canada for 59.99 CAD.

If the scratches are on the bottom, then removing a thin layer of the surface should work. However, if the scratches are on the label side, there's nothing you can do. You'll have to get a new CD.

I’ve have one of those Skipdr things, they are OK.

BTW I have also done some horrible things to the label side and it is not a biggy. All the info (as LATS points out) is encoded as holes on a bit of film encased in the plastic.

However, one of my favorite moments was when my wife decided that her Prince CDs sucked so we microwaved ‘em all !


Wonderful !

deffenitly go the computer way, i do this all the time (mainly because my friend dosn't look after his CDs that well) for making back up and copies etc.

OH GOD dont use an abrasive toothpaste!!!

I'm may be too late...oh well
Ive used the TP technique many times on cd's,games and a few of my friends dvd's...hasn't failed me yet.

Yeah try copying them first, I usually buy 2nd hand CDs cos I can rarely afford full price CDs and often they work fine in a CD player but not on my computer so I copy them and they work fine then. Its also better to have copies if youre gonna be bringing them places, in the car etc.

I would use Crest if I were you.

Originally posted by Dr_simon
one of my favorite moments was when my wife decided that her Prince CDs sucked so we microwaved ‘em all !

Did it work? i.e. were they TOTALLY unplayable? He's such an egotistic queen. Yuk.

I'll get myself a skip dr sometime then.

Since the data surface is metalized, I would expect to see what we technical types describe as "catastrophic failure"! :eek:

Catastrophic with flames and small explosions and stuff !!


Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ! Happy days !

Originally posted by Dr_simon
Catastrophic with flames and small explosions and stuff !!


Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ! Happy days !

There were flames and explosions in "Happy Days?" I should watch it more carefully...All I remember is the Fonz going "Ayyyyyyyyyy!!!"

The closest that show came to explosions was getting a bomb shelter... or almost getting a bomb shelter. In the end they decided they'd rather die with all their friend than suffering through inbreeding season.