# How do you remove fine scratches from radio display glass ?



## Robb (Dec 5, 2008)

Hi Guys, theres some light scratches on the front of my DRZ9255 face glass.
Is there way to polish these out ?


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## basicxj (Jan 1, 2008)

Robb said:


> Hi Guys, theres some light scratches on the front of my DRZ9255 face glass.
> Is there way to polish these out ?


Something I've used successfully on a number of Alpines is:

NOVUS Plastic Polish

A little on a soft flannel cloth goes a long way- work carefully around details and tampo-printed or screen printed portions.

If you have a well-stocked hobby shop nearby, you may be able to find Micro Mesh polishing pads (very mild abrasive on a cushioned backing) or a Flexi-File triple grit sanding stick (three grits on one stick) that are good for working around certain areas, and when used as directed through the progressive grits will give you a mirror like shine on bare plastic or painted finishes, good for deeper scratches...you may find Bare Metal polish there as well which is finer than the Novus system but settles out, requires constant shaking before applying and buffing. 3M has a plastic polishing system as well.


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## Robb (Dec 5, 2008)

Hmm.. thats for plastic though, no ? I think my headunit has glass display.


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## minbari (Mar 3, 2011)

not likely, prolly pollycarb.

for a tiny little scratch like that, I think I would just let it go. if your scratch removal goes bad, it will look 10X worse.


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## basicxj (Jan 1, 2008)

Robb said:


> Hmm.. thats for plastic though, no ? I think my headunit has glass display.


I see...if it is actual glass, then you may be out of luck. 

You could try applying a spot coating of clear lacquer to the scratched portions and then polish it down level with the surrounding surface with fine rubbing compound to minimize them, but otherwise you are probably going to have to live with the scratches- most abrasives strong enough to polish glass will harm surrounding features.


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## Robb (Dec 5, 2008)

hmm, maybe a watch/Jewelry shop would know since they probably polish watches sometimes.


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## basicxj (Jan 1, 2008)

minbari said:


> not likely, prolly pollycarb.
> 
> for a tiny little scratch like that, I think I would just let it go. if your scratch removal goes bad, it will look 10X worse.


If it _is_ plastic (like my old CDA 9813, now installed in a buddy's car), the plastic polishes brought it up as clear and glossy as it was right out of the box.


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## Thumper26 (Sep 23, 2005)

I saw someone recommend brasso and I tried it on my 7100 face. It did a lot for minimizing a fairly noticeable scratch on the face. I used a dab the size of a q tip and a microfiber cloth to polish the entire face. You can still slightly see some of the marks if you hold it at an angle in the light, but in the car it looks almost brand new. I'm guessing a couple more passes with it or something finer would have really gotten it shining, but I was primarily concerned about a couple of pretty noticeable scratches.


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## Robb (Dec 5, 2008)

I found this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhQ1QuA4oSs

And a good writeup here:

http://www.watchtalkforums.info/forums/omega-forum/28463.htm


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## basicxj (Jan 1, 2008)

Thumper26 said:


> I saw someone recommend brasso and I tried it on my 7100 face. It did a lot for minimizing a fairly noticeable scratch on the face. I used a dab the size of a q tip and a microfiber cloth to polish the entire face. You can still slightly see some of the marks if you hold it at an angle in the light, but in the car it looks almost brand new. I'm guessing a couple more passes with it or something finer would have really gotten it shining, but I was primarily concerned about a couple of pretty noticeable scratches.


I believe the Silvo version is gentler than Brasso, and that Bare Metal polish I was talking about is similar to Brasso (with an even gentler abrasive in solution). If Brasso left small scratches behind, Micro Mesh followed up with plastic polish would probably remove them completely. I use liquid polish to finish up after levelling the surface down with Micro Mesh to the point deeper scratches are gone but a haze remains- the liquid then removes the haze and brings up a glass-like shine (but is too gentle for actual glass ).


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## minbari (Mar 3, 2011)

this guy should do TV marketing! (why are youtube people so boring to watch, lol)


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## basicxj (Jan 1, 2008)

Robb said:


> I found this
> 
> Polywatch Test - Remove Scratches from Acrylic Watch Crystal - YouTube
> 
> ...


Arcylic and plastic will be softer and more easily polished than glass...I suppose $5.00 would be a reasonable price to pay to see if it works though.


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## dogsbark26 (Feb 10, 2009)

If it is indeed glass, you might look into Cerium oxide which is used as a final polish on telescope mirrors.


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## [email protected] (Apr 15, 2011)

Toothpaste works!!!!

[email protected]


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX (Oct 24, 2007)

tap a piece of glass to it... it'll tell you if it's glass or plastic.. 2 distinct sounds of the 2


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## Mike_Dee (Mar 26, 2011)

Robb said:


> Hmm.. thats for plastic though, no ? I think my headunit has glass display.


Go to an aquarium store. Most fish tanks are made of acrylic these days, and they sell a scratch repair kit that works fantastic. It's a 2 step liquid polish that works pretty well.


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## [email protected] (May 14, 2009)

I removed fine scratches with normal car polish.
Works fine for me.


Barney


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## Robb (Dec 5, 2008)

dogsbark26 said:


> If it is indeed glass, you might look into Cerium oxide which is used as a final polish on telescope mirrors.


This Glass polish may work too.

eShine Canada: Griot's Garage Glass Polish (8oz)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MgYnaN_p0o


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## --Kei-- (Sep 8, 2011)

I used brasso metal polish on my alpine screens. I used some 3M 3434 tape to cover the text at the bottom and all the edges so that only the screen got polished. (else you can easily polish text off and smooth off textured finishes) I didn't need to use a refining polish as the end result was a screen that looked like new.


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