removing nicks/scratches from CDs

[mike coleman]

Differentiation between 2 issues is key here
CLEANING a disc, which for sighted people is a cake-walk and requires
nothing more than what god gave you, *EVER,*  except for the softest cloth
of your choice, and REPAIRING a disc, which I think Mary confuses at times,
also because she does not see
I myself have never understood mishandling CD's, it seems retarded to me
unless you use them in your car alot or something, or have planty of
replacement money
Normal suggested cleaning methods still create lines on the surface and it
is my belief that any obstuctions on the play side can eventaully add up to
error
Normal cleaning lines shouldn't be that big a deal but who wants them if
they need not be....
The toothpaste thing I had never heard, it was a thought of my own and I usd
it in "worst case scenario"
It can damage other things like the label side so it is tricky
NP: MM King's Of Speed...OMG!!!  this version kills!!!

On 4/25/09, Jonathan Clark <jonathan at att.net> wrote:
>
> Mary asks:
>
>> Is it true that Windex can be used to clean a disc?
>>
>
> Hmmm. Windex is a mixture of water, ammonia, isopropyl alcohol and
> detergent.
> I imagine it would clean any gunk off a disk without damage. I'm not sure
> if
> there's enough alcohol in there to affect the lacquer layer. I doubt it but
> can't say for sure. Plain ordinary dish detergent should work on its own,
> in
> fact you should be able to soak a CD in soapy water to get any dirt off the
> surface, without any chance of damage (disclaimer: I never tried this).
>
> The concerns with all this sort of thing are: a) scratching the surface; b)
> dissolving some of the lacquer and then rubbing so hard that you smear it
> over
> the surface; and c) dissolving the lacquer layer and then leaving bits of
> lint
> embedded in the surface when it rehardens. So don't rub hard and use a soft
> lint-free cloth (so no paper towels, which leave lint and are surprisingly
> scratchy).
>
> Steve suggested using toothpaste, which he correctly notes is a mild
> abrasive.
> I never tried this either but it is plausible. I've restored dozens of
> disks to
> playable condition using the solvent-based solution I described before.
>
> Jonathan
>