Easy fix for damaged discs

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rcork
Posts: 29
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2010 6:32 pm

Easy fix for damaged discs

Post by rcork »

As i have 2 small children who love to take the DVDs and Bluray discs out of their cases, i have a large number of scratched discs. Whenever i get an error in MakeMKV that leads me to believe the disc is damaged, i use Turtlewax (car wax) to fix it. You can apply a thin coat of wax, let it dry and then buff it off with a clean microfiber cloth. If the disc has light scratches/damage, this is usually enough to make the disc readable and allows MakeMKV to copy it.
Woodstock
Posts: 10330
Joined: Sun Jul 24, 2011 11:21 pm

Re: Easy fix for damaged discs

Post by Woodstock »

Similar to what I do, but my first level response is Pledge. It works for cleaning and minor scratches. If that doesn't do it, polishing with a mild tooth paste is next.

Haven't had to resort to car wax yet... if the first two don't do it, it's usually because the disk is cracked somewhere.
MNguy
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2012 8:45 pm

Re: Easy fix for damaged discs

Post by MNguy »

I've always used Windex for moderately dirty of scratched disks.

What it comes to something really bad: I use Brasso. It's a brass polish and it works wonders. I've used it for years as it was suggested on avsforums when comparing quality of blank DVD disks years back.
crowfax
Posts: 972
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:55 am

Re: Easy fix for damaged discs

Post by crowfax »

Windex cleans everything.

I take the lazy route and use this:
http://www.frys.com/product/4144353

That that doesn't work I just return the disc. It's usually pretty effective though, especially for removing fingerprints etc..
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roraniel
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2012 3:18 pm

Re: Easy fix for damaged discs

Post by roraniel »

I actually use a micro-abrasive rubbing compound to polish the disc. You can get pretty aggressive on the scratches and then lightly polish the whole disc. I then buff it clean with a micro fiber towel. Works like a charm.
christopher2222
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat May 11, 2024 8:07 pm

Re: Easy fix for damaged discs

Post by christopher2222 »

So the abrassives like toothpaste Mcguires PlastX etc.. for removing scratches work good for dvd and cd's but not great for bluray. The reason is the data layer on a bluray is much closer to the surface and you're actually scratching off the hard protective coating the will possibly ruin your bluray, or at least make it more susceptible to damages.

The best way to repair bluray is to use the turtle wax suggestion. Pledge might have the same effect but the wax coating might be the better trick - (I have never tried any of these options but I'm about to)
bmillham
Posts: 155
Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2017 12:42 am

Re: Easy fix for damaged discs

Post by bmillham »

I have repaired badly damaged discs with Future Floorwax.
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