Monitor Scratches

kingdbag

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Anyone have any luck getting scratches out of monitors? I've seen videos ranging from people using lotion, pumice, tooth paste... etc. I just want to know if anyone here has done it before and what they used. The scratches are a tad deep and wide. I'm just trying to see if I can get them out or at least clean them up a little so its not as bad.

Here is a pic but I had a difficult time getting a good shot. They are big enough that it casts a shadow on the CRT that you can sorta see in the picture.
 

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I think I'm going to give the Cerium a try. I saw a youtube video with a glass guy using the stuff I was just nervous I might implode the monitor... LOL! My scratches are nowhere near as bad as yours in your post so it shouldn't take me as long (hopefully). I may buy like a huge 2 inch felt pad for a drill so I'm not using a Dremel.
 
If you use a drill, it's really messy (flings cerium oxide everywhere), so make sure you've got it somewhere that it doesn't matter. I used the Dremel Multi Max, which is an oscillating tool, so it wasn't very messy (pretty much just dripped down the face of the monitor).

You can get a similar tool from Harbor Freight for ~$20: https://www.harborfreight.com/oscillating-multi-tool-62279.html ... then you just need a felt pad attachment for it (or maybe you could make something by draping a rag over a sanding pad or something).

DogP
 

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Don't mean to necro my own thread, but I finally got around to trying Cerium powder and it did work. I couldn't find a post showing the work on a CRT (most posts talked about cabinet glass/cocktail glass...) so I figured it may have some value to others.

I will start by saying this CRT had some decent depth to the scratches. It was definitely put on concrete or pavement on it's face and moved around a little bit. The picture on the tube was just too nice to junk it so I gave this a try.

1.) I started out using a regular battery powered drill and it just didn't have enough RPMs to do any significant polishing of the glass. It would have worked eventually, but I would have had to charge the battery 4-5 times to complete the job and hours of polishing.

A high RPM drill is a must.

2.) This does get messy... I did it outside, but powder flung all over my damn siding and basement door. I was maybe 5-6 feet from my house so I should have done this in the middle of my yard and faced the CRT in a manner that wouldn't fling crap all over my house.

3.) I used a lot more Cerium than I saw glass professionals using on YouTube. I maybe used about 1/3 a pound (I purchased 1 pound of powder).

4.) Make the Cerium into a muddy consistency... at first everything was too wet... both the powder and my polishing wheel and it just shot everything all over the place and nothing stayed on the monitor itself (DOH!).

5.) Be careful of how hot the monitor gets... I was polishing about 15-20 seconds then stopping to feel the glass and wiped away the powder to examine the scratches. I have no idea how hot you can get the glass, but it if feels really warm you should just stop polishing for a few minutes and let everything cool. I was spraying down the glass at each break with water to help keep it cool and made sure the Cerium wasn't too dry by adding a little water to my buffing wheel and Cerium mixture if needed.

6.) Finally, it is a slow process so don't get frustrated and try to polish the damage all in one shot... Just go at it slowly and make more Cerium mixture if you have to... I had to 3 times... I also had to keep applying the Cerium like 14-15 times. If you get pissed you might screw up the tube or even worse make it exploded into your face. I've never had a tube blow up on me so I don't know how dangerous it would be, but I didn't want to find out. I also wore goggles and a mask just in case something decided to exploded and fly at me.

This took me about an hour total to completely remove the scratches in the top left corner in dead center. The scratches would produce a rainbow effect when any bright screens were displayed so it was either fix this or not use the tube in a game.
 

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Also, here are images of the powder and polishing wheel I used. I want to say I grabbed this on Amazon. It has been a while... I bought it back when I posted this and just finally used it.

Thanks DogP for pointing me in the right direction! =)
 

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personally i use diamond paste/grease
it come in a wide range of grades like "wet rub" for cutting back cars
it is more costly than the other, but you can use the grades to work it down & then polish
 
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personally i use diamond past/grease
it come in a wide range of grades like "wet rub" for cutting back cars
it is more costly than the other, but you can use the grades to work it down & then polish

Yea, I mean with Cerium powder you are just polishing it to hell... until it goes away. LOL!

I'm sure a graded polishing paste will get the job done much faster.
 
Yea, I mean with Cerium powder you are just polishing it to hell... until it goes away. LOL!

I'm sure a graded polishing paste will get the job done much faster.


there is over 15 grades
they start at around the = to 750grit & go up to 3000grit
so a lot finer than what you would used to "cut back & polish a car"
i was using this "diamond" paste 35yrs ago in industry to remove scratches & polish
 
Hey everyone. I'm going to attempt a similar process with Cerium powder. These posts have giving me a bit of hope on my situation. the CRT is too good to get rid of but the scratches need to be less visible. (see attachment) I'll post the result later this week.
 

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I have just wiped it down with 3 in 1 oil and that works great for a good while at hiding the scratches. I have also used the uv epoxy and a razor blade and polished it nicely. When the game is going, can't really tell unless you look really hard and sorta un-focus your eyes. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!
 
I had success getting finer scratches out of candy cabinet tubes with Novus #2. if they're deep however, you might be stuck. obviously clean with glass cleaner afterward.
 
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