Disc Cleaning - Its really easy

[tossEAC]

Here are some links to the most important products I use to repair discs.

iKLEEN – Scratch Removing Polish -- > http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320304384793

Bosch 2609256291 125 mm Polishing Sponge Clamped --> https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0053PVU9W/ … E_AMZLdp_1

Bosch 1609200245 Lambswool Bonnet -->  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000R5K4FY/ … E_AMZLdp_3

Novus plastic polish 123 (amazon)  --> https://www.amazon.co.uk/Novus-plastic- … tic+polish

Novus plastic polish 123 (ebay cheeper) --> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Novus-Plastic … Swv0tVTLNl

Kiwi Polish (neutral) (not the new version with carnauba wax) --> https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CBUFS68/ … WS2CJEFW32

Brasso Metal Polish Liquid - 1 L (£9.99 cheep)
(leave to settle, and use the brown liquid top layer, amazing stuff) --> https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brasso-125760- … rds=brasso

Good deep scratch remover Silverline 675223 Loose Leaf Buffing Wheel, 100 x 15 mm https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000NBVGKO/ … _dp_3?th=1

I just thought I would start a thread to let people know how easy disc cleaning actually is.

Its easy, the discs, 99% of the time work perfectly, reading full speed all the way. No random slowdown like when it is scratched.

And finally if you do the job properly, the end product is a disc that looks fabulously clean, and it is almost or really hard to even tell it has ever been cleaned/scratched.

Its easy once you know how, and have had a few goes at doing it.

I would like to share my wealth of knowledge when it comes to this matter, so if anyone is interested let me know, and I will post the relevant info you would need to do disc cleaning with near perfect results.

The main hardware you need is a Drill (DIY), buffing pads (Car Shop) and a couple of different polishes.

And once you have mastered it, it only takes about 10 minutes to do one disc from start to finish, and most of the work is done by the drill.

The best polish for the job, is Novus Plastic Polish 2, and also a clear shoe polish, which is very cheep, the Novus2 is a bit dear but lasts a very long time. I'm on my second bottle still.

[F1ReB4LL]

Maybe worth to make a youtube video?

[tossEAC]

I was hoping you would be interested as I seem to remember I sent someone Brasso, but that might not have been you.

I know you dump a lot of games and that's why it probably interests you because you get some that are matted with scratches.

I could make a video, but not put it on you tube as I am banned from their Maybe I will try to make a video when a friend comes around as he can film it.

FIReB4LL could you add my 9 Jap Dreamcast dumps please, and my 2 Jap PS2 dumps, if you could, Jackal said you would possibly add them as its more your area of expertise.

[F1ReB4LL]

I was hoping you would be interested as I seem to remember I sent someone Brasso, but that might not have been you.

It was me, still using it sometimes (though, I'm trying not not to buy scratched discs), very helpful. The only hint I can give about when polishing with Brasso - never ever put your finger into the center hole while polishing, otherwise, it ends with lots of cracks in the middle.

[tossEAC]

Stopped using Brasso a long time ago, your much better using clear shoe polish and novus2, the shoe polish does the work, and the Novus2 puts a really fine finish over the shoe polish, but you need a drill and a couple of buffing pads, the finish is like mint condition, and I am really considering doing a video.

I have been buffing the discs now for years and done hundreds, at first my choice of polish was different and no were near as good, but after a while I learnt what was good and what was bad. First I was using neat surgical spirit, and spraying it on, but the buffing pad just soaked it up and was doing very little.

I used to think, wear away the top layer to remove the scratches was the way, but that's near impossible anyway, and now I find building up the surface with coat upon coat of polish gets your disc back as close to new as you could dream of.

I was like you at one point I was trying my best to avoid scratched discs altogether, which is definitely the way to go, but not always possible so it helps to have a backup plan, I don't really mind if the disc is scratched, which is great because I can buy every disc in a shop that has ridiculously low prices like 50p or £1 come home, clean the lot and be almost guaranteed every one will dump like new.

I managed to get a Wii game yesterday when I was out looking it was £2 and was factory sealed, I would prefer that priced game as long as its factory sealed any day of the week. I am re-dumping it now.

[F1ReB4LL]

We don't have Novus2 in out shops as well just like Brasso Shoe polish is an interesting idea, though.

[tossEAC]

We don't have Novus2 in out shops as well just like Brasso Shoe polish is an interesting idea, though.

I think ebay and amazon both sell novus 12+3 I have never seen it here in our shops either, its sold as pinball polish, novus2 is the best and novus1 is a liquid so not great for buffing, for just cleaning a dirty fingerprint disc, novus 1 is ok, but I still prefer novus 2.

[Nexy]

Make a video please. Also if you have some kind of idea how deep a scratch can be or not would be great.

[tossEAC]

Scratches 99/100 times are cleanable, but if you have a gash that's a bit more than a scratch it wont come out, so generally every scratch comes out but the odd one wont. This is because the original polish on a dvd is so incredible that its near impossible to actually mark the plastic, laser burn wont come out if its more than a little bit, that's when you bang your console while the drive is spinning the disc and the laser scratches the disc. So anything as deep as laser burn is a problem. Surface scratches even if its covered top to toe, side to side will come out within 5 minutes. The deepest scratches might take some extra buffing. I will see if I can do a video soon.

The reason I mentioned this now and have done in the past is that I feel its of relevance to redump.org members, as we all end up with discs that wont dump from time to time, we would like to dump, and now I have mastered the cleaning using nothing to fancy like a $5000 buffing machine, its well worth me getting a few people interested in maybe giving it a go them selves.

Basically when your looking it a disc usually covered in scratches, those scratches are actually/generally only in the polish, and using my method of building up polish over the mess, it basically puts everything right again.

One other thing I forgot to mention, it helps if most of your finger tips aren't dead hard, basically the type brikies and builders have because they use a lot of lime and concrete, but if you think you have pretty soft finger tips, then you can probably get away with using your fingers to rub the disc a bit, which is a key part to this buffing, the novus needs a bit of finger tip rubbing, but if your fingers are hard then you'll probably add loads more scratches.

If not you'll have to use just the buffing pads and the end result may no be quite as good. But the disc will still work even if you don't polish it with your fingers, it might just look a little less shiny.

[tossEAC]

Just thought I would give you some more info, this is regarding making them look nearer to new.

Just using shoe polish and novus2 can get them working perfectly and looking almost like you can't tell they have ever been scratched or cleaned, and by the way this is the hardest part, getting rid of scratches is easy getting them to look like new, or never cleaned is really tricky.

Firstly each disc or different system tend to be discs that are not the same, totally differently manufactured, they have some things in common but other things differ, I have found discs made in japan will often look more like new after cleaning, probably they are better made.

The discs that come close to looking really nice are Nintendo Wii, European discs are made in Japan, they look nice, Dreamcast also come up looking like new, xbox360 come up really nice as well, less nice, but still working perfectly are ps2 dvd + cd, psx cd, xbox (old) and Saturn, these disc types tend to show the buff marks more.

But the good news is I found a new trick, that makes all the discs look better, and I can confirm Saturn Discs now look Amazing, good news for some .

Anyway the trick involves Shoe Polish and Brasso, yes back to brasso.

The thing with brasso, is if you leave your tin of brasso untouched for 2-3 weeks it will start to separate, and a brown liquid floats to the top, which is what I use now to help get the polish looking amazing.

So if you have some brasso, pour it into a clear bottle, leave it alone and wait for it to separate. Once the brown stuff floats to the top, syphon it off into a different bottle, I used a plastic tube, and sucked it into the tube, put my finger over the end and then it stays in the tube, then put the tube in the new bottle and take your finger off and blow, until you have collected a fair bit or all of it, the other stuff is crap, contains powder, and is what scratches the disc, and just generally is no use, probably its meant to help shine brass metal, not discs, as far as I know brasso is now considered useless by most, but the brown stuff is good stuff, and I don't know what it actually is or were else you could get it.

Brasso only contains maybe 20% of this good stuff, so you wont expect your brasso to separate 50/50 this is normal.

Anyway when you have the liquid, and your at the stage when you have all the scratches out, you get your shoe polish on your disc, I get a little chunk and go round and round the disc until it is covered, you then buff it away to make the disc look shiny, but the new trick now is you get a dab of your new brasso liquid and rub over the polish once you put it on the disc, the brown brasso liquid instantly dissolves the shoe polish leaving a much evener layer, then you buff it a bit instantly, you do this 4-5 times using the same cotton wool pad to thin out the shoe polish every time, and buff the layer.

The idea is it liquifies the shoe polish (like having liquid shoe polish, which you can't get I have looked) making a more even layer, and its better to buff the disc as it gets it shinier each time you do a layer, eventually you end up with it near mint then you do the same old with the novus2 and the disc will look brand new. I have only really tried a few Wii games, and a few Sturn games, but I can see it not working for all discs.

For me the old method was good enough, but I can now barely tell the Saturn disc I have done, have ever been buffed or scratched at all.

Phew