Scuffed/scratched LCD fix?

drasnor

Well I royally screwed up today. On the drive home from college I put a nasty scuff on the screen of my really, really nice Dell Ultrasharp 2405FPW. The panel doesn't appear damaged but the plastic feels like it's been gouged. Anyone have any suggestions for at least making it less noticable?

-drasnor

tmh88

im not sure if it will work on lcd's, but i remember prof saying something about a scratch filler for camera lenses that you can get from most camera shops. Someone messed up a flat screen crt, so i guess it might work, although thats glass not the plastic type material.

I guess just call dell or something and see if they offer repair, itl probably be pretty expensive though.

im sure someone will have better advice, but thats what i remember hearing.

airbornflght

hmm, on some lcds, that plastic is just a layer over the actual tft screen, on some, it is the top of the tft screen, id take it apart and see what it looks like, you MAY be able to get some high grit (3200+) WET/dry sand paper and work it out depending how deep it is.

drasnor

I did some Googling:
A couple of threads:
http://hardware.mcse.ms/archive10-2005-10-246940.html
http://forums.minidisc.org/lofiversion/index.php/t5623.html

Some interesting products:
http://janvil.com/plastic_polish.htm
http://www.cdfixit.com/
http://www.spadepot.com/products/005novus.htm
http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/product/3298.htm

I'm going to go hit up some camera and auto parts stores tomorrow. Wish me luck.

-drasnor

tmh88

ehh i wouldnt take sandpaper to an lcd, sounds like more trouble than help. Even if it is a really high grit it, to me it seems like it would just scratch it up more and make it look like a smudge. Especially if the outer layer is a glossy plastic.

i'd call dell and see what they say. if they say they can replace the whole screen for a cost, keep on looking for ways to fix it cause that will be alot of money.

drasnor

I'm really interested in things that have filler in them or some way to fill in the gaps because the scuff was delivered by the corner of an aluminum case, e.g. it gouged out some plastic. I don't think removing more material is really the answer to my problem.

-drasnor

airbornflght

nah, shouldnt make a smudge. you can wet sand plexi down with high grit paper and make it as clear as new. im not saying try that at first, but if youve exhuasted your other options, it cant hurt. just wet the paper good, and dab a lil water on the screen with your finger and use super light pressure on the screen making tiny circular motions. like you are polishing it.

airbornflght

like i said, sandpaper = last resort, i would try a filler, although, not sure that will work, youd be amazed at what the sanding can do, and chances are it didnt gouge to deeply and can be polished out easily, how deep is it? {picture}

tmh88

yea i see what your saying, but this is an LCD monitor. Even if you wetsand, i stil think it would mess up the screen more than it already is?

maybe not, i dont know, just sounds like it would mess it up. has anyone ever tried this, or any other ideas?

airbornflght

it shouldnt, but ive never personally done it, like i said, last resort. i cant think of anything else that would work. i guess you could ignore it if its not too bad.

ryko

i have heard that you can use a white crayon to fill in the scratch. never tried it though.

Gunsaw

Well, here's 2 cents worth to the thread/question...you mention very fine sandpaper then how about jewelers rouge? [Used on watch crystals] This is a VERY fine polishing compound but your description sounds like deep scratches and jewelers rouge would take a long time to buff out deep scratches. [I would use a buffing wheel attachment on a variable speed dremel tool]

or...clear shellac, paint, or varnish...or fingernail polish? or some such to fill the scratch and/or make it less noticeable. These are of course secondary if you can't find a job specific procedure. Also maybe windshield repairers may use a filler for sandblasted glass type filler maybe? Just 2 cents worth...fully refundable! good luck!

drasnor

I got the panel under some different light and it looks like I may have pinched a few pixels. It's probably going to need to be serviced by Dell, I'm in the process of seeing what they can do.

-drasnor

drasnor

Dell can't do anything. I bought some Displex LCD scratch remover after reading around that apparently iPod and cell phone sellers use it to clean up their products before sale. I'll let you know how it turns out.

-drasnor

RADA

drasnor,

I use Novus Plastic polish on any plastic I have to remove scratches from. It comes in 3 different grades. Never used it on an LCD screen, grade 2 and 1 work like magic on a cd/dvds....

NOVUS Plastic Polish

The link is to their main site, you can probably find it elsewhere, maybe cheaper...

Dav_Daddy

I buy and resell BlackBerry Smartphones. I found this site while I was researching how to do the same thing you are trying to. There are a lot of temporary fixes out there (Rain-X for car windshields will work wonders but is not permanent.

Not an hour ago I got fed up grabbed my Dremel, a thing of Mentadent toothpaste and the buffing wheel. (The white soft attachment.) Actually I grabbed a few things but the toothpaste was far and away the best. The text in red represents mistakes that I made which caused further and more severe damage.

What you do is:

1. Attach the buffing wheel dunk the wheel down in some water to get it as wet as you can.

2. Apply a healthy amount of toothpaste to the bottom of the wheel, (Do not use the edges, and do not let the screw in the middle touch the phone! Ever!)

3. Dab your finger in some water and get the scratched area of your screen very wet. (Do not buff anywhere that looks dry!) then get a good glop of Mentadent swirl it up in the water till you have a think paste.

4. Close your eyes or put on safety goggles. (Do not look at the Dremel when it first turns on!) Trust me on that one Mentadent is absolutely no substitute for Visine!

5. Put the Dremel on the lowest setting. (You MUST have a multi speed!)

6. Apply the bottom of the buffing wheel to the screen firmly till it bogs down.

7. Let up a tiny bit till you have about 1/3 of the RPM the Dremel was turning when it first started.

8. Work a circular pattern over the scratch. (If you think the screen might be getting dry stop and repeat step 3 immediately.)

Depending on the severity of the damage will dictate how long you do this. Check it every 3 or 4 step 3's. At some point there is a diminishing return where it further work will be fruitless.

My personal experience if I has these instructions instead of trial and erring it would have brought the condition of my item from a low 4 (Several very noticeable scratches,) to a high 3 (Some scratching is noticeable upon close examination.) My actual results counting my mistakes would be a wash. I now have many many faint scratches that are very noticeable, so heed the advice in red.

If anyone wants to share this on other sites or blogs or whatnot please feel free. I have received invaluable help from sites often and would like to give back. It would be cool if you gave me credit but if you want to claim credit I really don't care. (Just don't patten it and make a million alright?)



cya,



Dav

drasnor

Welcome to Icrontic! Yeah, any tartar control toothpaste will work, really anything with a mild abrasive in it. Good notes on safety too, lots of people don't wear the proper protective gear.