Polishing Scratches Out Of Displays?

[Cortian]

So this "mint" 40D I just acquired isn't quite "mint." Not as I define "mint," anyway. (I'm quite OCD, so...) But it's pretty close. Providing everything works as it should I'm disinclined to get nit-picky over what constitutes "mint" for a ten-year-old camera body.

What makes it un-minty is tiny scuffs/scratches on the top and back LCD displays. They're not bad. Just normal use stuff, but, like I said: OCD.

I'm guessing the material is plastic, not glass. So I'm wondering if there's a plastic polish anybody can recommend that'll take most of that stuff out?

 

[Designer]

If you wish to contest the grade, contact the seller.

 

[otherprof]

So this "mint" 40D I just acquired isn't quite "mint." Not as I define "mint," anyway. (I'm quite OCD, so...) But it's pretty close. Providing everything works as it should I'm disinclined to get nit-picky over what constitutes "mint" for a ten-year-old camera body.

What makes it un-minty is tiny scuffs/scratches on the top and back LCD displays. They're not bad. Just normal use stuff, but, like I said: OCD.

I'm guessing the material is plastic, not glass. So I'm wondering if there's a plastic polish anybody can recommend that'll take most of that stuff out?

I know there are plastic scratch removers because a friend of mine used to use them on a very expensive piece of scanning equipment that was part of the Scitex system in his printing plant. They came in squeeze bottles (like Elmer's Glue) and in different grades, like sandpaper. If I still have any, it is 3000 miles from where I am now. Sorry I can't remember the name; I'll try to get more info.

 

[vintagesnaps]

It doesn't sound minty to me. Maybe the rating was for working condition more than appearance, but still... I didn't realize there was anything specifically made to get scratches out of plastic, but I wouldn't expect to have to do that with something I just bought mint (not til I get it scratched up myself!).

 

[Cortian]

Mind you, when I say it "has scratches," I mean if you hold it just so in the light.

How to explain...?

Ok, y'all know how the instrument cluster in your automobile has a big plastic lens covering it, right? Well, most people (maybe not photographers, though) will clean that with plain old paper towels and Windex. Not me. I use lotion-free facial tissues (e.g.: Kleenex) and Windex. I wipe with very, very little pressure. So little as to barely collapse the gently-wadded tissues. Sounds goofy to most people, but, then again I've had people get in my ten-year-old car, look, and ask "What happened to the glass over your speedometer?" because they can't see it (Barely stopped one passenger from poking the thing smack in the middle with exceedingly dirty hands, one day.)

So, when I say "scratches," I'm talking the kind of scratches most people wouldn't even notice. I'm talking the kind of scratches where the worst of them on the back LCD display were rendered invisible by the nose-print from my looking through the view-finder

I will tell the seller "Not what I'd call 'mint,'" and why, but, other than that the camera so far looks good.

Oh yeah: It was $150, incl. battery, charger and an EOS 50D strap. I'm sure if I wanted to spend $300-$600, I could probably acquire a pristine example. I'd rather spend the additional on lenses

 

[SCraig]

I always used either Plexus or Novus to get scratches out of plastic motorcycle windscreens. Whether it would work on an LCD I have no idea but personally I'd just leave it alone.

 

[katsrevenge]

*blink* Last time I bothered cleaning the car dash I think I used a damp rag.

Maybe a wax based polish? But really, I think no one but you would see those marks.

 

[Designer]

Mind you, when I say it "has scratches," I mean if you hold it just so in the light.

You might be a bit more picky than I am, but to me, I might care more about how many shutter clicks and whether the light box is dusty than some very minor scratches on the plastic.

Just me.

 

[Christie Photo]

I wonder about what a jeweler might use to polish a watch crystal. There used to be a jeweler around here.

Good luck.
-Pete

 

[Cortian]

I always used either Plexus or Novus to get scratches out of plastic motorcycle windscreens. Whether it would work on an LCD I have no idea but personally I'd just leave it alone.

And unless I can find a plastic polish I know won't do more damage than harm I'll do just that, and be happy

*blink* Last time I bothered cleaning the car dash I think I used a damp rag.

LOL!

See what I mean?

I might care more about how many shutter clicks and whether the light box is dusty than some very minor scratches on the plastic.

Seller was told "Less than 10k" when he bought it. He only put about 100 clicks on it.

EOSInfo says "943." The image count is at 9674. I don't know what this means. TTBOMK the shutter clicks info EOSInfo retrieves cannot be reset. OTOH: How did the IMG sequence number get that high with a shutter count of only 943? And a shutter count of only 943 on a ten-year-old camera?

ETA: Oh yeah: The dusty light box. There were spots on the sensor. Hit the chamber and sensor with the Rocket. Made it worse. Tried the The Dust Patrol Brush. Made it better. Hit it with a dry swab. I'll need a clear blue sky to tell for sure, but looks good now.

I wonder about what a jeweler might use to polish a watch crystal.

Watch crystals aren't plastic, are they?

But good idea. If I'm feeling ambitious I'll stop by the jeweler's down the street and see what they think.

Thanks for the feedback, everybody!

 

[beagle100]

I always used either Plexus or Novus to get scratches out of plastic motorcycle windscreens. Whether it would work on an LCD I have no idea but personally I'd just leave it alone.

And unless I can find a plastic polish I know won't do more damage than harm I'll do just that, and be happy

*blink* Last time I bothered cleaning the car dash I think I used a damp rag.

LOL!

See what I mean?

I might care more about how many shutter clicks and whether the light box is dusty than some very minor scratches on the plastic.

Seller was told "Less than 10k" when he bought it. He only put about 100 clicks on it.

EOSInfo says "943." The image count is at 9674. I don't know what this means. TTBOMK the shutter clicks info EOSInfo retrieves cannot be reset. OTOH: How did the IMG sequence number get that high with a shutter count of only 943? And a shutter count of only 943 on a ten-year-old camera?

ETA: Oh yeah: The dusty light box. There were spots on the sensor. Hit the chamber and sensor with the Rocket. Made it worse. Tried the The Dust Patrol Brush. Made it better. Hit it with a dry swab. I'll need a clear blue sky to tell for sure, but looks good now.

I wonder about what a jeweler might use to polish a watch crystal.

Watch crystals aren't plastic, are they?

But good idea. If I'm feeling ambitious I'll stop by the jeweler's down the street and see what they think.

Thanks for the feedback, everybody!

Ok ... good luck on that old 40D
www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

 

[ac12]

Problem cleaning screens like that is the surrounding material.
As you polish the clear screen, you could also polish the matt surrounding material. You would have to mask the screen before doing any polishing.

Also polishes work by abrading the surface of the screen/item to reduce the thickness of the item, and thus reduce the depth of the scratch. So if you are not careful, you can make the situation worse, and introduce surface variations.

 

[zulu42]

"Mint" is...mint, like a quarter right out of the coin mint. So, I agree, it's not mint.

We had a laugh on a guitar forum about the use of "near mint" when describing guitars for sale. One member posted a photo of a rather beat up guitar, describing it as near mint. Took a good while before somebody figured out that, in the photo of the guitar, there was a flower pot in the background with mint growing in it...

I've polished out scratches in plastic before, you do have to remove some significant material. Scary.
I'd try a really light leveling wax, like an automotive finish wax with no abrasive. Try to fill the scuffs and make them dissappear. Have you got any Rain-X in the garage?

 

[Cortian]

Problem cleaning screens like that is the surrounding material.
As you polish the clear screen, you could also polish the matt surrounding material. You would have to mask the screen before doing any polishing.

You unintentionally brought up another issue.

"Mint" is...mint, like a quarter right out of the coin mint. So, I agree, it's not mint.

Yeah... there's another thing: The back of the grip on the right-hand side is worn smooth. It is no longer matte.

I think this thing is going to have to go back to the seller

 

[Designer]

EOSInfo says "943." The image count is at 9674. I don't know what this means.

Wouldn't you suspect that there is a digit missing? Shall we presume it is the fourth digit? (Whatever it might have been.)

Some people lie, and some people are simply careless about writing numbers.