Can you fix scratched glass?

[BantyRooster97]

So I was moving a frag rack on the front glass of my tank today.... not sure what was between the magnet & the glass but it scratched it. Doesn't look deep, but it's noticeable.

Is there anything I can do to "buff" the scratches out?

 

[ca1ore]

Not really. You could empty the tank and try to buff it out with cesium oxide, but you’re more likely to just make it worse.

 

[DS204]

Someone from here posted a thread about using diamond paste to take the edge off a scratch and I had success with this too. I did this on a brand new tank and now that it's filled I can barely find the scratch.

You have to be super careful working with the product though. A little research is necessary. If you decide to proceed and have questions, let me know.

Hope that helps.

 

[BantyRooster97]

Read on the internet... yes I know... that you can use tooth paste or baking soda/water to buff out light scratches. I could drain the tank low enough to get to the scratches. These are both non-toxic and shouldn't harm the fish/corals if some residue is left over and gets in my water.

Anyone ever try this?

 

[Brett S]

Read on the internet... yes I know... that you can use tooth paste or baking soda/water to buff out light scratches. I could drain the tank low enough to get to the scratches. These are both non-toxic and shouldn't harm the fish/corals if some residue is left over and gets in my water.

Anyone ever try this?

Scratches in glass are *very* hard to get out. I wound up getting a scratch on the outside of my new (at the time) 220G tank and I spent a good 4 or 5 hours trying to buff it out with a buffing wheel and cesium oxide. Even after all that time the scratch is still visible if you look for it, but it is much improved from what it was.

It is also a very messy process. The buffing wheel sprays cesium oxide everywhere and it also drips down as you use it.

I think the chances of you being able to even make any progress on the scratch on the inside of a partially filled tank is pretty close to 0.

While toothpaste is non toxic to humans I suspect that some of the mint and other ingredients may very well be toxic to corals and other inverts and maybe even the fish if it got into the water. Baking soda in small quantities wouldn’t be toxic to your livestock, but baking soda is commonly used as an alkalinity supplement, so if you got too much in the water you could raise your alkalinity suddenly, which would be detrimental to the tank.

Additionally you’re absolutely not going to get the scratch out by just putting a little baking soda or toothpaste on a paper towel and rubbing it on the scratch for a few minutes. You will need to spend hours with a buffing wheel and likely use something more powerful than baking soda or toothpaste if you’re going to have any hope.

All that said, I do still have quite a bit of cesium oxide left because I was only able to find it in reasonably large quantities. If you want to pay postage I’d be happy to send you some.

 

[jd371]

Worked in the glass trade at one time. Once and a while I would need to buff out a scratch from a new windshield. Depending how deep it was determined if it was worth it. Running your fingernail over the scratch and if it got caught in the scratch it was too deep to buff out and all that you'd do is deform the glass buffing it out. Light scratches were no problem , but like was mentioned since you need water to lubricate the buffing powder it gets very messy with it spraying everywhere, the buffing station at the shop had plastic curtains around it.

 

[BantyRooster97]

Thx. My sister in law is actually in the glass business. She has a huge buffing wheel that can buff out anything (it seems). But there is no way to use that on an aquarium, with or without water.

Was really hoping for a reapir using good ol elbow grease. I can drain the tank low & move the fish/corals to a 40g breeder while I fix it, but it sounds like a huge p i t a. May just have to live with my stupid mistake.

 

[Brett S]

[QUOTE="BantyRooster97, post: 6137679, member: 78501May just have to live with my stupid mistake.[/QUOTE]

As much as that sucks, that’s probably the best option. And the first scratch is always the worst. Like I said above, I got one in my new 220 and spent hours trying to buff it out with limited success. The tank is now over 3 years old and since then there are at least 3 or 4 new scratches inside the glass and I honestly don’t even know where they came from. Every once in a while I just notice a new scratch, but they bother me less now... for a while with the first one it was all I could see when I looked at the tank, but I really don’t even notice it anymore and it’s the same with the others... I just look at the fish through the glass instead

 

[Jon Fishman]

I had researched buffing scratches on a saphire-crystal watch-face. Same concept applies just not sure it is worth doing to your tank

 

[ca1ore]

deform the glass buffing it out

That's part of what I meant by making it worse. Aggressive buffing will create waviness in the optics - worse than the scratch IMO.

 

[jtl]

I once read that you could take clear nail polish and apply it over the scratch. After is dries for a day then take nail polish remover and lightly wipe over the scratch to get rid of the excess polish. I guess the concept is that he clear will stay in the scratch and make it less noticeable. Never tried it but I would if I had to.

 

[BantyRooster97]

read that too... not sure I want that in my tank though

 

[Mastiffsrule]

I would not be to hard on yourself. I have many scratches in my 180 over the years. Even the most careful of us get at least one. I leave mine. Adds character, but really every time I do something in my tank now I look at the scratches and be that much more careful now.

And if you stand far enough back it will probably not even be visible. Just don’t walk or go near the tank ever

 

[DS204]

You can seriously fix this with about $50.00 in diamond paste and 30 mins of elbow grease. I did this on my brand new 525xl that had a scratch in it, and I'm so glad that I did. The scratch was 2 inches long on the front glass, and I could catch my fingernail on it. Honestly, it's pretty straight forward to do.

I used 6 micron paste and 1 micron paste, although if I could do it over again I would only use 1 micron and .5 micron. I used a piece of leather to make a strop and then carefully used the paste on the scratch to take the edge off it. I used the higher micron paste to take the edge off, then the lower micron paste to sort of polish up the scratch after. The only mistake I made was using a 6 micron, because it created a slight hazing on the scratch similar to what would probably happen with cerium oxide. Luckily the hazing is ONLY visible when I view from 1 specific angle, and only I know its there. Now that there's water in the tank, the hazing is 100% invisible and the scratch is basically 99% invisible. I know where it is, and I have a hard time finding it. None of my guests can spot it, not even if I show them where it is.

If you're serious about fixing the scratch, which it sounds like you are, then this method will probably lead to some success. I picked up the diamond paste from Lee Valley. I also used it on my girlfriends watch and polished a few scratches out of that using the 1 micron paste. It definitely improved it. The scratch is still there, but what you're trying to achieve is to just take the 'edge' or 'roughness' off the scratch so that it's less visible and the light doesn't catch it.

When I got my Red Sea tank, I was so deflated when I saw the scratch on the front glass. I searched this forum high and low and a lot of people said cerium oxide is the only way to go, but with very limited success. I phoned a local glass place and they basically told me I was SOL and not to even try. I wasn't okay with that. When there's a will, there's a way. I found a thread on here about someone using diamond paste, so I tried it myself and it's super-duper worth it. Highly recommend. Try it!!

 

[BantyRooster97]

thx, I just bought some and will let everyone know (see) my progress. I'm on vacation next week when it comes, so it'll be a little while.

 

[DS204]

I'll post some pictures of mine later this weekend, so you can see what a big scratch I was dealing with. I'm honestly so glad that I tried this. Just be really careful working with it. A little research goes a long way before you get started. Take your time with it. The lower the micron probably the better. You might get better results using a felt pad and a dremmel tool, which is how the other person did it. I did it by hand using leather just to be on the safe side. Good luck!

Credit should actually go to @EverAquarium for this post that gave me the idea in the first place!
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/scratch-chip-repair.572260/

 

[Lissa1987]

I used to work with gemstones a lot....Diamond paste is the way to go, but you can't be quick with it, go thorough all the different grits and clean REALLY well in between each one.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=diamond+paste&ref=nb_sb_noss_2