iKlear is garbage - THIS stuff will get rid of your LCD scratches...

Dew itt right

2[H]4U
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Oct 28, 2005
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For real, I thought I was screwed when the used LCD I bought had a collection of scrapes and scratches. It wasn't noticable when the display was on, but when it's off or when there's a predominatly black screen on, you could really see them. It looked like the last guy used the wrong cleaner and a cloth that was way too rough that left these deep scuff marks.

Anyway, somebody here recommended iKlear. So I bought it at the Egg and tried it out. the stuff is garbage! It calls itself "polish" but it's no more than an overpriced cleaning spray. Some guy on another forum had metioned using something else...

CARNAUBA WAX!! That's right - the guy recommended Kit Carnauba Wax (car wax). The auto store here didn't carry Kit, but they had Turtle Wax's Carnauba Wax. So I took it home and gave it a try. MAN does that LCD look new or what! I was so psyched! The guy mentioned that it increases the glare but noticed no difference whatsoever. And the wax doesn't stain the black plastic casing on the LCD either.

Most of the plastic polishes they recommend for polishing LCD's say they're NOT to be used on LCD's that don't have the glossy protective plastic layer so that ruled out most of the plastic polishes for me. I have a Samsung Syncmaster 710N which does't have the protective layer.

Anyway, I'm all happy now because a little $5 container of wax fixed my 17" LCD like it was nothing at all. Plus I've got some good wax for my car now too!! :p I wish I would've taken some "before" pictures. Oh well... I'll post some of the cleaning procedure when I have more time. Just wanted to post this for some people like me who may be searching for a cheap and easy LCD scratch repair moethod but aren't finding much online. I can't believe I only found this mentioned one place online!


 
Ehh...I'm sure the wax filled in the scratches but I have my doubts about Carnauba being optically clear....but probably no worse than the gawdawful anti-glare coatings many manufacturers use. I guess if you're happy with the results then that is all that matters. ;)
 
Well there's nothing that's totally clear (as in has no index of refraction) other than empty space. The trick is getting something that has the same index of refraction as your LCD screen. If the wax does, then it'll work great.
 
Dew itt right said:
Anyway, somebody here recommended iKlear.

It was me :(

Sorry it didn't work for you, I have had really good luck with it....but thank you for the wax tip, I'll give it a try next time.
 
hell I used to wax the screen on my 22" NEC Diamondtron (helped to keep off dust and fingerprints)...i also waxed the bathtub for years (prevents soap scum buildup :p )....never thought about it for the LCD :p

might give it try, I already have some carnuba in the garage :p
 
No, that's for the actual screen! Worked like a charm. I don't know about all this index of refraction or color distortion or any of that. I've never personally owned an LCD, I've done a few nuilds with them. All I know is that to the untrained eye (like my own) there is no noticabe difference after applying the wax - except for the fact that the scratches are gone! ;)

Needless to say, I've got an whole iKlear package that's only been used once for sale if anyone's interested! :p
 
I don't know if this is true for the stuff you linked, but the thing I didn't like about most of the "plastic polishes" that I found is that they work by actually removing a portion of the surrounding plastic thus thinning the plastic layer. Obviously if you had to use the stuff multiple times or if you were just over-zealous it seems as though you could wear thru the plastic enough to ruin it. I went with the wax just because I figured the probability of ruining the screen would be far less since it doesn't actually "remove" material from the screen, but instead fills the scratches.
 
Dew itt right said:
I don't know if this is true for the stuff you linked, but the thing I didn't like about most of the "plastic polishes" that I found is that they work by actually removing a portion of the surrounding plastic thus thinning the plastic layer. Obviously if you had to use the stuff multiple times or if you were just over-zealous it seems as though you could wear thru the plastic enough to ruin it. I went with the wax just because I figured the probability of ruining the screen would be far less since it doesn't actually "remove" material from the screen, but instead fills the scratches.

Of course thats what a polish does, as that is the definition of a polishing agent. A polish can be used in two ways- 1) cut down the material to the depth of the scratches (i.e.- taking off a lot of material, and would be bad for an LCD), 2) use a lighter compound that rounds the sharp corners of the scratches (the sharper the edge of the scratch is, the more apparent it becomes, due to how it refracts/reflects light. By rounding off the sharp edges, you can greatly reduce the appearance of the scratch, even to the point where it is no longer visible, without cutting away much material at all).

That being said, a plastic polish is typically a very light compound- it would be extremely difficult to remove too much material with one even if you used it many times, and would be almost impossible to do #1 listed above.

My concern about Carnuba wax is that it can yellow over time, and I don't know if I would trust any of the wax removal chemicals used for cars, on an LCD panel. Just a thought.
 
MarkLT1 said:
...My concern about Carnuba wax is that it can yellow over time...

Yeah, never really thought about that one! :eek: We'll have to see if that one comes to pass. It's part on my brother's build so I'll surely find out if it does. Good thing he lives an hour away - I'll have a head start! :p
 
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