Removing Scratches From Glass

[stang1]

We are going to be stripping our 5ft tank down and rearranging it but have noticed there are a lot of scratches on the glass. None of them are deep and have mainly been caused from moving rock around in there.
I have searched around and a lot of sites recommend using cerium oxide, which apparently jewellers use for polishing gems.
I am just curious as to what other members have tried and how much success they have had with their methods.
Any help will be much appreciated.
Angie

 

[Littlemonkey]

I was looking at Jewellers Rouge for my tank, not very expensive aswell. My only concern would be would any residue left, even after a good clean would be harmfull. Sorry if I can't answer you directly, will try and do some research. Will let you know.

 

[stang1]

Thanks Littlemonkey.
I've searched around on the net and it seems it can be done but it would be nice to see before and after pics. I know it's going to be a lot of work but that's not a problem as there is no rush to set the tank back up.

 

[Spishkey]

toothpaste, not the blue gel one, but the white one.


should add it will only work on light scratches! if you can catch your finger nail on the scratch then its possibly to big to buff out with toothpaste

 

[stang1]

Thanks Spishkey.
Sounds like a cheaper alternative and I've got plenty of that in the bathroom!

 

[saltynay]

Toothpaste works really well get a polishing cloth like you get with sunglasses and a bit of elbow grease. for larger sratches you can still use toothpaste but you need to build it up in layers over 2-3 days.

 

[stang1]

Toothpaste works really well get a polishing cloth like you get with sunglasses and a bit of elbow grease. for larger sratches you can still use toothpaste but you need to build it up in layers over 2-3 days.

Thanks.
It's such a shame that I can't reach the bottom of the tank, looks like my better half has got his work cut out...

 

[Littlemonkey]

I 2nd that Stang1, Mines usefull for moving it aswell. he he. I have to kneel on the edge of the armchair to reach the bottom of mine, good Job health and safety isn't watching.

 

[stang1]

I 2nd that Stang1, Mines usefull for moving it aswell. he he. I have to kneel on the edge of the armchair to reach the bottom of mine, good Job health and safety isn't watching.

My 5ft tanks are just over 2ft high and I can only reach the bottom if I stick my head in the tank!

 

[Spishkey]

i cant reach the bottom of my 6ft tank, even if i stand on a chair OH has to do the bottom bits for me!

 

[Littlemonkey]

Next time I do a complete clean, I may try the toothpaste touch. Good ideas guy's

 

[stang1]

i cant reach the bottom of my 6ft tank, even if i stand on a chair OH has to do the bottom bits for me!

It's a great excuse for not cleaning it, isn't it?

 

[Spiceweasel69]

Hi

I had a similar problem recently and found that any scratch that doesnt come out withing a good 20 mins of rubbing wont come out. I went to screwfix and got the glass polshing kit for £19.99 and it worked a treat for all light scratches. just use the bobbin on a cordless drill. The prob i had was both patience and awkwardness as i have a 6ft tank which is very deep.
Perseverence is the key.

 

[keenonfish]

I got some really nasty scratches out of my vision I will sort some piccies out for you - you could feel them with your nail which gives as idea how bad they were. How the hell they got their god only knows!

But yeah go to your glass cutters they should sell you a big bag of cerium for a couple of quid much better than ebay prices.

The polishing will leave distortion behind however this disapears once you fill with water. Oh I believe cerium is harmless to fish.

 

[keenonfish]

I either didn't get all the scratches before removal or they are floating round on the computer somewhere but this should give you an idea...

The removal.... This is really hard work over 1 hour per scratch if deep!

like I said the distortion dissapears when filled with water I cannot find the polished areas now! Some real deep scratches could not be removed fully but are much better...