I made a small scratch on the screen of my 50" HDTV. I asked for advice on how to remove it (on Yahoo answers)

and some moron told me to use toothpaste with a moistened q-tip. He said to use a slightly abrasive toothpaste like Colgate and to go over the scratch in circular motions (like polishing a shoe). Well, I did just that, and it had absolutely NO EFFECT on the scratch, but now I have this matte area around the scratch that doesn't go away. You can especially see it when the tv is shut off. It's just a slightly different colored spot smack in the middle of my $2,300 4 month-old widescreen tv. Is there anything I can do to at least remove the spot?

I made a small scratch on the screen of my 50" HDTV. I asked for advice on how to remove it (on Yahoo answers)
Look this may sound stupid, but as a car parts manufacturer inspector years ago, I successfully got rid of scratches by very carefully put a lighter to it and heat the scratched area, then rubbed my thumb to it,( keep lighter at a fair distance away from plastic, just heat up the area so carefully, DO NOT MAKE IT MELT) this got rid of the problem.
Reply:The surface of your screen is apparently plastic if toothpaste abraded it. My suggestion is to find a plastics specialty company in your area, one that sells and makes items from plastics, as well as sells plastic materials. As them for recommendations and if at all possible have someone come to your house and work on it. If the scratch was deep, there are filler materials that can be used. The abraded area can be polished with special compounds. But this is a task for experts, do not try to do it yourself, even if the store tries to sell you a plastic finishing kit. Get an expert, or leave it alone.
Reply:Use the liquid you get with cd cleaners,it is the best way to make scracthes disappear on screen.They come with a soft lint free cloth.place a small amount on the cloth then rub in circular motions,then rub off with dry portion of cloth in same manner.You may have to do more than once.I am assuming of course you have a prjection tv with a plastic type screen on front.If so the front screen itself can be changed for a reasonable rate.Check online with the manufacturer of your tv for a service center closet to you and call for a quote.As it is just a screen they will be able to tell you price on the phone...
Reply:Oh my.





About the only think I could SUGGEST would be to totally forget about anything abrasive altogether - and get something like a woolen polishig mit and attach to a "dremel" type drill on LOW speed - applying VERY little pressure. you MIGHT just polish out the matt area - but:-





1. DO test on bit of plastic first to make sure it seems to polish and not "make matt"





2. This is a suggestion - at the risk of sounding harsh, it took two morons to damage your screen - one to SUGGEST an abrasive and.......





3. Failing this, you could see if your TV warranttee covers you for accidental damage perhaps - either with TV OR through house contents insurance.





Other suggestion: Do some googling for "polishing marks out of plastic" - and similar phrases. There MAY be other products out there (which will NOT be abrasive) that may help you.





PS: As for the original scratch, unless it is VERY shallow, then I am guessing you may end up living with it - unless there is a liquid with the same optical density that could be used as a "filler" of the scratch.



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