How to polish out scratches in glass?

What is the best and easiest way to polish minor scratches from glass, say
on a lens?

--
-Stephen Paul

As long as it's just a "minor" scratch and it's not causing you any problems
image wise, I would probably
leave it be.

Unless you have the right equipment and patience your probably going to
cause more damage than good.

Good luck,
F Marion

On Fri, 4 Jun 2004 10:25:28 -0400, "Stephen Paul"
wrote:


What is the best and easiest way to polish minor scratches from glass, say
on a lens?

Best answer - don't. Any effective polishing you could do to
actually remove a scratch in the glass would very possibly affect or
chance the figure of the lens itself.

joe



http://www.oneilphoto.on.ca

"Joseph O'Neil" wrote in message
...

Best answer - don't. Any effective polishing you could do to
actually remove a scratch in the glass would very possibly affect or
chance the figure of the lens itself.

Don't care about the figure, just want to get rid of the scratches, and
leave an abrasion free surface..

--
-Stephen Paul

"Stephen Paul" wrote in message
...

What is the best and easiest way to polish minor scratches from glass, say
on a lens?
The problem is that a scratch has depth. To 'polish it out', involves
polishing away glass with a fine abrasive, till the whole of a significant
area round the scratch tapers down to the level of the bottom of the
scratch, thereby changing the actual shape of the lens...
To genuinely polish it out, without damaging the shape, involves removing
exactly the same amount of glass from the whole lens surface. Even this will
have a slight effect on the optics, since the thickness of the lens will
change.
It is possible to 'refigure' the lens, but doing so, really requires that
you have a similar level of equipment, to that used to make the lens in the
first place.
If a scratch is bad enough that significant light is being scattered by it,
then consider filling it with black paint instead. Otherwise don't bother
about it.

Best Wishes

"Roger Hamlett" wrote in message
...

The problem is that a scratch has depth. To 'polish it out', involves
polishing away glass with a fine abrasive, till the whole of a significant
area round the scratch tapers down to the level of the bottom of the
scratch,


Right... what is the abrasive that one uses?

Don't care about the figure, just want to get rid of the scratches, and
leave an abrasion free surface..

In that case I would imagine that you could polish it out using the same
materials that mirror's are polished.

It's been a bunch of years since I polished a mirror so I'll let someone
with more modern day experience
speak up here. Maybe the approach is the same, but with technology changing
so fast I'd be surprised that
something hasn't changed.

F Marion

Stephen Paul wrote:
Don't care about the figure, just want to get rid of the scratches, and
leave an abrasion free surface..

You mean you don't intend to use the glass for anything optical any more,
and just want to remove the scratches?

Mojo
--
Morris Jones *
Monrovia, CA

http://www.whiteoaks.com

Right... what is the abrasive that one uses?


If its not very deep you can use a cloth buffing wheel on a grinder.
rat
~( );

email: remove 'et' from .com(et) in above email address

That sounds like a great place to start.

Thanks rat.

--
-Stephen Paul


"Ratboy99" wrote in message
...
Right... what is the abrasive that one uses?


If its not very deep you can use a cloth buffing wheel on a grinder.
rat
~( );

email: remove 'et' from .com(et) in above email address