Scratch/Chip Repair

[TacticalReef]

I really wish I would have taken pictures of this but I was really worried I was only going to make it worse but it was worth a shot.

While I was setting up my aquascape for my new Innovative Marine 40 one of the rocks took a tumble and put a nice scratch in the front display glass.

Everything I read said if I could feel it with a fingernail then I would just have to live with it, but I wasn’t okay with that.

I got on McMaster.com and ordered two different diamond lapping pastes, one 20 micron and one .5 micron, to try to sand down the glass and get rid of this crack along with a felt bit to apply it with. (I can provide part number if anyone is interested).

I used less than half of the syringe of the 20 micron paste and the scratches are all but gone! I plan on doing about 10 more minutes of the 20 micron and then another 10-15 minutes with the .5 to polish it all up.

Needless to say, you don’t have to live with scratches or mistakes if you have the time and elbow grease to get rid of them. I spent a lot of time taping off the area around the scratch and covering all of the rock with paper towels to make sure none of the paste gets anywhere else in the tank.

 

[TUSI]

I really wish I would have taken pictures of this but I was really worried I was only going to make it worse but it was worth a shot.

While I was setting up my aquascape for my new Innovative Marine 40 one of the rocks took a tumble and put a nice scratch in the front display glass.

Everything I read said if I could feel it with a fingernail then I would just have to live with it, but I wasn’t okay with that.

I got on McMaster.com and ordered two different diamond lapping pastes, one 20 micron and one .5 micron, to try to sand down the glass and get rid of this crack along with a felt bit to apply it with. (I can provide part number if anyone is interested).

I used less than half of the syringe of the 20 micron paste and the scratches are all but gone! I plan on doing about 10 more minutes of the 20 micron and then another 10-15 minutes with the .5 to polish it all up.

Needless to say, you don’t have to live with scratches or mistakes if you have the time and elbow grease to get rid of them. I spent a lot of time taping off the area around the scratch and covering all of the rock with paper towels to make sure none of the paste gets anywhere else in the tank.

Thank you for sharing. If you don't mind, can you give more info on the paste that you used or perhaps polish that was used.

 

[TacticalReef]

Thank you for sharing. If you don't mind, can you give more info on the paste that you used or perhaps polish that was used.

For sure!

McMaster.com part numbers:
4428A11
4428A17
Are the two pastes and the felt bit was
4811A722

 

[TUSI]

For sure!

McMaster.com part numbers:
4428A11
4428A17
Are the two pastes and the felt bit was
4811A722

Excellent. Thank you for sharing cause this is good info. Every one of us have a scratch I'm sure somewhere in the tank that love to remove.

 

[wmo168]

I just order the stuff not sure micron to start with. Here is my scratch from the rock on my new tank. Wish me luck!!

 

[TacticalReef]

I just order the stuff not sure micron to start with. Here is my scratch from the rock on my new tank. Wish me luck!!

Micron is important to make sure to finely shave the glass down which gets rid of the glass.

Let me know how it turns out for you!