Scratch Disc - Sticker Removal - Case and Disc Repair Guide

[elmagicochrisg]

for labels that dont easily come off I have always used lighter fluid and a cloth.

Brought up a great point. emwearz mentioned using Olive Oil. Any petroleum based fluid helsp to break down the sticker glue. Both are great alternatives if there is a risk of LiftOff or GooGone damaging the plastic.

I added your Quote to the OP, THANKS!

I guess anything oily / greasy really...

[elmagicochrisg]

I've looked into that plastic polish a little more. Seems indeed to be able to remove small scratches. I wonder if all of them do though, and what exactly makes the scratches go away. One thing I found was PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or teflon. The same stuff used in for instance frying pans. Could you have a look and see if there is PTFE in that plastic polish you mentioned in your OP?...

On a side note, another option for my GB micro would perhaps be to just make a new cover myself. Maybe this would help?...

Custom covers instantly spring to mind...

[CRTGAMER]

I've looked into that plastic polish a little more. Seems indeed to be able to remove small scratches. I wonder if all of them do though, and what exactly makes the scratches go away. One thing I found was PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or teflon. The same stuff used in for instance frying pans. Could you have a look and see if there is PTFE in that plastic polish you mentioned in your OP?

That was a sample pic, I updated the OP. I use Meguiar's Mirror Glaze. No ingredients listed on the bottle, but it states to remove small scratches. Makes sense that once the chemical is dry, some remain in the deeper scratches.

[Mechblue]

for labels that dont easily come off I have always used lighter fluid and a cloth.

I was attempting this method. Worked for a while till a big chunk of the data part came off.

I'm sure it works but I won't be attempting it any time soon.

[fastbilly1]

for labels that dont easily come off I have always used lighter fluid and a cloth.

I was attempting this method. Worked for a while till a big chunk of the data part came off.

I'm sure it works but I won't be attempting it any time soon.

I should have stated this in the original part - if there is a label on the disc I do not take it off. Lighter fluid is used to take labels off cases.

[Mechblue]

for labels that dont easily come off I have always used lighter fluid and a cloth.

I was attempting this method. Worked for a while till a big chunk of the data part came off.

I'm sure it works but I won't be attempting it any time soon.

I should have stated this in the original part - if there is a label on the disc I do not take it off. Lighter fluid is used to take labels off cases.

Lighter fluid is commonly suggested for removing those disc labels. I can say with experience it isn't worth removing. Better to have the game with a label on it than no game.

Haha, yeah, thanks for clarifying. I use goo gone for removing labels. Works flawlessly.

[elmagicochrisg]

Well, about the GameBoy micro...

I bought scratch remover for windshields in a car shop. Tried it out, only to come to the conclusion that it did not have the effect I was hoping for. Can't say it didn't remove the scratches, because it did. In fact it filled them up. Unfortunately this had a rather unpleasant side-effect. The scratches that got filled up gave a 'wet effect' on the screen. You know, when you have a small drop of fluid on your screen, and the pixels kinda get deformed and extra bright. Now since the pixels in the GB micro screen are so damned small, they did exactly that!... There were even some hairline scratches I hadn't noticed before that popped up now, wet-effect style!...

So I took a drastic solution...

Those faint of heart make sure you're sitting down before you read on...

I took my Dremel, exacto knife, and file set, and simply cut the screen out!...

Ok, radical, I admit. But the screen looks awesome now!... Better than it originally was I might say. Only thing is I will have to be extra careful from now on not to make any scratches on the screen. Shouldn't be a problem though... ^^

[CRTGAMER]

Well, about the GameBoy micro...

So I took a drastic solution...

Those faint of heart make sure you're sitting down before you read on...

I took my Dremel, exacto knife, and file set, and simply cut the screen out!...

Ok, radical, I admit. But the screen looks awesome now!... Better than it originally was I might say. Only thing is I will have to be extra careful from now on not to make any scratches on the screen. Shouldn't be a problem though... ^^

Well that is a sure way to get rid of the scratches!

Maybe you could pop on a cell phone screen protector to keep that inner screen safe. At least if the protector gets scratched, an easy fix.

[elmagicochrisg]

Well that is a sure way to get rid of the scratches!

Maybe you could pop on a cell phone screen protector to keep that inner screen safe. At least if the protector gets scratched, an easy fix.

Thought of that. Just don't know if I will like it. Never liked those screens on cell phones either. But I did hear the ones from JAVOedge are very good. So I might just try one of those... ^^

Anyways, if you thought that was pretty extreme. You haven't heard anything yet...

Now that there was no top layer on my screen I saw there was a very small smudge 'inside' the screen. Checked it out with the microscope and found the smudge covered the red and green part of one pixel. Enough for me to have to do something about it...

So I opened the GB micro, which was a pain. Those triwing screws are so small that my smallest triwing screwdriver (ZOOZEN set) almost had no grip on them. Opening up the rest was fairly easy though. Got the screen out. Opened up the screen's metal case. Got all the layers out very carefully. Found the booboo layer. Tried to clean it very carefully. Didn't work. So I said fuck it. Washed it with this, and then wiped it dry with a clean towel. Put the layer back in place. Put the other layers back on top again trying not to touch them too much. Connected the battery and the screen to the printboard. Fired it up, and tadàà, saw it was good!...

Still have to put everything back together now. it's going to be a pain. Everything is so small, and you need to get everything in place at once before you close some parts of the GB micro, which means you need to defy gravity a few times. Not even talking about connecting the screen once it's in place...

Anyways, I had fun. And I know what a GB micro looks like on the inside now...

And just in case you were wondering. Yes, I'm anal like that. Sue me...

[CRTGAMER]

Now that there was no top layer on my screen I saw there was a very small smudge 'inside' the screen. Checked it out with the microscope and found the smudge covered the red and green part of one pixel. Enough for me to have to do something about it...

So I opened the GB micro, which was a pain. Those triwing screws are so small that my smallest triwing screwdriver (ZOOZEN set) almost had no grip on them. Opening up the rest was fairly easy though. Got the screen out. Opened up the screen's metal case. Got all the layers out very carefully. Found the booboo layer. Tried to clean it very carefully. Didn't work. So I said fuck it. Washed it with this, and then wiped it dry with a clean towel. Put the layer back in place. Put the other layers back on top again trying not to touch them too much. Connected the battery and the screen to the printboard. Fired it up, and tadàà, saw it was good!...

Still have to put everything back together now. it's going to be a pain. Everything is so small, and you need to get everything in place at once before you close some parts of the GB micro, which means you need to defy gravity a few times. Not even talking about connecting the screen once it's in place...

Anyways, I had fun. And I know what a GB micro looks like on the inside now...

And just in case you were wondering. Yes, I'm anal like that. Sue me...

Know what you mean, I did the same thing to resurrect a Namco TV Games, Pole position gas ant shift are now operated by one button. Ca you take a pic while you have it apart? Shows another aspect of cleaning up the layers of a screen.