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Removing scratches from the 'mirror' Apple logo

D

dante959

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 22, 2018
16
4
My brand new MBP just had to go through airport security and it got scratches on the glass logo from going through the screening machine. I tried to wipe them off with a microfibre cloth but it's not helping at all.

Any ideas for how to remove them? Currently sitting at the airport fuming :(
 
It’s not glass it’s stainless steel - if they’re micro abrasions you could try the putty eraser, toothpaste etc tricks (NB these are usually used for the glass screens so may make it worse) but if they are more substantial I don’t think there’s a lot you can do.
 
Falhófnir said:
It’s not glass it’s stainless steel - if they’re micro abrasions you could try the putty eraser, toothpaste etc tricks (NB these are usually used for the glass screens so may make it worse) but if they are more substantial I don’t think there’s a lot you can do.
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Actually, there is. If it is indeed stainless steel, A cape cloth should easily be able to remove those micro abrasions, assuming they are not too deep. It’s the same cloth that could be used to polish micro scratches on the 316 L stainless steel on the Apple Watch.

OP, try this method. The cloth is available on Amazon.
 
dante959 said:
Any ideas for how to remove them?
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I wouldn't dare to suggest anything honestly as I wouldn't want to possibly make matters worse. You'd need some very very fine grit polishing material to prevent matting the mirror-like finish, and there's always the risk of leaving some kind of uneven finish that looks different depending on how light falls on it. Plus you'd want to avoid abrading the surrounding anodized aluminium and so on... Seems a risky operation, honestly.

May I suggest you just live with it? See it as patina, and next time you go through airport security maybe keep your laptop in a sleeve. (Which reminds me, I should buy a sleeve for my laptop, for if I need to travel with it. Thanks for the tip, man! :) Or well, for taking one for the team and find out that airport screening machines aren't safe for macbooks...)

There's always the "buy an entirely new display assembly" nuclear option of course, at like what, $1200 cost or something? Seems a bit excessive maybe. *shrug*
 
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Lennyvalentin said:
I wouldn't dare to suggest anything honestly as I wouldn't want to possibly make matters worse. You'd need some very very fine grit polishing material to prevent matting the mirror-like finish, and there's always the risk of leaving some kind of uneven finish that looks different depending on how light falls on it. Plus you'd want to avoid abrading the surrounding anodized aluminium and so on... Seems a risky operation, honestly.

May I suggest you just live with it? See it as patina, and next time you go through airport security maybe keep your laptop in a sleeve. (Which reminds me, I should buy a sleeve for my laptop, for if I need to travel with it. Thanks for the tip, man! :) Or well, for taking one for the team and find out that airport screening machines aren't safe for macbooks...)

There's always the "buy an entirely new display assembly" nuclear option of course, at like what, $1200 cost or something? Seems a bit excessive maybe. *shrug*
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Keeping laptops in sleeves isn't an option at security though? They always tell me to remove mine. My MBP lives a very sheltered life so it wouldn't have left the sleeve unless it had to. That's why I'm so annoyed :(
 
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I use this on my apple watch SS and have used it on my TB 2016 MBP where i got a deep dig on the front side below the center track pad recession. It works, it takes time, for deep digs it just smoothed out the roughness but it looks better than prior. light scratch like on the apple watch, I got them off to my satisfaction

Screen Shot 2018-10-02 at 1.10.21 PM.png
 
Samuelsan2001 said:
It’s a tool it will get signs of wear and tear as all tools do that’s life.
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Oh I totay agree! I'm just so frustrated because this had nothing to do with me and everything to do with airport security enjoying being annoying. But the scratch has very rainbowy colours from an angle, so I'm telling myself it's just homage to the original Apple logo :cool:
 
dante959 said:
Keeping laptops in sleeves isn't an option at security though? They always tell me to remove mine. My MBP lives a very sheltered life so it wouldn't have left the sleeve unless it had to. That's why I'm so annoyed :(
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Always leave mine in a sleeve. Never been asked to remove it. Just can't be in a bag. As recently as two weeks ago on an international flight to and from the U.S.
 
Five_Oh said:
Always leave mine in a sleeve. Never been asked to remove it. Just can't be in a bag. As recently as two weeks ago on an international flight to and from the U.S.
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Ha. This kind of misses the point. You never had to remove it. I was made to remove it, and not for the first time either. They previously made me open my laptop at this airport...
 
dante959 said:
Ha. This kind of misses the point. You never had to remove it. I was made to remove it, and not for the first time either. They previously made me open my laptop at this airport...
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Apologies, I missed your second sentence I guess. I read your previous post as a question about laptops in the security line, so I answered.

Strange that I have never been asked to remove it. (probably > 20 trips through TSA line with it).
 
Five_Oh said:
Apologies, I missed your second sentence I guess. I read your previous post as a question about laptops in the security line, so I answered.

Strange that I have never been asked to remove it. (probably > 20 trips through TSA line with it).
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No worries, the policy is really strange. It sounds like you've mostly been around US airports whereas I mostly fly around Europe, so that probably explains the different approaches at security.

It's so frustrating cause I contemplated getting a hard shell case the day before I flew but someone I know had their MBP scratched by that, so I passed...I'm really just venting now :D
 
You can fly through the same airports in the US a couple times a year and it's a different situation every time. Leave it in or take it out, never consistent and always something different than what the TSA signs right in front of security say 😅
 
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