Let me preface this by saying that I know this is waaaay over the top. Still, it might help folks who are as obsessive-compulsive as me.
Anyway, this evening I found a few minor scratches and "nicks" on the screen of my iPad. These blemishes were only visible under direct fluorescent lighting, but they bugged me, so I set out to remove them.
As has been discussed in this forum and elsewhere, most iPad/iPhone screen scratches are actually in the oleophobic coating layer, not the glass itself. So, I figured, what if I just remove the oleophobic layer? Then all I'll have left is nice, smooth, hard, scratch-resistant glass.
Knowing enough about car detailing to be dangerous, I busted out my Porter-Cable random-orbit polisher, 3M swirl mark remover, cheapo Windex, two foam pads (one polishing, one finishing), synthetic paint sealant, two microfiber towels, and a microfiber sponge.
First, I cleaned my screen with the Windex and a microfiber towel. Simple enough.
Next, I attached the foam polishing pad to my P-C polisher, set it on speed setting 4, plopped a nickel-sized drop of 3M compound on the pad, and polished the screen. It took about 5 minutes of polishing with very light pressure to completely remove the oleophobic coating. The only way to tell that the coating is gone is to exhale on the screen such that it fogs...this makes it pretty clear where the coating is and isn't. It's also possible to tell by feel where the coating is, but that's not as reliable as actually seeing it. However, without breathing on the glass, you absolutely can't visually tell where the coating ends -- the bare glass is exactly as shiny as the coated glass.
Third, I polished the glass again with the 3M stuff, but this time I used the finishing pad. This probably wasn't necessary but it's a force of habit from working with auto paint.
Honestly, at this point, the hard work was done. I cleaned the screen again with Windex, then I used the microfiber sponge to apply my synthetic sealant (basically it's a chemical "wax") and let it dry for about 5 minutes. I then buffed off the sealant with a clean microfiber towel and, voila, done!
I gotta tell you, I was SHOCKED as to how nicely this turned out. There are absolutely no scratches in the glass (even under very close inspection using fluorescent and LED spotlights) and the sealant makes the coating-free glass significantly slicker and less prone to fingerprints that the coating did. Clean up is even easier than it was before I removed the coating -- just wipe the screen with a dry microfiber towel. The screen is so slick that dust and lint just don't stick. I'm extremely happy with the results.
Bottom line -- it is possible to remove fine scratches from your iPad's screen. It takes a little bit of work, but it's easy and the results are fantastic.
Anyway, this evening I found a few minor scratches and "nicks" on the screen of my iPad. These blemishes were only visible under direct fluorescent lighting, but they bugged me, so I set out to remove them.
As has been discussed in this forum and elsewhere, most iPad/iPhone screen scratches are actually in the oleophobic coating layer, not the glass itself. So, I figured, what if I just remove the oleophobic layer? Then all I'll have left is nice, smooth, hard, scratch-resistant glass.
Knowing enough about car detailing to be dangerous, I busted out my Porter-Cable random-orbit polisher, 3M swirl mark remover, cheapo Windex, two foam pads (one polishing, one finishing), synthetic paint sealant, two microfiber towels, and a microfiber sponge.
First, I cleaned my screen with the Windex and a microfiber towel. Simple enough.
Next, I attached the foam polishing pad to my P-C polisher, set it on speed setting 4, plopped a nickel-sized drop of 3M compound on the pad, and polished the screen. It took about 5 minutes of polishing with very light pressure to completely remove the oleophobic coating. The only way to tell that the coating is gone is to exhale on the screen such that it fogs...this makes it pretty clear where the coating is and isn't. It's also possible to tell by feel where the coating is, but that's not as reliable as actually seeing it. However, without breathing on the glass, you absolutely can't visually tell where the coating ends -- the bare glass is exactly as shiny as the coated glass.
Third, I polished the glass again with the 3M stuff, but this time I used the finishing pad. This probably wasn't necessary but it's a force of habit from working with auto paint.
Honestly, at this point, the hard work was done. I cleaned the screen again with Windex, then I used the microfiber sponge to apply my synthetic sealant (basically it's a chemical "wax") and let it dry for about 5 minutes. I then buffed off the sealant with a clean microfiber towel and, voila, done!
I gotta tell you, I was SHOCKED as to how nicely this turned out. There are absolutely no scratches in the glass (even under very close inspection using fluorescent and LED spotlights) and the sealant makes the coating-free glass significantly slicker and less prone to fingerprints that the coating did. Clean up is even easier than it was before I removed the coating -- just wipe the screen with a dry microfiber towel. The screen is so slick that dust and lint just don't stick. I'm extremely happy with the results.
Bottom line -- it is possible to remove fine scratches from your iPad's screen. It takes a little bit of work, but it's easy and the results are fantastic.
