How to remove the AntiGlare from a CRT?

Phoenixx

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Long story short: Some time ago ive bought two Sony G520 based CRTs. Somehow ive managed to make a few real nice and deep scratches into the AntiGlare of the one that was stored away, and now i would like to remove the rest of it completely so the thing can be used again.

Question: How can that AntiGlare layer be removed?

Ive read that some people inadvertantly damaged their AntiGlare by using certain cleaning agents, but since they didnt mention what they have used this didnt really help me either. If you have done this before or know how that stuff can be brought off for sure, please let me know, i would appreciate it very much.

Thanks in advance.
 
Can you tell what kind of coating it is? There are basically 3 kinds, sprayed on, vapor deposited, glued on sheet.

Vapor deposited is really expensive so not used much on large surfaces. It's very thin so you would see scratches but there would be no depth to them. Working with lenses with various coatings I know it's not easy to remove them, not hard to scratch but hard to remove.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a glued on one but have heard you can peel it off (then have to deal with removing the traces of glue). If the scratches look like they are cut into a sheet of plastic it might be this type.

Sprayed on is most common, I know most harsh cleaners will damage it but not sure if they would remove it compleatly. I guess if the scratches make the monitor unuseable then it wouldn't hurt to start trying different cleaners, as long as you don't scratch or etch the glass of the CRT you're OK. Something that eats plastic would be good to try, like nail polish remover (actone), will dissolve low density plastics and glue but not hurt the glass. Might come down to manual labor, the stuff they sell for cleaning glass cooktops might be the way to power it off without scratching the glass.

I just replaced my 10 year old Trinitron CRT this weekend, been going bad for a few months, every few days the brightness would start going crazy for a day, then fine for a few days. Finally got sick of it. Got a Samsung 24" widescreen, not sure if I like the TN display yet, it's very clear, good color, but the change in brightness with viewing angle is what I'm not sure about yet.
 
Its either sprayed or vapor deposited, (not a sheet/overlay), and given the high-endness of the tubes (Sony G520) it might very well be the latter.

The layer itself is very thin and a sharp object leaves a scratch very easily. The scratches dont run very deep, on the contrary, but when severe enough you can see them very well. At the same time it is very resistent. I have already tried some real aggressive stuff on it (real caustic toilet cleaner that dissolves even chalkstone in no time) but it just laughed at me. Had no effect at all, even though i spread a good amount across the screen and waited an hour or so. I did that because i hoped i can fix the scratches by slightly 'liquifying' the AntiGlare surface and reapplying it across the marks. Absolutely nada, it didnt even leave so much as a trace of color on the white cloth when i rubbed it off. (If it would be that resistent against scratches you could skate around on it with ice skates.)

Nail Polish Remover sounds like a plan though. This might very well work. Will get a bottle on my next shopping tour, would be splendid if that did the trick. If all else fails (and nobody has any other recommendations) i could still try one of these 'metal-sponges' (tangled aluminum swarf) to scratch off the rest. Sort of the sledgehammer method but then the stuff must come off, one way or another. Because the monitor itself is quasi like new, 100% perfect picture, not even dust in it, and i plan on using it for a long time to come. TFTs just dont do it for me, i had precisely one that was any good and finding that one was a combination of pure luck and happenstance. And now that i have seen how irreplacable a high-end 21" CRT is theres just no way id be putting one of these inferior LCD things on my desk. Not if i can help it. And luckily i can,...
 
Stange idea and I have never tryed it but you might try the sollution and cleaning pad that is used on a glass cooktop stove. That might be abrasive enough to remove the coating and not scratch it. You should be able to find both in any grocery store.
 
what about, instead of trying to remove, you try to repair?

i've never tried them, but i remember seeing kits for repairing CD's and eye glasses and stuff, where there was a liquid substance similar to the object in question that you would push into the cracks with some kind of 'spatula' principle and then it would harden after awhile.
 
From the description it does sound like the type of coating used on lenses, if you shine a flashlight on it at a 45° angle you'll see different colors for the reflections off the layers of glass.

It's probably an inorganic compound and unlikely to be dissolved by any household chemicals. There's small chance it's an organic compound so you could still try acetone, just don't get any on the plastic around the CRT because it will soften it and it will look ugly. For the coatings typically put on lenses acids would be more likely to dissolve it vs. caustic (caustic (base) will etch glass so don't use anything like drain cleaner), could try a paper towel soaked in vinegar for a few hours but it's probably not a strong enough acid to do anything.

Glass safe abrasives and a lot of work are probably going to be your only option.
 
...you might try the sollution and cleaning pad that is used on a glass cooktop stove. That might be abrasive enough to remove the coating and not scratch it.
Yes, thats something i had in mind. If all else fails i might try that, but not with a metal pad, but with a 'metal-sponge'. (Pretty much a twine of thick aluminum swarf which is being used to clean badly burnt-in stuff like milk and cheese out of pots and pans in no time.) These things are way more abrasive than metal pads, yet still not damaging to glass. But since this is an absolute sledgehammer method i would do that really only if there is no 'elegant' solution, like gently wiping it off with some chemical or something like that,...

what about, instead of trying to remove, you try to repair?
Did that, and like i said, it didnt work. At least not with the agent i tried. And besides, since the coating is so immensely thin i dont think it would be possible to get a satisfactory result anyway. Even the slightest difference in the AntiGlares 'thickness' (it almost hurts to use the word 'thick' here) would most probably leave an area where it is brighter or darker. And since i cant even stand dust particles on my screen (i am the kind of guy who always keeps a windex bottle sitting next to the screen) something like that would no doubt drive me totally nuts. In fact i barely managed to get used to the two horizontal threads that hold the slotmask in place, and these threads are thinner than a hair,...
 
Glass safe abrasives and a lot of work are probably going to be your only option.
Lets hope this isnt true,...:(

BTW, i have also already tried H²O² [Hydrogen Peroxide] because i happened to have some here and this stuff didnt do anything at all either. Like i said, mighty resistent against chemicals, but unfortunately just as vulnerable to 'mechanical' damage,...
 
Even the slightest difference in the AntiGlares 'thickness' (it almost hurts to use the word 'thick' here) would most probably leave an area where it is brighter or darker. And since i cant even stand dust particles on my screen (i am the kind of guy who always keeps a windex bottle sitting next to the screen) something like that would no doubt drive me totally nuts. In fact i barely managed to get used to the two horizontal threads that hold the slotmask in place, and these threads are thinner than a hair,...

Yea, if you do the flashlight test you'll probably see the color of the coating, so any scratches will show up at a slightly different tint.

I keep a bunch of those micro-fiber cloths within reach to get dust off. Drives me crazy at work when people stab their grubby fingers on the screens. >(
 
Lets hope this isnt true,...:(

BTW, i have also already tried H²O² [Hydrogen Peroxide] because i happened to have some here and this stuff didnt do anything at all either. Like i said, mighty resistent against chemicals, but unfortunately just as vulnerable to 'mechanical' damage,...

That's why they use vapor or e-beam deposition to apply it, if it were soluble in something they would use a chemical means to apply it since it would be so much cheaper, no need for massive vacuum equipment.
 
Did that, and like i said, it didnt work. At least not with the agent i tried.
did that, as in, you couldn't get the stuff to even liquify? okay... that's why i recommended those kits.

And besides, since the coating is so immensely thin i dont think it would be possible to get a satisfactory result anyway. Even the slightest difference in the AntiGlares 'thickness' (it almost hurts to use the word 'thick' here) would most probably leave an area where it is brighter or darker.
*shrug*
ultra-high standards, i guess. but if all else fails, at least you can donate the CRT to charity and pick out something new that you can scratch-test first.
 
...if all else fails, at least you can donate the CRT to charity and pick out something new that you can scratch-test first.
LOL,...now thats a good idea.

Only problem is if i did that i would probably not be allowed to set foot in that store anymore,...:builder:

(*scratch-scratch* - crap, not scratch-proof, lets try another one - *scratch-scratch*......) :chainsaw:
 
that would probably not be my method for making a scratch test, but hey, whatever works.

(btw, bonus points for entering the store in hobo clothes)
 
Hi, I was trying this with a non-metal pad on an old 13" monitor, and it is working great! Only thing is that I am leaving small micro scratches. Before I do this on the monitor I want to fix, how would I get rid of those micro scratches? Or are those microscratches simply left over coating that needs to also be removed?

My main goal is to fix a Sony 24" Widescreen CRT. I refuse to let go of this bad boy, but I accidentally scratched the coating with my nail while cleaning it!
 
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