[kaido]

My white MacBook is quickly gaining a nice collection of scratches on the top lid. I ordered an invisibleSHIELD for it today and I want to polish off the scratches before I apply it. I've read about using Brasso to restore iPods; I've also read that Brasso can cause yellowing in white iPods (mixed reports). Has anyone tried Brasso on a white MacBook yet? Or maybe an iBook? If not I guess my machine will be the guinea pig

[Disengage]

I used it on my wifes iBook and it worked pretty well, you had to rub pretty hard. There was no discoloration, but I've been hesitant to try it on my Macbook yet. I suggest you test a very small spot on the bottom of your Macbook first.

[kaido]

Originally Posted by Disengage

I used it on my wifes iBook and it worked pretty well, you had to rub pretty hard. There was no discoloration, but I've been hesitant to try it on my Macbook yet. I suggest you test a very small spot on the bottom of your Macbook first.

Yeah, I was going to try it on the battery first. The entire casing itself has those fine scratches that you can only see at a certain angle; I want to get those cleaned up and slap the invisibleSHIELD on before it gets worse. I'll report back in a week or so after I get my invisibleSHIELD

[redhot_nyc]

Originally Posted by kaido

...Brasso to restore iPods; I've also read that Brasso can cause yellowing in white iPods (mixed reports).

Brasso is a metal cleaner.... It is not a plastic cleaner. MacBooks and iBooks are plastic. Only the rear of an iPod is metal. Since Brasso contains very strong solvents and ammonia, I would not recommend using it to polish computers. The ammonia alone will cause discoloration of plastics.

[masugu]

How about Steel Wool?

[Yakov]

scratches don't matter.
you are the only person who will ever notice.
you are the only person who will ever care.
stop spending money to fight a problem that's not a problem.

go take a walk outside
it's nice out!

(love ya, k )

[kaido]

Originally Posted by redhot_nyc

Brasso is a metal cleaner.... It is not a plastic cleaner. MacBooks and iBooks are plastic. Only the rear of an iPod is metal. Since Brasso contains very strong solvents and ammonia, I would not recommend using it to polish computers. The ammonia alone will cause discoloration of plastics.

ahem:

http://todd.dailey.info/archives/200...can-of-brasso/

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by Yakov

scratches don't matter.
you are the only person who will ever notice.
you are the only person who will ever care.
stop spending money to fight a problem that's not a problem.

go take a walk outside
it's nice out!

(love ya, k )

Hear, hear!

[craigb6]

Originally Posted by kaido

ahem:

http://todd.dailey.info/archives/200...can-of-brasso/

Yeah, Brasso can be used on plastic. All it does is remove a small layer of plastic. I have read that it can similarly be used to remove scratches from the bottom of CDs/DVDs.

[TacoBallZ]

I use Meguiars carwax ScratchX remover on everything from my ipod to CDs and eventually on my Macbook. Make sure you use a microfiber towel. I got some terry-cloth microfiber towels from Wal-mart cheap and they work great.

[TerryJ]

I strongly second Meguiar's ScratchX. It is an amazing product aimed at exactly what we want to accomplish... removing minor imperfections in plastic. Definitely use microfiber towels, be patient and use as directed and you will truly be impressed with the result.

[kaido]

Got a link to that stuff?

[uicandrew]

use google.com

i tried it (google) and it worked.

[kaido]

Originally Posted by uicandrew

use google.com

i tried it (google) and it worked.

Ahah, "Meguiar's ScratchX" worked. I was using "Meguiar's carwax ScratchX" and variations of that and wasn't getting much

[noracrombie]

Will brasso or Meguiars SCRATCH X work on the macbook pro? i have a few minor scatch and it is annoying.

[noracrombie]

Originally Posted by Yakov

scratches don't matter.
you are the only person who will ever notice.
you are the only person who will ever care.
stop spending money to fight a problem that's not a problem.

go take a walk outside
it's nice out!

(love ya, k )

I have to dissagree with you. Try buyin a 2500 macbook yourself. U will see how annoying it is because u spent soo much money and after one week of usin it u see sratches. it's not fun at all.

[noracrombie]

Will brasso or Meguiars SCRATCH X work on the macbook pro? i have a few minor scatch and it is annoying.

[jokell82]

Originally Posted by noracrombie

I have to dissagree with you. Try buyin a 2500 macbook yourself. U will see how annoying it is because u spent soo much money and after one week of usin it u see sratches. it's not fun at all.

How did you spend $2500 on a macbook???

And regardless, scratches don't matter unless they are in some way inhibiting your use of the laptop. A few hairline scratches on the lid that you can't see unless you look under direct light at a certain angle are nothing to get worked up about.

The Nano scratches were different because they were on the screen and made the ipods very hard to use.

[noracrombie]

Originally Posted by jokell82

How did you spend $2500 on a macbook???

And regardless, scratches don't matter unless they are in some way inhibiting your use of the laptop. A few hairline scratches on the lid that you can't see unless you look under direct light at a certain angle are nothing to get worked up about.

The Nano scratches were different because they were on the screen and made the ipods very hard to use.

I got a macbook pro... 2.16 ghz one. I see my macbook as my baby... bad comparasion but i would want my baby to get scratch or scrap... I want to be nice and perfect.

[kev01]

i had scratches on the bottom and top of my white macbook..

after slapping on the invisible shield, they completely dissappear...

remember to use lots of the solution they give you, no need to be stingy... u'll need a lot for the big top and bottom pieces ...

[uicandrew]

Originally Posted by kev01

i had scratches on the bottom and top of my white macbook..

after slapping on the invisible shield, they completely dissappear...

remember to use lots of the solution they give you, no need to be stingy... u'll need a lot for the big top and bottom pieces ...

aren't you concerned that the extra layer of plastic will decrease the cooling ability of the macbook? if you have the top covered, then it wouldn't matter, but covering the bottom where are the heat generating parts are might prevent heat from "conducting" out as well as it normally would

[TacoBallZ]

The Meguiars is meant for clear coated surfaces. However, I have not tried it on anything else, such as a MacBook Pro. It may just wear away the paint and go down to the plastic. Unless the macbook pro plastic is solid silver all the way through, I don't know. I would stick to using it on glossy objects and not anything with a brushed metal look.

[kaido]

Well everything arrived so I'm giving it a shot tonight. Wish me luck!

[kev01]

Originally Posted by uicandrew

aren't you concerned that the extra layer of plastic will decrease the cooling ability of the macbook? if you have the top covered, then it wouldn't matter, but covering the bottom where are the heat generating parts are might prevent heat from "conducting" out as well as it normally would

hmm u have a point a guess.. but the shield doesn't block any of the vents,

the plastic of the macbook casing itself isn't really a conductor, adding another layer of plastic probably would make it more insulative

meh, i think protection of the casing is more important, to each their own.

if you're really concered, u could always cover everything but the rear bottom.. because the bottom casing from invisble sheild consists of a piece for the battery, a peice for the space to the left of the battery, and a big half peice for the top half area above the battery

[fox-orian]

I used brasso on my battery after it received a rather nasty abbrasion.

It DOES work, and does NOT damage the plastic. However, it takes a LOT of time to get it right, and get it done. Alot of effort, a lot of rubbing. But, if it makes your Macbook look new, then it pays off.


--- It also leaves no streaks or spiral scratches.

[pheonixash]

Originally Posted by TacoBallZ

The Meguiars is meant for clear coated surfaces. However, I have not tried it on anything else, such as a MacBook Pro. It may just wear away the paint and go down to the plastic. Unless the macbook pro plastic is solid silver all the way through, I don't know. I would stick to using it on glossy objects and not anything with a brushed metal look.

Umm...the MBP is aluminium? No plastic involved?

[TacoBallZ]

Oh yeah, in my head I was seeing the cracked powerbook wrist rests, and I was thinking plastic. But I guess that was just the edges.
http://danhon.com/temp/cracked/crack1.jpg

But in the case of aluminum, I think Brasso is the way to go. It's meant as a metal polish.

[kaido]

Well, the ScratchX did pretty much nothing. I spent 20 minutes just on the battery and all that happened was that it came out really shiny with scratches. Oh well.

I discovered that the invisibleSHIELD does a pretty good job hiding the scratches. The small pieces were pretty easy to apply, but I had a lot of trouble with the big piece for the lid. I ended up royally screwing it up, so I'm going to see if I can get a replacement (tried to reapply and it got stretched out). I also applied the shield to the trackpad, but ended up removing it because it made it kind of useless. The shield has a bit of friction and makes the trackpad too difficult for normal use. I also removed the trackpad button piece; it feels better without it. I do like the wristrest shields though. The shield does not leave any residue behind, which is really nice (I didn't take the trackpad button shield off until today and it came off cleanly). Overall it is something of a pain to apply; the air bubbles take forever to get out. Expect to spend at least an hour to do a good job. If you do it right the first time, you'll be happy forever.

Also, for those of you saying scratches don't matter, tell that to the future buyer of your MacBook when you want to upgrade to the 3ghz Merom models in the future

[MrEase]

-If you scratch it real bad, those minor scratches won't be noticed!
-Cover up the scratches with "Intel Inside"-stickers
-use black paint, that way it will look like you spent more money for the same MacBook
-be proud of the scratches, it will look like you've used your computer lots for any kind of activity

[kaido]

Hah

[hybrid]

I wouldn't recommend using a metal (brass) polish on the MacBook Pro. Unless you really want a shiny patch on your matte aluminum shell. Brasso is intended to remove tarnish from brass and make it all shiny again. The MacBook Pro is not brass, nor is it shiny.

The aluminum is also anodized, so you may end up causing more finish damage.

But if anybody wants to try it, be my guest.

[Dillon-K]

aaaah, the beauty of the BlacBook... although the black version gets smudged with grease, I'd rather have that than scratches.

</useless post>

[PBG4 User]

Originally Posted by TacoBallZ

The Meguiars is meant for clear coated surfaces. However, I have not tried it on anything else, such as a MacBook Pro. It may just wear away the paint and go down to the plastic. Unless the macbook pro plastic is solid silver all the way through, I don't know. I would stick to using it on glossy objects and not anything with a brushed metal look.

ScratchX doesn't wear down the surface surrounding a scratch, it fills the scratch with a quick drying compound that fills the scratch to make it (almost) unnoticeable.

[mzboril24]

can anyone tell me now honestly....is there anything out there in the market that will remove the scratches on the white macbook's wrist rest...not outter casing??

i have a couple of scratches....&& they're kinda annoying! :[

lol

anyways....thanks
mark

[Yakov]

Best tactics for dealing with scratched Macbooks:
Take a walk
Wash the floor
Read a book
Call your grandmother
Bake cookies
Send the cookies to:
Yakov Chodosh, 7A Dor Dor Ve'Dorshav, Jerusalem

-y

[ChrisDaMacMan]

WOW! talk about people being anal about...tiny.....little scratches. dudes!!!!!!! do you not have anything more important to worry about!!!!!!

[mzboril24]

well u guys are nice.....actually this isnt really a question for me....my uncle wanted me to post this acting as if i was him. lol

now tell me, is there anything that will remove the scratches from the wrist rest?!

[jokell82]

Like, deep scratches?

Regardless, the only way to remove scratches is to fill them in or buff the area out. Neither is a good idea.

[mzboril24]

Originally Posted by jokell82

Like, deep scratches?

Regardless, the only way to remove scratches is to fill them in or buff the area out. Neither is a good idea.

with what would you be able to fill them in? or even what would you use to buff the area out??

thanks again! :]

[jamil5454]

Everytime you see a scratch on your MacBook, just close your eyes. Voila! scratch gone.

Seriously though, my 2 year old iBook has had no protection in my backpack ever. It's covered in small, little scratches, but you can really only see them close up. They add to the character of the machine... it's inevitable that you're going to get scratches;

[mzboril24]

Originally Posted by jamil5454

Everytime you see a scratch on your MacBook, just close your eyes. Voila! scratch gone.

Seriously though, my 2 year old iBook has had no protection in my backpack ever. It's covered in small, little scratches, but you can really only see them close up. They add to the character of the machine... it's inevitable that you're going to get scratches;

well ok ... that's been said before.... tho not the point. ive paind a good 1600 on this thing and i wanna keep it new as long as possible. thats all.

now....is there something i could use to buff out or fill in the scratches on the wrist rest?? thanks

[CleoW]

It's my opinion that no one has the right to tell another what they should be concerned about when they purchase and own a product. If the OP and others are concerned about scratches on the machine they paid good money for, who is any one else to tell them that they ought not to be concerned?

With that said, those who are concerned about scratches need to take due care in preventing or repairing them if they are going to complain. But since that's what this thread is about, that's irrelevant.

To the OP...I bought InvisibleShield's Standard Shield for MacBook. I placed it on the wristwrests and the trackpad. I wasn't satisfied with my application of the top shield (it is very tricky and annoying), so I scrapped it. I regularly use iDrops on the top case.

[mzboril24]

Originally Posted by CleoW

It's my opinion that no one has the right to tell another what they should be concerned about when they purchase and own a product. If the OP and others are concerned about scratches on the machine they paid good money for, who is any one else to tell them that they ought not to be concerned?

With that said, those who are concerned about scratches need to take due care in preventing or repairing them if they are going to complain. But since that's what this thread is about, that's irrelevant.

To the OP...I bought InvisibleShield's Standard Shield for MacBook. I placed it on the wristwrests and the trackpad. I wasn't satisfied with my application of the top shield (it is very tricky and annoying), so I scrapped it. I regularly use iDrops on the top case.

YES! finally someone in my shoes! lol thank you VERY much for your understanding. now i see you said that you purchased the invisible shield standard shield.....which you said guarded the wrist rests. now with that said, did the thing come with an applicator of some sort that removed scratches safely from the wrist rests before you applied it??

also do the idrops work for the wrist rests?? as you can see, im most concerned about my wrist rests b/c they are pretty scratched up! :[

anyways, thanks VERY much once again for your understanding!

-mark-

[mzboril24]

so does the invisible shield standard remove scratches from the wrist rest before applying the shield?! ughhhh........

[chabig]

You should be able to find Meguiars ScratchX or just as good, Mirror Glaze, at a specialty paint store. Specifically, the kind that sell automotive paints.

Chris