Coach window scratches

Has anyone any experience of removing, or attempting to remove light surface scratches from windows? There are a number of "how to do it" videos on you tube using cerium oxide powder but has anyone tried it on a coach?

 

Yes, and not very successfully, unless the scratch was very shallow. It takes a lot of effort and to avoid damaging other areas, really should be a "by hand" process but to get any affect you need a machine, probably best with the glass out.
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Also, removing brake / oil film and discolouration (such as old nicotine stains) is similarly difficult and time consuming. Being too vigorous can also scratch, even with the finest powder and tools ...
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Polishing is just making a lot of progressively finer scratches until you appear to have a smooth surface.

 

I have used metal polish successfully on lighter scratches though deeper ones require replacement.

Chris.

 

Very true. I wonder if stuff like Liberon's Furniture Cleaner would remove nicotine stains, applied with 0000 wire wool?

Also, is that Esperanto in your .sig?

 

Yeah the Swindon and Cricklade where I am a volunteer had a 2 coach thumper unit which had very badly scratched windows already when we obtained it from the national network. The railway did get a team from Thamesdown transport (the local Swindon bus company) to polish all the windows as a paid contract and they did a great job. They sent a team of I think 3 guys to do it. I didn't watch closely but they had polishing machines which 'fine' sanding pads made of what looked like a fine mesh rather than sandpaper.
I think they also put on a clear plastic film on the inside which fills in the deepest of the scratches. They made a great job anyway and saved a whole load of time and money that would have been needed to replace the windows. They also did each coach on separates dates to spread the cost.

Unhappily however some years later one of the two coaches was set on fire by some 'youths' last year see article here and totally destroyed. It has been since scrapped with just the bogies kept.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ain-worth-100-000-destroyed-arson-attack.html

So basically you could try your local bus company or Thamesdown and presumably they have to deal with kind of damage regularly

 

The clear plastic film is probably Mylar - it's extensively used on the Underground. It takes the scratches rather than the glass.

 

I haven't tried that - but I have used brasso to good effect, although I used nylon scotchbrite (I have trouble with spelks off wire wool)

And Yes, li estas Esperanto ...

 

I learned a bit of it at school in an after-school class - sadly brought to an end when the teacher who taught it died of leukaemia over the school holidays