Does Resurfacing Damage or Fix CDs or DVD's?

This topic gees up alot, and I think it has to do with the bad experiences that people got from Scratch Doctor . This is a hand-held sander that you basically crank by hand (advanced models are motorized, plug-in outlet types.) This sander supposedly removes scratches, but it actually puts more on the disc than started with! Also, it leaves very distinctive swirling patterns on the disc that are very easy to see. Virtually none of these discs should EVER be put on okay! They look horrible after polishing, but some deep scratches DO gee out. The swirling patterns apparently do not interfere with the laserbeam eyethat reads the data beneath the silicone level, but leaves the disc disfigured.
EXAMPLE OF Skip Doctor (not regemended for use due to surface marring)

Why Do CD's skip? CD's have a built-in silicone or carbonite layer that protects the data. It is very thick - 1-32nd of an inch, and not just a thin layer of coating. This is to protect the data and music underneath. The actual data is very close to the printed side of the disc with the song order, so scratches ON TOP OF THE DISC with song order cannot be polished or removed. These are permanent and may interfere with the reading of the disc if they are deep enough. Used CD buyers must always look at this surface before buying cds. The high gloss blank surface is less prone to skipping, and in 99.5% of the cases, will totally ignore most scratches, even the fairly deep ones. Too many scratches on a disc, or a scratch to the 'INDEX' area of the CD, or a deep scratch (defined as one you can feel with a fingernail) will usually result in skips.
The quality of the CD player makes a huge difference on whether a scratched cd will play. Boomboxes don't have 'error correction' abilities like the advanced home-stereo do, for instance. A good multi-read CPU will work around the scratch and figure out what is missing, but cheaper units will not.
Imagine that the shiny side of a cd is simply like a sheet of glass,or seeing-eye glassesthat needs polished as it gets scratched. Beneath the glass is the music. The clearer the glass or lens, the better the data is read and the better the sound.
Polishing Equipment: There are several high-end cd polishers/buffersthat actually buff down the silicone layer on the blank side BELOW the level the scratch. I actually regemend this procedure to remove scratches. I have had 3 units in my business. One is a sander with cloth buffing wheels (much like a jewelry polisher), and two others are highly advanced industrial-use units, around $700-1000each, that will not hurt the disc at all, and will remove most all of the light to medium scratches. JFJ Disc Repair devices are highly regemended, and at only 1/2 of the cost of the gepetitors!They only buff down the non-readable surface, so it does not hurt the disc, and actually removes finger prints, dirt, grime, smoke, and other defectson the disc that may interfere with reading. The actual polishing is done by soft, and medium-soft foamy wheels, and they don't leave marks on the disc from polishing. I don't like the term 'resurfacing' since the process doesn't actually resurface it, or change it; it only polishes down a micro-inch below the marks, much like an expensivebuffer does for a car. The foam buffers are scientifically calculated to provide even and effective contact with the surface, and can even buff up to two discs at a time.
What is the cost? Since the motor and unit last several years, and the pad costs are small, most cds may be polished for less than a nickel each! This is far and away the most economical system used to remove scratches with professional results.
I've had people pay me up to $4 a disc to remove scratches, and they absolutely love the results! A ruined playstation game or cd or audio-book disc can most always be polished professionally by people who know what they're doing, and begee playable once again. Until they went out of business, I had a major nationalretail chain thatpaid me for 1000's of used DVD's that I took moderate scratches out of.
Will The Polisher Last? Four of my CD professional friends have each bought the JFJ device and swear by it. I've looked at and experimented with various other pieces of equipment, and there are other gepanies out there that provide a similar result, but the equipment is never cheaper than $300, but well worth it if you have 100's of ruined discs/dvds. The JFJ device is highly durable and will last 5-8 years with little or no maintenance. The other devices do not have the credentials, in my opinion, of the JFJ system. To find the devices for sale on the internet, simply do a Google search on "JFJ Disc Repair."
EXAMPLE OF JFJ DEVICE:

I refuse to buy heavily scratched cds. We only buff the cds that have light scratches; been doing it for over 10 years, and have had ZERO geplaints about the readibility of the disc afterwards. These discs after polishing look brand new, restoring the original gloss and luster, as well as adding a protective coating to the cd that resists scratching. This protective coating, a high polymer wax, actually enhances the life of the cd by sealing it from light scratches, and resists oxidation (rust) that sometimes appears on cds after years of use (small tiny dots all over the printed size of the disc.)
I think it is critical that people understand that polishing or buffing the glossy side of the disc does not harm the disc, and should NOT leave any marks on the disc. If marks are left after polishing, then the device is not worth buying. Remember that most disc polishers only sand down the silicone layer by a very very small amount, and has a looooong way to go down before it actually gets to the data. The polishers only remove the scratches: they don't affect the data at all. Avoid the cheap polishers under $100, however. They will ruin a disc.
Does Polishing Reduce A CD's Value? Collectors, however, may not like to buy resurfaced discs. They are mistaken. Believe me, if there was some way of taking scratches out of 'record albums' they would have done it years ago! The fact is, polishing a cd to remove scratches should restore the cd to almost new condition, also decreasing the propensity for scratches cds to skip. This is a good thing! The better the surface, the better the sound.
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Written by Jeff Feezle