Removing a scratch from mask lens

[Leander]

One of my masks has a deep scratch on the outside of the lens. Of course it's right in front of the eye

Any ideas on how to remove the scratch, if it is even possible?

 

[Mr. X]

Talk to a glasses shop/optometrist,?Try toothpaste? Maybe T - cut cutting fluid, used to polish cars? Autosol, metal polish? I sometimes use autosol to strop sharpened blades to a near mirror finish.

 

[dcvf]

Hi,
Like 'Mr.X'

'Talk to a glasses shop/optometrist,?'

 

[7BDiver]

There are various materials they use to fill scratches like a very clear hardening wax. You don't think the strength is compromised? Polishing may be a bit labor intensive, be sure to get the appropriate abrasive like a cerium oxide otherwise it could take forever.

 

[Leander]

Thanks for the replies. Dive with the mask last week and because the scratch is on the outside the water makes the scratch less visible during use. Also it's a micromask copy, so the lens is very close to the eye, wit the scratch on a second look luckily not directly in front of the eye's center, so during use I hardly noticed it.

I'm not afraid of it being structurally weakened. It's just deep enough to be felt with a fingernail, and during diving there shouldn't be extreme pressure differences between inside and outside anyway.

Thanks for all the ideas. A filling wax is an interesting one, buffing is a solution that I guess needs a dremel with buffing wheel or it would turn into a lifelong job.

 

[Spearito]

Hey Buddy!

Long story short, the squeeze isn’t worth the juice unless you have very expensive prescription lenses fitted on it .

I used to work in the reef-keeping sector (acquariums) where class gets often scratched by coral fragments etc.

Generally anything you can’t feel with your nail you can get rid off with Cerium Oxide and a serious machine buffing. Anything deeper than that and you need progressive abrasives and polish.

New mask IMO

 

[baliste]

moi j'utilise du Miror, produit pour rénover les cuivres !...c'est un abrasif très doux que j'ai déjà utilisé avec succès !

 

[baliste]

I use MIROR, a product to renovate brass! ... it is a very soft abrasive that I have already used with success!

 

[stefpix]

Those micro mask copies are not very expensive. I think polishing the glass is arduous and not worth the time or the cost. You may fill it in as someone suggested and see if you notice it.
Or just buy a new mask and keep this as a spare for emergencies on your float (you never know, a strap may break during a dive or you may lose a mask) or to lend to a friend if the situation comes.

Or sell it on an auction site as used with defects at a discount.

 

[Leander]

Thanks again for the replies. This mask is my backup mask, the other one being the real micromask. The copies aren't expensive at all, less than 20 euro at Decathlon, so I probably leave the scratch in. I liked the copy more than the original though; its silicone is much softer (but the mask-strap connection is much weaker).

 

[stefpix]

Thanks again for the replies. This mask is my backup mask, the other one being the real micromask. The copies aren't expensive at all, less than 20 euro at Decathlon, so I probably leave the scratch in. I liked the copy more than the original though; its silicone is much softer (but the mask-strap connection is much weaker).

You could sell the original micro mask at the auction site, and with that money buy at least 2 Decathlon copies, that you like better!