How to fix a circle-scratched PS1 disc!

Circle scratched discs!
Fixable. Always. Don't you let anyone tell you otherwise.
In this episode of Restore & Replay we show you how to fix a circle-scratched PS1 disc, as well as get into some diagnostics of the disc in real time! This will kick off our "Circle Scratched" series, and hoooo boy we've got some good ones planned!!
Circle scratches like in this video always come from the console causing damage to the disc, and is usually preventable. When we get into PS2 and Xbox 360 discs we'll talk more about how these discs turn out this way. So stay tuned!
-Eldoug
Tools I use! And affiliated links to buy them on Amazon!
(Let me know if you are outside of the US, I have suggested tools for most international countries too!)
Scotty Peelers-
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Heptane (Bestine)-
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My gloves! Cosplay as me!-
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Electric air device
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Mini heat gun-
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Gamebit screwdriver-
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Thermal paste I use-
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Inspection loupes/magnifiers-
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iFixit Manta kit-
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Magnetic parts tray-
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Brayer/roller-
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Extraction fan for soldering-
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Hygrometer/Thermometer-
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The blue mat!-
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[@RestoreAndReplay]

Alright I did forget about making this series. BUT NOW IT'S HERE. PS1, PS2, Xbox 360, and surprise disc too! So stay tuned!!

[@JohnnyEssex]

Might be late, but jeeez, ive had resident evil 2, boxed and unusable for years.. now its running faultless, thank you

[@RestoreAndReplay]

That's what we're here for! Plus now you can play the best Resident Evil after Code Veronica!!

[@Velostrich-qt8fq]

i look forward to the next upload! very helpful stuff

[@Gaming_like_its_1989]

Thanks a lot! Going to get to work on my game now.

[@yahiko7448]

The novus came in and I did the regular one pass and tried because I was worried (even tho I did the back of the thumb nail trick), it didn’t work after so I focused on the bigger ones with a q tip because it was near the edge and tricky to get, anyway it ended up working and I can now play Mario sunshine it’s amazing thank for everything. I’m also going to do it on my old dvds

[@jordansims7838]

Heyyyy!! I think we might have talked about this before :D A while back. Thanks for the video

[@FakYuhGoogel]

Oh, this does work nicely. Bit of a mess to clean afterwards, but the results for super scratched discs are noteworthy.

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Glad to hear it! I've been using this and similar methods for about 20 years now. It's just nice to be able to spot fix scratches instead of the entire disc!

[@indymudshow]

Im so glad i found this chanel. Though it doesnt seem active anymore, it was an Instant sub. So much great info. Deserves way more subs. I dont know if you'll read this, but you have helped me and many others. Thanks so much!

[@RestoreAndReplay]

GOOD NEWS I'M BACK. Just uploaded a video and have 4 more ready to post soon! (The problem is I end up being waaaaaaay more active on Discord and reddit and end up neglecting KZbin!)

[@kethan86]

Can I use any scratch polish? For example I have Griot’s plastic all in one? It’s not for painted car surfaces, but more headlights, windscreens, plastic trims, etc…

[@sermac3246]

Hello. Your saying I can use Nufinish polish on my deep scratched Playstion 1 game? Thank you.

[@Bryan-df7kc]

Hi, there are three levels of Novus to choose from which do you recommend if you were to only get one? Thank you.

[@sailent4825]

Is there something I can do for a PS3 game that has a kinda deep scratch which makes it unreadable?

[@thriftythrillz]

I'm so thankful for my JFJ Easy Pro. I also use car polish.

[@davidaamez1363]

worth the wait

[@andevank]

It works! Thank you

[@RestoreAndReplay]

You're welcome!

[@lagarto89]

I really appreciate your work. You have greatly influenced my way of restoring and collecting. I hope one day you will talk about broken rings and how to restore them. I have heard that with a soldering iron you avoid rupture. greetings

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Center ring repair is a tough thing to do, it's a steady hand and you end up having to repour the polycarbonate at times. But I have plans!!!

[@lagarto89]

@@RestoreAndReplay glad to know!

[@beatchef]

I was just about to buy some Meguiar's ScratchX however I see on the bottle it now says it contains 'wax protection', and leaves 'a layer of wax protection'. I don't know if you've seen that and know if it makes any difference to being able to fix scratches or harder to remove and affects the laser's ability to read?

[@RestoreAndReplay]

I have seen it! You actually remove the wax protection (its mild) as you're buffing and do your wiping! Which, even if you follow the instructions for car scratches, you're still essentially removing most of the wax. Now yes, some wax remains, but as you buff the disc it will smooth and even that out (and the wax that does remain will dry off fairly quickly). Hope that makes sense!

[@nickd7919]

Hey I just wanted to let you know that I followed most of your advice, and with just novus and cotton I managed to get some amazing work on some of my PS2 games, so thank you!! Can I ask you how do you create the mirror finish on the games? I have a copy of re2 that I want to give it a perfect polish but I'm afraid that I'm going to damage it by polishing too much, how many sweeps is a mirror finish? Can you elaborate more on that? Thanks!!

[@RestoreAndReplay]

A mirror finish eh???? We've got that video coming up soon! I had to show off two different polishes that you can use, since one is kinda hard to find. As for hand polishing, dont worry about damaging the disc. You will absolutely know when you're applying too much pressure to the disc (its actually somewhat difficult to break a disc by hand. Your brain wants to stop you from doing it!!)

[@beatchef]

Is there any ever way to not have very much scuffing at all? Using this technique I got the scratches out but you can see like light hairline circular motion scuffs all over the disc where I polished?

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Yes absolutely! A few methods actually! You can add some water to the scratch remover as you go along, this reduces the impact the polish has and lightens it up a bit to get less of those very fine scratches. There are also a few compounds you can use to get that mirror finish, that'll be one of my first videos of 2024!

[@FakYuhGoogel]

I was wondering, have you tried like these polisher attachments for drills? It certainly has more RPM than doing it by hand, saving time and your own energy (honestly straining to polish by hand for a longer period of time).

[@RestoreAndReplay]

I've tried it before a number of times and it just doesn't get the results and level of control I prefer. Far too easy to have mistakes when you introduce power as well. But I'm glad it's working for you! I will say if you're polishing by hand and straining, you can always bump up the polish concentration or even change polishes. I use Novus Step 3 when Step 2 or a regular polish isn't working, as opposed to polishing more aggressively. Make the polish work for you!

[@hectorherrera8583]

Hey, would novus 2 and 3 work on the clear plastic that ps3 game cases have at the top? they get really foggy, sometimes yellow, and they get scratched simply by looking at them, btw your videos are some of the best about collecting ive ever seen

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Novus 2 will work on those! But you'll want to dillute down the novus a bit so as to not completely remove that opaque finish they have on the cases! I should make a video on that....

[@XtrRisk]

What to do with dusty and full of grimes ps1 CD before polishing. clean it with water? Thanks

[@RestoreAndReplay]

I get a damp microfiber cloth, wring it out really well, and give both sides a wipedown! You won't remove any scratches or anything like that, but it'll remove surface dirt and give the polycarbonate a chance to be polished up much better!

[@shompis]

Hi, Great videos! I love how you talk through each process and discuss random other things. It’s very calming, especially after a hectic day with work and children. So, thank you for that! I have a bunch of PS1 games with a lot of circular surface/micro scratches. If I follow your steps on how to remove scratches do you think it will improve? I want to understand if I use Novus or any other compound such as Turtle Wax scratch remover, will I create new micro scratches? I also wonder why there are so many micro circular/swirls scratches. Wonder how that happened? Thanks in advance and keep up with the good work!

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Hey! I'm glad you're enjoying the videos! I gotta make a mirror finish video that'll help with those micro scratches. But in the meantime, those swirles can be removed by using less pressure, more polish and adding some water to the mix!

[@streetbs3586]

Hey man, just ordered a jfj easy pro, should I cancel it and do the manual method instead ? Trying to resell on eBay

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Ok so you don't have to cancel it. The manual method is great for a ton of reasons, BUT there is value in the JFJ. Especially if you combine both methods! Let me know when you do get it, and I can help you out!

[@Fr4nkFM]

Does this work for ps3 games?

[@hardkoregamer1981]

What about a slight crack in the center of the ring of a PlayStation 3 disc what's the best method of fixing it safely?

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Oooooooooooh its complicated. You have to glue it, but you have to prep the area first. So you'll end up removing more material than what you think you should, then build it back up.

[@yahiko7448]

You have the best tutorials, I just used your buffing method with paper towels. I used toothpaste after you did and it worked. It ended up fixing my GameCube incredibles game, I am gonna try novus on my sunshine game I have to wait for it to come in

[@RestoreAndReplay]

I am glad to hear it worked! GameCube discs can be some of the toughest to recover, so if you're having success with toothpaste and paper towels, you're going to have way better results with Novus! Less sticky mess too!

[@donovanbradford8231]

I've used Novus on a bunch of PS1 and PS2 discs sense finding this channel and nearly all worked like new. If the Novus was working I took the disc to a very veteraned video game store and sadly there was nothing they could so the disc was dead.

[@franciscoguerrero64]

thanks for the video! I'm struggling with a ps1 disc as well and found you. I remembered I had a scratch remover kit and applied 3 coats, but still no luck. Would you recommend doing a few more rounds? Not sure if it'll damage the disk even more. Love your content!

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Yes absolutely more rounds! I just cleaned a disc that took me 41 tries to polish it finally! You're removing a tiny little itty bit of material each time, so it will take much longer than you might expect!

[@julianabanana3889]

Thanks for this one! PS1 games are the ones I polish the most. Would love a super long stream/video of you just scrubbin' and chatting, Twitch vods of that were one of the first things I looked for

[@RestoreAndReplay]

I'm looking at getting back into Twitch again actually! I stopped since all of my long videos where I explained processes and stuff were never saved by Twitch, so I jumped to KZbin, but I've been looking more and more into how to pull off some live cleanings where I can walk people through the steps!

[@Dndsteve5e]

Will this just fix the data sections or improve the look of the disc the reason i ask is i'm trying to buy cheap games that are sold as seen(badly scratched) and free them back into stores but it's not gunna help if they still look a mess

[@RestoreAndReplay]

It will do both. It will allow the data sections to be read easier (or just read in some cases) and they will look nicer overall. I don't worry too much about the cosmetics of games, as long as they run and look ok that's good enough for me. You'd be surprised though, I buy A TON of "nonworking" discs, and they almost always come back to life over some polishing time.

[@Dndsteve5e]

@@RestoreAndReplay Yeah stores and traders often have a set rule about cosmetics but like you say as long as it works My rule with reselling is to buy the stuff thats a bargin but won't sell well untill its cleaned or stuff that's being sold in the wrong setting and i act as a middleman between a store/dealer i'm in profit a record/film/ game gets a new home sorted I once fixed a "broken" lp by applying a tad extra tracking force on the section cleaning gunk of the stylus and i had a working lp

[@Mobius_Ap3x]

So just cotton balls and car scratch remover to get those pesky scratches? Great video by the way! 😎

[@RestoreAndReplay]

That's it! It's a lot easier than people might think! Back in the Xbox360 era we were using paper towels and water to remove circle scratches, we've grown so much since then!

[@chunkybones668]

I’ve had RE3 for PlayStation one since I was a teen. I’m now 37 and decided to bust it back out to play with my son. It’s got some light scratches, nothing major. It has worked just fine for hours of play time, but now suddenly it has started to just freeze. I’ll open a door, it’ll do the whole door opening process, then just stay on a black screen. Would this be related to the condition of the disc or something with the console? I’m pretty sure I had this issue all those years ago and why I ended up storing it in the first place.

[@christophermacias1334]

I have had the same issue. I polished my disc, and now it wont even recognize my memory card. It still reads other games fine. Did you manage to fix your disc?

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Could be either the disc or the console. Those laser lenses don't last forever and can use a good cleaning after a few years (especially if they are as old as we are!!). Give the disc a polish, and give the lens a quick cleaning and it'll likely come back to life quicker than you'd expect. PS1 discs are tough! They had to tolerate the 80s/90s kids!!

[@Silly-Engineering-43]

I need this for my super scratched copy of Crash Team Racing.

[@rosannam7623]

Did anyone else ever use their hot breath on the disk then give it a wipe back in the day?😂

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Here me out! Saliva is like 99% water. So it's honestly not the worst thing to use!

[@RaffaelloLorenzusSayde]

Can I use ceramic stove top polish instead?

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Oooooooooooh. Ok so yes..... but. You have to cut that polish with another polish. Otherwise you'll leave streaks on the polycarbonate from the aggregate in the ceramic polish.

[@britsluver]

When’s your next video. Can you do another one with a circle scratch pls

[@RestoreAndReplay]

I've got an Xbox 360 circle scratch video planned!!

[@Blane341]

Will The PS1 Disc Fix With ScratchX 1.0 As Well Or Just ScratchX 2.0?

[@RestoreAndReplay]

both versions of ScratchX work pretty similarly. 1.0 was a bit more watery, but if you let it sit for a bit longer it'll work just as well!

[@nickd7919]

Hey man! i love your videos, they are really helpful. i managed to perfectly clean a bunch of ps2 games, so I got excited and decided to clean my copy of re2 ps1, but I think I overdidit and ruined it, the disc is full of scratches and its all white (I used sandpaper 2500 because it had some deep scratches) my idea was that with novus 2 I could do the finish, but no matter how many times I polish it, the disc is still all white and scratched, the polycarbonate is there, I think the data is ok, can you help me out? Thanks

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Nick who told you to use dry sandpaper? Monsters! Ok check it out. Sanding is progressive. so 2500 is where you were, so you have to reduce it level by level. So you go to a 3000 (with water!!) and a 3500 (WITH WATER!) and progressively sand down the areas. It's why sanding pads in 1K and higher grits come in such a range, so you can progressively sand things down. Look at car headlight restoration videos to see what I mean (I'm going to make a video on it as well)

[@nickd7919]

@@RestoreAndReplay that makes sense, thank you! Unfortunately I learnt it the hard way 😅

[@gilliland101]

We miss you man! Hope you’re doing well!

[@RestoreAndReplay]

I AM BACK. I had to catch up on all of the paid cleaning work I have, but we're back to filming and making more nonsense!

[@joenoble5469]

"this is just covered in polish" * puts disc into PS2 anyway * Is your PS2 gonna be okay? 😅 On another note, the fact you even got a game with a circle scratch working is impressive, never mind the game stuttering and the laser struggling with the disc.

[@RestoreAndReplay]

I am my own worst enemy sometimes. WHO COVERED THIS LASER IN PLASTIC POLISH?? oh right, me. But once the laser gets cleaned up the game runs fine. Circle scratches look worse than they really are.

[@adrianshephardOP4]

is it possible to get good results if using toothpaste instead ?

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Ok so..... yes sorta. Toothpaste sucks at polishing. I made a video where I show how to use toothpaste, and shows that it works. But it sucks. It's kinda like chopping down a tree with a hammer. It'll work but ehhhhhhhhhhhh. For a few dollars more you can get a car scratch remover and get significantly better results.

[@w_redeye]

can this work for OG xbox disc thats scratched?

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Yes absolutely! There's a video coming out soon that'll focus on Xbox discs!!

[@masontrevelyan2254]

Can this dmg the disc further iver time

[@RestoreAndReplay]

So this is where it gets tricky to answer. ANY type of resurfacing (done by a machine or otherwise) is removing material from the disc. Which will overall reduce the discs lifespan. So my methods, others methods, and machine methods will all strip away material. But resurfacing by hand removes the least amount of material, meaning that it should get the most life out of it possible. Think like if you were sanding smooth a piece of wood. Overtime and with enough sanding, you wouldn't have a piece of wood anymore, but you can carefully and slowly remove only the material that needs removed. Same idea here!

[@hurricane7727]

Does Regular Megias Scratch Remover work on Ps1 Discs?

[@RestoreAndReplay]

It does! I still have a bottle of it, I just never see it in the stores anymore. Now everyone is on to 2.0 apparently!

[@hurricane7727]

@@RestoreAndReplay Thank You! I Got it from a Autozone Shop I found out it does work to some effect on Ps3 Discs!

[@darthkahn45]

Circle scratches were often my mark of shame after I lost my temper as a youngster and thumped the top of the console. It's somewhat comforting as an adult to now know that those fighting game CPU's actually WERE cheating.

[@RestoreAndReplay]

Soooooooo many times at GameStop people would bring in their circle-scratched discs and I would ask "did you bump the console? is it standing upright?" and they'd say "Nooooooooo" and I knew they were lying! But hey, thankfully it's easy to fix!!

[@ketxxx1]

I use a combination I'd be willing to bet not many do, Novus fine and heavy scratch remover, a 50\50 mixed blend (literally mix before applying) with a microfiber cloth is enough to tackle even the worst of scratches and significantly improve them. PS1 discs are a special case though they have always scratched super easy so I clean those with a microfiber cloth and warm water with soap, then using Novus no.2 if scratches remain.

[@RestoreAndReplay]

That'll work actually. You're just slightly increasing the aggregate of the Step 2 by adding Step 3 to it. Same concept when I water down Step 2 to get a mirror finish! It's always fun to see that it's not an exact science as much as it's an art form figuring out what works and what doesn't!

[@hurricane7727]

Will Novus 2 Fine Scrath Remover work on PS1 discs?

[@ketxxx1]

@@hurricane7727yes, but go gentle PS1 discs scratch very easy so if you go too hard you could make it worse.

[@hurricane7727]

@@ketxxx1 Okay. Thank you

[@hurricane7727]

@@ketxxx1 The Ps1 game Pacman World I cleaned isn't working on my Ps2 but works on Ps3

[@babouskaero4853]

You literally put it in ps2 slim the killer of the disc's

[@RestoreAndReplay]

naaaaaaah. PS2 Slims just need their ribbon cable adjusted. Easy stuff. I run my slims more than the Phat bois, they are much less picky about the games scratches!

[@amydumas1993]

♥️

[@brendanbannon78]

I had same Problem with PS1 Games were Scratched same as PS2 games and Wii Games

[@RestoreAndReplay]

That damn PS2 will circle scratch PS1 and PS2 games if you don't check that ribbon cable. But a circle scratched Wii game is a different thing too!

[@russell11fitzgerald]

I have an Xbox 360 that will put a laser burn in your disk guaranteed if you touch the consul at all while it’s playing, you just hear this nasty sound pull out the disc and its laser burned. I ruined a copy of duke Nukem forever, and a copy of need for speed most wanted so now I’m gonna try this on those and hopefully it works and I threw that Xbox right in the trash no I’m just kidding but I did stop using it.

[@RestoreAndReplay]

When X360s started to laser burn (circle scratch) discs, I was running my own GameStop at the time. We would get so many people who would come in and say "this game got scratched randomly" and I would ask if they bumped the console and they swore up and down that they didn't. Buuuuuuuuuuut. So what happens most often is the console is sitting upright and shifts slightly, that's what'll cause your circle scratches. It got to the point where the Microsoft reps were encouraging us to tell people to put their console on it's side rather than standing up!

[@daviesbydesign]

What is up with Americans talking waaaaaay too much in explainer videos? Get to the point.

[@RestoreAndReplay]

So part of the reason I talk so much in the video is to make sure that people understand what I am trying to do. The other reason I talk so much in the video is so people can feel like I am walking them through the process with them so they feel as though they have a companion while they traverse the mysteries of game cleaning! It might not always be so appealing to people, but to the folks who do appreciate the companionship, I'll continue to do it! You could always mute me ya know!

[@jordansims7838]

Heyyyy!! I think we might have talked about this before :D A while back. Thanks for the video

[@RestoreAndReplay]

I think we did! It's a little bit of a different process for PS1 games than Xbox 360 games, but baaaasically the same. (Xbox 360 games just require a bit more elbow-grease)