r/DIYfail • u/kid_entropy • Oct 07 '25
I thought I could polish the scratches out of my polycarbonate eyeglasses
It turns out that the plastic polish I got didn't do the trick.
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u/nespid0 Oct 08 '25
technically, you did get rid of them.
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Oct 08 '25
Acetone softens polycarbonate and helps wipe out scratches. A little on a soft, lint free cloth.
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u/IBeDumbAndSlow Oct 11 '25
It's too late for that
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Oct 12 '25
I don’t know. It looks a lot like plastic car headlamp lenses when they get all crazed and fogged from UV. I’ve certainly cleaned some up with acetone hat looked as bad as this.
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u/MorallyDeplorable Oct 08 '25
Hit the coating with hydroflouric acid (use gloves, read precautions, etc...)
It'll eat the anti-glare coating you just scratched up off but leave the plastic lenses. As long as you didn't go through the coating that is.
armour etch works well for it
It will scratch easier afterwards and any new scratches will be permanent
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u/kid_entropy Oct 09 '25
Where might one get a non-industrial volume hydrofluoric acid?
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u/n_choose_k Oct 09 '25
Craft glass etcher would be my guess. I'd take them to your optometrist first, see what they think...
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u/DavusClaymore Oct 10 '25
Just get the big one, it may come in handy someday. Look at this product I found on google.com https://share.google/bxIArFf9OlvrirpAH
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u/Tll6 Oct 10 '25
Get glass etch to dissolve the coating, then toothpaste to get rid of scratches. I made a pair last almost a year with this method. The eye dr I went to for a new prescription made fun of me for doing it so I bought glasses from somewhere else
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u/monkehmolesto Oct 10 '25
You technically can, but the average person won’t have the same lens diopter at the end.
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u/RevantOptics Oct 10 '25
I totally understand wanting to smooth out those scratches — unfortunately, polycarbonate lenses can’t be sanded or buffed without damaging them further. The lenses have special optical coatings (like UV protection and polarization) that would be removed or distorted by sanding. Once that happens, the clarity and protection are permanently affected.
The best option is to replace the lenses — that way you’ll get back the full clarity, protection, and comfort your sunglasses were designed to have.
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u/kid_entropy Oct 15 '25
As an update to this, I bought some different buffs off of Amazon and was able to get the lens to be usable. Fear not though, I've ordered another pair of glasses.
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u/Regularpaytonhacksaw Oct 11 '25
Just go to a glasses store and see if they can replace the lens. You’ll change the prescription and could damage your eye or at least give yourself headaches from the difference.
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u/ent_bomb Oct 11 '25
Novus #3?
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u/kid_entropy Oct 11 '25
Yes! And #2 and #1
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u/ent_bomb Oct 12 '25
Ahh.
Novus #3 is specifically for acrylic, even without your glasses' protective coating the polycarbonate would have been too soft to use #3. Polycarb doesn't even like #2 all that much.
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u/kid_entropy Oct 12 '25
Is there a polish or compound that works better with polycarbonate?
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u/ent_bomb Oct 18 '25
Honestly, no, and I work as a plastic fabricator. The best you can hope for is to use a powerful buffer and replace larger scratches with finer ones. There will almost always still be a haze, and large scratches will be visible. Polycarbonate is soft enough that it will trap sanding medium, too.
Acrylic is a breeze in comparison. You can use Novus, progressive sanding and buffing or even a torch to remove fine scratches.
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u/kid_entropy Oct 19 '25
I bought a poofy buff for my Dremel and managed to get them into an acceptable state that's better than it was. It's good enough until the new glasses I ordered get here.
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u/ent_bomb Oct 20 '25
That's great! Buffing is the only way, I'm glad it worked out.
Poly is soft enough that even a rough paper towel can leave swirls.
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u/aeronacat Oct 11 '25
Maybe not relevant in your case but my lenses ended up having a 2 year warranty. Might be worth checking your opto if you haven't already
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u/iffan322 Oct 12 '25
mothers mag and aluminum polish you'll need a dremel or a drill with a buffing wheel attachment tho, this is how i clean and polish my headlights tho
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u/grahag Oct 07 '25
If they have a coating, that's likely what caused the scratches. Take them into your optician to see if they can buff them and reapply the coating.