CD Resurfacing for Collectors
Hey guys,
So i've been collecting ps1 and dreamcast games and notice the most used game stores resurface every disc. which creates like a ghost foggy image to it. It bugs me, not sure why... But now im going out looking for non-resurfaced games.. which is tough because you have to balance is it still playable (how many scratches it has). Anyone else care about this?
So i've been collecting ps1 and dreamcast games and notice the most used game stores resurface every disc. which creates like a ghost foggy image to it. It bugs me, not sure why... But now im going out looking for non-resurfaced games.. which is tough because you have to balance is it still playable (how many scratches it has). Anyone else care about this?
Comments
I don't have others resurface my games, if they're scratched, they stay that way till I resurface them. And I'd only resurface a game if I'm about to play it, just in case it gets damaged again. Every resurface is removing disc down to the deepest scratch on there, so if you have one scratch X deep, resurface it, then get one Y deep, and hit it again, there's now X+Y surface missing.
not exactly. Some nice machines heat the disc and fill the scratch and arent removing anything
If you see any white or blue crust around the edges, that's usually the wax they use to resurface and is easy to clean off.
Sometimes, I get duplicates that I sell on EBay and use this machine to make games look like new. I usually just describe them as very good condition. I have gotten some messages from satisfied customers that are so happy because they think their games were never played.
Just the mention of the word "resurfaced" causes their nasal passages to immediately fill with mucus, their hands to make fervent little fidgety movements, and they grow dizzy and anxious until they've re-re-re-recleaned an NES cartridge's pins with sulphuric acid and sandpaper, then re-organized the order of the warranty card and health precautions booklet in their SNES games so they all face the same direction.
Seems like most people here are ok with it as long as it works and doesn't mess up the disc.
Never been into disc-based collecting, so I'll probably never understand why it's such a big deal. It seems very minor to me, but maybe it's viewed as replacing the label on carts?
Idk, I'd rather have a good functional disc compared to one with heavy scratches that overworks the laser, or maybe I'm just crazy.
I estimate that I have resurfaced 5-10,000 discs over the years. We don't resurface ALL discs that come through. It's a waste of time, money and resources to do discs that are already perfectly fine.
Ive been getting more into ps1 collecting lately and noticed a lot of stuff online has been resurfaced. Is this something I should be concerned about? I'm in the camp that as long as it's the original disc and plays I'm happy. Should I have any concerns about the lifetime of the disc or anything?
Seems like most people here are ok with it as long as it works and doesn't mess up the disc.
I think as long as the disc visually looks accpetable to you, and it is tested to play perfectly there shouldn't be any concern. Of course some collectors may prefer to always have items in the original condition.
However, its important to know that a disc can only be resurfaced a finite amount of times before it becomes destroyed. Obviously this is because resurfacing is essentially sanding off very fine layers of the plastic, and if you do it too much you'll hit the data layer. Also, its important for a seller to disclose whether or not its ever been resurfaced.
to one with heavy scratches that overworks the laser
I think this is mostly a myth. There's auto-adjusting lasers, which can adjust their power output, but I know of know game systems that use this. Most had manual adjustments via pots, so if anyone tells you "xyz will burn up the laser", it's not due to the laser putting out too much power, they just can not physically do that.
to one with heavy scratches that overworks the laser
I think this is mostly a myth. There's auto-adjusting lasers, which can adjust their power output, but I know of know game systems that use this. Most had manual adjustments via pots, so if anyone tells you "xyz will burn up the laser", it's not due to the laser putting out too much power, they just can not physically do that.
Certain phat PS2s definitely auto-adjust until they run out of auto-adjustment range and start throwing DREs.
https://www.amazon.com/RTI-DVD-DiscCheck-Resurfacing-Machine/dp/B001J5TH1S
Works great with most formats. Nice thing is that 4 different pads are automatically used so you don't have to switch pads while cleaning cds.
Gamecube games do give us trouble sometimes.
Blu-ray are the worst. I haven't been able to figure those out yet.
Has anyone here had lucky fixing blu-ray discs?
You can't fix Blu-ray. That hard coating can't be damaged in any way, plus the data is all the way through like a sponge or the inside of Cybertron.
That is my take but other resurfacing machines do list them as media that can be fixed. I think that video posted on page one states it fixed blu-ray.
You can't fix Blu-ray. That hard coating can't be damaged in any way, plus the data is all the way through like a sponge or the inside of Cybertron.
That is my take but other resurfacing machines do list them as media that can be fixed. I think that video posted on page one states it fixed blu-ray.
They list it, but they can really only remove cosmetic scratches that wouldn't affect gameplay or playback using the buff.