RSSThe $4 iPod Nano Fix
By Ed Oswald | Published September 28, 2005, 4:49 PM
With all the recent negative press surrounding the apparent scratching issue with the iPod Nano, some people are finding their own ways to repair the diminutive player. Todd Dailey, an Apple aficionado, has discovered a way to solve the scratch problem - and it only costs $4 USD.
Dailey has used his Nano as a guinea pig for a multitude of tests, including homemade accessories and tests to see what works and what does not. "As you can see on previous posts on my blog, I've been having a lot of fun with DIY projects with the Nano. I'm quite proud of my DIY Nano lanyard," Dailey told BetaNews.
So when the issue of scratching began to appear, Dailey decided to once again put his Nano under the hammer. "Never fear, I put my nano at risk for your sake," he wrote on his Web log Tuesday.
Dailey said he had read several posts on the popular technology Web log Slashdot that claimed Brasso worked well in removing scratches from the surface of the iPod. "I felt pretty safe about trying it," he said.
To perform the fix, Dailey used iKlear, a commercial cleaning solution made for Apple products, several cotton rounds and two microfiber cloths to apply the Brasso and iKlear. Dailey says iKlear is optional. "The iKlear is just a cleaner. It's optional, although their kits come with nice microfiber cloths, which were useful for the process," he said.
Dailey tested it out on a third-generation iPod and was impressed with the results. He then moved onto the Nano, where the results were even more impressive.
"I feel the need to assure you that these are actual unretouched photos of the final clean nano," Dailey posted beside pictures showing the results. "The Brasso got rid of every single scratch. My nano looks completely, totally brand new."
The process takes about 20 minutes, as the Brasso requires time to work, according to Dailey. However, the results as shown could provide solace to the many concerned Nano owners that a fix for the problem is indeed available - and at a very reasonable price.
"I think the good thing is that I've shown that with a little work, customers upset about 'normal use' scratches can completely remove them and restore the nano to like-new condition," Dailey said.
He also believes the reports of widespread scratching were overblown, although Apple may have made a mistake by not having cases available at the product's launch. "I don't think that the nano is any more easily scratched than any other plastic iPod, although I do think the black Nano shows scratches more easily, just like a black car," he argued.
Dailey did blame part of the problem on the negligence of users themselves. "People on the Web who have complained that they scratched their Nano by carrying it their pocket with keys are crazy," he said. "Who would do that with a $200+ plastic device and not expect scratches?"
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Brasso is, as the name suggests, a brass cleaner that has been around for nearly a hundred years.
During the plastics revolution of the late 50's it was discovered by designers that the very gentle abrassive nature of the polish worked very well on smoothing away the scratches of cut edges of many forms of soft plastics.
I learnt this in design technology classes nearly 20 years ago and so I would under no circumstances herald the fact that Brasso will remove scratches from a Nano as a wonder cure.
Be warned if you try this yourself as Brasso is a yellow colour and can stain bright or pale coloured plastics and also if not completely cleaned off can harden into a fine powder that can set hard in the smallest of cracks!
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man I hate to be apple with these problems all the stupid customers calling in " oh, my screen got scratched when i put it in my pocket" I mean come one the only way to not get is scratch on it is to put it in a carrying case. A cracked screen ok well thats different but if they are only complaing about scratches well they should of know that LCD screen scratch easy!
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Brasso has been used for years by watchmakers to remove scratches from wristwatches etc :)
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Keys in the pocket WITH the nano is completely dumb. I keep all my keys and my wallet in one pocket and the others contain my electronic devices. Alas, my nano still got scratched. I've returned mine, since I'm not thrilled with the thought of returns/exchanges/maintenance. But this is pretty good news for people who really want it.
I don't pouch or cover any of my devices. But people who do have tons of options. And this brasso idea is cool too. Brasso btw is a brass cleaner, its a wax...I've never considered using it on plastic. In any case, this is very good news for people with nanos. A 20 minute cleaning weekly or bi-weekly is a small price to pay for a nice small pretty mp3 player.
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I wonder if this process would work on my Palm screen? I would love to get the scratches out.
If someone knows then drop me a note.
tim dot trimble at gmail dot com
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Apple should send all their inconvenienced customers a $10 care package with instructions. :P
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I am to a big fan of apple but come on apple fix your problems. Sad part for apple is they are showing their true color
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$4 if your time is worthless. 20 minutes? the thing isn't even a month old! So what is that, a few hours a year cleaning? sweet I'm picking me one of these wrist exercisers right away!
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Isn't most of that 20 minutes waiting?
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by the way , what is brasso and where do we get it?
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Brasso is a polish, you can get it at most home improvement stores. Ive used it to polish metal. It may be too harsh for the nano though. THeres a plastic polish that 3M makes that might be more appropriate. Check out your friendly neighborhood auto parts store.
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I wonder how well nu finish would work.
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You think it would work on a PSP?
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I was wondering the same thing...
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Hmmmm, cool.
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People have been using brasso for years to remove scratches from cds and dvds.
However, I believe that it's actually a mild abrasive, not a polish, so i think you still have to be a bit careful.
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I carried money + my iPod in my pocket. I assure you my 3G iPod is now just a big scratch. I think they should put warnings on the box that it can scratch easily for dumbarses like me.
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