how to repair scratched protective screen on Pioneer RPTV ? (1 Viewer)

[Chris_Millet]

I just moved and I got a three inch long scratch/scrape on the protective screen of my SDP-5795W. It is very noticable on certain viewing material so I want to do what I can do get rid of it short of replacing the protective screen($246 + $47 shipping quoted by Pioneer). Any recommendations?

 

[Allan Jayne]

The protective screen is so called because it is supposed to be expendable, it absorbs the impacts and sacrifices itself so more delicate components behind are protected.
Incidentally, the scratch can be buffed out although not extremely cheaply. If it is deep, you must sandpaper the surrounding area to make a gentle contour down to the bottom of the scratch, then buff the entire area so the milky result of sandpapering turns clear and transparent again. (If the panel is tinted, it may not be practical to buff out deep scratches because the total repair process makes the area around the scratch thinner which shows up as a faded area due to less tinting remaining there.)
There may also be chemicals similar to airplane glue that melt the plastic slightly and cause the scratch to disappear at least partially. I believe that these processes also require that the surface be buffed as the final step, otherwise the area looks forever like something (chemical similar to airplane glue) was spilled there.
Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm