How to remove a scratch

<p>Removing a scratch is a very important part of the correction process&period; However&comma; there are several different ways of removing several different types of scratches&period; It also needs an explanation on what removing a scratch actually means&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>What does it mean to remove a scratch<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>A scratch is a form of surface imperfection&period; In many cases&comma; it is a deep valley in the microscopic landscape of a painted surface with high angled edges&period; The depth of the scratch is deeper then the surrounding area&period; The shape of the scratch causes light to be reflected in a different way than the surrounding area&comma; making it stand out&period; To remove the scratch you would either need to fill the gap&comma; or remove the gap&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Filling the gap<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>Filling the gap is very difficult&comma; the scratch is often only a micron wide&comma; applying sometimes inside this requires equipment that is not available to regular people&period; Products like Glaze and wax have the capability to fill the gap&comma; but the material that fills the gap is not nearly as strong as the paintwork itself&period; The effect will be very temporarily&period; Certain light conditions can still make the scratch visible&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Removing the scratch<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>The second option would be to remove the gap&period; This can be done by removing the same amount of the surrounding area as the depth of the scratch&period; If the scratch is 3 microns thick&comma; you would need to remove 3 microns of the surrounding area&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Make it less visible<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>A scratch stands out because it breaks the light in a different way then the perfectly smooth surrounding area&period; If the removal of the scratch isn&&num;8217&semi;t an option&comma; you can smoothen the sharp edges to change the way the light break at the scratch&period; Smoother edges will reflect light in a slightly more similar way as the surrounding area&comma; making the scratch less noticeable&period; It is still there&comma; but it doesn&&num;8217&semi;t stand out as much anymore&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Different type of scratch<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>There are several surface imperfections that can be present on a surface&period; They do not all have to be scratches&comma; some can be chemical damage&period; A scratch can have different descriptions&comma; but the general consensus is that a scratch is a mark in the surface that is longer then it is wide&comma; and deeper then it is wide&period; It has a V shape with the mark being wider at the top and more narrow at the bottom&period; It can be isolated&comma; but it can also be surrounded by similar scratches &lpar;like marring or swirls&rpar;&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;For some&comma; you need to feel it when going over it with your nail&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Different ways or removal<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Scratches can be removed by a few different methods&period; The required method depends on the paint thickness&comma; the type&sol;size of the imperfection and the products available&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Polishing<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>This method will very gradually &&num;8220&semi;sand&&num;8221&semi; away a very thin layer in a controlled manner&period; The finish will be very smooth&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Cutting<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>This method will &&num;8220&semi;sand&&num;8221&semi; away more then polishing will do&period; The finish will me less smooth and will require polishing&period; This method is faster&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Wetsanding<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>This method is the most aggressive method&comma; removing a lot of paint and requiring cutting and polishing to finish off&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>Respray<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>When there is very little clear coat to work with&comma; it is possible to prep the paintwork for a new layer of clear coat&period; However&comma; this is a very costly procedure&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;