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Q: How polish front panel first gen ipod nano?!

Hello! I've a 10 years old iPod nano. First generation, in white.

The front panel, plastic made, is full of scratches and I'd like to polish it. How can I do that? Thank you so much!

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Feb 16, 2016 1:04 AM

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Q: How polish front panel first gen ipod nano?!

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  • by Kenichi Watanabe,

    Kenichi Watanabe Kenichi Watanabe Feb 16, 2016 4:31 AM in response to naotodate
    Level 8 (40,181 points)
    Mac OS X
    Feb 16, 2016 4:31 AM in response to naotodate

    For the clear plastic surface of older iPods, you can use a mildly abrasive polisher with a soft cloth.  An off-the-shelf household item you can use for this is toothpaste.  There are also special "kits" made for this purpose, for example

     

    http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/NEWPOLISH/

     

    They usually come with three polishers.  One is more abrasive, that you use first if the item is badly scratched up.  If the item only has many fine scratches, you can skip this one.  The second one is less abrasive, for finer scratches.  And the final one is like Windex or eyeglass cleaner, to dissolve and clean off the residue (not really a "polisher").  It's the first two that do all the work of polishing.

     

    The best cloth is the type sold for cleaning eyeglasses ("microfiber").  But I've used old cotton t-shirts that I would otherwise throw away.  It should be a soft cloth with fine fibers.

     

    Be careful not to get the polishing cream or liquid into the seams of the click-wheel.  Do not use abrasive polishers as a cleaner; if the iPod was previously in good shape, you'll end up with many ultra-fine scratches (which may or may not be an improvement).