Cosmetic Damage

[jamesfmurphy]

i accidentally caused an abrasion to the side of a friend's PowerMac G5 while cleaning.... it has marred the "titanium" finish and appears as a dark mark... it is no depth at all.... in fact you cannot feel it, it has simply caused the dark gray mark that will not wash off..it is apparently actual damage to the finish.... does anyone know of a method to diminish or eliminate this type of mark on a G5?

it's his brand new Quad 2.5 PowerMac G5 Desktop that he's had less than 6 months.... i'd like to fix this for him if at all possible. the damage is not on the removable side-panal..it's on the other side.

 

[jmoss]

Hmmm

You could try some of the iClean stuff and use a microfibre cloth?
Hope it works out

 

[jamesfmurphy]

You could try some of the iClean stuff and use a microfibre cloth?
Hope it works out

i have some iClean and i'll give it a shot, but as i mentioned i don't think it's going to just "come off" since it appears to be actual damage to the finish and not something which has rubbed off onto it... i'm wondering if there's some kind of compound wich can mimic that "titanium" finish that can be rubbed on is what i'm getting at i guess.

?

 

[spork183]

You might try Gel-Gloss. You want the cream in the pink can, not the spray on variety. Test it on the bottom of the G5. I know the stuff does wonders with many kinds of finishes and is good for stainless. Don't know about titanium. You can get it at most hardware stores.

 

[apple_iBoy]

I'm guessing you probably scraped just the anodized surface layer off -- the "grown" oxide layer that covers the surface of the aluminum. I've done the same many times to my iPod Mini.

If that's the case, you're not going to be able to buff off the mark. It won't be like the area surrounding a scratch that you can just buff down to the same level. The reflective properties of the surface are just different underneath the oxide layer. If you use an product on the machine, make sure you don't end up just taking more off.

P.S. if you just let it be, the initial shiny contrast of the scraped area might fade a bit over time, as the aluminum self-passivates itself

 

[THX1139]

Just curious... what did you use to clean it? Sandpaper or steelwool? Must have something nasty to require such extreme cleaning that takes the finish off. On mine, I use a slightly damp soft cloth and it works like a charm. Course then, I don't spill beer on my computer.