GameCube Disc Cleaning Series: Part 2- Center Ring Residue
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- Опубликовано: 25 авг 2024
- Part 2 of a multi-part series! We show you how to clean those tricky GameCube discs!
Here's the scoop. I got a stack of 8 GameCube games that were all deemed "damaged beyond repair". I've tested each one, and they do not play. At least for now...
In this series we will clean one GameCube disc per video, in increasing difficulty (based on visual inspections). I'll walk you through the steps and procedures of how I clean GameCube discs of all sorts of damage. (My assumption/hope is that I manage to revive all 8 discs).
Here we are with Part 2! I show you the basics of cleaning out about 70% of the residue in the center ring, as well as cleaning around the center ring. Another game that didn't work before, but it do now!
Thanks for watching!!
Tools I used:
Novus Step 2- amzn.to/3CxYiwe
Tweezers (or dental picks)
Toothbrush or nylon brush
Paper Towels
Scrapers
A GameCube for testing
Discord information:
Catch me on the Gameye discord, or send a DM to @Eldoug
Tools I use! And affiliated links to buy them on Amazon!
(Let me know if you are outside of the US, I have suggested tools for most international countries too!)
Scotty Peelers-
amzn.to/3yxSRis
Heptane (Bestine)-
amzn.to/3FTBIS5
My gloves! Cosplay as me!-
amzn.to/3Mgm9WY
Mini heat gun-
amzn.to/3sv1si4
Gamebit screwdriver-
amzn.to/37Ezj0F
Thermal paste I use-
amzn.to/3FCllsQ
Insepction loupes/magnifiers-
amzn.to/3yxhtYs
iFixit Manta kit-
amzn.to/3a0fYYR
Magnetic parts tray-
amzn.to/3L99HqD
Brayer/roller-
amzn.to/3l5vDbu
Extraction fan for soldering-
amzn.to/3a0gbLD
Hygrometer/Thermometer-
amzn.to/3FMsmaE
The blue mat!-
amzn.to/3L8zdfp
Thanks so much for this tutorial it helped so much I got a copy of smash melee with some center ring residue it would play smooth but couple minutes in it would stop and say error. I ended up buying another copy of melee before I watched this video. So I cleaned the copy that was having issues now it plays without any issues, now I got 2 copies of melee lol thanks for this wonderful tutorial keep up the good work you should have way more subscribers.
I was already ready to binge watch all 8 episodes, but only saw 2 were out. Damn, still nice to see that they can be fixed without a resurfacer.
I'm getting there! I had hoped that 3-8 would be increasing difficulty, but I don't have any discs really worth a level 8 yet. (Also I got distracted and made a video about how to clean using toothpaste).
I'm gonna do all 8! I swear!
@@RestoreAndReplay I used the same product and it did work on fixing some of my games on starting up, but then after playing it for awhile it couldn’t be read.
This is such a random video to suggest to me… but I like it!! I’ve spent more time cleaning up game stuff then I care to admit.
Well welcome! We're glad you're here! I'm not out here to tell people "do it this way or that way", just hoping to give people some hints and tips on how to approach their cleaning complications and sticker situations!
Great video man, I just bought a copy of double dash and I was wondering why it wasn't working and it was because there was residue in the center ring, thanks a lot.
Absolutely! That center ring residue is a guaranteed sign that the disc was resurfaced at some point, and wasn't handled in the best way possible.
Your attention to detail is incredible, thanks for the helpful vids 👍
Glad you like them! I like to make videos that I can follow along with in real time, it's how I learn best too!
@@RestoreAndReplay A dirty center ring should not affect the functionality by itself right?
Appreciate these disc cleaning videos. I got a super smash bros melee gamecube disc that I took to my local gamestore and had it resurfaced twice before finding your videos. The game still doesn't play, has like 2 deep scratches, not sure if it can be saved. Looking fwd to video where you buff a deep scratch or whatever. Thanks!
We absolutely have deep scratch videos coming up (including one where the scratch is TOO deep!)
The challenge that resurfacers have is that they set it to remove a certain amount of material on the disc, but they can't target a single scratch area, they have to do the whole thing. So think of a disc resurfacer like using scratch remover on your entire car to remove a scratch on the door. With the methods in these videos you can also really target a single scratch (deep or not) and focus on that small area. But don't worry, we've got more of this series coming out! And an overview of "discs that can't be saved".
@@RestoreAndReplay sorry didn't see you replied until just now! Was watching your n64 sticker removal video and figured I'd check back, but yes thank you looking forward to that because I'd like to try to and save the game as it's complete other then it not working after the resurface machine attempt. Also just deep cleaned a gamecube that had pop spilled over it and was wondering if you will be doing videos on that as well? Or maybe how to replace thermal pads? Love the restoration aspect and appreciate your wisdom in the field thanks again!
thank you, i bought a need for speed game, and it ended up having the same ring, and i tried your method, and it allowed me to use quick race, but still couldnt read the disk while using career mode as well as challenge mode. thank you very much tho. i will probably end up buying another copy but nonetheless your idea was ingenous and i really appreciate the thought. thanks!
So if part of the game plays, but another part doesn't, that tells me there's another scratch hiding out somewhere on the disc! Give it another round of polish or two and see what happens! You can also check the disc using your fingernail to see if there are any areas that might be causing the issues!
This video saved my life, THANK YOU!
Nice repairing tips!
i used nu-finish myself. i had a zeldas collectors that the 20 min demo wind waker didnt work, was resurfaced by a game store and didnt work. used the nu-finish and works like a charm. used it as well on the jewel that was scratched pretty bad and same prosess and looks new.
I used to use nu-finish all the time! Cars, discs, fish tanks, all sorts of stuff! But it got weirdly expensive around me, so I started to look for cheaper alternatives. I do miss that little orange bottle!
Fantastic video series! I stumbled across the first one after looking for methods to clean my childhood library of 'well loved' games. Kid me tried resurfacing with an at home kit, of course many of my games have center ring residue. Have you tried using iso and a small bristle brush to clean those? I've found if you're careful, it really helps finish off the aesthetic after using the tweezers!
Hey don't skip ahead on the videos!! 😄 Later on in the series I show you how to clean out that center ring! While I stay away from using any alcohols (it can add a slight haze/shadow to the polycarbonate center ring), I demonstrate a number of methods to clean it out including soaking and a few different brushing techniques! Coming soon!!
Any game that I bought new is still in excellent shape… however, I also bought a lot of used stuff over the years. And that stuff has a HUGE range of “quality”.
Awesome series Man. I bought wave Race: blue storm which has some scratches and a bigger one that starts on the center and Cross till the middle. It plays everything but, sometimes, It stops and says It cannot read the Disc. Right when a Race ends and will change to a new one.
Besides, do you recomend cleaning with alcohol? I'm using isopropilic for eletronics
Yep, consoles can read discs in the strangest ways. Sometimes a scratch will be an issue and othertimes it'll be fine!
But cleaning the polycarbonate side of a disc with alcohol won't really do much in the way of removing scratches, you need an abrasive or an aggregate for that, so something like a plastic polish!
@@RestoreAndReplay btw I've got a tales of symphonia. The second disc is ok. But the first one cannot be recognized by my wii or my GC. And it doesn't have scratches. In fact, my wii does a different sound when running it. Maybe It's misalign and is spinning trembling? And on it's external edge has some gaps and you can see both layers of the disk. maybe that's related to the problem.
@@tulio829 definitely check the edges of the disc, if you see separating or rough edges that can lead to a misread. If the noises are rhythmic, that can suggest the disc is either unbalanced OR somrthing along the edges of the disc is causing it to rotate poorly.
$20 for a stack of otherwise busted games seems like a reasonable entry fee for practice fodder to dial in one's technique! So to the question of whether people should go out and buy up broken games and try to restore them, I say hell yes you should! The worst outcome is you learn what not to do.
While you're not wrong, I would advise anyone against trying to learn on anything expensive or any Blu-rays. Those can be a different beast all together! (There will be a video for those as well).
You'll be surprised at how difficult it actually is to get large amounts of nonworking discs! Half the time they end up working after a simple wipe! 😄
@@RestoreAndReplay I mean I definitely wouldn't use Panzer Dragoon Saga as practice, working or not! Can't wait for the Blu Ray vid lol
Do you happen to know how to repair the top centre inner ring layer if thats broken/shattered off?
I do! It's fairly work-intensive, but there will eventually be a video on how to do it. The short version is you use a polycarbonate-safe epoxy, overbuild the ring back, and sand it down. It's not always the prettiest fix, but very strong!
I don’t have the right kind of tweezers, so could I use something like a paper clip to scrape the inner ring?
A paperclip would be too thick, I'd suggest starting with a thicker piece of paper (like greeting card cardstock)and work into the seam at an angle!
I tried taking out the gunk from the middle center ring and I ended up scratching the hell out of it by accident lol. Would it still be salvageable ???
If it's just cosmetic that's not a huge deal, it should still work. Now if you wanted to replace both layers of the center ring polycarbonate.......... that's possible. But it ain't easy.
Can I ask what tool you used for cleaning out the center ring?
@@RestoreAndReplay Thank you! I’ve been putting multiple layers of novus 2 like 20 + lol but the deep scratches won’t budge. Step 3 Novus should come in today though so I’m excited to try it out. Thank you for your videos!
Is there a reason you don’t use novus 1 to clean? For example as if a disc were dirty I know you mentioned using a “all purpose cleaner” and for this video you used a disinfecting wipe.
I’m considering buying the 3 pack but hopefully I get a response back to know if there’s a reason why you don’t use it :)
I love Novus Step 1, but it leaves a film on the surfaces it cleans (which is great for protecting surfaces, but not always needed on discs). I'd rather wipe off a disc with a damp cloth to remove particulate. Step 1 just isn't a great surfactant!
And you doing that won't mess up the disc? Because my Mario kart DD disc is very closed together
As long as you keep the tweezers or pick flat and level with the disc, it won't mess up the disc. It might create a bit more of a gap, but just keep everything on the same level and you'll be fine!
So I have a question: are there ways to breathe life back into optical discs that does not require a resurfacer? Because from the look of this video, it looks like you can do a lot short of throwing it into a machine.
Heck yes absolutely! This series is going to go through the best and worst condition of GameCube games and show how you all, the viewers, can fix up even the worst of sitautions at home! Taking it to a machine is never necessary, in my opinion. So we'll get into the varying degrees of "messed up". From epoxy and car polish to toothbrushes and toothpicks, we get into it!
Long way to say that all a resurfacer is doing is polishing/buffing the game the same as the above method. But since you're using your hands and not a robot brain, you can control the level of intensity and focus. Which, to me, makes for a better clean in the long run!
@@RestoreAndReplay hey I appreciate the videos a ton, I’ve been thinking about cleaning a few of my discs since I’ve had the system since I was 4, games definitely got a little roughed up.
I’m seeing u drag your hand along the disc, wipe it with paper towel, all the things I would NEVER do to my games now. I’m extremely careful with them but you did say their sturdy little guys, do things like that not scratch the disc? Thanks a ton
@@Shendapy Excellent questions! So check it out- the layer of polycarbonate on the data side of the disc is thicc, it's there entirely to prevent damage to the aluminum data layer (where the game is actually stored). I do drag my hand along the disc, but I am wearing gloves. BUT I also recommend using your fingernail to glide against the surface to feel for any scratches. Moving your finger or hand in directions like that won't damage the polycarbonate layer. Now scratching it with your fingernail? Or gouging at it? That'll cause some surface abrasion. But using light pressure to rub across the disc won't cause any harm.
As for the paper towels, you got me there. I've said it in a few videos that it's a bad habit that I have, using paper towels on discs. But, I'm using paper towels in conjunction with an abrasive cleaner (the novus), which will cause much more impact to the surface. But that's what we want, we want to have the aggregate properties of the novus (along with the paper towel/cloth) to help remove small amounts of the polycarobnate while we clean and resurface. It's the same thing that's happening with professional resurfacing machines, they have pads that remove a small layer of the polycarbonate to remove imperfections that disrupt the laser.
Ultimately paper towels aren't the worst thing to use as long as you're using them with a cleaner or compound (something that acts as a surfactant), but it also has to do with how much pressure you're applying. You can scratch a disc wiping it off with a clean cloth or t-shirt, assuming you use too much pressure. Keeping light pressure when working, and making sure to use smooth even strokes and rotations will prevent any impact to the disc beyond the desired impact.
In short, neither of those things will scratch the disc, but if you watch you'll notice that my interaction with the discs change to a much softer touch after I clean/resurface them. While you might see me smacking and tossing them around (usually playfully), a lot of it is to show that those discs are in fact sturdy little fellas. As long as they are stored properly and cleaned regularly they'll should last a good long while!
@@RestoreAndReplay amazing response thanks. Yeah I’ve never actually CLEANED the discs before. I could imagine that’s important for preservation though.
Sure I’m not the only person that’s done this either but for the games that have a hard time working, I just lightly fog them with my breath, certain areas, whatever, and the disc will eventually run 😂 with a few of the games it’s SUPER annoying to get them to boot up, so I’m thinking of ordering product to try my hand ‘resurfacing’.
I’m only talking about GameCube games here too^ wii games are all somehow spotless.
So I’ve heard moisture is bad for discs, and honestly I doubt fogging the discs could be bad to that extent. I’m just curious if you know anything about it.
I’m not getting up and close.. licking the discs either lol, just lightly. Sure you get the jist.
Either way thanks for the clarification, I’ll be sure to use your videos in the future when I get my hands on some stuff.
@@Shendapy Hey lots of people have used their breath to clean discs and games! If you're looking for a way to remove smudges and fingerprints from a disc quickly (without resurfacing or anything major) just get a lint-free cloth or old tshirt slightly damp and wipe down the disc, wiping from the center outwards using as little pressure as possible. You just doing want to wipe in circles or press too hard! Moisture can be bad for discs, but those times are when the disc is submurged or moisture gets in-between the layers!
I need to buy the cleaner but I have Pokemon Colosseum that used to work. Now it loads for a couple seconds to say pokemon. Then it freezes. The back is almost scratch free. It's barely been exposed. I've owned it for over 20 years.
Honestly it could be a lot of different things! I've had small eyelashes get on a disc and keep it from playing! Give it a good wipe down, maybe give the lens a wipe down too, and check for any rough spots on the disc first.
First thing I do when buying used games is remove all stickers and crud, I can’t believe guys will collect games and leave all the junk and stickers on cases and disks. Sometimes I replace the case if needed.
Are you going to cover gamecube games that start to play but stop playing in the first 2 to 10 minutes?
Sure am! The rest of the GameCube series will get into specific GameCube issues like discs that stop playing after a bit and deeper scratches. It's actually tougher than you'd expect to find a game that stops working after a few minutes. Just means I have to play more games to find them!! 😄
@Kimberly Gonzalez Well then do I have a surprise for you tomorrow!!! PART 3!
cant i just use like a paper clip thats folded?
It reall depends on the paper clip. Some are larger than the center ring gap, and will cause more cracking. Just make sure it's not too large of a paper clip!
Do you think dentil picks would fit? In the middle
OH HOW I WISH THEY DID. The problem is most dental picks are too thick and end up cracking/separating the center ring. Anything mental can break the plastic, but anything paper will be too soft to do any good. Brush bristles work, but I'm still always searching for a better method!
Ok so the step 3 didnt work for me, what tools are u using to clean the insides?
How many times did you do a round of Step 2/3? In the next GameCube cleaning video you'll see I have to clean a disc 5 times to get it to work, just takes a few trips is all!
For the insides I use small tweezers. Brushes won't work as well due to the bristles being too weak to get in-between the layers. BUT we've got a few more videos coming up showing what all you can use to clean the center ring!
Why would residue in the center ring effect anything? No data is being read from that area…
Excellent question! So scratches aren't the only thing that impact functionality of the disc. Imbalancing, weird weights, poor rotation, all of that can come into play. As the liquid sits in the center ring it dries and shifts and causes all sorts of trouble. By doing so, it can also separate the layers of polycarbonate that make up the disc. Layer seperation is another reason why a disc might not work!
Is it OK to use isopropyl alcohol to clean dirt from a cd?
I always like this question! Ok so, Iso alcohol is a decent enough solvent, meaning it can dissolve things, but it really lacks a surfactant, something that can trap and capture dirt and oils. So what works best for cleaning dirt from a CD? Soapy water! It'll remove dirt and clean the surface much better than any alcohol or other solvent could!
@@RestoreAndReplay ok cool, thank you. I was thinking about windex, but I think it's also a solvent.
scratched plastic & almost broken. hell no. use a brush bro
Thank you!
@@RestoreAndReplay That was a fair criticism actually when you think about it... If you don't have a steady hand, then using small and potentially very sharp metal tools in any capacity can be a bad idea.
You said in another comment that one could use a somewhat thick paper, like a cardstock-type thing instead of tweezers or dental pick.
(And maaaybe a brush, but as you said it may not very well be able to get in-between the layers.)
Perhaps recommend a type of paper to beginners who are more likely to accidentally cause a lot of damage with a metal tool. And as you said, a paper clip is too thick and almost certainly a no-go.
again, love your videos as a resource by the way