It is one of those annoying problems that lots of people face. A favoured piece of glassware has been dropped or just mishandled and has picked up some ugly marks and scratches. A great number of people actually throw the item away believe it or not, when the scratch could quite easily be removed. With the right knowledge and materials, you can get your glass looking spotless again.
1.) Using harsh abrasives to buff the scratch out of the glass is not the best option. This may work on wood, but on your favorite whisky glass, youll end up with a horrible opaque patch that will look even worse and be even more difficult to remove. Cerium oxide is the very fine abrasive that professionals as this is much kinder to the glass. Any good jewelers will stock this type of abrasive.
2.) You now need to get a polishing wheel. This is a kind of buffing pad that can be attached to a drill and in combination with the fine abrasive, will gently buff out the scratch. It is very important that the polishing wheel is clean and free from any grit. The drill should not be used on a high setting as the pressure on the glass may be too large. Crystal glass is stronger and so can withstand higher spin speeds.
3.) If the scratch is quite large or deep, you may find that a polishing wheel is not enough. In most cases you can use a resin to fill in deep scratches and you can pick this up from DIY shops and specialist glassware shops. Youll need to ensure that the resin you use has the same refractive index as the glass, otherwise it will stand out like a sore thumb, especially on crystal vases and glassware. When you have laid on the resin, the buffer and abrasive can be used to get a consistent finish and get the glass sparkling.