CD lens scratches

The platter shifted along the spinner motor shaft until the lens could touch
CDs so scratched CDs and presumably, as convex top side, scratched lens. Has
never read the TOC with any sacrificial CDs of mine.
I cannot turn the lens in the lens carrier but the scratches , under x30 ,
seem to be not linear as I'd expect but look like matted micro cotton wool,
ie curvy. How is that possible from a spinning CD. Is it that the CD grabs
the lens on its floppy suspension and twists the housing enough to produce
curves.
Is there some sort of home-chemistry optical conformal coating .
Even if the coating works only when wet , just to confirm a lens problem out
of interest.
Not worth replacing the deck ,but has anyone robbed a lens from a scrapped
different make/type of deck and transplanted an as-you-find-it lens ,only ,
to make a goer?

 

Some useful stuff there. With a needle lifting the lens carrier it will rise
to the level of the underlying deck, combined with some inertia in such a
flimsey mechanism, I could quite see the lens hitting a CD that is
erroneously spinning only just above that level.
The scratches are otherwise in a neat circle around the central area of the
lens only , so unlikely done by a hand.
Duraglit sounds a bit drastic , doesn't it have jeweller's rouge or some
abrasive in it? but as useless as it stands then nothing to loose , now to
see if I can dislodge the lens without destroying the suspension frame

 

I think the circular rim of the lens prevents this. The dome shape of the
lens is still below the height of the outer rim, I_think_

I would just clean it and it's likely OK.

Generally if a disc tilts, it scrapes the tray or some other part well
before it can touch the lens assembly.

Mark Z.

 

I can pull this lens suspension up and it stops with top of dome perhaps
..5mm above the underlying deck area and has no protection ring, add in some
inertia to the kicks and and I'm pretty sure it would be hitting any CD once
the platter had dropped on the motor spindle. I will try jigging/temporary
ancjoring the lens into that posistion to work on, as to get to it otherwise
looks as though you have to take the whole laser assembly apart or at least
a number of set screws that are adjustments of some sort by the look of
them.