removing scratches from used tank

title says it all, and i know what your thinking lol.
but, i've got the tank already, it was well priced and apart from the scratches seems like a quality build.
theres a couple harsh ones, but mostly fine ones. the worst are on one side where i was thinking of adding the overflow.
could almost be used as is, but as i have plenty of time would like to dable with cleaning it up some.

i've read about using

• hydrochloric acid
• cerium oxide (jewelers rouge?)
• automotive type cut polish

i've got a drill and can get a polishing head for it, and like i said plenty of time before this thing gets wet.

has anyone tried any of these thing, successfully or otherwise?

thanks

 

glass or acrylic?

 

oh my bad, its 15mm glass.
60" x 27" x 27" tank.

 

have you tried filling it with water yet? I know that it's not desirable to have scratches, but sometimes they will not be as noticeable when you fill with water.

 

i havent filled it yet, but have been thinking about doing so when i can get a half decent light above it to give me a better idea of what to expect. i suspect you're right and alot that i can see with close inspection may not stand out when its full.
but as i dont expect to be able to set this tank up for a while thought it would be good a good oportunity to try get rid of a few blemishes in my spare time (not that i dont have better things to do! :-/ lol)

 

If the scratches are too deep, polishing it can affect the structural integrity of the glass... but you'd basically be polishing it with a electric sander/ polisher. You'd use several grades from slightly coarse to fine to ultra fine polishing materials. I'm not sure if this is good to do with tempered glass, so you'd probably want to check int that.

 

well i hope to drill it so will be checking if its tempered or not anyway.
i'm not overly conerned about structural integrity as most tanks this size are only 12mm glass, polishing it down to that would kill me even with power tools! lol
would a good couple cleans with vinegar and water be enough to get rid of any potential residue? when it does eventually get used it will be given more than ample time to cycle, would that also help remove any possible traces of bad stuff that remains?

 

I wouldnt try drilling until you figure out who the manufacturer is. Once you figure that out, I would go to their website and see if it is tempered or not. IMO it's better to take extra time then trying to clean up a ton of glass.

BTW I too bought a used tank and have a lot of scratches and was debating on whether or not it would be wise to remove the scratches...It is starting to sound like that it is not worth it.