Okay - here is what we did.
I went online and researched. I found this forum that really helped http://www.atlantaaquarium.com/showthread.php?3307-Scratched-my-37-gallon-glass-aquarium-Need-a-fix">http://www.atlantaaquarium.com/showthread.php?3307-Scratched-my-37-gallon-glass-aquarium-Need-a-fix</a>
I ended up ordering these from Amazon (Glass Polishing Kit and Diamond Powder)
[IMG]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AFAEE4I/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Amazon.com: Glass Polishing Kit (Light Scratches) 2'' 50mm: Home Improvement</a>
[IMG]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AFAEE4I/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Amazon.com: Glass Polishing Kit (Light Scratches) 2'' 50mm: Home Improvement</a>
I ended up trying a few other things as well and will post all of it.
We quickly realized the polishing kits by themselves are just not abrasive enough to get out more than just a very minor scratch. The diamond powder really does work, at least to a degree - I will explain how we ended up using it in a minute.
My scratches were basically chips, they were just deep enough to catch your fingernail on - more than just your basic scratch. The thing that actually worked the best was a fingernail file my wife had. It was not an ordinary one (according to her) - but I put some car buffing compound on it and essentially sanded the scratch/chips. Yes, I was hesitant about creating more scratches (and you will see I did), but it worked. It started sanding the glass to smooth out the chip.
I had 3 spots though and the file did not last for all. We looked for a similar one in a couple of stores and did not see one. So we went to Home Depot and bought a sanding block - they recommend a very fine one for glass. In theory I know why they say this, however it was too fine and did nothing to the glass. So I start thinking about the fingernail file and wonder if just regular sandpaper will do.
Only do this as a last resort.
While the fingernail file was similar, it was better. The sandpaper created LOTS of scratches around the chips. Yes, it did sand the glass down - but man was I worried when I finished this part. I now went from 3 small chips to 3 large circular hazy, scratchy areas. A major eyesore.
Now it was Amazon stuff to the rescue. The glass kit was good for the pads and drill piece, but I did not care for the cerium oxide in it. I did use the pads with the diamond powder and was able to buff out all the scratches from the sandpaper.
My end result was a few hours of labor and though not completely gone, much smaller areas from the original incident. You can no longer feel the area with your fingernail - yes, there is still small marks but I guess I will just have to live with it.
What I learned; minor to medium scratches can be taken care of. Even small chips can be made better.
Maybe that will help someone else
**the pics were taken with my iphone - not the clearest
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