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Screen Protector Bubbles & Dust: normal?!

Although I paid the outmost attention while I was installing it, my Boxwave Crystal got some dust and bubbles (especially in the edges). I noticed that these imperfections cannot be seen when the screen is on, but for the heck of it, I want to ask: is it normal or am I simply incompetent?! :?

After getting a fine scratch on my (then) new 3970 I put on a PPC Techs protector and had the same trouble as you.
When I replaced the 3970 with a 4700 earlier this year, I had the screen protector waiting before I unpacked the iPAQ... Same tiny fluff and bubbles.
Now, after putting them on the two 9100's we have, I still can't get them perfect
Guess that just means we're both hopeless
Dox

I don't think anyone can get them perfect.
put mine on today. thought it was perfect but still bloody dust under it. sigh.
Lewis

It's a pain to do I must admit but I've managed to get mine almost "perfect" over about 99% of the screen. It's just around the extreme edges that I've got some bubbles and issues where I'd forced it to go down onto the screen but the rim of the case was just in the way.
If you find that you can't do it first time, then get some sticky tape and put that on the side that sticks to the screen. make sure the tape on one of the edges is right up to the end of the screen protector and the other end of the tape folded over so you've got something to pull the tape off of the screen with when applying.
The tape magically takes off the dust so that when you're applying it to the screenal you need to do is try to make sure no dust particles exist.
You could always try hiring out a chip fabrication unit where they're hermatically sealed too...

I've done a few Ultraclear versions and got it down to a fine art.
1. Be calm. Allow youself plenty of time. If you make a mistake, take a deep breath and start again. Don't rush or you'll end up ruining the film. Even though I've done this several times, I still allow myself half an hour.
2. Trim the narrow edge off an old credit card so it has a straight edge with sharp corners, and get some screenwipes or lint free cloth.
3. Do the fitting in a steamy room. I use the bathroom with the hot shower going. This drops all the dust particles in the air and elimates static which attracts dust/fluff to the protector.
4. Wash and rinse your hands thoroughly to remove all grease and soap.
5. Clean the PPC screen with a screenwipe then barely damp cloth. The humidity from the steam will help you to get a mirror finish.
6. Wash the protector under a warm running tap until thoroughly clean. Hold by the edges to avoid fingerprints and flick several times to remove excess water. You will end up with a few tiny droplets of water left that you can't shift. Don't worry as these help the sealing process. Don't wipe them off as this will just load it up with fibres!
7. Apply to PPC screen middle first. Immediatley wipe out bubbles by sweeping you finger from the middle to the edges. Smooth out firmly but lightly with the credit card using the sharp corners to expel air and water from the extreme edges.
8. If the protector is not straight, so the screen surround is fouling the edges, DON'T force them down - you'll just permanently distort the film so the edges will never lie flat on the screen. The tiny water droplets trapped under the protector may allow you to slide the film slightly so it pops in place - if not, peel off gently taking care not to bend the film, and start from scratch again - that means right back to the cleaning stage.
9. Once you've got it lying flat, smooth any small bubbles out with the credit card. Don't apply too much pressure as this could scratch or cause the film to move. Instead, use light, repeated strokes.
10. Wipe gently round the edges with the cloth to remove any excess expelled water so it doesn't find it's way into the device.
10. The little bit of moisture under the card will dry out within 24 hours. Resmooth the film regularly in that period with the credit card, to eliminate any small bubbles, or lifting of the edges, that appear as it dries. If you have to use the device, carry the credit card with you for the first couple of days so you can smooth it immediatley before any dust gets under the edges.
11. Keep the backing films in a safe place. You'll need these to gently slide under the protector shoud you ever need to remove it and re-apply.
Result - perfectly clear protector that is virtually invisible.

Ineedtoys said:
3. Do the fitting in a steamy room. I use the bathroom with the hot shower going. This drops all the dust particles in the air and elimates static which attracts dust/fluff to the protector.
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I also use the bathroom but hadn't thought of the steam - nice idea.
I find it easier to handle the protector by creating a 'T' of adhesive tape which I place on the centre of the protector before removing the backing, that way I can hold it without touching the edges - the opaque scotch tape is the best and can be used to remove the protector too.

Great ideas everyone. Thank you for your feedback!
After trying some more times I got it right with slight dust, hair, bubbles. I'm pleased.

thanx
thank you guys for cool advice, i'll try it soon ..

NinjaDonkey said:
The tape magically takes off the dust so that when you're applying it to the screenal you need to do is try to make sure no dust particles exist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm after numerous efforts to get rid of the dust, this is by far the best and most crucial solution-step! I managed a 90-95% success with the protector leaving some openings only at the edges, but in the middle nothing. Thanks for the info!!!

the recessed screen cleaning tips

at first i didnt really see this as a disadvantage because i thought the recessed screen would keep scratches away and stuff...
but on a touch device it really is a pain to keep clean and to clean at all because the dirt gets dragged into the edges and is hard to get out.
any tips how to get the screen really clean in a short time ? Right no its driving me nuts to clean the screen everyday for several minutes...with a screen like the Touch Pro i could just wipe the dirt away

I wish I could give some advice but I think were all stuck. I think the majority of people either get a case or some of those screen protectors, wether im in the minority or not, I hate putting things in cases or putting extra bits and pieces on. Mine does get lots of finger prints on the screen but I find a good rub with a micro fibre cloth when I get home works a treat, though the corners can be a pain.
I get quite worried pressing too hard because it's touch screen, but it's the only thing to really get it clean.
You could always use some specialist screen cleaner but having to buy the stuff all the time can be an annoyance.

use something wet. barely wet. not too wet

First blow off the dust if any. Wash your hands, wipe your hands in a soft tissue and with this wet tissue, wipe the screen. This is what barely wet means. This leaves no dried water marks on screen too.
Regards,
Carty..

guap said:
use something wet. barely wet. not too wet
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I use Clearview TFT Screen cleaner, just spray a tiny bit on the microfiber cloth, its great stuff

Q-tip
I use a Microfibre cloth for the main screen, but then i have q-tips that I use to get in the corners. Works perfectly...

Tape can be used to lift fingerprints and dust off the screen.

Run a slightly damp Q-Tip cotton-bud round the edges to get the gunk out

the edges are the difficult part, the rest is quite easy to keep clean.
Ill try the Qtip for the edges, thx for all the input

For years I have always used lens cleaner (that you would use for cleaning spectacles) It's really cheap and removes grease without smears, and is perfectly safe.
Whilst in the opticians or chemist grab a lens cloth too (again the same you'd use on your specs) works a treat and again really cheap.
Finally I have a little carbon fibre brush which gets the dust and fluff from those recesses.
Oooohh such pampering for my beloved X1

[Q] FFC help/ Paint to cover it up.

Does anyone know how to remove small scratches from our screen?
I made a very small scratch accidentally while I was removing the paint covering the ffc hole.
Also does anyone know exactly what type of black paint t-mobile used to paint the hole? If we can figure the color out anyone who needs to send their phone in for repairs can just paint it again and remove the camera.
Sooooo any thoughts?

nothing huh.. x.x

since the glass is actually a ceramic, I'd say you're going to be hard pressed to remove a scratch. I'm not sure though, but you might try a clear acrylic to fill the scratch. I don't know on the other part.

Clear acrylic won't fix the scratch because acrylic has a different refractive index than glass.
Your only options are to either polish the scratch (not likely), or learn to live with it.
There might be glass repair products out there, but I don't know of any

gotya, thanks.. do you believe it will make a big impact once i get the camera installed? like ruin the image.

you can try dry mustard and vinegar mixed together, apply and buff (attach a q-tip to a dremel)...

MichaelB91 said:
gotya, thanks.. do you believe it will make a big impact once i get the camera installed? like ruin the image.
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Doubtful, the scratch is going to be so close to the low resolution lens that I think you won't even be able to tell.

thanks you

Removing glass scratches
Removing glass scratches are tricky. I posted before how to polish plastic. The same is true with glass only there are no solvents that degrade glass so no worries there (couple of acids do but you can't buy).
Here is what you need to do :
1. Mask off EVERYTHING you do not want touched
2. then you can use a dremel with a small buffing wheel or puff ball (you can get @ home depot or Lowes... etc
3. I would use fine polishing compound and then High gloss compound (you can get from an auto body shop (the same for buffing out a newly painted car)
4. Be VERY careful not to heat up the surface or you can crack the glass.
Finally, this will take awhile (maybe as long as an hour) and if the scratch is deep it will warp the surface and make some of the display deformed looking so look at it carefully and decide if this is worth the effort.
The other crap on the market that are fillers, really do not work for small scratches like this. they are designed for larger blemishes, so the chances of these staying in place are slim to never
hope that helps

Not sure what kind of paint was originally over the camera opening but I imagine nail polish would be an effective (and cheap) substitute. With an amount so small would someone notice the difference?

I'm just going to wait and see if the camera can see clearly through it, and ill decide what do to after that.
Thank you (everyone) for all the help. I really appreciate it

Samsung Vibrant Bezel Painting

Is there any way to paint the smooth ugly silver bezel

Paint it a different color or repaint it because it got scratched?
Sent through the XDA App on my Samsung Vibrant running ICS Passion v10.6

I've painted mine. It's pretty easy. Make sure you get Krylon Fusion paint, its a paint formulated to stick to plastic better than regular sprays. Don't accept any of the store brand plastic paints either, I've tried the Lowe's one and it turned out to be pretty much regular paint.
Follow typical painting steps:
1. Take everything off (battery cover, sim, etc)
2. Mask the screen and backsides with tape + paper. The back is pretty easy to do with one long piece of tape, just wrap it around the whole backside. The screen you can lay 4 strips, 1 for each side, and then use a knife to score the edges and the tape will peel off.
3. Sand. Depending on how rough your edges are you may want to sand some nicks smooth. You don't need to remove the paint when you sand, you just need to get rid of the shine.
4. Paint. Follow the instructions on the can. The 2 most important things to remember are to do light coats and be freaking patient in between coats and touching it. Plan on watching a movie or doing something else. I used 3 coats on the front side, 2ish on the back. I can not stress this enough, if your coats are too heavy or you don't let each coat dry you will have a gummy, tacky result that will come off after a few days. Do it right, do it once.
5. Let it dry overnight or until you can't smell the paint anymore before regular usage.
Here are some pics, it's still drying but it turned out alright. The goop on the screen protector is from the tape. I'll get it off after the paint dries so I don't rub any paint off. IMO it looks worlds better than stock. I also had a few nicks around the edges and some of the chrome was falling off. As you might be able to tell from the pictures you can't notice any of the nicks or where the chrome was coming off.

buying a g6 with broken camera glass...

Getting it for 200aud..
Can replace the glass piece for about 10 off eBay.
My question is how tight that area is in general in terms of the ip68 rating, consisting that the "glass" is just an adhesive. I.e. is the rating still intact

jewnersey said:
Getting it for 200aud..
Can replace the glass piece for about 10 off eBay.
My question is how tight that area is in general in terms of the ip68 rating, consisting that the "glass" is just an adhesive. I.e. is the rating still intact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you only replace the glass from the camera and if you replace it with the ORIGINAL part, then you will have the IP rating the same way, BUT...if you buy cheap glass with cheap adhesive...i didnt know how it takes the IP at same level, and how long it will take to lose the glue and maybe crack again.
Better safe than sorrow...
see this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qfQ1TH_KBs

It's very tight. I bought one for a 3rd the price of new the glue was discolored, but the glass was otherwise ok.
Love Jerry's Videos. But he'd already removed that lens, and had an appropriate crack to help leverage up a piece of the glass. I couldn't even get a scalpel blade under the edge let alone a box cutter, I'm quite dexterous. Before I replaced mine I watched someone jam a spudger down there to get it out. Maybe my spudger wasn't thin enough but I could see the main back glass flexing while I did it so I tried something different..
I realize yours is pre-cracked, but just detailing everything I did.
What worked for me:
1) apply just enough force between the lens and the edge, you want a crack to extend outward to the edge, but avoid having dust near the actual camera lens. Saw a video of someone puncturing a hole right where the camera lens is - not smart if you like clear pictures.
2) clean all dust now!
3) take out a shard from the edge with tweezers being careful to not puncture the tape on the under side
4) heat lens then apply a cut and shaped piece of tape on top of the lens to hold in any dust when you peel.
5) place tweezers into the edge in the hole you made where the shard was, try not to put pressure on the back glass - mine was surprisingly tough, ymmv.
6) peel the edge of the under tape slowly upward try not to bend much or the glass will make a ton of dust.
7) vacuum and use compressed air around the opening.
Hope that helps.

Thanks for the comments. New glass arrives tomorrow so I'll be going through the process then. Seems pretty straightforward, but yes, probably will avoid submerging it etc just to be safe.
As far as cleaning the lens, I will use acetone (cotton balls) and compressed air. Good?

No acetone, just alcool

Just an FYI: Thin solvent liquids like alcohol will seep in the gap between the lens cover and the glass back and onto the sticky reflective tape discoloring it. I've seen it a bunch of times with the G6, the effect is worse with replacement lens covers as there isn't any adhesive on the edge.
If I was to redo this job, I'd consider using some B-7000 applied with a tiny brush around the thin edge of the lens cover to seal it. Once dry I wouldn't be concerned about cleaning with alcohol. Maybe depends how obsessive you are lol.
As always YMMV, hope the replacement goes well.
Pic shows discoloration around the edge.
https://i.imgur.com/6JB3uuc.jpg