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TIL my coworker was right about using a hair dryer on a laptop
My coworker Mark told me to use a hair dryer on low heat to warm up a stubborn laptop hinge that wouldn't close. I thought it was a bad idea, but after trying everything else for an hour, I gave it a shot for about 30 seconds. The plastic frame got just warm enough to let me work the hinge back into place without cracking it. Has anyone else found a weird but safe way to deal with old, brittle plastic on machines?
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cameron3181mo ago
Read a forum post once where someone used a heat gun from far away on the lowest setting to soften old game console plastic. They were trying to get a cartridge slot cover unstuck without snapping it. The key was keeping it moving and never letting one spot get too hot. Seems like gentle, even warmth is the trick for that old brittle stuff.
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the_john1mo ago
Old plastic gets so weird and fragile. My buddy tried to fix a yellowed computer keyboard with hydrogen peroxide and a UV light, but some keys just crumbled when he pulled them. The material had turned to chalk inside after years in a sunny room. Heat probably would have been smarter for that too, just to make it flexible again. It's a shame when good stuff can't be saved because the material gives out.
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