Used a hairdryer to fix my laptop hinge last Wednesday and it actually worked

My old Dell laptop hinge got so loose the screen would flop backward every time I touched it. I watched a video where a guy used a hairdryer to soften the plastic around the hinge screws and tighten them back up. I tried it with my wife's hair dryer on high heat for about 2 minutes and it actually held firm. Has anyone else used heat to fix something random on a gadget instead of replacing parts?

2 comments

2 Comments

holly_green823d ago

Watched my buddy try this on a MacBook and he ended up with a melted trackpad instead.

the_elliot1d ago

Took a heat gun to my old tablet charger port once (the plastic casing had cracked and the cable kept falling out). I figured what's the worst that could happen? Gave it maybe 30 seconds of gentle heat, pushed the port back into place, and it stayed put for another year before I finally upgraded. Your hairdryer trick makes total sense with those Dell hinges (they're notorious for getting loose around the screw mounts). I also used a soldering iron tip to reshape a broken plastic clip on a laptop battery holder - same idea, just more precise heat.