I finally gave in and tried the freezer trick on a stuck laptop hinge

Had a Dell Latitude come in with a hinge so seized it wouldn't budge. I always thought putting electronics in the freezer was a joke, but after 20 minutes of fighting with penetrating oil, I wrapped the whole bottom chassis in a bag and left it in my shop freezer for about an hour. Pulled it out, let it warm up for five minutes, and the hinge pin popped right out with a light tap from my punch. I was sure it would cause condensation issues, but it was bone dry. Anyone have a better method for this, or is cold really the way to go?

2 comments

2 Comments

allen.ruby14d ago

I did the exact same thing with an old ThinkPad last year. The cold shrinks the metal just enough to break the corrosion bond. I was also worried about condensation, but letting it warm up in the bag did the trick.

jesse_young2714d ago

Always thought that was a myth but it actually works.