Computer repair projects are bound to happen to everyone that owns a computer at one time or another. Laptop computers are especially prone to needing repairs because there is a lot that can go wrong, such as a crack around the hinge. A crack on the hinge of the laptop is very common because of the constant opening and closing of the lid and it can lead to screen damage if not repaired as soon as you notice it. Recently, I had to repair a crack around the inside hinge of my laptop computer which was caused by stress from opening the lid constantly. Here is an inside look at repairing cracks around the laptop hinges and how this is an easy computer repair project.
Gathering Needed Supplies
The first step for me in repairing my cracked laptop hinge was gathering all of my essential supplies. This was actually pretty easy because I knew from previous experience with laptops that you can use standard superglue to repair problems with the plastic shell such as cracks. I went to the grocery store and picked up a twin pack of superglue which cost me about $2 after tax and you can buy superglue just about anywhere that sells office or home improvement supplies. Using common sense, I also figured that I would have to clean the area near the crack by the hinge so that the superglue would work correctly. For the prior repair cleaning you can use a number of products including compressed air, which you can buy at your local retail store or computer store for about $10 a can. I however did not need to buy the compressed air because I have been using an air blaster like the type you would use to clean your camera lens to clean my computer and it is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than using compressed air.
Preparing for Repair of the Crack
In order to prepare to repair the crack I had to first open the laptop lid and clean the area around the crack. I used my air blaster to clean this area which allows me to manually squeeze out air to move away particles such as dust or debris from inside the crack. The crack was not very wide or very deep so I did not have to manually squeeze out air for very long, although I did go around the whole area for about three minutes making sure I was getting the dust out from every direction. Using a microfiber cloth, which I use to clean all of my electronics, I wiped the hinge area around the crack so that the area was dry to ensure that the superglue would be able to stick correctly once applied. Microfiber cloths are essential to owning any type of electronics and will help remove debris, dust and will dry an area quickly. If you do not own microfiber cloths I highly recommend buying at least five of them which will cost you about $8 at any retail store or computer store. I also made sure that I was in an area of my house that provided me with adequate lighting so that I could see what I was doing and ensuring I was able to get the superglue in the crack without compromising other areas or components in my laptop computer. I preferred going into the kitchen where there was a lot of natural light because it was easier for me to see near the hinge, but you would have to find the right location in your house based on your own lighting and vision needs.
Repairing the Crack
Once I had used air pressure to get out the dust and debris from the open lid, I then focused on repairing the crack near the hinge. The hinge that I had to repair was on the right side so I sat my laptop with the left side facing upward so I could get a better view of the right hinge area. I then proceeded to use my hands to press the cracked area near the hinge together as close as I possibly could, which is not easy to do even with a plastic shell. I pretty much had to use my right hand to apply enough pressure to get the two sides of the crack to meet and then opened the superglue lid with my left hand. Using my left hand I squeezed out a few drops of superglue into the cracked area which was still being held together with my right hand. I had to let the superglue sit for about two minutes while maintaining pressure to the cracked area to ensure that the superglue would bond each side together correctly. Once the two minutes was up I was able to remove my hand from the area and the cracked area near the hinges was now back together in one piece.
Using superglue to fix cracks along the hinges on a laptop is common and you can use the superglue for any area on your computer that has a crack, as long as the crack is not near a piece of hardware. You want to make sure you are very careful when using superglue near your laptop or desktop computer because of the many components of the computer; you do not want the superglue to drip out of the crack. By using this method I was able to quickly and easily repair the crack around the hinge on the inside of my laptop and months later it is still holding strong. I have now become more aware of how little stress is needed to crack a laptop lid near the hinge and am more careful when opening and shutting the lid.