Thinkpads Forum

Hi all,

My brand old, recently ebay bought x30 laptop is very hard to open. I just dismantled it all, to refurbish it, and all is ok, except for the LCD hinges, they're REALLY hard to nudge.

Do you guys know of a lubricant that wont hurt the LCD but will make the hinges give a little more?

Thanks.

A drop of silicone lubricant on each hinge, don't overdo it.

Or, a light dusting with graphite, but this is NOT usually prudent.

Regards,

James

JHEM wrote:A drop of silicone lubricant on each hinge, don't overdo it.

James

Excellent. I'll try that.

Puggy wrote:Excellent. I'll try that.

As long as you have the unit apart, spray the hinges with silicone and then flex them back and forth fully. Wipe off any excess spray and repeat as necessary.

Regards,

James

Hi James,

thanks for the tip. You know I've been searching for a silicone based lubricant , is this one a good choice?

http://www.performancelubricant.dupont. ... icone.html

That's a good one.

Regards,

James

Mhzz, and I just love thinkpads for the fact they have such sturdy hinges ?

RS_003 wrote:Mhzz, and I just love thinkpads for the fact they have such sturdy hinges ?

Yeah. I love that about them too. But you CAN'T imagine how STURDY they really are. Man, the whole laptop bends when trying to open the lid.

JHEM wrote:That's a good one.

Regards,

James

James,

I'm having trouble finding a silicone based lubricant. I live in a small town in Mexico. I've already went to most hardware stores and none has the lubricant. Would a WD-40 or similar product damage the hinges?

Puggy wrote:Would a WD-40 or similar product damage the hinges?

WD-40 is NOT a lubricant! It's a penetrating oil and rust dissolver.

t's not by first choice for this job, or even my hundredth, and I'd rather see you use some 3in1 oil than WD-40.

Regards,

James

JHEM wrote:

Puggy wrote:Would a WD-40 or similar product damage the hinges?

WD-40 is NOT a lubricant! It's a penetrating oil and rust dissolver.

t's not by first choice for this job, or even my hundredth, and I'd rather see you use some 3in1 oil than WD-40.

Regards,

James

Thanks for your patience.

I was actually going to ask if the 3 in 1 was a good product to use. Maybe i'll try that.

I found a silicone compound similar to this one:

http://www.altex.com/product_info.php?c ... ucts_id=92

They also have "White Lithium" compound:

http://www.action-electronics.com/gcelect.htm#Lithium

Do you recommend any of these? Is the silicone compound similar to the one you suggested before?

Thank you soooo much.

Puggy wrote:

JHEM wrote:That's a good one.

Regards,

James

James,

I'm having trouble finding a silicone based lubricant. I live in a small town in Mexico. I've already went to most hardware stores and none has the lubricant. Would a WD-40 or similar product damage the hinges?

Never use WD-40 dude! It's never dissolve rust.....it makes more rust! It's a crap product...Try using some lubricant that won't becomes very oily...that will attract dust. Silicone based will be best...

Puggy wrote:Do you recommend any of these?

Neither one of those is acceptable.

Find a silicone based lubricating spray.

Regards,

James

WD-40

"WD" stands for Water Displacement

and, "40" stands for the 40th formulation before they hit the mark.

It was never intended to be used as a lubricant.

I would think that auto supply houses or any discounter which has an automobile department would carry a silicone spray.

w9cw wrote:"WD" stands for Water Displacement and "40" stands for the 40th formulation before they hit the mark.

Indeed. Their web page tells the story in excruciating detail.

w9cw wrote:It was never intended to be used as a lubricant.

Let me second the advice given previously to rather use any 3-in-one-stuff, sparingly, instead of WD40. I'm putting bold tags on 'sparingly' (and I'd put it into a <marquee/> and <blink/> if I could) because in the long run, oil and related products tend to dissolve plastic materials, and that's about the last thing you'd want to happen to you TP's casing and interior, right?

cheers,
-- fish

Excellent tips guys.

I just wrote WD-40 not knowing that it was THAT bad.

I guess i'll have to wait until I go to the US this weekend and get me some silicone based lubricant spray.

Thanks again!