Thinkpads Forum

So, my happiness about getting an LG screen lasted about 30 seconds. There is a problem with the screen.
I see what looks like ink blotches.
At first I thought they were dead pixels, but when I move my head from side to side, they move as well. Looks like they are on the surface, but no amount of camera brush, compressed air, or light rubbing gets rid of it.
Under a magnifier, It looks like somone scratched it with an ink pen. There are several of them, the biggest one is, of course right in the middle of the screen, covers about 5 pixels in length and about 2 or 3 in width. There are two more noticeable ones.

Anyone seen these? What to do? I don't want to rub it, make it worse and end up being my fault.

A picture (good) is worth thousand words.

ryengineer wrote:A picture (good) is worth thousand words.

With the magnifier in one hand, the camera in the other, this is what I could do. I hope it is good enough.



This is the biggest one.there are four more smaller ones.

PS: And they can't seem to "locate" my On-Site warranty now.

Yes that's definitely ink IMHO. Lenovo receives these lcd panels with marked stickers (sometimes ink marked) either on the back or the front. You can gently try to clean it using these cleaning tips or contact IBM warranty services regarding this issue.

Hairspray works very well in removing ink stains from LCD screens. I have used it many times to remove ink pen stains from different Thinkpads at work. Just spray a bit of hairspray directly on the ink-within a few seconds you should see the ink start to run. Take a damp cloth and wipe it off. Clean the screen afterwards with the cleaner or method of your choice.

Whatever it is, it's not going away. Bummer!
Tried LCD cleaner stuff.

Eric Giles wrote:Hairspray works very well in removing ink stains

OK, I have no hairspray. Will go get some - when I am looking at a whole isle of hairsprays, which one should I get?

And, are you absolutely sure about this? I always thought hairspray is nasty business.

atekant wrote:

Eric Giles wrote:Hairspray works very well in removing ink stains

OK, I have no hairspray. Will go get some - when I am looking at a whole isle of hairsprays, which one should I get?

And, are you absolutely sure about this? I always thought hairspray is nasty business.

Yes, I know it sounds crazy-but as I said I have personally used it numerous times and it works great without any issues with the screen afterwards. I just use whatever hairspray is available to me at the time, but I would say just buy some cheap men's hairspray and it should do just fine.

I suggest using 50% isopropyl alcohol wipes, they take way most dir on any surface. I use them to keep my thinkpads clean, and they do not damage the LCD.

Not helping! I tried everything except the hairspray idea.
When the display is off, if I shine a flashlight on the blemishes, they look purple. Can't determine if they are on the surface or behind.

You do have quite a few options in hairspray. Not sure if you need "extra hold" or "extra volume", or any other enhancements.

bdoviack wrote:Be careful you also don't get the Jheri-Curl stuff. May be a bit too strong.

Yeah, i'd stay away from the Soul Glow. That s&@t ain't hair spray, it's the lubricant in transmission fluid.

I'd say just some good ol' Aqua Net. It served many a Jersey Girl quite well. I think that's the basic spray without additives...

Thanks for you guys' posts, especially Eric Giles's Hairspray idea.

I tried Hairspray to clean ink marks on my T60 which are just like that in atekant's pic. And it works!

crazyfrog wrote:Thanks for you guys' posts, especially Eric Giles's Hairspray idea.

I tried Hairspray to clean ink marks on my T60 which are just like that in atekant's pic. And it works!

You are welcome!

I didn't personally come up with the hairspray idea-I saw it mentioned somewhere but it was pertaining to the same ink on LCD screen problem. The hairspray won't hurt the screen-just make sure you leave it on the spot until you can see the ink start to run then wipe it off.

Atekant-if those marks on your screen are ink, the hairspray will take them off without damage-I guarantee it.

YAY! It worked. Thanks a million guys. Hairspray worked - who would have thunk, eh?
Extra for Eric

Here is the long story:
So I go to the pharmacy, and it is a nightmare just as I expected. I counted about 60 different products to choose from. I start reading the ingredients, and one word jumps out on me: Ether.
Back when I used to work at a medical lab, there would now and then be something nasty spilling on instruments. If you think we have a fit when we see a dead pixel or a blotch on our Thinkpad screens, imagine when someone spills a whole vat of nasty on and in a $250,000 scintillation scanner. What we used to do then was to strip out all the circuit boards and bathe them in ether. That was about the only way the fats in the organic stuff would dissolve.
So, when I saw ether (Dimethyl Ether in this case) as an ingredient, I understood
So, for future ink blotchees, pick one with Ether in it. Also, I found out that the ones marked extra hold or strong hold are the old school hairsprays. The ones with less hold actually have some whole other assortment of chemicals to get rid of that hairsprayed look. I finally decided on Dove Extra Hold, and it came in an unscented version as well. The ingredients are listed as: Aqua, Dimethyl Ether, Denat Alcohol, and so on. Some others will have Alcohol as the second ingredient (less ether), and some have no ether. IMHO, ether is the trick.

So, I come back home, check the stockmarket to see if I can afford another TP after I ruin this one and sit down to work.
Although it is probably best to turn the machine off, I did not, as I needed the backlight to see the blotches.
Despite what Eric said about spraying directly on the screen, I did not dare do that, and sprayed on a cloth and started rubbing - NOTHING!
Deciding, in for a penny - in for a pound, I laid down the screen flat and sprayed the screen directly (if you just barely press the nozzle, it drips just on the spot). My heart stopped when I saw the stuff start bubbling (eating into my screen, oh no!). Then I started to see the blotch get bigger and a brighter blue (what the ...?). At that point I rubbed the thing off, and along came with it the blotch. Success!
Did it 3 more times on the other blotches and now I have a perfect screen.

Do make sure that you clean the stuff off before it starts drying. I had one stray drop dry out in the corner and it took some extra stress (which I did not need at that time) to get rid of.

Now my T61p has a new computer name: Pompadour

Fantastic story! And great news!

Atekant-

Congratulations! I too tried applying the hairspray to a cloth first, but as you found out that just won't work. And yes, you definitely don't want to leave it on there too long as it makes it a bit harder to remove the sticky residue, but it will still come off easily enough.

At closer inspection hairspray is not good for your screen it seems.
Now there are areas on the screen where I cleaned with hairspray, and the finish is, well, different. It looks like there is now a permanent mark in the finish.
Only visible when the display if off, and looking at it from certain angles, but it is definitely there. Any further cleaning efforts with klear screen, etc. is not getting rid of it.

I am not too worried about it as it is invisible under normal use, and got rid of the ink marks, but if you are sensitive to this kind of thing, be careful.

That is odd-I have never had that happen in all the times I have had to use hairspray on the screen. What type of cloth did you use to clean it-was it microfiber?

Eric Giles wrote:What type of cloth did you use to clean it-was it microfiber?

Yes, I used one of the cloths that come with Klear Screen.
Maybe it needs something stronger to clean the residue of HS than KlearScreen.

atekant wrote:

Eric Giles wrote:What type of cloth did you use to clean it-was it microfiber?

Yes, I used one of the cloths that come with Klear Screen.
Maybe it needs something stronger to clean the residue of HS than KlearScreen.

Possibly, yes-you could try that. I find that Stoner's Invisible Glass works very well on all Thinkpad surfaces, including the screen. This can be found at most any automotive store. I have never had any issues using it on any Thinkpad surface-and I have used it on many!

Eric Giles wrote:[I find that Stoner's Invisible Glass works very well on all Thinkpad surfaces, including the screen.

That's good to know. I already have way too many fingerprints on it and it hasn't even been 24 hours yet.

Gold!