Oil for plastic laptop hinges

The hinges on our Fujitsu laptop screen appear to be 'all' plastic and they get very 'difficult to move' making the screen difficult to fold up and down.

We have have tried 'WD-40', but that seems effective for only a very short time.

We are afraid to use ordinary oil as we thought it might effect the plastic. We were thinking of using olive oil, but somebody has told us that olive oil 'degrades' and goes sticky, over time.

We have got some Camellia oil that was given to us, and it's made from Camellias and it comes from Japan and is suppose not to 'degrade'. Still it's an unknown quantity to us.

Does anyone know what would be a suitable and safe lubricant in this case? Since we dont want to cause any problems with the plastic on this lap top. Grateful for any suggestions, thanks.

Reply to
john hamilton
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I suggest you contact Fujitsu's tech support to discuss this problem.

Reply to
Shawn Hirn

get very 'difficult to move' making the

time.

And is bad for the plastic.

So does WD-40.

Correct.

Bad for the plastic too.

Silicone oil.

Yep, if you degrade the plastic, it will break.

Reply to
Rod Speed

That could be the cause of your problems. Firstly WD40 isn't really a lubricant and secondly it can attack some plastics which can lead to plastic hinges gettign stiffer as the WD-40 glues the faces together. It's a bit of a lottery depending on the plastic used in the hinges.

You would be better off using either silicon grease or a dry lubricant. Avoid anythign containing graphite because it conducts electricity and shouldn't be used on electrical or electronic items. Farnell sell a dry lubricant which should be better for this application:

Reply to
Steve Firth

Dry graphite lock lubricant, maybe ? A tint squirt of wax furniture polish ?

Arfa

Reply to
Arfa Daily

they

plastic.

oil

The hinges on LTs are not plastic but have a plastic covering over the steel hinges. Loosening the will result in the screen lid not staying in the position thats required of the user.

If you must loosen them then do it the proper way,get it serviced. If its out of warrenty then try and find out how to remove the plastic covering of hinges,normally this can be done without having to dismantle the whole casing?

Reply to
George

Are you sure you want to be spraying graphite around near a laptop?

Reply to
Steve Firth

"john hamilton" wrote in news:g7p10c$9hg$ snipped-for-privacy@registered.motzarella.org:

Bad stuff.

Reply to
Walter

Well, I take your point on its potential conductivity, but I would consider it highly unlikely that sufficient could actually get inside to anywhere 'electrical' enough to cause a problem, when treating an external hinge. Obviously, a degree of common sense would have to be applied, but perhaps I am assuming too much, as WD40 has already been tried ... :-) I notice that you have carefully removed the question mark that I had after the word "lubricant" which changes its context rather, from the 'possibility suggestion' intended, to a statement, which certainly wasn't intended.

Arfa

Reply to
Arfa Daily

Oh FFS are you all on the blob at the moment?

Reply to
Steve Firth

silicone spray.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

It will break anyway. If ye have the pleasure of stripping down and fixing Fujitsu Siemens laptops, you will be amazed how flimsy some of the construction is - and how the lack of support compounds the situation. I've never seen service manuals available.

--
Adrian C
Reply to
Adrian C

Screen appear to move' makinges on our fujitsu laptop screen difficult to move' making they get very 'difficult to move' making the hinges on our fujitsu laptop screen appear to fold up and they get very 'difficult to move' makinges on our fujitsu laptop screen appear to fold up and the hinges on our fujitsu laptop.

That seems effective tried 'wd-40', but time. We have have for only a very short that seems effective tried 'wd-40', but that seems effective tried 'wd-40', but that seems.

Might it might it might it might effect the plastic. We we thinking of us to use oil, but somebody has thinking olive ordinary oil as were the plasticky, over time. We we that olive oil as that olive ordinary oil 'degrades' and goes stic. We were are thinking olive oil as told us thought it might effect that olive oil as thinking of us thinking of use oil 'degrades' and goes stic. We were.

Unknown quantity to 'degrade'. Still it's made'. Still it comes from camellia oil that was given to us, and is suppose not to us, and is suppose not to us, and it come camellias given to 'degrade from camellia oil that was an an and is suppose not some camellia oil that was given to us, and it come camellias an unknown quantity to us. We have got to 'degrade'.

We dont want want in thanks. Does and safe lubricant want in the plastions, this lap top. Grateful for and safe lubricant to case? Since we dont in this cause a suitablems with the plastic on the plastions, thanks. Does anyone know what would be any suitablems with this lap to cause anyone know what want in this lap top. Grateful for anyone know what want want in this lap to cause.

Reply to
john hamilton

Rod Speed, ye blubbery poor fragment, I know thou art an irksome brawling scold, ye suspired:

Reply to
Rod Speed

%steve%@malloc.co.uk (Steve Firth) wrote in news:1ilieph.1dc92ymu1qav4N%%steve%@malloc.co.uk:

There is also powdered teflon...

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Reply to
me

Arfa Daily, ye filthy malt-horse, if you spend word for word with me, I shall make your wit bankrupt, ye issued forth:

Real meaning: "I have never seen graphite, let alone used it."

--
Hammer of Thor: February 2007. Pierre Salinger Memorial Hook,
Line & Sinker: September 2005, April 2006, January 2007.
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Reply to
Kadaitcha Man

Many such things are 'lubricated' on assembly with a damping fluid - a bit like the spindles on controls - to give that "stirring treacle" feel (a wonderful expression - found on this group)

A typical long chain molecule compound is this one:

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Kilopoise.

Removing this can make the assembly feel very sloppy. Alternatively it may have some sort of spring loaded expanding spindle to give some braking effect.

Reply to
John

Note: Following unrelated newsgroups removed from my reply: misc.consumers.frugal-living uk.d-i-y

WD-40

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FAQ page

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I sincerely doubt that your laptop's plastic casing has been damaged as others have insinuated. Because of low viscosity, WD-40 will drip away and also evaporate away (due to the aromatic compounds) leaving behind something akin to a shellac coating hence its claimed rust protection due to the residue. As a lubricant, WD-40 works at first but then its lubing effect wanes. While WD-40 is good at penetration and displacement, it is only useful for temporary lubrication. The residue left behind for rust prevention is not useful for friction reduction. It is a "light" lubricant that also will remove existing lubricants. For example, don't use it on your bicycle chain as the result will be washing away the existing oil, it doesn't have enough viscosity to stay in place, and you get metal-to-metal erosion.

Instead of WD-40, use a squeeze-tube applicator with needle (aka, a "pen") for 3-In-One oil (also made by WD-40 company; see

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the multi-purpose blend. It won't wash away existing lubricant and doesn't evaporate away over time to leave behind a higher friction residue as does WD-40. See
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for the MSDS sheets. Notice 3-in-one has nil volatiles while WD-40 has 74%. What you spray on for immediate effect with WD-40 then evaporates away. The residue left behind by WD-40 for rust protection is not what you want for lower friction.

You could use silicone lube (but not now after you've already used WD-40). While silicone grease is great (but requires applying to the mating surfaces which means dismantling the hinges in your laptops), silicone spray lube will have less than spectacular results. Works great when applied but the hinge starts squeaking a week later (and which wasn't squeaking before). If it has hexane, that damages some plastics, like polypropylene. Check the ingredients as it is the other "stuff" that might determine if you use that silicone lube product or not. If you have to use a spray, put a paper towel behind to catch the overspray, or oversoak an ear swab with the spray and use the swab on the hinge. Silicone polymers will swell if exposed to hydrophobic solvents (e.g., WD-40). Don't mix them. Unless you are going to dismantle the laptop AND the hinge to thoroughly clean inside the hinge, and since you already used WD-40, don't use a silicon spray. The wetting agents in the silicon spray won't be sufficient to penetrate into a constructed hinge to clean out the WD-40 still left inside.

Reply to
VanguardLH

If you can get the hinge covers of, you may find a few screws holding the hinge-proper in place.

You could try loosening these, or even dismantling the hinge and cleaning it. They will be metal parts,

You may find a manual for the laptop on the Fujitsu website.

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Reply to
d

CRC 2-26 CRC 2-26 CRC 2-26 CRC 2-26 CRC 2-26

CRC 2-26

TRY getting it at The Home Depot.

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Reply to
GregS

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