Do you wonder “what is the appropriate goop to use in this repair?” Let’s talk about it. First things first:

  • petroleum based products risk degrading plastic and should not be used

  • WD-40 is a petroleum based solvent and is not a good lubricant in any situation

  • Plastic on plastic interfaces (e.g., microswitches in a joystick) can be lubricated with white lithium grease spray

  • Rosin-containing (amber colored) “no-clean” flux liquid is good for solder rework but HOLY FUCK it is hard to clean up even with IPA

  • Hot glue is NEVER THE RIGHT CHOICE. Use kapton tape to hold wires and for the love of god if you are doing a mod that adds a port through the case, use a compatible 2 part epoxy or a 3d printed bracket (or hell, a spacer made of paper) to friction fit it, because that glue is going to give way, it’s just a matter of when.

Your turn - share your hard earned lessons regarding the right and wrong goops to use in different repair situations.

  • @DarthBuellerOPMEnglish
    2•1 year ago

    Ooh, another one I learned the hard way: 99% isopropyl alcohol isn’t compatible with the text printed on the NES front-loader/toaster cart door. It smears out the red lettering and makes a mess (I think I also had the same issue retrobriting the cart door - the peroxide also acted like a solvent for the red ink used in the lettering on the cart door).