Hey I'am Alex from iFixit and these days it seems like everything is
held together with adhesive. So if you're gonna do a repair on any modern device
you're gonna have to deal with that adhesiven and that really sucks!
Adhesives are sticky messy and really frustrating to deal with. But we're gonna show you
the best way to deal with them and hopefully save me some time on your
next repair. First up is a simplest one, Cutting. Cutting adhesive really only
applies to devices like this iMac. iMac's like these use a thin strip of
adhesive that goes all the way around the edge of the display.
Since the adhesive is so thin we can use a tool like this iMac opening tool or
this Halberd spudger to cut away the adhesive without risking damage to any
of the internal components. Thanks iMac! Unfortunately most devices have really
sensitive components close to the edge or have cases with really tight
tolerances or just use so much adhesive to hold everything together and for
those you're gonna need a different method, and the most common method is
applying heat. Heat warms up and softens adhesive making it easier to deal with.
But applying too much heat can damage internal components. So you want to be
careful not to overdo it. There are several ways to heat up a device for
disassembly. You can use something like our iOpener, a heat gun or a hairdryer
and on the professional level something like a heat pad or a heat press. For most
repairs we recommend something like our iOpener. It's usually the best option
for the DIY repair crowd. Not only does it not get hot enough to damage internal
electronics, but it also delivers heat in a localized fashion. Meaning your only
heating the parts of the device that you need to. The downside of tool like this
is I can take a long time to heat up your device or take multiple rounds of
heating and reapplying in order to get it hot enough to work with.
In comparison another commonly used tool is the heat gun or the hairdryer.
Heat guns get really hot, really fast meaning you can quickly soften any adhesive.
However it's really easy to overheat a device or heat other parts of the device
without meaning to, causing some potentially melty and
destructive results. For someone who does this a lot or professionals a heating
pad or heating press is a really good option. They allow you to heat a surface
evenly to specific temperature making it so you
can heat your phone or tablet to a temperature hot enough to soften the
adhesive but not hot enough to damage any of the internal components.
Unfortunately their price tag makes this a pro tool only as a heating pad itself
cost a hundred bucks or more. But if heats not working for you you can use
cold. Unlike heat which softens adhesive cold
makes adhesive more brittle which makes it less likely to stick to the surfaces
it's applied to. It's also potentially less damaging to the internal electronics.
However it means you have to use something like cold spray which while
relatively accurate usually takes several applications and let's be honest
it's not something they usually have laying around.The pro option looks like
a really high-tech mini-fridge which can chill your entire device way below what
your freezer can, but it costs thousands of dollars. Last up we have our chemical
solutions. Chemicals can be used to either dissolve the adhesive or dislodge
it whatever you're working on. Our iFixit Adhesive remover kit can release
a stuck on battery in minutes by dissolving the adhesive underneath it.
However using adhesive dissolving chemicals can damage the nearby
components, so you have to be really careful when using this stuff. No matter
which way you deal with adhesives in your repair you're gonna have to do a
lot of cleanup before you reassemble your device this means lots of scraping
with tools like plastic or metal sputters and using a cleaning agent like
Delimonine or isopropyl alcohol. If you want to see more videos like this one
subscribe to our Channel and if you want more detailed descriptions for the
products that we use in this video check the description down below see you next time.