Right, the thing isn't "worth" bothering with.
But if I'm successful, I'll get a weird sense of satisfaction completely out of proportion to the objective significance of the accomplishment. I'm sure it's a psychological flaw or deviant obsession, but there's a small increment of self-reliance to be obtained from fixing a "disposable" product. I guess I'm maintaining hope for servicability in a throw-away world.
This was $5 as the thrift store, but I didn't check it out carefully enough. I'm not trying to rescue $5 so much as exert a degree of mastery over my physical surroundings.
There are any number of superior products available. The older son (a high school senior, doing VERY well) is taking good care of his 48G+ after losing an HP-22s and flexing a -28s to death. The child in question (who represents a dicier proposition in many ways) just lost his second HP-30S, which had been covered with purple Marks-a-Lot along the way -- kind of taking the decorate-your-calculator-with-a-color-changing-faceplate idea to the next level . . . I'm a bit wary of putting too much into replacements for the middle-schooler just yet.
Thanks for the "heat & press" idea, and for the explanation of the probable mechanism employed.
I've already tried to build up the center of a "pressure ridge" that runs across the inside back plate and which seems to be meant to do exactly what I need done -- that hasn't worked, but I'll try some stiffer stuff.
The "return for a replacement" idea occurred to me, and I always have that as a last resort.
As always, a fine array of responses to an off-the-wall inquiry! Thanks again!