When I switched from a Ratpadz XT to a Ratpadz GS I had stored the XT in a rubbermaid bin in the basement. I left it there for a year or two while I enjoyed my much slimmer GS pad. Unfortunately the GS pads don’t last as long as the XT and after going through two GS’s and pondering a purchasing a third, I remembered that lonely XT sitting in storage.
After searching around I found it just where I had left it, in a storage bin, with a whole lot of stuff sitting on it. The XT couldn’t handle all that weight and it developed a real nice bubble in the center hindering mouse movement. I went to the Ratpadz homepage about to order a new XT when I found this. I figured I should at least give it a shot before plunking down money for a fourth Ratpadz. I tried manually bending it back on my knee, but all that did was give me a sore knee, and then it would return to its bent shape after a few minutes. I tried pressing it up against a corner of the wall, but it would just return to its bent shape. I then decided to put some weight on it for an extended amount of time. I took a 10 pound jar of change and set it on top of the bubbled spot for a week, but that didn’t work either.
Almost at my wits end with this little gem I decided I would go for broke and pop it in the oven and see if that would fix it. I figured if I melted the thing I’d have to get a new one anyway so I didn’t have much to lose. I set it on the middle rack, set my oven to bake at 175 degrees, and crossed my fingers. I let it sit in the heat for about 15 minutes while I checked my email. Upon opening the oven I found the XT even more out of whack when I put it in and the feet were starting to slide in their goo from the heat. I took it out of the oven, playing hot potatoe all the way to the desk and placed some weight on it again while it cooled down. To my surprise, the oven trick worked like a charm.
My XT is now nice and flat and toasty. So there you go, toss that crooked Ratpadz in the oven to flatten it out. Just don’t tell Kyle I told you.
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