Microwave Door Notebook Cooler Stand

I hate to see things go to waste, so I try to reuse things whenever I can.  One of my most used finds is a stand for my notebook that I scrounged from an old microwave.  As it turns out the metal shielding grill from inside the door is perfect for this.  It's metal and conducts heat well, it's full of holes to allow airflow, and it's raised, which stops on of my pet hates, laptops in dusty environments.  I've lost too many good appliances to dust so I'm a bit pedantic about it now.  The cooling fans of notebooks love to suck in dust from carpets, couches and clothes, so if you can put an air gap between the computer and fabric you slow the air flow down and it no longer acts like a vacuum cleaner.

Anyway, recently my sisters microwave bit the dust and was too expensive to fix, which means I get to tear apart another unsuspecting household appliance, and this time I thought I'd document it.

This will be pretty simple.  I'm not going to open up the microwave, just pry the door open.  There can be high voltages on the capacitors in the microwave for a long time even after being unplugged, and there can be hazardous chemicals in the magnetron inside, so if you are going to pull it apart, be careful.

The patient ready for surgery

After I pried the plastic frame from the door with a flat bladed screwdriver

As bonus you get a clear piece of plastic in the door

The metal frame with an adhesive plastic sheet

Removing the plastic sheet

The leftovers.  These will be disposed of in e-waste

Another piece I wish I had a use for

After a clean up we have the final product

The product in use, there's even a place to put your pen on the left