Oh, interesting. I read a forum post where an electrician said the alcohol in hand sanitizer can actually dry out and crack some older rubber gaskets on meter sockets over time. He recommended a dedicated electrical contact cleaner instead, said it cleans without leaving any residue.

Yeah, that string line trick is solid. I've seen guys try to use a level on every single post on a hill and it never works out. The whole run ends up looking like a staircase. Keeping contact with one continuous line is the only way to get that clean, straight look on a slope. Your buddy knew what he was talking about. Simple fixes are usually the best ones.

Wait you actually spread paste on a direct-die chip? That sounds like a great way to crack the die, man. I just put a tiny dot in the middle and let the cooler press it.