Solderjoint_No2_Magazin - Flipbook - Page 29
What does sustainability mean to you personally – in
everyday life and in repair?
For me, sustainability means using things as long as
possible, until there is really no other choice. But most
people today buy new devices every year, even when
they don’t need them. Smartphones are a perfect
example – whether it’s the latest iPhone or Samsung,
most people could still be perfectly happy with
an older model. But the old devices just end up in a
drawer or in the trash. That’s a huge waste. In my work
I see it all the time: laptops worth thousands of euros
fail because of defects that cost less than ten euros
to repair. Repairing instead of throwing away is the
only logical and sustainable way forward.
What does “sustainability” mean to you beyond
buzzwords – very practically in daily life?
It’s about fixing small things instead of throwing them
away. If something breaks – a vase, a piece of plastic,
a housing – it doesn’t mean you need to buy a new
one. Often, a simple repair or redesign makes it usable
again. That way you save resources, money, and
nerves. For me, this is the practical side of sustainability: making things last, with your own hands.
Why is repairing a political statement for you against
the throwaway society?
Ilke, how did you actually get into soldering – and
what fascinated you about it right away?
I got into soldering very early on, back in school.
Honestly, it was more by chance. We had an
electronics club that nobody wanted to attend – it
was on Fridays at 3 p.m. I was the only student without
another club, so I got assigned there. My teacher
took the time to show me what soldering really was.
We used an old Weller station – no digital displays
back then, just robust, heavy-duty equipment. We
started soldering little LEDs, connecting them to
printer cables, and making them blink in different
colors and patterns via Windows 95/98. That moment
when you realize you can create something from nothing – build and program it yourself – that was the
spark that fascinated me and never left.
What was your very first repair project that you’ll
never forget?
Electric cars consume less, but big manufacturers
don’t follow the same rules. As individuals, we are expected to solve the problem on our own. Meanwhile,
companies design products that make you have to
buy new instead of fixing the old one. That’s not fair.
Repair is my way of saying no. I won’t play along with
that. It’s a political statement because it pushes back
against a system that profits from waste.
What would need to change for repair to become
natural again – in society, but also in industry?
Education, first of all. In the past, people learned how
to solder and repair in schools, in apprenticeships,
even at home. Today, it’s almost gone. You can watch
tutorials online, yes, but it’s not the same as having
someone guide you. We need repair knowledge
back in vocational schools and training. And on the
industry side, we need real access to spare parts –
not just from overseas, but here in Europe. We need
more Repair Cafés, more spaces where people can
learn and share knowledge. Repair must become
mainstream again.
That was a graphics card. At that time, I was still
making PC content online, not repair content. Someone came to me with a broken graphics card they had
just bought. I tried to fix it, recorded it, and put the
video online. Suddenly it blew up – instead of 2,000
views I got 800,000. That was the turning point. From
then on, I stopped making PC-build content and
started focusing on repair. That repair wasn’t planned
– it was just me helping someone – but it opened a
completely new path for me.
#SOLDERjoint
#2 – 2025
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