My neighbor fixed three chairs like @cole_bailey85's friend.

Totally get that. My neighbor's hydrangeas were just sad pink lumps for years. She was using leftover lawn feed on them, the high nitrogen stuff. Switched her to a bloom booster and the next summer they were these insane blue pompoms. Sometimes the fix is stupid simple.

Guitar picks? That's actually brilliant. I've been using the same old plastic spudger from a laptop kit for years, but the pick shape would probably get into tighter corners on some heatsinks. The real key is just using anything that isn't metal. You can press way harder with plastic and not sweat it. I keep a few different thicknesses of those spudgers around for crusty paste versus the fresh stuff.

Honestly, the curation is the hardest part.

I read a home repair column that said to dampen the area around the hole first. It helps the spackle bond better and stops the drywall paper from bubbling up. That little step made a huge difference the last time I patched a doorknob dent.