Better glue for case repair

Message

portsample · #1 Post by **portsample** » Sun Mar 14, 2010 3:27 am

Hey all-

I picked up a T23 on the 'bay a couple of weeks ago. It had a broken palmrest bezel that was cracked into two pieces. The breaks were at the "Fn" key and at the right arrow key. It was a great little piece of info to glean from this forum that when this has happened, often it is the result of a broken Ultrabay housing, because this was the case with mine. So after swapping a good housing from a defunct T21, I used JB Weld to glue up the breaks.

http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk15 ... 3-port.jpg
http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk15 ... 3-stbd.jpg

This worked great.

Question: Are there any cements that are known to work on the plastic IBM used in their housings? While epoxy is a great temporary fix, eventually it will break again at the repair site. Are there any plastic cements that have been tested on these housings and that will work?

craigmontHunter · #2 Post by **craigmontHunter** » Sun Mar 14, 2010 7:41 am

A two part epoxy shoud not break again, or if it does, it should break beside the origional crack, in the plastic. I think the best solution would be to get a hard wire (think axles in toy cars), place that underneath and epoxy that in to provide more strength. My grandfather uses epoxy for everything, and I don't think that I have ever seen the epoxy itself break.

Good luck

nikki605 · #3 Post by **nikki605** » Sun Mar 14, 2010 5:56 pm

I used Loctite All Purpose Super Glue over a year ago to repair my T21 case and it is still holding.

http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/lo ... tml?ref=42

Paul Pennington · #4 Post by **Paul Pennington** » Sun Mar 14, 2010 9:01 pm

craigmontHunter wrote:I think the best solution would be to get a hard wire (think axles in toy cars), place that underneath and epoxy that in to provide more strength.

I bought a T-23 from realblackstuff two years ago that he repaired in exactly that way. Maybe he will chime in here and say what he used for the metal rod. It's better than new now. I used a black marker to color the joint and it's very hard to tell it has been repaired.

#5 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:02 am

Hi Paul,
Glad to hear it holds up so well.

Couldn't find the thread at first, but here it is:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 2&p=407668

portsample · #6 Post by **portsample** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 1:56 am

Thanks for the clarification. I'd been under the impression that "welds" were stronger than glued/soldered/brazed joints because the joint is made of the base material that had been liquified w/either heat or a solvent and then allowed to harden. Glued/soldered/brazed joints were always no stronger than either the added material or the interface between the glue/solder/brass and the base material.

I was wondering if anyone had tried any of the plastic cements that join by welding? Examples are model airplane cement and ABS cement.

BTW, the JB "Weld" is working fine.
Thanks.

Icanay · #7 Post by **Icanay** » Wed Oct 17, 2018 6:17 am

Sorry for bumping this old thread...just my two cents...

I've tried to fix this type of break on microwaves, refrigerators, stoves, etc, for many decades on hundreds of rental units. (tenants say "it was that way when I moved in

)

Because it is a point of stress and flex, the hard drying adhesives eventually crack and fail, while the flexible adhesives do not provide enough strength. There is a mechanical fastener/screw behind the door, inside.

If you are not concerned with a "perfect" look. Try the following:

3M Marine Adhesive 5200. In white. It is very permanent. Can't hardly cut it off when it dries. Remains flexible. Used on boats and RV's. IMHO this one is not as "goopy" (technical term) as 2 part epoxy. Consistency is more like toothpaste or caulking so it will stay in place. Put a cardboard on the stove below to catch drips. Try to get the sealant between and "under" the crack and the appliance body.
https://www.amazon.com/3M-05203-Marine- ... lant&psc=1

Various 2 part epoxy adhesives like this: Different brands, same stuff.
https://besttoolexpert.com/glue-for-plastic/

In both of the above products, do not get it on what you don't want glue on because they do not wipe off well and you will end up with a mess.

Option 2
Get a new microwave.
Or contact the maker and order the part. There are "appliance parts companies that carry parts for most appliances. In this case, maybe order the microwave door.

MikalE · #8 Post by **MikalE** » Wed Oct 17, 2018 7:44 am

What an idiot. He just copy and pasted with what he spammed an appliance forum.

I sure everyone here is going to use a white adhesive on a black plastic case. Moron.

#9 Post by **BillMorrow** » Wed Oct 17, 2018 12:56 pm

well, wait a minute..
first, this guy seems to know his stuff about some glues and adhesives and so forth..
not that i did a lot of research but i use a lot of glue on plastics, wood, metal, etc...
next, 3M 5200 'glue' is not exactly a glue as much as a sort of silicone sealant.. i have used a LOT of 5200 when i lived aboard two 65' boats.. it goes off (cures) and expands into small spaces as it cures AND it comes, or DID come in colors..
i still have some brown i used more than 25 years ago.. or did have it someplace up to 12 years ago..
terrific stuff.. it cures under water.. salt water or fresh water.. EFFING GREAT stuff..

but maybe not for patching a thinkpad case if you want a good cosmetic appearance..

as for epoxy types which cure when mixed there are a LOT of them and i have used more that a few types..
IMO links to amazon for 5200 or other sites are not spamming, just informing others..
i'll ADD another type of 'glue' which is a new type that cures when UV light is shined on it and until then remains in its liquid form..

now i have to learn how to UN report to stopforumspam since this is NOT spam in the classic form..

so, whoever moved this post to the sandbox, that was an error i'll need to figure out how to UNDO..

also, i googled the email address and the guy looks like a legit author of some sort NOT a spammer and the whole 'thing' does not fit a spammers profile..

more later, maybe..
it is now later..
dammmittt do your research before going off lake a scattergun..

this is a good post to an old thread..
glue tech has improved amazingly in the last few years..
witness my dentist using a new material i referenced above that 'goes off' with UV light..
and if i were to advise a student what to study it would be materials science and chemistry..

finally, thinkpad cases are either plastic or carbon fiber or other high tech materials..
back to 5200, it does solidify but not 100% it remains rubbery and you can cut it with a sharp knife.. carve is, shave the excess..

AND, in re. microwaves etc. and tenants, a good landlord takes a LOT of pix of the unit before the new tenant moves in while in the presence of the new tenant..

zod · #10 Post by **zod** » Thu Oct 18, 2018 5:47 am

MikalE wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 17, 2018 7:44 am
What an idiot. ... Moron.

https://angermanagementonline.com/

Thinkpad4by3 · #11 Post by **Thinkpad4by3** » Thu Oct 18, 2018 1:50 pm

MikalE wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 17, 2018 7:44 am
What an idiot. He just copy and pasted with what he spammed an appliance forum.

I sure everyone here is going to use a white adhesive on a black plastic case. Moron.

You gotta tell the difference between selling hospital beds and legitamite information that happens to speak highly about a specific product.

I don't remember who but one of the users here said model paint matches the color of TP plastic nicely. Black paint hides white glue AFAIK.

MikalE · #12 Post by **MikalE** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 5:45 am

The point is, he spammed the site for his own benefit.

People make money from being an Amazon partner and spamming links everywhere they think they can to get a hit.

#13 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 7:14 am

I definitely agree he is a spammer.
And that post has NOTHING to do with fixing a Thinkpad!

The poster Icanay claims he is in North Bergen, NJ
His IP-address 178.128.145.45 originates in the Netherlands.
If you check that IP on http://stopforumspam.com/search they think he is in/from Greece.

And he is definitely NOT the person whose name he (ab)used in his email address.
This is the person whose name he "appropriated": https://markmanson.net/
Do you honestly believe that a person like that would post about fixing a microwave with glue on a computer forum?
Come on....

That's why I removed his post and reported him.

Thinkpad4by3 · #14 Post by **Thinkpad4by3** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 7:15 am

Wow, that's the serious digging. Thanks RBS and an apology to MikalE.

EDIT: Wow, how did I totally not see the part about Option 2: get a new microwave?

GrifterGuru · #15 Post by **GrifterGuru** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 5:19 pm

So in otherwords my "Spam alert" response (that was deleted btw), to the post by "Icanay" was right.

Gee, am I the only one that saw that coming? I doubt it!

#16 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 9:00 pm

Because Icanay's post was originally removed as spam, so was your spam alert.
But the boss decides in the end...

GrifterGuru · #17 Post by **GrifterGuru** » Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:02 pm

Fair point and an understandable one at that

However the Icanay post stood whilst mine dissapeared, which just seemed somewhat odd.

#18 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sat Oct 20, 2018 5:04 am

No, both were removed at the same time.
But someone restored that spam-post, considering it NOT spam.
End of story.

GrifterGuru · #19 Post by **GrifterGuru** » Sat Oct 20, 2018 5:23 am

End of story? not quite that simple actually.

I did not see the thread when both posts had been deleted, only after my own post had been deleted and the icanay post remained (I had no idea that had been deleted and reinstated), hence my comment on it.

Can you see how that could cause a question to be raised?

Anyway, Enough said. Hopefully you get the point.

#20 Post by **BillMorrow** » Sun Oct 21, 2018 2:14 am

ok, too effing many moving parts and posts and opinions and etc etc ad inf ad naus flowing to and fro here..
i am unaware of amazon partners and spamming..
and maybe someone is not who he seems..

SO, how ti tell spam from a good faith link..?

someone please tell em so i can be better educated about current events online.. or online events..?

to those who deserve an apology, i hereby apologise.. to those who don't, i don't..

being boss is not easy..

i just PM'd grifter in re his last PM to me..
i hope this is all settled now..

MikalE · #21 Post by **MikalE** » Sun Oct 21, 2018 5:47 am

Someone who just signs up and their first post contains a link is highly suspect to me.

portsample · #22 Post by **portsample** » Sat Nov 02, 2019 10:25 pm

Wow. Holy crow. Cowabunga. This is the OP.
I've got a T430 with a cracked lid and was googling around for gluing options.
Now here I am, back at a thread I started 10 years ago with the same problem.
Curiously, I am getting ready to put the T20 that I glued with JBWeld in 2010, (ten years ago) on Ebay. Yep, the weld on the bezel is still holding in all of it's grey Gollum looking glory. Following up on some of the suggestions submitted over the years: I am a big fan of 5200 marine adhesive...it comes not only in white, but also in basic black and would match a TP case quite nicely. Don't know who "icanay" is, but I would definitely consider black 5200 as a possible adhesive for case repair. The stuff takes a week to dry. Once cured you had better never ever want to take it off. Finally, after the 2010 post, I did a bit of messing around with PVC cement and was surprised that this stuff seemed to have promise cementing T-2x and T30 palm rest fragments together. That's all. Now over to the T430 forum w/the question about the cracked lid.