Repairing Damage

A friend dropped their Dell Studio 17 off the side of a chair and a large piece of the corner on the hinge side came off. As the resident computer guy I was asked to try and fix it since it wasn't covered under her warranty. Any ideas on what would work to hold it back in place?

 

Any pictures of the damage? Is it just the outside cover that covers the top of the display? Most manufacturers will sell individual components for a small price (20-40 bucks) which will make it look as good as new. Only other thing that comes to mind is epoxy or something, but you really dont want to glue the lid to things under the cover because that might make future repairs impossible.

 

superglue!

 

If superglue doesn’t work then depending on which part broke off you can either buy a base, palmrest, screen bezel or a lid (couldn't find a lid on eBay though, check online).

 

I would just buy a new plastic piece, like pheonix mentioned.
Their is a lot of force applied in the areas around the hinges, which will continually break the bond of the superglue.

K-TRON

 

I think you underestimate the power of super glue If it were mine I'd just take apart the plastics, and carefully superglue it back into place, wait 24 hours before putting it back together, and your set.

 

ca glue from a hobby shop get the medium viscosity and the activator and youl be good to go

 

im voting epoxy or replacement. i dont think superglue will be strong enough.

if shards of plastic are missing where the fracture line is try using a bit of poly filler or similar to fill in any voids. smooth it off, then coat the area with a thin layer of epoxy.

 

oh ca glue will be more than strong enough TRUST ME.. thats all you need..

 

the UK brand of SuperGlue famously sticks humans to ceilings

 

Hi.

I thought that was wall paper adhesive

Regards

John.

 

I would advise against supergluing. If the glue is slightly off it could create an uneven pressure on the actual lcd panel resulting in possible screen cracking. You can get the whole plastic assembly from dell spare parts. Call them up to place the order. They are reasonably priced too.

 

that could work too...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dh4TxAjbfNc

i found the advert

 

does anyone know what ca glue is? i use ca glue all the time in my "spare" job. i owned a car stereo shop for years and i used to actually hand fabricate custom dash kits and fiberglass work. ca glue is so invaluable to me in this i can not even tell you.

in most cases if applied right the ca glue is stronger than the plastic it is holding together.

you use a very small amount place pieces together then spray with the activator which hardens it INSTANTLY before your eyes. the what i do is go across the crack from the backside and make small notches across the crack then apply a line of it over the crack and then spray with activator this adds even extra strength..

for sure ordering a new part is the best option but if you want to fix the old one ca glue is invaluable. i use mercury adhesives brand but there is many available

 

Hi.

I found it also "Solvite Wallpaper Adhesive" man stuck to board hanging above a pit of snakes, see video below.

Also think there is a one where he is being carried by a helicopter while stuck to a board also.

Though i don't advise stick your laptop with wallpaper adhesive!

http://www.tellyads.com/show_movie_vintage.php?filename=VA0784

Regards

John.

 

also, super glue usually leaves a white mark around where the glue dries, so i wouldn't use it.

 

Yepp - I second that.
Commercial superglue fumes react and leave a white layer.
Also:
Super glue is brittle.

I was once told that industrial superglue is much stronger - but that's another matter.

Do what was suggested before:
Post pics.

For stability - replacing the part would be best.

 

FYI, "ca glue" is neither Canadian glue, nor Californian glue. It's short for "cyanoacrylate," which is the chemical glue in Superglue. You're more likely to find industrial versions of superglue called "ca" or "cyanoacrylate xyz." The activator is a polymerizing agent that helps polymerize in thicker gaps, and on surfaces which are hydrophobic (cyanoacrylates cure from atmospheric moisture, or moisture adsorbed on the surface). Metals, plastics, and glasses all benefit from the use of an appropriate activator. Wood & ceramics don't.

Cyanoacrylates (actually, most glues) perform poorly where there is not a lot of surface area (i.e. thin plastic sections). Most plastic parts in laptops are ABS copolymers. A solvent adhesive is your best bet for ABS (model aircraft glue, which dissolves polystyrene; polystyrene is the "S" in ABS). If you can't find a replacement part, depending on where the break is, building up some structure to reinforce the glued joint will give you a better joint. If you use epoxy, you'll want to roughen things a bit, to give the epoxy something to hold onto, as the epoxy reacts to itself, and not to the plastic.

That said, let me repeat the advice of the other folks, which is, get the replacement bezel/hinge/cover part if you can.

Best of luck!

 

maybe i mistyped that i personally know what it is lol.. i was trying to imply that everyone was shooting doen the idea of fixing the piece. and the the reason i said to make notches in the plastic on the back side and use a wider spread of it was for the added strength. to give it more surface to grab onto. but imo it would hold fine. even better would be to use another thin piece of abs or similar to add to the back of the crack and glue in place with the ca glue.

it also comes it different viscosities and id rcc the gel or the thick in this case so it doesnt run everywhere.

we used it almost every day at the shop (and i still do for the work i do on the side) for use in custom fab as i mentioned

most people do not realize how strong of a bond ca glue can achieve.

but of course the best option is always to replace the panel unless you just really dont want to.. lol

 

lol @ Canadian glue

CA glue is hobby grade glue and yes it is very strong. It usually comes in 3 different options (extra hold but dies slower, dries quick but strength isnt as good and one in between)

Personally id just order the spare parts.

 

Super glue is the thing you are looking for and it'll definitely solve your problem.