PB 150 hinge repair alternatives

[moothefish]

So i've recently acquired a PowerBook 150 in good shape with the traditional broken right hand side hinge mounts. Following advice from this forum and other sources I attempted to epoxy the screw inserts back into the position they should be in and got everything lined up fairly well and let it cure for about 48 hours. Started the reassembly process and as soon as i closed and opened the display once, the inserts tore straight out of the blob of epoxy, and i'm now back where I started. 

While the machine in general is in good shape the top lid has some texta marks that I can't entirely remove, and I would like to be able to take this machine around places and show people what their macbook pro used to look like. So I'm wondering what the best option would be in terms of putting some screws through the casing to hold it together more securely and reliably. Controversial, yes. But I would like to actually be able to use the machine and I can't see any easy way of removing the epoxy I've put in and replacing it with a different kind. 

I'm also a little concerned that putting some kind of fastener through the back casing will just cause the case to eventually crack even more around where the fastening goes through. Has anyone done something like this on a 1xx series machine with any long term success? 

 

[Byrd]

Look up the super glue and baking soda method, using built-up copper bezel mounts.

I'm ashamed to admit but I've done quad screws to replace a very brittle PB180 screen ... not that long ago.  The screws stick out like dog's balls but I'm going to paint or cover them with a grey cap somehow.  It works well, no concerns with further cracking.  Open the screen slowly ...

 

[moothefish]

Look up the super glue and baking soda method, using built-up copper bezel mounts.

I'm ashamed to admit but I've done quad screws to replace a very brittle PB180 screen ... not that long ago.  The screws stick out like dog's balls but I'm going to paint or cover them with a grey cap somehow.  It works well, no concerns with further cracking.  Open the screen slowly ...

I have heard of the baking soda and glue method. Not sure how I'd go about that now that the inside of the screen housing is full of epoxy though, but I'll certainly look further into it.

Of course I'd rather leave it original, but I feel like some dark coloured screws wouldn't look too awful (assuming I could  do it reasonably neatly, which is a big assumption), and I would like it to be reliable long term. Did you just put some nuts on the inside of the display housing when you put screws through your 180? 

 

[Alex]

So i've recently acquired a PowerBook 150 in good shape with the traditional broken right hand side hinge mounts. Following advice from this forum and other sources I attempted to epoxy the screw inserts back into the position they should be in and got everything lined up fairly well and let it cure for about 48 hours. Started the reassembly process and as soon as i closed and opened the display once, the inserts tore straight out of the blob of epoxy, and i'm now back where I started

I am in the same boat, I have a Powerbook 150 that I am working right now because of the same issue, namely the plastic screw slot has cracked and as a result, of the two independent display hinges the hinge on the right side of the display has come loose. At the moment, I have only gone as far as very carefully applying epoxy.

I have taken the following precautions:

1) I have sanded the areas where the plastics have cracked off in an attempt to provide a better surface for the epoxy 2 part material.

2) I applied a lot of epoxy all around the area for strength.

3) I am going to wait 48 hours as well, although the epoxy I am using highlights curing within 24 hours.

I have not reassembled the machine, it's now in pieces.

Further observations:

While carefully going through the process of visual inspection and epoxy application I found myself concerned with the stiffness of the hinges. After finding this post and the disappointing results you have announced at the top, I am now even more concerned with the stiffness of the hinges and haven't had any luck finding out how to reduce the tension of the hinges.

It is quite extraordinary to find someone going through the same process I am on the same machine almost at the same time. I initially pulled the machine from my collection to actually inspect the display to ensure it hadn't suffered any deterioration to the polarizing filter. I did remove the internal PRAM battery as well.

I will post photos of the machine in an effort to share information with you and the wider audience.

Thanks for posting and I will now read the rest of the messages in this post. 

 

[Alex]

Seeing that you are going to reopen the machine, you may want to consider the JB Weld brand of epoxy. Personally, I would try again. The Plastic Bonder has a whopping 3770 PSI strength.

I am not sure if you care to redo your work or not but if you do this might be a worthwhile purchase.

I hope it helps and I might also recommend that you review this post, which is actually pinned. It refers to a PB160 but it's essentially the same model.