I had the broken hinge (ungluing) problem. Did my research here and ended up getting the repair kit from sentecheas on eBay. It’s the original designer, not the knock off copies. I’ve had the repair done for 2 months, use my GF about 3-4x week and it’s holding up great! Can’t say enough about this part. Go for it! Easy instructions and everything included.
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Thanks! Haven’t needed it so far, but I’ll keep this in mind.
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Op was light on details:
- $149
- Metal bracket that wraps glass
I wonder if it’s more secure than the standard $5 epoxy fix?
I wonder if the bracket adds height to the rear of the glass and thus affects lid camera accuracy? Maybe a calibration can correct for it.
I wonder if the bracket stresses the edge of the tempered glass? Generally that’s how tempered can shatter.
It’s interesting. Pricey and a bit of unknown, but it’s encouraging that OP has has good results.
@geek2nurse and @timjedwards might be interested
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This sentecheas bracket was first mentioned almost exactly 2 years ago, so presumably some folks have had it on for a year plus without an additional break 
I don’t think the creator is on here though.
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Ten days ago I went to use my Glowforge Basic that I purchase during the original crowdfunding drive. The unit has performed flawlessly since I got it years ago. However, when I tried to lift the lid for this project session, the lid handle came off in my hand. At the same time, the glue at the left lid hinge gave out. I did some extensive searching here on the forum and found great instructions for repairing the handle and the hinges. Used JB Weld Clear to reattach the handle, and ordered the sentecheas repair kit mentioned above. Followed the instructions included with the kit, along with Jay Summet’s video instructions,
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hArDPazQWZI). (Thanks Jay!)
Both repairs are fairly easy to do, as long as you take your time. Finished the hinge repair yesterday. The lid still opens and closes easily, and things seem to be aligned well. I fired up the Glowforge, and everything behaved normally. Will run the camera calibration procedure today to take care of any potential realignment issues.
I would definitely say the hinge kit is worth it, especially after reading many posts where people tried to re-glue the existing hinge set-up, only to have the hinges detach again. If your Glowforge is off warranty, I agree with john31, just go for it with the hinge kit!
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