Lid hinge

The lid separated from the hinge and needs to be glued back together. Nothing is broken and the camera is still aligned. Any suggestions on a which adhesive to use? Glowforge support pretty much said to glue it and ask for recommendations.

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There have been a few instances of that. Personally (I am not support), but I would rough-up each surface just to give the surfaces more “tooth” for adhesion. scratches on the glass is all you need.

The best adhesive I ever encountered in my 65 years is PC-7. A two part (catalytic) adhesive that bonds to anything except a liquid. Do it before the other hinge is stressed to the point of failure.

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Yeah, if you are off warranty you have nothing to lose. Metal to glass bonds are made very successfully. If @PrintToLaser swears by PC-7 I would definitely give that a look. I’m thinking some 2 part product in any case… Good prep work will prove to be the pass / fail factor IMHO.

Good Luck!

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Strange, my hinge popped today, too! Glowforge conspirators rejoice.

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Tell me, do you have new 5G towers in your area? :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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Looks just like my lid. All I can contribute is that E6000 did not work for me.

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This is the stuff. Note that when two non-porous surfaces are joined it is important not to squeeze all of the epoxy out. Only a thin amount needs to stay in the joint, it wouldn’t affect the alignment. After applying the adhesive use an adjustable clamp to hold it together, just don’t close the joint completely.

I did a slab marble shower but before I could afford the glass I used PC-7 to glue a right-angle shower curtain rod up. When I went to remove it I put a wood block flat on the stone and against the bracket and popped the block a good one with a hammer in a shearing action - it came off, and pulled the polished stone surface with it. The adhesive didn’t fail, the stone did.

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Just out of curiousity: Has anyone successfully ferreted out what adhesive GF uses at the factory for the hinge?

I asked twice and they wouldn’t say

-Aaron

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Obviously something that doesn’t last​:thinking::man_shrugging::rofl: now I’m going to be paranoid that this is going to happen to mine…lol

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I’m thinking a better design solution would be mechanical. If the glass were drilled before being tempered two bolts per hinge would nail that problem. Yeah, from my office chair here hindsight is 20/20.

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I’m a glazier…and that is exactly what I said to my wife after posting my comment. That WOULD solve the problem :fist_right::boom::fist_left::clap::clap::clap: did you hear that Glowforge?…lol

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I’ve used Goop successfully to mount things like metal and plastic to glass, but nothing too heavy and never had to repair my GF lid.

If I needed to, I might consider sourcing some 3m VHB like that used for veneer.

It hasn’t happened enough for us to really know what works best over the long run.

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Exactly - that would be the adhesive to avoid upon attempting a repair!

I work with vhb tape almost daily…it is a strong bond, but I don’t believe it would be strong enough for this application. Just my “semi-expert” opinion

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Just bought some based on this endorsement, not for the laser, but I always want a glue that glues. :slight_smile:

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It cures really hard. The label says it’s machinable, and I have no doubt.

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I just bought some too…to have on hand. (We’ve got a car that tends to come apart.) @PrintToLaser, any idea of the shelf life?

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Of the car? Please provide details.

If it’s a Skoda or Lada I would save the glue :rofl:

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Mercedes convertible. (An older one, so the plastic bits are giving up the ghost now.) :smile: