Lid hinge

Excellent! (One of the things I hate about CA glue is it will die on you even in an unopened bottle. Embarrassed the hell out of myself with Penelope over it.) :roll_eyes:

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Yes to PC-7. This worked for me. Spent a lot of time removing old glue residue then used PC-7 and gave it 3 days before opening. It’s been about 6 weeks and still holding.

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Thanks for the recommendations. I just ran into this issue last night, where the glue on the right-side hinge gave out.
I have a thing of JB Weld 2-part epoxy, and a tube of Gorilla Glue, but I wasn’t sure if they would be sufficient. I hadn’t heard of PC-7 before.

That stuff is amazing. :+1:

Maybe 30 years ago I was in the back of an old rural WV hardware store and saw PC-7 for the first time. The display was similar to this image. An old coke bottle with a bunch of stuff firmly attached with PC-7. I immediately bought some. The two part adhesive came in two 35mm film canisters at the time.


Used some three days ago to repair something on my wife’s vintage camper. Sold everywhere now including Lowes. It’s very thick, like clay. The hinge would need to be completely removed.

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I am happy to report back that the PC7 has been working perfectly. I have only done a few projects but so far no alignment issues and the lid seems to be very secure!

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This recently happened to me on the left side hinge. Love the Glowforge but all these things that I read about or experience demonstrate the cheap builds with materials and construction which I realize is reflected in the price of the unit. They are not built like the much higher price commercial lasers I have used in the past. It’s a trade off.

That’s the same display that introduced me to that stuff, about that long ago.
Have you ever seen a tougher adhesive?

Better adhesives for different stuff, but if you want to stick a golf ball to a plate glass window it’s great.

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Glowfinger is now suffering a separated right hinge, so I’ve ordered the PC7(due on Sunday), so I’m now contemplating what lies ahead.
I’ve done a search through the various posts, including the guide by raymondking32(many thanks)
but I’d be grateful for any other tips from others experience.
I plan to remove the printed circuit ribbon from the back of the chassis, and then, I assume, I only need to remove the four nuts from inside the hinges, to be able to lift off the lid.
Apart from the weight of the lid itself, any other things I need to watch out for ?

John :upside_down_face:

EDIT : I’ve now removed the cable and unscrewed the four nuts (7/16"ring spanner) with their captive star washers.
Examining how the ‘hinge plate’ is attached to the glass, before I attempt to separate it, I wonder if there is double sided tape across the middle section, with epoxy(?) only at each end.
I can lift the plate about 1/8" from the glass, but the central area is still holding down.
Could I push the PC7 paste into that area, without opening the tape, I wonder. It would make the repair a lot easier.
I can get a thin palette knife in as far as the end of the plate, and spread it over the whole area, quite easily.
EDIT2 : Just been reminded that this is a replacement machine(ie refurbished?) and discovered that there is a small glob of clear epoxy(?) holding the center of the metal strip( that goes between the two hinges) down onto the glass. So it’s this, not tape, holding the part down.
So I’m definitely going with the attempt to fix just the right hand hinge.

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I guess today is my lucky day! Just opened my unit and the whole glass just came off entirely and let me tell you how pissed off I am. Okay, I won’t, but I’ve got one week to do projects with family and instead it’s a pile of crap. So I guess I’m going to do this PC7 approach if I can even get the hinge apart (I can’t even move the hinge angle by hand).

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Is this the original machine from the presale days?

Yes, first year unit.

Hi Seaton,
Your excellent photo shows me what I can’t have access to, as mine only came off one end.
I can see that there is a layer of (probably) epoxy that runs the whole length of the glass.

  1. Is the printed circuit ribbon safely disconnected from its socket on the back of the glowforge ?
  2. Do you have pc7 yet ?
  3. Do you have the tools/feeling that you can remove all of that epoxy, and leave a relatively clean surface on both the glass and the metal(?) strip along the back ?
    The glass will finish up butted against that lip on the back, but you will have to align it equidistant between to two hinge pieces.
    John
    ps mine is currently clamped up with two small spring clamps for the next 24 hours.
    Pushing the pc7 paste into the space with a small artist’s palette knife was a pain, but now done.
    I think that next time, faced with this, I’d load some pc7 into a small ziploc bag, cut the end open , the slide it into the gap. Then squeeze the paste out, like toothpaste, into the length of the gap, pull the bag out, then clamp up.
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Got the PC-7 just now but I need to try to disassemble the mechanism and see if I can even move anything. Then get it cleaned up. I’m not at home and this is a road trip to family so I’m a bit shy on tools. The ribbon cable is A-OK. I’m into here for a week and will likely run out of time, which is why it’s upsetting — our week of crafts is basically shot. May have to return to the store for stuff! Or a bar!

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My personal take on removing the epoxy is don’t.
It has parted from the glass, and left what appears to be an unbroken layer on the hinges.
The glass lid location would allow it to be a few thou higher up, so the addition of a small thickness of fresh epoxy should be OK. So long as the new layer is bonded to the old, and to the glass, and the whole assembly is located front to back and side to side, in the correct position, all should be well.
The lid doesn’t make a seal around the edge, so being a little higher wont make any difference to the working of the exhaust fan.
If the hinges are removed, you will then face the problem of alignment. Can you see a possibility of supporting the lid, with the rear edge clamped down onto the hinges, with them still in their present position, slightly angled upwards ?
John

Sympathize with the ‘bar’ idea, but you need a clear head !

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Sounds like a good idea - at least to try first! Not sure about the angle of the hinges yet - about to poke around with it…

Well, I went in and lifted the lid a few inches to inspect the state of the hinge, etc., and the handle fell right off in my hands. This was definitely a huge design flaw. I’m not going to be patient enough to deal with this tonight. LOL

That’s just awful.
I’ve just looked at the inside of my lid, and I see what appears to be a black coating on the glass, the one that you can see in your photograph through the lid.
I always assumed that was just cosmetic, but I wonder if that is designed to give better adhesion to the epoxy than plain glass would.
Not good enough it would seem.
Is some of the epoxy(I continue to use that term for want of knowing better) still attached to the underside of the lid ?

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There is no epoxy left on the underside of the glass on front or back. Did get the two wires disconnected and the lid removed and could finally get the hinges back level (closed position) and that’s good enough for now. Short sessions to keep the mood in check. :smiley: So this is progress. Thanks for the assistance! Family [visit] dinner time! (Technically this is vacation.)

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