Replacing an iMac G4 screen bezel
Posted: September 16th, 2011, 12:00 pm
My new-to-me 17" iMac G4 arrived with a broken bezel. UsedMac.com sent a good-looking replacement, but half of the plastic tabs that are supposed to clip into the frame are missing, and some of those that remain are broken. The bezel rests in place now without being secured; it sits tight at each corner but bows out maybe a sixteenth of an inch at the middle of each of the four sides.
I'd like to secure it permanently. If it were a new machine I'd hesitate to do this, but with a 9.5 year-old machine I'm not expecting to attempt future repairs and having invested only $180 including wifi and speakers, I'm open to taking a chance or two despite my limited (non-existent) hardware repair track record.
So I need advice on the best way to secure the bezel. I'm thinking a slow-setting glue at the projections, possibly combined with some double-stick tape where the tabs are broken. I'd like the repair to outlast this aging (if still stylish) machine, to keep costs low, and to have it look right when I'm done. Is there a glue to use that won't harm the remaining plastic tabs, adhere to both the plastic and metal, and last? I'm presuming that a quick-drying glue would not be a good choice as I want it to adhere evenly all the way around, about 50 inches of edge, and I certainly don't want any to seep out to the screen. Alternatively is double-sided tape alone a better approach, or should I combine the two approaches? Where can I find a good adhesive for this project?
And how do I actually perform the repair? I'm figuring on placing a soft towel on a table, then the bezel face down, then tilting the machine over to let the screen frame rest down onto the back side of the bezel, and not moving it until the glue sets up.
Short of "replace your whole screen assembly" is there an alternative fix that could work better?
Thanks--
--Kim
I'd like to secure it permanently. If it were a new machine I'd hesitate to do this, but with a 9.5 year-old machine I'm not expecting to attempt future repairs and having invested only $180 including wifi and speakers, I'm open to taking a chance or two despite my limited (non-existent) hardware repair track record.
So I need advice on the best way to secure the bezel. I'm thinking a slow-setting glue at the projections, possibly combined with some double-stick tape where the tabs are broken. I'd like the repair to outlast this aging (if still stylish) machine, to keep costs low, and to have it look right when I'm done. Is there a glue to use that won't harm the remaining plastic tabs, adhere to both the plastic and metal, and last? I'm presuming that a quick-drying glue would not be a good choice as I want it to adhere evenly all the way around, about 50 inches of edge, and I certainly don't want any to seep out to the screen. Alternatively is double-sided tape alone a better approach, or should I combine the two approaches? Where can I find a good adhesive for this project?
And how do I actually perform the repair? I'm figuring on placing a soft towel on a table, then the bezel face down, then tilting the machine over to let the screen frame rest down onto the back side of the bezel, and not moving it until the glue sets up.
Short of "replace your whole screen assembly" is there an alternative fix that could work better?
Thanks--
--Kim