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I have a Commodore 64. The internal plastic stands for the board were all cracked and some were completely destroyed. See pictures

Broken plastic stand

In a futile attempt to fix them, I removed the old broken ones, sandpapered the area (a small hole remains, as in the old stand the screw went a bit through the case) and tried replacing them with a nylon stand, cutting it to length and attaching it with epoxy

Nylon stand fix

But the unfortunate reality is that epoxy has very little strength when torqued, and the stand inevitably detaches.

I tried 3D printing larger stands to ensure more surface (I have a resin 3D printer) but the tolerances are very small (the screw is a M3) and, most importantly, the resin is not very strong and glassy, and delaminates/snaps when the screw bites.

I am out of ideas. Anyone?

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  • I'm pretty certain that either "8-bit Guy", or "Adrian's Digital basement" (I think the former) has a YT video where a C64 stand-off/screw mount is repaired - I vaguely remember seeing it. However, which video it was, or how it was done, I wouldn't be able to say, unfortunately.
    – Greenonline
    Jul 9 at 12:58
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    @lvd Dude, it's literally the first line of what is considered on-topic for this site: Retrocomputing involves the restoration, preservation, history and maintenance of computer and gaming systems of yesteryear.
    – Eight-Bit Guru
    Jul 10 at 10:55
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    @lvd You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but I have to tell you it differs from the stated on-topic provisions in the help centre. Specifically the aforementioned first line, and more specifically the second line, which unequivocally puts (and tags) hardware maintenance and preservation within scope: how to use or preserve computing equipment that is no longer manufactured or supported by the manufacturer.
    – Eight-Bit Guru
    Jul 10 at 16:33
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    We've had questions before about cleaning keyboards, 3d printed replacement this-and-that, etc. that were accepted and answered just fine. You might as well say that a question about fixing a bad capacitor or an overheating box are off topic as well ... but they aren't.
    – davidbak
    Jul 12 at 13:38
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    I think it's a perfectly acceptable fit. It's about repairing a retro computer while trying to maintain it's originality. @OP - might be a plastic welding option might work, melting the base and printed stand together with a soldering iron or similar? Bit extreme maybe and I'd be hesitant if the machine is of personal nostalgic value, but might work well.
    – Matt Lacey ♦
    Jul 13 at 9:06

1 Answer 1

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Epoxy doesn’t adhere well to nylon but should be ok on the enclosure if you sandpaper the surface a little. Remember that 5-minute epoxy doesn’t reach full strength for 24 hours. A 3D print should be viable, print about a 2.5mm hole and then tap it to M3 - if you don’t have a tap then use an M3 screw; cut/grind off the thread down one side to create a cutting edge, or heat the screw a little to soften the printed material.

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    Actually, nothing does adhere well to nylon. It's just a poor choice of material to be glued.
    – tofro
    Jul 9 at 6:55
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    *nod* From what I remember, nylon and polypropylene are the two main plastics you're likely to encounter that don't react to solvents like acetone, and that's also why they don't glue well.
    – ssokolow
    Jul 9 at 7:17
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    @ssokolow - and polyethylene, too. AIUI you can use xylene, which some brands of paint thinners contain, to make a solvent weld. There are probably people on the 3D printing stack exchange who could give more info on this, though, as I've never actually tried it.
    – occipita
    Jul 12 at 17:15

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