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Best glue for a nylon keyswitch post?

david__schmidt

david__schmidt

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My Apple III had an unfortunate accident today. Dropped a IIgs keyboard on top of the III, and broke off the Alpha Lock key. :mad:

The nylon post snapped in half. What's the best glue to use on nylon? The break isn't clean enough for cyanoacrylate (super glue), I don't think. And I'm worried about using my default epoxy because the nylon is a little slipperier than I think epoxy will hang on to. Any experience out there?
 
Hi,
I do not recall any glue that will work. That said the only thing that will hold up over time is to add a post to the center of it.

You would need some micro drills and a good dremel like drill. Use the smallest drill you can get. The slight wobble of using the dremel tool will make the hole a little larger. The hard part is drill it in the center of both parts around a 1/4 deep in each.

Now you have to match the hole with your post.
Chrome Paper clip
Safety Pin
Straight Pin
Tac

Well you get the Idea. You just cut out a small section out metal that you need around 3/8 or so and with less than drop of your glue of choice to stick onto the metal to make firm this should work. The metal at that short a length will not bend. If you get the hole size good you will not put to much pressure on the outside walls of the shaft so it will not split.

Finding micro drills and having a micromerter helps check the size.

Take Care
 
I've never had any success gluing a keyswitch post back together. I always just replace the switch.

That said, you need another switch... I'm actually in the same boat. My III has the 6 key broken off (and missing) from the numeric keypad. So I need a new switch and the keytop.

I _believe_ that some of the II+ keyboards used the same style switch, but in my case, the numeric keypad 6 key is unique to the III, since II+ keyboards never had the numeric keypad (although the external II keypad might have the same tops...)

So, now you need to find someone with a junk II+ or III keyboard that you can get a switch from. So, anyone got a junk keyboard and could help the both of us out? :)

-Ian
 
RetroHacker_ said:
I've never had any success gluing a keyswitch post back together. I always just replace the switch.

That said, you need another switch... I'm actually in the same boat. My III has the 6 key broken off (and missing) from the numeric keypad. So I need a new switch and the keytop.
Click to expand...
Argh, that's unfortunate. Not only is it unique to the III... but the Alpha Lock is unique on the III keyboard itself! Only one to harvest per donor keyboard. :-( I'm going to try the dremel method - I have both that and a set of very fine drill bits. Trouble is: there's a tiny horizontal hole through the post where a return spring goes. (The fault ran right through the hole.) So I can't drill in the middle.
So, now you need to find someone with a junk II+ or III keyboard that you can get a switch from. So, anyone got a junk keyboard and could help the both of us out? :)-Ian
Click to expand...
Just found out that the Mac Plus keyboard, M0110A, has the same toggle/keyswitch for Caps Lock. Much easier to source and cannibalize! They seem to have rotated it 90 degrees off of how it sits on the III board, but has exactly the same external spring mechanism and lock-down action.
 
Last edited:
Key post repair

Key post repair

Well, my drill bits were still too big. I wanted to use the shaft of a pin as my strengthening agent. So, my solution was to heat the pin up with a flame source and bore the holes that way. As I said, I couldn't just use one in the center - I needed to use two. Things didn't line up perfectly, of course, so I used some stiff wire instead of the pin so I could bend it around a little. Epoxy in the holes, and Voila, the key is good as new. Until I break it again. :sneaky:
 
david__schmidt said:
Well, my drill bits were still too big. I wanted to use the shaft of a pin as my strengthening agent. So, my solution was to heat the pin up with a flame source and bore the holes that way. As I said, I couldn't just use one in the center - I needed to use two. Things didn't line up perfectly, of course, so I used some stiff wire instead of the pin so I could bend it around a little. Epoxy in the holes, and Voila, the key is good as new. Until I break it again. :sneaky:
Click to expand...
I don't know what size drill bit you're using, but smaller ones can be had from local hobby shops.
 
My set just goes down to 60, it turns out. Still big enough for a pin to wobble around in. :) The melting-its-own-hole method worked well in a pinch. But an excuse to buy more tools is always welcome!
 
I have used the drill method to repair key posts. Never found a glue strong enough to hold on its own. I found that I had to make the matching hole in the top part pf the switch post slightly oversize to allow for drill errors that prevent the key top sitting true on the post and taking the key cap.
 
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