Alps Keycap Surgery

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pyrelink

07 Apr 2019, 00:37

Anyone have any advice/experience in reattaching Alps key stems? Through a series of progressively dumber actions (having one of those days), I managed to detach the stem from my left alt keycap:
Spoiler:
photo_2019-04-06_18-25-44.jpg
photo_2019-04-06_18-25-44.jpg (125.41 KiB) Viewed 2512 times
I figure superglue has no chance of holding up against an Alps switch, and wanted to ask before I just bought some generic epoxy.

keycap is of course double shot ABS as I imagine type of plastic makes a difference.

Anakey

07 Apr 2019, 00:47

you could try to use acetone to join the stem back on but epoxy might join better

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mcmaxmcmc

07 Apr 2019, 03:05

Super Glue works decently well with ABS and that's what I've used in mine. I'm not sure if it would work as well for you because there isn't a lot of surfaces in your part, but give it a try.

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swampangel

07 Apr 2019, 04:16

I used E6000 glue recently to attach a broken pbt Apple M0116 Command key to an abs stem from a Tai-hao cap. Can't guarantee it's going to last, though.

Here's a couple of threads with alternatives for both types of plastic.

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=57346.0

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=17135&start=

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flowerlandfilms

04 May 2019, 04:19

If you've got a spare soldering tip for melting plastic, (who doesn't?) I would melt that fucker right back on there.

Hak Foo

14 May 2019, 07:07

For ABS, I'd try the thin type of "plastic cement for models", like Testors. It actually melts the plastic surfaces for a better bond. Typicxally Methyl-Ethyl-Ketone in the day, not sure what it's made of now, but whe I chopped up some old ABS caps to make stabilizer extension it worked well enough.

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