IBM ThinkPad Hinge Repair

[steve30]

I just got a ThinkPad 570 off ebay. Its from around 1999 and has a Pentium II.

Unfortunately the hinges are very stiff. I was dismantling the machine for cleaning, and to repair the LCD backlight, and while I was putting it back together, the hinges snapped as a result of the amount of force required to fold the screen down.

I tried epoxying the hinges back together, but due to the stiffness, the epoxy wouldn't hold it. If the hinges were looser, the epoxy would have probably been fine.

Is it possible to loosen up the hinges?

Would it be possible to weld the hinges back together? I don't do welding myself, but I have a relative who does welding.

I've attached some photos.

Thanks
steve30.

[wasyoungonce]

The broken part looks to be a pot metal....it will not weld.   I've done a few Lappy hinges before....Ebay is you best bet or a place like this

[Bud]

Can you post a pic of the good hinge alone? I have a pair of hinges but cant remember if they were for Thinkpad or Dell that i had.

[steve30]

This is a complete set of hinges: https://www.thinkpcparts.com/ibm-thinkpad-570-570e-570x-type-2644-hinge-set-05k6079-fru-12p4195.html

I've seen one or two for sale in America, but there doesn't seem to be many here in Europe.

Does anyone know of any way of loosening the hinges at all (to make them less stiff)?

[cnqhdszq]

the best way is to  buy one pair .

[CommWiz]

If there is enough matierial in the hing part to drill small holes and you could pin it with a steel pin.  I have done this before and seemed to work well.  Make sure to lubricate the hinge well so you don't pull the pin through the little metal left after drilling the holes.