On Sun, 9 Aug 2009 22:36:54 +0100, "N_Cook" wrote:

Any general tips on how to make a structural repair to the broken and
missing Aluminium extension from the friction pintle mount to where it joins
the plastic of the LCD surround ?

No, I haven't the slightest idea, especially since you didn't bother
supplying the manufacturer and model number.

If you're missing parts, you can find just about anything from various
online computer salvage operators. Also on eBay. Be prepared to
overpay. The few surviving repair shops that actually do their own
repair usually have a fair collection of scrap parts laying around.
Ask, and you might receive.

Fractured at the screw point so only half
the screw hole remains , a highly stressed point, going by the amount of
force required to turn this pintle rod.

I've used hili-coil inserts to fix those. Also threaded brass inserts
commonly used in plastic molding. Drill it out and epoxy the insert
inplace. The smallest you can get is 4-40 which is a tolerable
substitue for the common 3mm metric screw. I've also mixed aluminum
dust with epoxy and built up the broken part sufficiently to thread
the hole. It worked, but the owner had to be very careful when
opening the hinge. It lasted about 3 years, which isn't too horrible.
All these methods were a PITA and far too much work. If it ever
happens again, I'll just epoxy the hinge to the base metal and be done
with it.

You might want to look at hints at:
http://repair4laptop.org
This looks close:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=86297

Incidentally, such breakage usually happens because the screw wiggles
loose. I recommend Loctite on enything threaded into aluminum.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558