Starting repairs.

In my previous post post I wrote about my ailing TRS-80 Model 3, damaged by transport with inadequate packaging.

Here I’m going to start a repair job on it. I don’t normally do any cosmetic work on my machines, a bit of wear and taer is par for the course and is to be expected but this machine has been so beaten up that my repairs are unlikely to reduce its value any and will make things better.

Repairing the bezel

My first job, after taking the lid off for a look around, was to take the black bezel out so that the pillars that hold the CRT can be repaired.

150816-IMG_20150816_181229487Next, how to repair the pillars? I think that just some glue, any glue that I can get, will probably give way when I refit the tube and tighten the nuts (even lightly). So, I used epoxy glue to hold the pillars together for a start. Then I glued carbon fibre strands around each pillar (left over from the hovercraft projects) and piled epoxy on top of that. Hopefully that will hold.

150817-IMG_20150817_211627983_HDR

 

Preparing for painting

Normally I wouldn’t touch the paint of an old computer as I said above but this one needs it more than it needs to be kept original.

First the base got a sanding, masking and a spray with white primer…

150817-IMG_20150817_211837726looking good. Top coat to follow then repairs to the top of the case. That’s the bit that really needs it.

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