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Case standoff holes stripped

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CarpCharacin

Limp Gawd
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Nov 8, 2016
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So some parts came for my new computer today and I decided to put the standoffs in the motherboard. The case is a Fractal Define Mini C. I screwed some in and I felt that one wasn't tight enough so I tightened it some more and it got looser. I ended up stripping several of the holes to the point I couldn't get the standoffs out. Is there any easy way to fix this or should I send the case back? Is the case wrecked? I am bummed :(
 
Fill the hole with JB Weld then drill it out and tap it to that thread size.
 
JB weld is plastic epoxy. I am not sure how well that would hold. Is there any fix that is easy and secure?
 
JB Weld a standoff in the hole. It's not like you are hanging a car engine off of it. Or just super glue it.
 
what he said or epoxy them into place. you could also get small nuts to put on the backside. I wouldn't feel right sending it back after stripping it, someone else will end up with it...
 
You can even cut out the metal and get press-in thread nuts. Many ways to skin this cat.
 
if you take your time and do the jb right you'll never know the difference but...
if youre that concerned then get a new case and don't over tighten the standoffs. finger tight is plenty.
maybe talk to Fractal Design NA
good luck.
 
Nope. JB weld will hold just fine, and will be permanent. The 5-10 lbs of weight split across 10 standoffs and the back of the case that the welds would see isn't anything they can't handle. I've used it to fix a split tube in an A/C condenser that had 150 psi behind the weld, and it lasted until I got a new car several years later.
 
yeah but that would involve welding the holes closed and then drilling, taping and sanding. the jb weld steel re-enforced stuff cures to almost the strength of steel and can be treated as such. which is why we are suggesting it. you could fill the holes with the jb, screw in the standoffs, clean off the excess and let it cure for 24hrs. the standoffs will become basically permanent and should hold up no problem. if it can "repair" a cracked engine block...
 
But would using the steel JB weld be just as strong or stronger than getting a new case? Would it be a cob job?
 
No one will ever see it.

Will be stronger at that point than the others.

I don't do corn fields. That is where the bad people get sent.
 
my issues with fracts chassies are that the feel a little in thecheap side buidl qualtiy wise.

Desing functionality is very niceand i loved building myrig in the XL it was lot more rommy and easier to work with then my old antec p182.
But the antecx p182 just had alot better quality feel to it.

also first delviery was shipping damaged
the next one was as well but i decided to no go through the hassle again and live with it.

it like they have some brilliant case designer copared with cheap Chinese labour
 
JB Weld what you want easily. Super glue will work fine if it's just one or two of the standoffs.

If you really are worried about it being "secure" - then get 2 part epoxy, that stuff will hold thousands of pounds per square inch.

If your looking for the "correct" answer, you would either drill the hole out and insert a helicoil, or weld the hole over and drill and retap (which, as was suggested above, you could do with JB Weld or Epoxy easier than welding and have the same effect). There's also the option, if it's a new build, that you could RMA the case as defective.... that may or may not present an ethical problem.

Unless the ATX standard changes sometime soon, or you get a different form factor motherboard in the future, you aren't ever going to need to move the standoffs.
 
Speaking as a tool & die machinist ... I say super glue the standoffs in place. Use it inside the holes, then apply another drop to the back after that dries.

In all likelihood you could probably get away with leaving those 4 or 5 out all together. Unless they are all around your "car engine".

Sure it would be great to spot weld a nut on the back side of the sheet metal. Would be complete overkill for this application.
 
Are you sure you use the correct standoffs?

There are two different types.

One has course threads and is bigger in diameter.

One has fine threads and is smaller in diameter.

In any case, superglue should work.. but I would personally use Quick Steel. You can get it in putty and two-part mixture varieties from an auto parts store.

It works way better than JBWeld and from my experience will hold up a lot better as well.

If you don't have the tools to drill and re-tap the threads, you could always just fill the standoff threads in, put a bit in the motherboard tray holes, and then insert the standoffs into the tray, making sure they are all the way in. Then let it dry for about 4 hours and you should be good to go.

Nobody would ever know the difference. Not sure if you would be able to ever get the standoffs out of the tray after that though.

Have you tried using a pliers and pulling while unscrewing the standoffs in the stripped holes in order to get them out?
 
^^^ ahhh ... good point about correct threads. 6-32 and 4-40 are common and not usually mistaken for each other. However, standoffs sometimes come in M3 threads which is closer to same diameter as 6-32 but finer pitch thread. Easy to strip if mixed.

Parts are often packaged wrong. This is why one should always hand test all hardware for fitment before applying tools.
.
 
CarpCharacin said:
Is there any way I can fix it without gluing it? I want to fix it securely and permanently.
Click to expand...
Gluing the standoffs in place will be both secure and permanent if you use the right type of glue. JBWeld is intended for much more demanding applications than this and will work great.

CarpCharacin said:
I am exchanging the case for a new one with newegg.
Click to expand...

Edit: <Sigh> This is why we can't have nice things. :(
 
I was beating around the bush before but fuck it. you wrecked it, live with it, lesson learned! it was NOT a defective part/product! since when is it cool to wreck something them exchange it? now someone else is going to end up with your fucked up case...
 
I've been an IT guy for almost 30 years now...... sometimes these type of things are done and there's nothing wrong with it if it's a really solid repair.
JB Weld would have been a perfect solution, that's some serious stuff. I've used it for car repairs and many other types of repairs, works great.

Really not cool to break it and then return it though.

So are you going to over tighten the stand-offs on the new case and then return that one too?

.
 
It was also missing a standoff hole. I didn't ignore all of the suggestions on how to fix it. I thought about it and I decided that I wanted to do it right.
 
CarpCharacin said:
It was also missing a standoff hole. I didn't ignore all of the suggestions on how to fix it. I thought about it and I decided that I wanted to do it right.
Click to expand...
Doing it right would have involved not stripping out the threads in the first place.
 
CarpCharacin said:
It was also missing a standoff hole. I didn't ignore all of the suggestions on how to fix it. I thought about it and I decided that I wanted to do it right.
Click to expand...

6ace36d2b4160011dad4da7f2492b9c9.jpg
 
Ethyl cyanoacrylate is your friend. Good enough to seal open wounds and hold a man's weight hanging from a girder. More than strong enough for our measly standoffs. A few cents and you would be up & running already.

And I am still betting you mixed 6-32 and M3 threads somehow. Would not be the first, or last.
 

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RazorWind said:
Edit: <Sigh> This is why we can't have nice things. :(
Click to expand...
ummm yup...

so your dad's ok with you wrecking it and returning it? he should have told you tough, live with it, lesson learned...

CarpCharacin said:
It was also missing a standoff hole.
Click to expand...
that may have been on purpose as not all are needed.
did it look like this? this layout looks normal to me. which hole was missing?
dmc-7b.jpg
 
I accidentally stripped the hole. I didn't wreck it on purpose. I guess the hole was not missing. It isn't there on purpose I guess. I thought a hole was missing in the bottom right corner.
 
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