First off hi to everyone. I need advice please. I have a PC case that has a metal triangular brace that I need to remove to put in a msi gtx card that is bigger that the case was designed for. (Have my reasons ). This brace is not riveted nor can I see any obvious signs of spot welds. So could it be some type of glue?. So how would I go about removing said brace. With out butchering it. Thx in advance.
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Pc case metal bracket removal
- Thread starter Wiskey12
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CAPSLOCKSTUCK
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Welcome.
if you think it is glued try a hair dryer
if you think it is glued try a hair dryer
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What make and model is your case? Post a photo of the brace. I've never seen glue used for steel case brackets.
AsRock
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Yeah hair dryer is a greatway to popcorn a circuit board. Different manufactures screw on brackets in many ways and some times the screw can be found on the outside of the case and some others it's just a clip on.
As Hood already said pictures would be great, and if that's not possible a link or at least the name of the case \ system in question.
As Hood already said pictures would be great, and if that's not possible a link or at least the name of the case \ system in question.
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is this the brace ??? @Wiskey12
Based on what I can see in the picture it does look like some type of adhesive. I bet a dollar if you took a pack of utility blades & a utility knife ,and sat there and scored it over and over again (on both sides of the triangle) you could pop it out fairly easily and then sand paper the cut edge to reduce sharpness. Just start in the corner where the two connected edges meet,and don't put too much pressure ,using the tip of the utility blade ,just keep going until you start making a good deep score ,and start on the next side. it'll pop out . Or if you have a Dremel ,cover up the interior of the case or empty it out and use that.
it seems that you can easily work on removing that bracket (if it IS indeed the one your speaking of) by following the removal steps in the pics below....once you have removed it, you could use any number ofcutting tools to get rid of it.
Based on what I can see in the picture it does look like some type of adhesive. I bet a dollar if you took a pack of utility blades & a utility knife ,and sat there and scored it over and over again (on both sides of the triangle) you could pop it out fairly easily and then sand paper the cut edge to reduce sharpness. Just start in the corner where the two connected edges meet,and don't put too much pressure ,using the tip of the utility blade ,just keep going until you start making a good deep score ,and start on the next side. it'll pop out . Or if you have a Dremel ,cover up the interior of the case or empty it out and use that.
it seems that you can easily work on removing that bracket (if it IS indeed the one your speaking of) by following the removal steps in the pics below....once you have removed it, you could use any number ofcutting tools to get rid of it.
Attachments
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eidairaman1
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is this the brace ??? @Wiskey12
View attachment 97644
Based on what I can see in the picture it does look like some type of adhesive. I bet a dollar if you took a pack of utility blades & a utility knife ,and sat there and scored it over and over again (on both sides of the triangle) you could pop it out fairly easily and then sand paper the cut edge to reduce sharpness. Just start in the corner where the two connected edges meet,and don't put too much pressure ,using the tip of the utility blade ,just keep going until you start making a good deep score ,and start on the next side. it'll pop out . Or if you have a Dremel ,cover up the interior of the case or empty it out and use that.
Probably an industrial epoxy.
If it cant be removed.
Either get a case designed for the parts in mind
Get a dremmel with cutting disk, sanding and polishing wheels, electrical tape strip all parts out, cut the bracket out, sand and polish edges, then put electrical tape on edge
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No prob.
Just a little word of advice because I've cut into cases in the past. If you can ,do like in the diagrams in my post ,and actually remove the whole part that comes out with the power supply ,that way you can work on the bracket removal away from the interior of your computer ,and it's sensitive components to avoid metal shavings falling inside,etc. if you can't do that ,just take a piece of cardboard and insert it inside the case to cover up everything ,or even some towels or something ,just try to avoid as best you can anything falling in there because metal shavings are conductive
Good luck
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The last time I cut a brace in a case, it turned out to be some kind of rib that made the whole thing wobble after getting it out. Just in case, expect that removing this brace may case some support issues. After all there is a reason for it to be there, I suppose.
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I've used a heat gun in the past to loosen up the adhesive and 9 out of 10 times within a few minutes the triangle piece just falls to the table.
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Yeah you're right, luckily this brace isnt for the structural integrity of the case ,as much as it is for the integrity of the "wing", when you open up the computer to work on the power supply/etc. It adds rigidity when in the state of being open. If you look at my post earlier in the thread ,you'll see a diagram showing what i mean, & the function of that small triangle brace. That's why I recommend he cut it ,because if he just cut it flush with the chassis ,the brace (to some degree) will still be there ,you'll just lose the majority of its contribution, but some of it will still remain on the inside of the chassis edge.
There's actually a chance he could lose that small wing that goes down by the display outputs of the video card. Because there's going to be one 3 inch piece of aluminum holding it on if he removes the brace entirely. which is why he should cut it flush...as opposed to removing it totally. the red line is all that will be left holding that section together
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HELLO AGAIN. Update on the brace alienware Aurora r7. This brace is now off 
. The part that holds the gfx cards is riveted to the power supply so no chance of that part falling off. The brace itself is riveted to the part that holds the gfx cards in a strange way. The metal is pressed together and 3 small holes are flared VERY SLIGHTLY to hold it. The other part is epoxy glued to the psu. Once again thankyou to all who helped me truly appreciated.
. The part that holds the gfx cards is riveted to the power supply so no chance of that part falling off. The brace itself is riveted to the part that holds the gfx cards in a strange way. The metal is pressed together and 3 small holes are flared VERY SLIGHTLY to hold it. The other part is epoxy glued to the psu. Once again thankyou to all who helped me truly appreciated.