exxos's Atari, Amiga & retro forum

A couple of my STes arrived in the mail shattered, missing pieces of their plastic case. I've been wondering what the preferred method of patching holes in the plastic Atari case would be. I've been considering using automotive body-filler. I'm not sure if it will stay stuck for the long term. Perhaps this is a terrible idea; if so, aside from a replacement case, any suggestions? Thanks.

You could try Milliput (epoxy putty), but you'll have a lot of sanding down to do.

I had to repair a smashed Mega ST keyboard and used milliput to fill in the cracks. I also used small fibreglass patches (for nails) to reinforce internally.

stephen_usher wrote: 18 Jan 2023 21:06 You could try Milliput (epoxy putty), but you'll have a lot of sanding down to do.

Excellent suggestion. I had never heard of Milliput. Reading up on it, it seems to have the ideal versatility & rigidity.

rubber_jonnie wrote: 18 Jan 2023 21:55 I had to repair a smashed Mega ST keyboard and used milliput to fill in the cracks. I also used small fibreglass patches (for nails) to reinforce internally.

Maybe someone in a fit of rage had smashed the keyboard over the top of the monitor! Sounds like a good fix though. Was the fibreglass necessary as an intermediary due to trouble getting the milliput to adhere to the Atari case?

PeckPeekPoke wrote: 18 Jan 2023 23:41

rubber_jonnie wrote: 18 Jan 2023 21:55 I had to repair a smashed Mega ST keyboard and used milliput to fill in the cracks. I also used small fibreglass patches (for nails) to reinforce internally.

Maybe someone in a fit of rage had smashed the keyboard over the top of the monitor! Sounds like a good fix though. Was the fibreglass necessary as an intermediary due to trouble getting the milliput to adhere to the Atari case?

No, the fibreglass was on the inside to reinforce where I had to join case parts together, the Milliput I used externally to fill cracks afterwards. If you have holes you could use acetone or epoxy to stick the fibreglass inside to provide support for the Milliput when filling the holes.

Yep, it does need sanding but it is a nice smooth filler.

My keyboard repair is here: Mega ST keyboard repair

@rubber_jonnie Your Mega Keyboard came out Beautiful!

Perhaps someone knows what type of plastic ST cases are made of ... I have read that JB Weld's plastic formula is not for use with polyethylene or polypropylene.

PeckPeekPoke wrote: 19 Jan 2023 01:23 @rubber_jonnie Your Mega Keyboard came out Beautiful!

Thank you :)

BTW, these are the fibreglass patches I use:


You can cut them up into small pieces very easily and they add some integrity behind cracks. They're used in nail bars usually :)