Heavy glass shower door.

Yo,

I was trying to help a mate with a shower door problem earlier. It's one of those walk in showers with a glass 'wall', hinged glass door and another bit of glass 'wall'.

The problem is that the hinge recesses cut in the glass to take the hinges may be too 'sloppy' and because the 'grip' between the hinge and the glass isn't rigid, the hinges can swivel, allowing the door to drop (with it binding on the floor) and also open the gap at the top.

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This is the hinge sat in the door and wall panel with the clamp plates removed:

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It's not too easy to see but you have the square 'U' shaped notches in the glass and wall and then some plastic spacer things and thin, clear plastic (PVC) 'gaskets' that go between the body of the hinge and the glass on one side and the clamp and the glass on the other.

I removed the gaskets and cleaned them and the glass and they seemed to 'stick' to the glass in the same way phone protector films do but I'm not sure the 'grip' is what is supposed to be holding everything in place?

I can't see any makers mark so can't ask them but this process / design seems to be very similar:

And it could actually be these:

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Looking at the 3rd diagram it does look like the hinges are supposed to fit in the holes snugly (they certainly don't atm).

I was wondering if I could use some of that two part putty resin to make good the fit between the glass and the hinge, suitably protecting the hinge from the resin before applying? I could do the 'wall' side first and then once hard, mate the hinges into the door the same way?

IOO I think the door is at least 700mm wide x 20000mm high x by either

10 or 12m thick (I can get him to let me know the precise measurements). An online calculator I found suggests that toughened glass (?) of those dimensions would be 35kg (10mm) or 42kg (12mm), so if those dimensions are correct we should still be just ok weight wise (45kg / hinge pair). Just need to ensure the door is no wider than 700mm (according to the loading spec).

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m
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Having looked at it, the fixing screws seem to be designed to have plastic sleeving where they pass through the glass? Has the sleeving been damaged? I'd try sleeving the screws with some nylon tubing/bushes if I couldn't replace the entire gasket as shown in picture 2. I'd be very wary of epoxy as it IME can't be hard and tough at the same time, nylon can.

Reply to
Capitol

They don't appear to. Someone else had looked at it previously, described the screws holes as actual holes (rather that part-circular-cutouts) and I envisaged turning or 3D printing inserts that might allow a more 'mechanical' location. However, they turn out to 'not' be holes. ;-(

See above

Unfortunately, I'm not sure I could get / put anything in there that wasn't (initially) amorphous. ;-(

OOI, I think something like JB Weld would be hard and tough enough as it is often used to replace 'metal' (and they are generally accepted as two of metals properties).

I think my first step is getting confirmation of how the hinges are

*supposed* to hold in place and then I know what I need to try to resolve.

There are a few videos on Youtube that cover the installation of these 'frameless' hinges but none I have found so far are the symmetrical, glass to glass type. If they are wall to glass the advice seems to suggest setting the hinge in the glass so the glass is already sitting on the hinge so that the glass won't drop over time (suggesting that is an issue), and the hinge can't 'rotate' (in it's mounting hole) when one side is bolted firmly to a rigid surface?

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

I'd just take up the gap with some gapfill that isn't so hard as to stress the glass if there's any thermal contraction. Nylon, epoxy, whatever. I'd p rop the glass into its desired position, applying one side of the hinge/cla mp, clamping it in place with a clamp, and fill to nearly flat. When set, f it the other side of the hinge's clamp.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

Ah, good point. The hinges are brass FWIW (which I think also has quite a high coefficient of expansion)?

So strips of material or a liquid 'epoxy' you mean (whatever works best)?

I'm not sure I have a clamp deep enough and wouldn't be able to get under the bottom (no gap) so it would have to be hand / tape / whatever.

The problem with that (and without the clamping force on the single side) is if using a liquid 'filler', getting it to stay there whilst getting it all back together. I don't think you could leave the hinge open with a filler that could take up the entire width of the void as when you tightened the 'clamp' it might be blocked from compressing the gasket etc (So it might be best to do it 'green').

If I was going to fill the void with plastic shims of some sort then at least I could do the whole lot dry and adjust etc?

If I could lay the whole lot flat it would make it very much easier. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

I can't see you getting good fill with strips

make one

not workable

Some pastes can stay in place. Someone here may know what to add to epoxy.

Maybe fill the gap then complete the clamping assembly

I can't see that working

Alignment is important, so you're stuck with doing it in situ.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

Milliput might work, available from Hobbycraft.

Reply to
Capitol

No, I wasn't convinced either.

If I did it wouldn't resolve the one I couldn't get at and I'd need one for each 'side' of the hinge.

Well, I taped the top of the door in place when I had the top hinge out and it held it solid?

Yes, the two part 'putty' types might stay ok but might end up too hard (as you mentioned elsewhere).

Ok.

That was one option. Or actually 'bond' the hinge on the wall side of the pair so that if he replaces the 'glass shower wall' with a stud / Aquapanel wall he can still re-use the door.

Basically I could do that on both the door and wall side of the hinge and even 'bias' the hinge upward so that it sits flat again one the load (of the door) goes on the hinges.

Quite. ;-(

What about a silicone based adhesive, maybe with the gaskets perforated with a hole punch (to allow a better bond between hinge and glass and clamp and glass), just on the 'wall' side of the hinges. Is there a particularly 'strong' silicone do you know? Apply the hinges, leave to cure for 48 hours or so and then re-hang the door using new gaskets and possibly shims at the top (to stop the door sinking over time onto the hinge)? I don't think there would be so much time of the hinges 'twisting' if they were held solid on one side (like the wall mounted versions).

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

Yes, it was that sort of thing I was thinking of (a 2 part epoxy putty) and I've used some to good effect fixing a chipped shower base.

I think the hinge mech has a plastic surround that may be there to stop a metal to glass contact so if it was Milliput on the glass it shouldn't make much difference.

I need to (accurately) measure the hole in glass and compare it with the dimensions on the diagram.

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

I don't think so, but it's all getting too ambiguous

I assume it wouldn't be tough enough. If you do try it, aquarium silicone's tough.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

Poundland have epoxy putty fwiw

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

OK, I'll check that out, ta.

Even if it isn't the best in the world ir could still be ok for that role.

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

'Warm and fuzzy' / open-minded thinking that's all. Trying to consider all the options whilst grading them in a likelihood of success. ;-)

It just needs to maintain a non-slip bond between the hinge and the glass,

Ah yes, that's a good thought, thanks.

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

like I said. It's your bathroom though.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

I know.

It isn't though (but I get the point).

I've since managed to find someone who actually specifies the construction of such things (glass walls and doors, typically on shower enclosures) and he was stating it may be that this install was on the border of using 3 hinges. Too late now the glass is toughened of course but he would like some pictures and dimension of the job and will advise from those.

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

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