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12" PowerBook feet

zen

zen

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jun 26, 2003
1,713
472
I've just received a used 12" PowerBook which is in superb condition except for the feet. The original little Apple feet are missing, and the previous user has stuck large, flat, rubber feet on the bottom. I think they are the self-adhesive sort as they have slipped a little, leaving little outlines of residue on the base. The feet themselves seem fairly secure, but they are big, ugly, and slightly uneven so the case rocks very slightly.

Does anybody have any advice on how to remove stuff stuck to a PowerBook case and how to clean it up? I might just buy proper Apple replacement feet (I know they are pricey), but the residue on the bottom case annoys me. How could anyone stick something on such a beautiful machine? :confused:

Cheers in advance!

Zen
 
yes!

desolv-it is the name of the product it take off that adhesive glue real nice.
 
i like the big feet on my powerbook- well depends how big i just put the ones that are on your cupboards that dampen the shock when you close em- makes it easier to get your fingers under it and also was very grabby which was nice....
 
I'll post some pictures tonight when I get home - the machine came by courier to my work about 30 minutes ago.

Those products - desolv-it and Goo Gone, I take it they don't damage the aluminium surface at all? I'm not sure what we have here in New Zealand but I guess a hardware store should stock all that kind of stuff.

I'm picking up an iCurve this afternoon from the local Apple store, so I might just ask them about the feet while I'm there and will have the machine with me.

But aside from this, the 12" rules! I've upgraded from a dying iBook G4 (logic board problem) and after just half an hour I love this new machine!
 
zen said:
Those products - desolv-it and Goo Gone, I take it they don't damage the aluminium surface at all? I'm not sure what we have here in New Zealand but I guess a hardware store should stock all that kind of stuff.
Click to expand...

I've used Goo Gone on many different surfaces without a problem, but I haven't used it on aluminum. Supposedly aluminum is fine...I just can't speak from personal experience.
 
Hmm, according to someone on MacNN, the feet on the 12" PowerBook are integrated into the bottom of the case, and I need a whole new bottom case to replace them.

That's not right, is it? There are four feet ports on the base, a bit like on my iBook G4 (but smaller). The rubber feet are supposed to snap into those. I've had to resnap them on my iBook several times.

I need to buy a new battery today as this one is dead, so I need to sort the big feet/gunge/replacement feet out as the front right foot is part of the battery cover on the 12" PB.
 
Thinking back to my PowerBook, I don't see why you couldn't buy the rubber bits and snap/glue them into the holes as long as the holes are still intact.

As for the glue residue on the aluminium, lighter fluid works very well for such things, and I'd be very surprised if it was to harm the aluminium — I've used it on all sorts of things and it's been fine.
 
Lau said:
Thinking back to my PowerBook, I don't see why you couldn't buy the rubber bits and snap/glue them into the holes as long as the holes are still intact.

As for the glue residue on the aluminium, lighter fluid works very well for such things, and I'd be very surprised if it was to harm the aluminium — I've used it on all sorts of things and it's been fine.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the question is whether Apple NZ has the feet - I'll find out this afternoon anyway!

Lighter fluid. Ah, good thinking. I'll test it first though - I know the aluminium cases on the PBs are coated/painted so I don't want to damage it and risk the rest peeling.
 
Ok, I haven't photographed the big horrid feet yet but I took the PowerBook in to the local service centre. The feet are not integrated, they glue into little feet bases on the underside of the PowerBook (I already knew this, not sure what the person on the MacNN forums was talking about). The Apple replacement feet pack includes glue and two battery feet (slightly different port they glue into) and four standard feet (so that's three to glue in and one spare) and costs NZ$32, which is about $US20. They didn't have any in stock so it'll take a couple of weeks to arrive.

Regarding removing the big feet and gunge, the tech recommended I carefully prise the big feet off then just use a hairdryer to get the adhesive gunk off. I've got a new battery coming in, so I'll wait until it arrives before I try that.
 
This is obviously an ancient thread, but I'm in the same boat as the poster here and looking for a source for the replacement rubber feet on these MacBooks/PowerBooks of this era. The link shared from welovemacs leads to a dead domain. If anyone out there has any ideas (other than using reclaimed bottom casing with them) I'd sure appreciate it =]
 
Ha... bonus/followup one, but off topic of feet. I've just gotten to cracking mine open (MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid/Late 2007, 2.4/2.2GHz) and it's missing a few of the screws on the sides of the base. Haven't looked for any yet, but if anyone has a tip on those, would be grateful =]
 
Found seller on eBay, across the pond.
 

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michaelx74 said:
Found seller on eBay, across the pond.
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That's good :) Missing side screws is a common problem with Al PowerBooks and MacBookPros, especially with those that have been fiddled with. I bought several apparently non-working 15" MBPs as parts donors and all of them are missing one screw or the other.
 
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