Killed Model-M, revived (pics), need advice for reconstruction

[Vehementi]

Hello knowledgeable enthusiasts,

Short story and problem: I spilled water on my Model-M and had to fully disassemble it (destructively) to clean and rebuild the conductive pathways on the acetate layers.  Now I need to reassemble it and I seek advice on how to resecure the plastic keypad layer to the metal base.

Pics and a bit more explanation: http://www3.telus.net/vehementi/pics/model_m_reconstruct/

If you've for some reason taken a Model-M apart you know that the way the black plastic layer is attached to the metal backing is through plastic pegs that are attached to the plastic layer, go through the metal backing, and then were melted to hold.  Obviously, these had to be broken off to get access to the acetate layers.

We tried a hot glue gun on the peg stubs and it worked for about a day, but the curvature of the metal left a weak area near the middle and eventually most of the spots had disconnected.

I was thinking we could get some metal pegs or something and drill through the plastic where the pegs are, put the metal pegs in, and then secure them (even via glue gun).  I fear that would interfere with the key behavior though.

Any suggestions?

[ch_123]

You need this.

Btw, nice work on that membrane repair job. I wouldn't have thought of that one myself.

[Vehementi]

Oh, someone has already super elegantly solved my problem.  Excellent.  Thanks for the quick responses.  That is a very fine document.

[ch_123]

The plastic rivets regularly break off on older Model Ms, causing inconsistent feel and sound. Thus why we have a few guides on how to fix them.

[msiegel]

i highly recommend the screws & bolts. it's really a fine upgrade

[microsoft windows]

One of these days I should do that to the broken rivets on my M5-2. A few broke with age, but I had to remove a few to access an area where the spring had fallen between the plastic and metal plates. As a result of that, the right Alt key has quite a "clacky" sound. But it works...