They’re actually a little too thick. The thinnest VHB tape listed on 3M’s web site is 10 mils (.010″) thick. During my testing, I found that 9 mils (.009″) was already too thick – at that point the digitizer is noticeably no longer flush with the bezel, and the home button does not make reliable contact. Many adhesives used for this repair are only 4.5 mils (.0045″) or thinner, but doesn’t provide much of a cushion for irregularities in the frame and/or debris leftover from a shattered digitizer. The adhesive I use is just over 6 mils (.006″) thick, which seems to be an optimal balance.

> 2) Any suggestions on adhesive for under the plastic bezel?

I’ve used a generic 2mm double-sided tape – something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WIQW3U/

The adhesive under the bezel isn’t of critical importance, since the digitizer will eventually hold the bezel in place, but it’s always nice to have the new bezel locked-down while you’re working.

> 3) Any suggestions for the foam gasket that runs around perimeter of LCD?
> Seems to be a vhb type adhesive.

The VHB line does, indeed, seem like a good candidate for this. It seems to me that the main challenge would be creating a gasket of the optimal thickness. If it is too thick, it will put unnecessary pressure on the digitizer’s perimeter adhesive, potentially causing it to fail. If it is too thin, it will not make contact, and will not provide a complete seal – nullifying its purpose.

For a variety of practical and economic reasons, most repair houses don’t bother with this gasket, but it would be nice to be able to offer a solution for those that would like one. I’ll put this on my R&D agenda. Right now, my top priority is an adhesive kit for the iPod Touch 4th-gen, which is almost ready to go….

Thanks for your interest!

Glad you’ve been enjoying my music. Sorry your message fell through the proverbial cracks until now. Unfortunately, I ran low on Christmas CD inventory early this year, and didn’t really anticipate more orders until closer to the holidays. I’ll be doing another manufacturing run sometime in the next few months, but I don’t currently even have enough inventory for a gift pack.

I’ll send a note out to my e-mail list when the CD is available again (there’s a sign-up widget in the upper-right corner of this web site). If you wouldn’t mind replying to that message, and reminding me of this conversation, I’d be happy to sell you a 3-pack.

The adhesive kit pictured on that page is a copy of Apple’s original iPad 2 design. It works fine when you are using a brand-new iPad frame, but it becomes problematic when you are repairing an iPad which has been subjected to the harsh realities of inertia.

(I find it amusing to note, BTW, that the adhesive kit in the Amazon product photo is actually incomplete – it is missing one of the two small pieces for the home button bracket.)

The original design provides very little adhesive on certain parts of the screen. Furthermore, if you apply those adhesive pieces too far from their optimal positions, they will make even less contact (or even no contact) with the frame, further weakening the bond.

Apple’s adhesives were designed to be applied by machines, and intended to provide a bond which was “good enough”, while minimizing the amount of adhesive material required. My adhesives, on the other hand, are designed for easy application by hand, and they cover nearly every square millimeter of iPad frame which comes into contact with the screen. Additionally, since my adhesives are applied directly to the frame rather than to the screen, there is no guesswork as to how they should be positioned. (I include a placement chart with every order, nonetheless.)

The strength of the adhesive tape is also important, as is the thickness. There are currently 14 different vendors offering the original design on Amazon, and they may all be using slightly different adhesive tape. Even among the 3M products sold under the “300LSE” name (which was pictured in the Amazon photo) there are a number of different thicknesses and types. It’s possible that your cousin used the same adhesive material that I use, but it is unlikely given the price at which those kits were being offered.

I met face-to-face with engineers at 3M last December (I happen to live about half-an-hour away from their world headquarters), and discussed the technical requirements of this repair in great detail. After evaluating several samples that they sent me, I am now cutting my kits from what I believe to be the best iPad repair adhesive tape on the market. I truly believe that my adhesives are the best available, and I am always on the lookout for new ways to make them even better.

Regardless of what kind of adhesive you choose, if you decide to replace the adhesive on your iPad, be very slow and careful when removing the screen. When re-opening an iPad, the original adhesive design has a very nasty habit of pulling and breaking a tiny cable which is under the upper-right corner of the screen. If that cable breaks, your power button (and sometimes other things) will no longer function, and replacing it is a very long and tedious process. My adhesive kits do not have this problem, but I wanted you to be aware of it, since I’d hate to see you fall victim to it!

Best of luck!

Heard of your solo Christmas carol CD on the uke at the Monroe Crossing New Year’s show at the Sheldon in Red Wing, but took until now for me to find the program with my note of your web site. . . . Have been watching and listening for the past hour — such FINE music.

Question: It is possible to get a “gift pack” of the uke carols yet? 3 for $35.00?