Bezel fitting/alignment problems! (Happ's 27" bezel w/Toshiba 27A33 TV)

[sofakng]

Well, Happ's sent me a cracked bezel for my TV so they are sending me a new one, however they said just to throw away my cracked one so I figured I'd cut it to size anyways just to see how everything fit together.

It turns out the inside part of the bezel (where the TV glass fits) is TOO BIG.  That means that part of my TV casing is exposed at either the top or the bottom.  The rest of it fits fine and covers the top and sides of the TV casing.

Anybody else have this problem, or does anybody know how I could possibly fix this?  Would removing the TV casing help?  I'd VERY MUCH prefer NOT to do this though.

I'm considering getting smoked glass (should I get smoked plexiglass?) to put on top of my bezel anyways, so that would probably hide the casing a little bit, but it would definitely still be visisble...

Please help...

[Sylentwulf]

1 - Masking tape, black spray paint tv case.
2 - Cut bezel
3 - Remove case, which you don't want to do (neither do I, I'll find out if mine fits next week)

That's all I can think of.

[etumor]

Well, Happ's sent me a cracked bezel for my TV so they are sending me a new one, however they said just to throw away my cracked one so I figured I'd cut it to size anyways just to see how everything fit together.

It turns out the inside part of the bezel (where the TV glass fits) is TOO BIG.  That means that part of my TV casing is exposed at either the top or the bottom.  The rest of it fits fine and covers the top and sides of the TV casing.

Anybody else have this problem, or does anybody know how I could possibly fix this?  Would removing the TV casing help?  I'd VERY MUCH prefer NOT to do this though.

I'm considering getting smoked glass (should I get smoked plexiglass?) to put on top of my bezel anyways, so that would probably hide the casing a little bit, but it would definitely still be visisble...

Please help...

It sounds like it's too late for this, but a 25" bezel would solve your problem.

-Jeff "etumor"

[sofakng]

Thanks for the suggestions...

Perhaps I should have gotten a 25" bezel... You're right though, it's a bit too late for that.  I think that 25" might of covered too much of the screen though, but I can't be sure.

Did anybody ever have this problem and cover it up?  Sylentwulf mentioned a couple of good ideas... does anybody have any other suggestions?

[etumor]

Thanks for the suggestions...

Perhaps I should have gotten a 25" bezel... You're right though, it's a bit too late for that.  I think that 25" might of covered too much of the screen though, but I can't be sure.

Did anybody ever have this problem and cover it up?  Sylentwulf mentioned a couple of good ideas... does anybody have any other suggestions?

Yes, but with the 25" bezel, you could trim a little bit of the inner edge to make it fit properly.  I did this when I used a 25" bezel with a 27" TV before.

-Jeff "etumor"

[sofakng]

Well...

*Maybe* I could call them and get them to send a 25" bezel, but they already sent me a free replacement for my 27" bezel and they didn't charge me or ask for the old one back, so I'd feel a little embarassed about asking for yet another replacement...  Although I wouldn't want to pay $30 for another bezel.

Decisions decisions...

Maybe one of the solutions mentioned above would work for me?

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

[Sylentwulf]

You have a spare 27". Try cutting it and stuff with the one you already have that's broken, you're throwing it away anyways <shrug>

[sofakng]

Hmmm... yet another change.

I called Happ's (they must hate me), and they said to tell UPS I refuse the package with my new 27" bezel -- that way it will be auto-returned to them.

They are going to ship me a 25" bezel instead.  

Did you have to cut your 25" bezel very far to make the 27" TV fit?  I'm a bit worried after all this...  I'm praying that the 25" will fit my 27" TV perfectly (when cut) =)

I hope you're right about the 25" bezel  =)

[etumor]

Hmmm... yet another change.

I called Happ's (they must hate me), and they said to tell UPS I refuse the package with my new 27" bezel -- that way it will be auto-returned to them.

They are going to ship me a 25" bezel instead.  

Did you have to cut your 25" bezel very far to make the 27" TV fit?  I'm a bit worried after all this...  I'm praying that the 25" will fit my 27" TV perfectly (when cut) =)

I hope you're right about the 25" bezel  =)

Well, I didn't say it was going to be easy...

It will fit if you trim a little of the inside edge.  That's what I did previously, and it worked well.  It isn't easy trimming the edge, though.  I think I used scissors, but it was several years ago.

-Jeff "etumor"

[sofakng]

Yep, my father said the same thing when I told him... (he's helping me most of the construction since I'm not good at woodworking).

However I grabbed a pair of scissors to see if they would cut my junk 27" bezel and they worked perfectly.  The cut through the plastic without any problem what-so-ever.

So, as long as I trim the entire inside edge I think I should be fine.  Hopefully I don't have to trim it so far that I'm actually trimming the curved part of the bezel but even if I do it shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for the suggestion about the 25" bezel though.  I think thats after I cut the new bezel it'll look and fit much better than the 27" one did.

If you have any other suggestions or advice on cutting this new bezel please let me know!

Also if anybody else has any suggestions or thinks I should keep the NEW 27" one,  please let me know before Monday because thats when the new 27" bezel will arrive from UPS and I will either refuse it (send it back) or accept it (and send back the 25" one)

Thanks again for all your help!

[MiKman]

I had the same problem with my 27" RCA TV.  I was going to just remove the TV casing then I thought otherwise.  Here is what I did:  I got myself some 1" wide black velcro (not generic stuff, real velcro brand) and stuck the stiff side of vlecro strip to the TV along the egde where the glass meets the casing. Then I took the fuzzy side of the velcro strip and stuck it on the bezel along the inner edge.  Now the Bezel sticks right to the TV exactly where I want it.  It even looks pretty good, as soon as I get a tinted peice of glass to put in front of it all you will never even notice it at all.  Just my 2 cents.

[sofakng]

I had the same problem with my 27" RCA TV.  I was going to just remove the TV casing then I thought otherwise.  Here is what I did:  I got myself some 1" wide black velcro (not generic stuff, real velcro brand) and stuck the stiff side of vlecro strip to the TV along the egde where the glass meets the casing. Then I took the fuzzy side of the velcro strip and stuck it on the bezel along the inner edge.  Now the Bezel sticks right to the TV exactly where I want it.  It even looks pretty good, as soon as I get a tinted peice of glass to put in front of it all you will never even notice it at all.  Just my 2 cents.

Would you recommend this method over cutting a 25" bezel?

[MiKman]

I think so, especially if you plan on putting a tinted peice of glass in front of the whole thing.  I guess there are some drawbacks, the TV now has velcro stuck to it but I was never going to use the TV for anything else anyhow...  here are a couple of pictures that might show you what mine looks like, sorry they are older I don't have a digital camera otherwise I would show a closer more detailed one for you.  (no glass in front of it yet).  Also my TV is silver and not black so you can see how well it covers the TV's case...

[MiKman]

The other drawback is that lots of dust and stuff can get between the bezel and the TV in the velcro because the bezel doesn't sit tight against the glass like it would on a real arcade monitor. But once I get the glass in front of it then the dust and crumbs from my kids won't be a problem...

[sofakng]

That does look really, really good.  You can't see what TV what-so-ever.

However I think in my case it wouldn't come out quite as nice because my TV is exposed by somewhere between 1/4" and 1/2".  Perhaps if I used velcro it would stay in place, but I'm not sure...

I was actually going to use velcro regardless to hold the bezel onto the TV so thats not really an issue.  My only concern is that I have too much TV case exposed to force/bend the bezel to stay in place like that.

[MiKman]

hmm yes my tv's entire case is behind the bezel (just barely tho) and the bezel is only stuck to the TV's case and not touching the actual screen...  if more of your TV's case is showing from behind the bezel you might be better off getting the 25" bezel  I didn't know happs had one that size...   hope which ever you decide it all works out for you :-)

[sofakng]

Yeah, tomorrow (err later today..?) I'll try taking a picture to show everybody just how much of the TV case is actually sticking out -- it's quite a bit (at least in my opinion).

Thanks for all your help MiKman!  I'll let you know how everything works out

One more quick question...  Would it be possible to paint the plastic bezel?  

Maybe this would just be silly, but I have a ton of extra high gloss paint left over.  Would it be worthwhile to paint the bezel so that it's the same color/gloss as the rest of the cabinet?  Not a big deal of course, but hey... why not?

[sofakng]

My Happ's 25" bezel came in today....   YAAAAY!  ...or not...

So, for those of you haven't read this thread, here's a quick summary:

1) Ordered 27" happs' bezel for my TV.  It came CRACKED and it was a little too big for my TV.  Happ's sent me a new bezel.

2) Before the new bezel arrived, it was suggested that I try a 25" bezel and then cut it to fit my 27" TV.  What a great idea I thought, so I ordered a 25" bezel and canceled my 27" bezel order.

3) My 25" bezel came in today.

The 25" bezel fits the TV perfectly!  But the EXTRA AREA (on the top and bottom) IS TOO SMALL!!!!!

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!

I'm starting to get really frustrated with my cabinet.  It's problem after problem after problem.  I've been working on it several nights per week for nearly 7 weeks.    I really, really, really want to complete this already...

Sorry, back to my problem...

What should I do?

1. Use 25" bezel.
     a) Raise TV by 4 inches or so.  (required because the bezel must fit behind my speaker grills on top)
     b) Install a board vertically behind my control panel and paint it black.

2.  Use my cracked 27" bezel.
     a) The crack is fairly small and when smoked glass is on top it will be difficult to see.
     b) Try to center bezel as best as possible so the least amount of TV casing is exposed.
     c) Paint a little bit of my TV case with my black paint (not sure if I should do this)

3.  Use my cracked 27" bezel and remove TV case.
     a) I'm really hesitant about removing my TV case, but if I did that I'm betting that my bezel would fit it fairly well.


So those are my options.  I've already ordered my smoked glass so I'm pretty much stuck with using a 27" bezel because if I install a support black for the 25" bezel then the smoked glass piece won't fit.  I've listed all those options because I might be able to cancel my smoked glass order depending on what everybody here thinks I should do.

Please help me........

[etumor]

The 25" bezel fits the TV perfectly!  But the EXTRA AREA (on the top and bottom) IS TOO SMALL!!!!!

I don't really have any suggestions to fix the problem, just a comment.  This is exactly why I try to get all of the critical parts together before I start construction (or even final design) on a cabinet.  If I wait on a piece like that, I invariably learn that I designed something on my cabinet the wrong size after I've already built it and have to kludge some kind of solution.

Of course, I learned that the hard way, just like you are doing now.  My very first cabinet, I said "I'll figure it out when I get to it" on dozens of little logistical issues, and as a result, my first cab was never finished, and it got scrapped three months later...

-Jeff "etumor"

Jeez...look at that thing!  I really didn't know what I was doing back then.

[Tailgunner]

You can always paint the back side of the glass to hide the exposed TV case, or print up some cab operating instructions to fill in that area.

You could also sell the plastic bezel and make a cardboard bezel that fits both the TV and the cab.

[sofakng]

Well, even if I paint the glass black the glass is going to come down too far (my control panel box is kind of low, which is what I wanted).

I'll probably just use velcro to get the bezel as fit as best as possible, and then put my smoked glass over it.  It won't look spectacular, but with the smoked glass all the errors in the bezel, etc should be fairly well hidden.

*shrug*

It would be nice to start over, but there is absolutely no way (no time or money).  I don't think it's a HUGE problem anyways, but I'm just a bit frustrated...

Anybody have any other suggestions for me?

[Soulcon]

Here is a little involved method that your dad will come in handy with.

First run out to your local Napa or Pepboys auto repair shop and buy  all in one fiberglass repair kit.

Repair the crack on the back side of your bezel first by sanding it down to a rough area and then applying the Fiber and hardener. Use it sparingly because the bezel is very thin. And when you sand it down later you do not want to wear down the rest of the bezel.

Now that the crack is repaired lets work on getting your bezel to fit your TV. First get two Saw horses and lay your bezel on the saw horses so the inner curved part is pointing down. Sand throughly the outside the part you see that goes in towards the TV. Now cut the remainder of your fiberglass into strips about 6 inchs long or atleast three inchs past the depth of the inner bezel area. Now Dip your fiber glass strips in the harderner and start placing the strips around the inner edge so that they hang towards the floor. Basically extending the bezels inner depth and angle so it will hide the rest of the TV casing.

Once it is hardened and dry sand the complete bezel front and back. every last part. Sand until it is completely smooth the box might come with some filler puddy you can use on some of the really rough spots. If not then just add a little of the left over filler and cut a small piece of fiberglass to fit the divot. Then sand again.

Take your bezel to your tv and again with clippers cut the excess Fiber glass so it meshes upto your TV perfectly. Sand the edges down a little so you don't accedently scratch your TV.

Now that we have a completely sanded bezel grab a can of Black Spray paint. Gloss to match original bezel or Mat to cut down on bezel glare which is minimal anyway. Now paint your nice sanded bezel with a light coat so as to help from flex cracks in the paint.

Tada you have fixed your bezel! and learned somewhat how to fabricate a car . Now I am waiting to see some fiber modded arcades .

-Soul