I test out A LOT of materials looking for ones I can use for my many projects and fixes. I LOVE white Gorilla Tape, and the stretchy, self-fusing X-Treme silicone tape I used recently to patch an impossibly-leaky plumbing joint and fashion custom-made chair leg tips to protect my soft plywood floors.
Sadly, neither worked well as a patch for the years-old $300 Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones I rely on to calm my super-sensitive nervous system. What to do to secure the still-working but sorely frayed headphones?
SUGRU, a moldable glue that hardens into a strong, flexible patch. I’d written about it years ago when it had just come out, but forgot about it. Remembering that it has a limited shelf-life, I ordered a small pack of three colors —white, gray and black — figuring I’d test run the black on my headphones, and the other colors on projects around my space.
Each came in a small foil packet to be opened just before making the repair. You have 30 minutes to work the Sugru before it begins to dry. I used a q-tip to clean around the wires with alcohol.
Sugru molds like putty. I pulled off a small piece and rolled it into a ball, then flattened it, and positioned it around the worn area of wire, with enough to “grab” the rubber on either side.
It molds into a rather organic-looking form…
I patched each end of the headphone controls and the jack end since they get the most wear. It took all of fifteen minutes. Then I left it to dry 24-hours. I used dry paper towel to rub the black Sugru off my hands.
Et voila. The Sugru hardened into a pliable rubber the truly secures the wire’s weak areas (rather than stressing them as most tapes do. The headphones work perfectly. No doubt I could refine my Sugru-molding technique, but I am so thrilled that the headphones are secure, I’m good with the patches.
Sugru is some of the best repair material I’ve found. Sugru.com has millions (literally) of clever ways that people have used Sugru, in its many colors. (You can even use it in wet areas, like the shower.)
I can think of a lot of repairs and enhancements to make with the stuff. It’s become an essential in my tool kit.
These packs are a good way to start, with any colors you like.
Sugru’s great(!).
,..just don’t store them in your bedside table,
with your condoms. ?
gallagher
Two ways we have used it: 1) When we bought a very expensive but very small Sony camera I found it slippery to grip. I put a button of Sugru on the front as a resting place for my right forefinger. 2) My Warby Parker eyeglasses were a tad too wide to grip my head. Adding a dot of Sugru to the inside of the hinges in front brought the earpieces closer together just enough. Love that stuff!
Those are great uses, Chris. Thank you. I seem to have Sugru filters on my eyes, now: looking around to see how I can use it. (:
Yeah, you’re right. The package is almost identical to a condom pack. And of course you got me wondering if you could… make a condom out of …Sugru… (;
Thanks for this great post, IL. LOVE Sugru… and the story behind it. Worth 24 minutes of your time to watch Sugru’s inventor, Jane ni Dhulchaointigh, speak to her process: magic indeed!
http://vimeo.com/72040407
YES!!!! Jane is amazing. In my first writeup of Sugru, I featured that film because the story is great and heartening. https://improvisedlife.com/2011/07/06/sugru-inspires-repairs-and-hacks/
Thanks so much for this! I intend to pre-emptively reinforce my version of these same headphones. Do you think it would work with the thinner wires, ie, the bits that connect to the earbuds?
So for the delay getting back to you. YES, I think it would work find with thinner wires. Just mold the material very gently.