A partial visual history of Sugru | Hacker News Reader

A partial visual history of Sugru

sugru.com

159 pointslingben36 comments

I like Sugru. Have used it for several things including padding and grips on my compact digital camera. My only complaint is that it has a short-ish shelf life though from what I understand, it can be extended by refrigeration. Its also somewhat costly (if you consider the amount you get).

[I work at Sugru]

Yup, it lasts 2.5 times longer in the fridge!

what about the cost? :)

I've used Sugru for one thing, applying a thin layer around the fraying part of my Macbook Air power cable. Wrapping it in white electrical tape never worked long-term, as the tape would eventually slide and get nasty. But the white Sugru has worked perfectly for more than a year now, without any disintegration, loss of flexibility, discoloration, or additional fraying. So at least for protecting thin cables, it works great.

PS: I wore rubber dishwashing gloves to apply it and smooth it, so it wouldn't wind up with fingerprints embedded in the texture along the whole way.

nothing like paying premium for a product because "it is designed better" and then having to redesign it :)

id have used color sugru, but then all my power cords have proper stress relieve...

I know I'm going to get downvoted to hell but...

Are these the beginnings of a new silicone valley?

I've used Sugru for only one thing, and it has worked perfectly: apply a thin layer of it over the edges on my MBP where my wrists touch, so I don't feel like it's trying to open my veins.

If you like the story, Jane's talk at 99U is also worth a watch:

http://vimeo.com/72040407

Her talk at Hacker News London is also well worth a watch

https://vimeo.com/37306611

Extremely inspiring while in the weeds of my own "10 year (hopefully) overnight success". I also really like the presentation format. Thanks for sharing.

Take note of the small section regarding fixing a disabled girls wheelchair. Its wonderful.

There is stuff with similar properties. Silicone or resin applied in layers. Also soldering plastic (good ventilation!) or wax.

But Sugru seems like very easy to work with.

is there a forum or somewhere where i can figure out if my use case would work before i buy some?

my headphone cables always mess up around the part where they plug into a device. The wire is too bendy and the plastic part is too thick -- what ends up happening is the thin wires inside the cable bend against the plastic, and crack/break forcing me to hold the cable in awkward positions to get stereo audio.

could this actually fix it?

Why don't you just cut off the old connector and solder on a new one?

Depending on the headphones, that may not be practical. the wires can be ludicusly fine on some of them. I've tried and failed more than once.

Plus the 2-part snap together plugs are so much bulkier than the originals.

Soldering small things is pretty easy. I can solder 0603 surface-mount devices without magnification, and I have below-average vision and drink way too much caffeine.

More importantly, I think it's the correct solution to this problem. If moving the wire around results in the sound cutting off, you don't have a good connection. Holding the wire against the connector mechanically is a fine short-term solution, but it's just going to break again, no matter how much epoxy you use. (Though a thinner 2-part epoxy might have better results than Suguru. Clamp the work in a position where you know the wires make good contact, pour epoxy into the gap, or a mold you make out of paper or something, and then wait for it to cure.) Soldering on a new connector will ensure that you have a good mechanical and electrical connection. Add some suguru for extra strain relief, if you must, and you probably won't be repairing the headphones again.

I'll also suggest just throwing the headphones away and spending $10 on a new pair, unless these are like $2000 custom molded for your ears, or something.

Lots of small headphones use enamel-insulated wires, and scraping that off the ridiculously fine wires is fiddly.

Surface mount devices tend to have pads. The surface tension of the solder pulls the component into alignment.

But I agree with you - repairing stuff is a fun hobby and can be done.

> I'll also suggest just throwing the headphones away

I really wish there was an easy way to recycle this kind of thing. Surely in bulk quantities the copper and gold makes it worthwhile?

I get the enamel off by running the wire through molten solder until it's melted off, then adding a bit more solder to tin the wire.

As for the e-waste, here's the most relevant video response I can find:

http://www.comedycentral.com/video-clips/f2jcqw/futurama-e-w...

If you google for sugru and headphones you will find loads of examples and I remember seeing a solution for you exact problem problem somewhere in the sugru's website... I for one used it to fix a pair of broken Bose headphones years ago and they are still going strong.

Have a look through here: http://sugru.com/gallery

I've used Sugru on a few things, and yes it would fix the problem you have.

There are bits of Sugru on some Lenovo chargers where the cable pulls from the charging unit. This is precisely what you're describing and I've moulded it to still have some give (tapers away from the plastic charging unit).

And some bits on Brompton (cycle) pedals to add weight so that the pedals swing to a better starting position.

A walk around my house will reveal little bits all over, each doing a small thing and sparing me from the cost and waste of replacing larger things.

It works really well and the only complaint I would have is that it can be ugly. But more than anything that is your choice about which colour to pick and how you shape it before it sets. I now use a tool to shape it (back of a teaspoon, etc) so that my finger impressions don't live forever and make it look kinda amateur.

Works well, would definitely work on the kind of small fix you need.

If you're worried about finger impressions, dip your fingers in soapy water before moulding.

Thanks, great tip. I'll do that in future.

What a fantastic story. That's a startup I can get excited about.

Wow, this looks like really cool stuff.

It is, got quite a few packs a year or so ago, down to my last one. Will be ordering more.

It was all in the marketing. There really isn't anything special about the actual product and it's nothing new, but man did they make it "feel gorgeous". This is definitely something to learn from.

Sugru introduced the idea to a different group of people that they could fix/"hack" physical stuff to make it work better, or to improve it.

it's nothing new

Can you name a few of the other products then? I've honestly never heard of them. Same temperature range, bonding properties, etc?

There's a million types of putties for various uses. They're usually not marketed largely because of their niche industrial use. Silicone isn't the only material either. Antique restorers will be more knowledgable about this kind of stuff than most people as different putties are used for different materials (bronze,copper,brass,wood,etc.)

In other words, you can't name them either.

Seriously, on Hacker News you are going to post that contemptuous drivel?

https://www.google.com/search?q=silicone+epoxy+putty

I'm not an expert, but I found a lot just by Googling for "repair putty -sugru" or "epoxy putty -sugru".

There's even a Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxy_putty

However, this only highlights the product innovation that Sugru seems to be bringing here. All the products I could find were binary; there was a mixing step. Most are designed for use by professionals, and you might need gloves to work with them. Most are more specific in their use case, like particular putties for marine repair or ceramics or wood or what have you.

Sugru seems to work right out of the packet. The product seems designed to cure to a hardness that is a little bit structural but still rubbery, with a surface that people find pleasant to handle.

When it comes to chemical compounds, it is pretty rare to invent something wholly new. (Just as it is in software, I might add.) Crafting the right product for the right applications, envisioning a completely new market and actually reaching those customers - that's what makes all the difference.

I haven't come across any DIY formulations that can produce the same texture and properties (strength and flexibility) -- especially in gallon-size quantities (for robot parts). If it really "isn't anything special", then please share your homemade formulation(s)!

There are many different kinds of silicone epoxy/putty for repairs. I know a couple who repair antique lamps, furniture, and fixtures and their inventory of putties is humongous. This product marketed it well (by coloring it) and advertising it to non-carpenter/tradesmen folk.

they probably wont sell it to you anyways.

few month i wanted to buy tempurkont or something from sherman willians. i did the research. i needed silicone paint or primer. they had a line of products perfect for my use. i got the info down to product number. cant remember now of course.

NONE of the stores knew about it. one of the stores took the trouble of calling some place. learned it was from the architectural branch. id have to order a minimum quantity of X gallons, x being a huge number i dont remember, and wait 2 to 3 weeks.

so, yeah, even if you learn the resin you need, though luck. they wont bother selling to you anyways.

so kudos to sugru. but shame on them for almost no tech info.

It's not easy to find, but we have a technical data sheet here: http://sugru.com/pdfs/tds.pdf

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