Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/06/05/sugru-is-the-duct-tape-of-the.html
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A product I’ll vouch for.
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It’s true—this era is fucking garbage!
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Me too - very much. Though I wish there was a recommended way to open a pack, use a fraction of it for a really teeny job, and reseal/save the rest for much later without it ‘going off’.
I wonder if clingfilm might do it if care were taken to exclude all air.
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One thing to know: Sugru has an expiration date. Even if you don’t open the package it will go hard after a year or so. Buying some just because it’s cheap now isn’t so great if you don’t find a use for it in time.
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I have to agree. Great stuff.
Sometimes I get those super cheap break out boards on amazon for an arduino/Pi product. You can use this to make little rubber feat on them for prototyping, or just to mount it to a printed part.
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Unfortunately, Sugru is one of those disposable products. It is expensive and does not have a very long shelf life in it’s sealed package at room temperature. Be sure to keep it in the fridge or freezer to prolong usable working life. Or, better yet, don’t buy any until you have a specific project.
So, I wouldn’t call Sugru the duct tape of the 21st century as duct tape lasts longer on the shelf. (I actually prefer 3" wide Bron BT279, but don’t know if it is still made…)
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No colander breaks like that! We get that you need to sell stuff, and perhaps this is a worthy product, but it’s not an excuse for false advertising.
I have been meaning to get some of this stuff – a plastic knob broke off of my countertop toaster oven, and I’ve had to twist the stump with a wrench every time I use it. I kept the knob, thinking about this moldable glue stuff. But I kind of forgot to get some, so I’ve been using the pliers for probably almost a year?
Now, I did only want a 3-pack, so I went through Amazon. Plus it goes to an Amazon locker near me – packages left on stoops where I live don’t tend to stay there very long. 
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I’ll agree the 21st century is broken but I think it’ll take more than duct tape to fix it
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Maybe the kind oxygen absorbers they pack in beef jerky and freeze dried food would work along with a heat resealer - but that would probably cost as much as the sugru you are trying to prolong.
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It’s good stuff. Sometimes I make my own Oogoo
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Good thinking. And I do have a vacuum/heat sealer too. Though when opened, the little packs do not seem especially dry inside.
Nor do they seem vacuum-sealed, either IIRC (I don’t have any to hand right now but I do have a ‘knock-off’ and it is not vacuum-sealed).
Maybe they are packed in some other, inert gas.
I may experiment next time I need to crack open a packet and instead of wasting the remains, try vacuum-sealing, seeing as exposure to air seems to be the hardening factor.
Thanks for the idea.
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From their FAQs
If I’m not going to use the whole single-use pack, can I save the leftovers for later?
Once you cut open the single-use pack, the moisture in the air will trigger the curing process. We tested a few methods of preserving Sugru and haven’t found a reliable way to save the leftovers yet, so we recommend lining up a few projects to make the most of Sugru in one go.
I wonder if you could submerge it in soapy water or vaseline since they recommend them as release agents? I normally find another project to use it on.
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Hmm - still makes me wonder what it’s packed in, as it is certainly more m0ist than dry when fresh out of the pack. Interesting that they say it’s the moisture - specifically - in the air that makes it go off.
Yeah. As if life’'s like that. When the broken thing needs mending, it needs mending.
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The last four years are definitely at the recovery and disposal levels of the waste hierarchy. Strip out the few good things and incinerate the rest.
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The final divot holding the foot of our beloved 30 year old colander finally fell out. We bought a new one for the price of a packet of sugru.
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When a broken thing needs mending in my house it normally waits until I next need to use that thing – procrastination means I can fix it and put the job off for another 24 hours while I wait for the Sugru to go off.
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Almost anything? What about over Trump’s mouth and around his hands?
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I like the idea and the promise of sugru more than the reality.
Also that the Irish for play is used around the world is cool to me. Spelt differently in Irish of course but I’m rubbish at spelling and modern Irish orthography is shit.
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