What to Do with Sugru

Moldable rubber. Moldable glue. These are two ways the makers of Sugru describe their product. Others characterize it using other terms...magic, amazing, awesome, infinitely adaptable to any need, and more. You get the picture.

Introduced in December of 2009, I read about it in Make Magazine. While I don't recall the exact timing, I believe I purchased my first Sugru in 2010 from the second production run. This tidbit sticks in my mind because I remember being informed my order was delayed as the first run of the product had sold out.

Anyway, it was love at first use. My very first project was to repair the cam in my electric pants press. Over the years, the timer had stuck at different places and the contacts melted notches in the cam. This meant I could not make full use of the press, often only getting five to ten minutes of heat before needing to manually advance the timer past the notch.

I disassembled the timer and repaired the notches with Sugru, black to match the cam. I thought it highly appropriate that one UK product was being used to repair another. The project was a total success, and the press works flawlessly to this day.

My next project was to replace the missing zipper pull on my favorite jacket. For this project, I selected brown Sugru to blend with the leather. I created an armature out of copper wire and molded the Sugru over that. Viola! Still in service as well.

The list of repairs I've made with this remarkable product is extensive. Here's a partial list. With two exceptions (heel repair and reattaching the arms to my glasses), Sugru performed amazingly well! That's a pretty impressive record if you ask me.

Note: Sugru does have a shelf life and should be kept in the refrigerator for maximum longevity. However, in my personal experience, Sugru lasts longer than the expiration date.​ Just be careful with using out-of-date material. Depending upon your fix, it may not perform optimally.