It may look and feel a bit like Play-Doh, and it’s certainly child’s play to use, but here’s a product that could revolutionise your life. Fixers of the world, it’s time to get excited!
What is this stuff?
The easiest way to think of Sugru is as mouldable glue. You can stick it to almost any surface, shape it by hand any which way you desire, and it will turn into durable, flexible silicone rubber. It was invented with the simple intention of making fixing easy and fun.
Sugru’s patented silicone technology is unique and took many years of development to perfect. It bonds to almost any other material and cures within 24-hours just by exposing it to air. Its durable cured properties mean it’ll stay strong and securely bonded anywhere from the freezer to a steamy hot shower, or from the home to the great outdoors.
Who invented Sugru?
It started in London in 2003, when a young Irish woman by the very long name of Jane ni Dhulchaointigh was experimenting with materials while studying product design in London. She made a smelly silicone that enabled her to make her kitchen sink plug a bit bigger and a knife handle more comfortable.
Eventually she gathered a small team of product designers and material scientists together and many years later Sugru (inspired by the Irish word for ‘play’) was on the market.
How to use it
Stick it: Sugru sticks permanently to almost any surface – glass, metal, wood, ceramics, and most plastics and fabrics.
Shape it: You have 30 minutes from opening the packet to build, seal, fix, create and stick things together. It might sound kind of scary having that ‘ticking clock’ hanging over you, but most projects take only a couple of minutes to complete.
Give it 24-hours: By then, Sugru will have turned into a durable, flexible silicone rubber that stays stuck (unless you decide to remove it by cutting it off).
Where to use it
Sugru is mouldable so you can fill gaps and replace missing parts. It will adhere to almost anything, and it’s strong and long lasting in all weather conditions so you can use it indoors or outdoors.
It’s also temperature resistant up to 180°C and down to -50°C, as well as being dishwasher proof, saltwater proof and electrically insulating (for small electronic consumer repairs below 24 volts).
Being available in 8 different colours means Sugru can be colour mixed, which allows an even greater level of customisation for your projects. There’s really not much they haven’t thought of!
Who uses it?
So far, there have been over 14 million Sugru fixes and hacks made by people in 175 countries and counting! They’ve used it to help with everything from fixing a phone charging cable to making new saucepan lids and doorknobs, repairing shoes, making an iPad wall mount, and even sending cameras into space!
Users can check out Sugru’s blog for inspiration, where you can finds ideas for new fixes submitted by creative users the world over, and submit your own via their Instagram account using the hashtag #mySugruFix. You can even win a year’s supply of Sugru for your effort!
In this day and age where we understand the importance of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’, using Sugru can mean you don’t have to throw out an item or buy an expensive replacement part. Just fix, make and improve the stuff you love!
