I like it!.. Now to get some Sugru..
I like it!.. Now to get some Sugru..
No matter where you go...There you are..
" I think Sugru is neat, but sometimes it comes already cured/hardened in the package, and if I remember right it is relatively expensive"...yenemy (sorry I couldn't get reply with quote to work)
Yes, I find it expensive, and you have to watch the expiration date on it. It is rated only good for a year, unrefrigerated, but then it lasts about 3. Ive found a couple of places that sell it that still have stuff on the shelf that is more than a year past expiration. It then turns hard and you cant use it.
"I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road." -Stephen Hawking
"This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure." -Winston Churchill
In the development of this idea, I looked into several ready-made products with the intention of repurposing them for this application. One of the items that I seriously considered for this was an inverted silicone menstrual cup, such as Lunette or Diva. The cost of these proved to be prohibitively high for R&D and ultimately for the DripLip. I also tried the silicone/corn starch paste, but it simply didn't want to hold together well. The Sugru has proven to be a very good material for fabricating this item.
Most of the materials that we use for hanging are premium quality with associated prices. The cost of a couple of packs of Sugru is paltry when compared to a quality hammock or tarp. It works.
Good luck.
SE
I'm not surprised the Diva cup was too expensive, since it's medical grade silicone! I'm curious what the other options you thought of were, and why they didn't work?
I'm thinking of, but have not yet tried:
- mini silicone funnel : around $3 each. Possible issues : funnel tip too big, too expensive, difficult/annoying to create a proper seal around the suspension.
- earbud tips : $5 for 10 or 20, or free with a set of in-ear earbuds. Possible issues : too small to effectively block water, channel size vs suspension.
- bulb syringes : $5 for 4. Cut the ball in half and invert it over the spout. Possible issues: might be too big, might be annoying to invert the half-ball.
- plastic mini funnel : annoying to pack, vs a soft/squishable solution. Possibly easier to break.
I see some people online having success with the DIY Sugru substitute, but it may be harder to work with than the retail product. Could it have been the type of silicone caulk you used? I saw some of the instructions say to use acetic-acid cured silicone caulk, i.e. "the cheap stuff"; commonly used newer ones like GE Silicone II apparently don't work. Sugru's wikipedia entry itself says that it is essentially a mix of silicone caulk, talc (cornstarch is commonly used in baby powder in lieu of talc), and a little of what are probably catalysts or plasticizers, so I am willing to bet the actual material isn't rocket science to approximate with cheap off-the-shelf products.
I do love the DIY atmosphere here as well, and I would say that apart from the enjoyment I get from puzzle solving, a fair part of the reason I (and, I suspect, others) DIY is to save money over retail products, including ostensibly "diy" products like Sugru. I'm just thinking of ways to avoid that interim step of buying the retail Sugru Plus, with the cost of a 3-pack of Sugru I could get some nice Dutchware!
Neat idea Sugru runs about $12 a 3 pack here so it's not free tho; I wonder if you could do this with a central shaft part attached to your line (it could be epoxied onto your line worst case, but a friction fit should do) and then a fender washer that snapped onto it (or just sat there due to gravity?) Not quite as light perhaps, but, her in the PNW we can get "firehose" rain amounts & I may try that out. Trying to set up my hammock soon (I'll post separately about that) and I'd like it to be a nice dry warm experience I also think you could 3d print some drip lips in ABS or PLA, or cast them in Urethane, should be a way to cast them in silicone as well. I'll think more
I actually used the small plastic funnel in the early stages, but as a mold for the caulk/corn starch paste as well as built-up layers of acrylic paint. The results were weak and not the quality that I was working towards.
I also looked into the idea of casting the item using silicone in a mold. The technology is certainly there, but not generally available for 1-off home use. This would probably be the route that I would take if I wanted to start producing them, but I don't believe that there is enough market to cover the setup and production costs.
SE
I have some archery items that would work and are very inexpensive. One is a kisser button The other is called a brush button. There are different manufactures with less or more "dish", as well as varying prices but a pair can be had for less than $5. Thanks for the great idea!
I just stumbled onto this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/UosecM9rEUg
The guy cuts a disc from a piece of inner tube, and punches a hole in the center with an awl. He threads his line through that, and the disc acts as a water break.
Cheap, easy, not sure how effective. Seems worth testing.
Awesome ideas guys. Thanks for sharing!!
(insert pithy quote here)
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