Hi DIY!
My headphones of many years recently broke. My first response was to attempt to glue them back together with super glue (ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate) however that didn’t seem to hold. Not even a little bit.
I then did a bit of searching and found that Sony often use ABS plastic in headphone manufacture, so presumably these are ABS. I then read super glue should work okay on ABS, however there seemed to be no bonding happening at all.
Do any of you have any tips for the best kind of glue or epoxy to bond these plastic parts back together and get the music flowing again?
I plan on wrapping the joints in thread afterwards, for additional durability. But first I need to get them bonded.
You can glue it, it won’t work. When you’ve tried all of them, get a plastic staple gun and make it ugly, but fixed.
- fix the pieces in their intended position (maybe with a droplet of epoxy)
- bring out a dedicated soldering tip (you won’t be soldering with it any more) and 3D printer filament of the same plastic
- weld carefully with a low-temperature iron, in a well ventilated place (maybe outdoors)
You can also weld in metal wire with a soldering iron. I’ve done repairs that way before and it works quite well as long as the two pieces can’t move and fatigue the metal.
Try layering several times with super glue and tissue paper.
Oh I’ve never heard of that method before! I’ll keep it in my back pocket as a last resort if all else fails, thank you
5 minute 2-part epoxy. Buy the individual packets rather than the bottles so ya dont get solidified wasted bottles.
General purpose tip for Gluing:
Isopropyl Alchohol in a spray mister will speed up Superglue bond time from minutes to seconds.
Mixing glues can be very useful. For example, I’ll use Epoxy for the hollow insides but a drop of Superglue where pieces fit together to hold the pieces together while the Epoxy cures overnight. UV glue is fantastic for that because it cures instantly. But a drop of Superglue with a spritz of alcohol works good too.
I didn’t think of mixing glues, nor have I heard of the alcohol spritzer thing - I might give it a go. Thanks!
Cyanoacrylate accelerator is not IPA. It’s a mix of acetone and amines. You are getting a weak effect from the water in the IPA.
I didn’t say it was accelerator but it works like accelerator. This is the solarpunk forum where you are supposed to recommend hacks.
I’ll be honest, you’re probably not going to be able to fix those to a degree that I’d trust. Some headphones are reparable and have replaceable parts, and that isn’t one of them. I’ve had really good luck with Audio-Technica and Beyer Dynamic in that department, but most of their more sturdy and repairable headphones aren’t very portable.
If the adhesive route fails, it looks like there are replacement parts available, but your mileage may vary when it comes to the source. Not seeing anything official, but ebay has a few hits: https://www.ebay.com/itm/204942975498
Might also try just calling Sony support, but iirc their support is fairly shit.
Came to basically say the same thing. Parts also on AliExpress, looks like the same pictures from eBay so might be the same products. “Fixing” the plastic joint that has so little surface area and is mangled as much as it is seems like it would be dubious at best.
If it were me, I would be looking at buying a replacement bracket first, and if that didn’t pan out, I’d probably be looking to 3d print something that would function as a new bracket or an entirely new headband.
I am but a poor student so I’ll try and repair it first, but it’s good to know there’s parts out there if absolutely necessary - thanks!
Not sure i would use a plastic stapler/welder for something like this with small electronics but it is for plastic … If you’re careful it might work long term. Just be clean and accurate and don’t leave pointy bits that could cut you. The staples need to be trimmed after and it would be best to melt more plastic over it probably.
Unfortunately there’s a wire running through one of the broken pieces so heat is probably a no-go because I don’t want to melt the insulation. Thank you though!
I think a deft hand could do what OP suggests without damaging the speaker wire. This would be the metal reinforcement you need combined with epoxy. Just sink the staple in far enough to work. Maybe two per side. Not too deeply as to roast the wire.
Edit: Though if you do not own one, then that solution is out.
This is a tough one, mainly cause of the strains experienced in that position. If you’re daring, maybe try some acetone to “melt” and refuse the plastic. I don’t think an adhesive is going to be much help unless you cake it in epoxy, and reinforce the stress point.
Unfortunately there’s a wire running through one of the broken pieces so melting is probably a no-go because I don’t want to melt the insulation. Thank you though!
The insulation on wires is not abs.
I would make some metal rods to insert in the holes left in the hollow plastic. Epoxy those in place on both sides to reinforce the joints which will have stress on them. I think that is the only chance you have of repairing broken plastic like this with little surface area to bond. You could look around and find some nails or something to cut up.
@[email protected] I would suggest carbon fiber rods or aluminum, ferris metal could interfere with the bluetooth radio depending on their shape.
I seriously doubt that.
I’m just a lowly embedded engineer working on BLE on aarch and other SOC kernels.
yeah, everyone is an engineer on Lemmy. there is ferrous hardware all over BT headphones.
And I’m a 30 year veteran EE who designs a lot of high speed and RF gear. There is zero chance ferrous metal rods to repair the headphones as described would have any meaningful impact on the Bluetooth connection.
You’re technically correct that metal in the vicinity could possibly have some measurable impact on the 2.4GHz radio, but your theoretical scenario is a practical absurdity.
Somebody suggested wooden dowels so I’ll probably try that just because I have scrap wood lying about anyway and it’s easy to carve into shape. Thanks!
Great idea! I’ll give that a go, thanks. Reinforcement rods, adhesive, and thread wrap around the outside should surely be enough
Might be able to find some wire in an electrical or automotive store. 20 guage is about a millimeter or less, 12 guage is between 2 and 3 mm. Do you have calipers to take a measurement?
Wire Coat Hanger might fit, will be harder so a better reinforcement.
No calipers, but I have random bits and bobs lying around that I can just trial and error until something fits. Thanks!
This is just called plastic welding and it’s fantastic
As others have said, copious amounts of super glue or epoxy. Pro tip for the super glue is to sprinkle baking soda on it to speed up the cure time.
Like the layering glue and tissue paper idea, I’ve never heard of this but a quick search shows you’re not speaking gibberish. I’ll remember that one for future repairs, thanks!
I once witnessed an old-timer in the biz repair a copier gear with the super glue and baking soda. Wasn’t supposed to be permanent but he forgot and the gear out lasted the copier contract.
Just think how relatively strong even thin paper mache is. That is typically made by kids with newspaper and PVA, but its got some strength to it.
Now think of a stronger glue, its not a bad idea.
I’ve done some awful things with various 2-part epoxies, maybe try one of those with a piece of dowel in the square holes? Not sure exactly what you have to work with there but that might give you a little extra support from inside while your glue of choice just has to keep the rod from slipping. Start with one a little larger than the holes and sand the sides flat until it fits with a little extra space, add glue, press together, let it cure.
For bonus points, you can scratch up the inside of the plastic with a rolled-up piece of coarse sandpaper or something to try and give the glue an extra foothold.
Awful things?.. Dare I ask?
I’ll definitely try reinforcing with a dowel or metal rod though, thanks!
Nothing that interesting, just enough to gain a reputation as somebody who can do solid in-the-field temporary fixes when a real specialist isn’t available. One that comes to mind is a portable toilet that was delivered (clean and empty, thankfully) with a split in the side of the tank. Guessing they got a little too close to the trees on the way in and the driver wasn’t paid enough to care. There was another one in good condition so this wasn’t a critical issue but still an inconvenience.
Wasn’t too bad, I could just about span the full length from pinkie to thumb tip and there wasn’t any missing material. More than I’d trust glue or tape alone to hold for long though. Drilled a series of holes in parallel lines on either side of the split and stitched it shut with paracord before painting over it with a 2-part epoxy as a strong liquid barrier. Don’t remember what kind it was but it remained somewhat pliable when cured so I figured it wouldn’t turn brittle and crack. It held for the duration of the job and didn’t leak as far as anyone could tell (and if it had, the terrain would have made that obvious).
Not the most exciting story of heroism under pressure but I went from learning about a problem to finishing the fix in about 45 minutes with fading daylight.
Superglue sprinkled with baking soda creates incredibly strong bonds. But you’ll need to add it all around the seam to make a thick layer.
I also recommend first scratching the plastic with sandpaper so that there’s something for the glue to hold on to.
Glue guide!
Bookmarked! Thank you
Acetone can join ABS because it is a solevent for that particular plastic and will mix the two treated surfaces at the molecular level. It would be wise to add some additional material in the hollow area such as an epoxy putty (jb weld as suggested elsewhere), but it should create a stronger bond between the broken pieces.
