sugru - self-hardening play dough for interiors?

[AdamVR4]

Tripped over this stuff today and it occurred to me that it might be very useful for custom/aftermarket interior work. Is there any equivalent on the market?

About sugru - the future needs fixing - sugru

-30 minute working time / 24 hour cure time @ room temp
-good from -58 deg F to 356 deg F
-can be smoothed with a water/soap solution (and I guess your finger?)
-cures to a slightly rubber/compliant/ergonomic feel
-can be peeled off (perhaps it's fully reversible?)

On a 3S specifically, I could see it being good for -
- filling the gap left in the stock dash by 52 mm gauges...


- refining a stealthy install even more -

http://www.3sgto.org/3000gt-stealth-...h-ashtray.html

- maybe build up along the under/outside of devices (turbo timers, boost controllers, whatever) sitting on top of the steering column cover to make them look more integrated?

- any other custom switches, custom gauge installs, etc... interior panel squeeks/rattles? could I use it to keep my harness buckles/brackets from clanging? haha

[Toni]

Neat stuff except it will always look like play dough lol.

[Toni]

Oh, as far as similar products go. I've seen this stuff called versimold. It is supposed to make a "tough" rubber part for reproducing rubber parts.

Performance Products - Rowe Performance Products : Rowe Performance Products

[95gto]

Interesting stuff, I may have to buy some to experiment with.

I would expect the material to not handle post-curing shaping very well or provide a good bonding surface for most adhesives since it is silicone. However I see some good potential in using it to quickly mold/build up a surface that can be glassed over. Also the fact that it works like clay has me a bit skeptical about the quality of a finished surface you can have with it. Can you make something that looks like a professionally molded product or will it look like something you molded with your hands, uneven surfaces and possibly even fingerprints.

So it may be a good tool that is more a means to an end solution rather than an end solution by itself.

[j2k4]

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[sergechronos]

I would suppose for stuff like molding things to the steering column and what not that it would best be suited to stretch a material over the top of it, whether its a leather like material to match the interior already or if it's a fleece that you then fiberglass.

Theoretically I suppose you could use it with plaster to make a mold, then make a reverse of that to create some kind of area to lay down a material that you can then bond to the factory plastics perhaps?

There is quite a bit of potential though, and for some things (like 52mm gauges in the center cluster for instance) the end surface wouldn't matter so it would be well suited for things like that. People have done all sorts of custom installs into the center console that looked very slick and factory, this kind of product would most likely bridge the gap for those of us that aren't as skilled at that sort of thing.

[Gray Haze]

Silicone is generally a bad material to use with adhesive bonding as silicone in itself inhibits most resin systems from sticking. BUT, if the material can be cured and outgassed, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to apply a mold sealing agent to it, and then take a splash from it to produce a production type part. Silicone is used in the adhesive bonding industry, but usually limited until its in a fully cured state. There are many different ways to accomplish what you wish to achieve adam, if you already have in mind what you want to actually do, get in touch with me and I can point you in a few different directions.