Sugru – colourful repair goo for hacking things

Some creative people in London who like goo have invented a special useful goo for adults. Called Sugru, and nicknamed ‘plasticine for adults’ and ‘magic Play-Doh’ it sounds fun but crucially it could also be very practical.

It’s a bit of a back-room project. In the words of the Sugru team:

“We’re just a tiny start-up in the East End of London, but we’ve been working on this goo for six years. We finally launched it online this morning. sugru is a mouldable silicone putty that sticks to things so you can make really easy repairs or adaptations. It cures overnight to a rubbery finish that stays soft to the touch, but is super tough.”

Pretty interesting huh?

The strapline for their site is “hack things better” and they describe Sugru as making things: softer, stronger, drier, safer and better. You can use it on anything from wellington boots, to bike seats to iPod chargers.

These are the properties of this Super goo as described on the site:

1. Cures at room temperature
sugru is like modeling clay when you take it from its pack. Once it’s exposed to air, it cures to a tough flexible silicone overnight using the moisture in the air. Working time = 30 mins. Cure time = 24hrs (3-5mm deep)

2. Self-adhesive
sugru is designed to stick to as many other materials as possible. It forms a strong bond to aluminium, steel, ceramics, glass and other materials including plastics like perspex.

3. Heat resistant
sugru is resistant from -60°C to + 180°C. It gets hot and cold but it won’t get softer or harder or melt.

It’s also waterproof, flexible and dishwasher-proof.

The repair and reuse ethos is very eco and In Tune With The Times.

We’ll see if we can get our hands on this goo for a quick Shiny video. But here’s some examples of what you can use it for from the makers themselves:

You can buy it in little shiny packages from sugru.com