String & superglue
 

The only 3.5mm mono jack I could find the other day was one on a defunct PCB. Out with the solder sucker and off it came. I found that its strength came from being attached to the PCB and the back part of it came off with the slightest provocation.

Managing to reassemble it I found that I could bind it with light gauge string and hold its end with a large bulldog clip. Two applications of superglue now keep the string completely in place and it's certainly strong enough to take the jack plug being inserted.

I've now taken the idea a stage further: the job of the jack is to go in the end of an XLR plug. I've enlarged the hole and bound the jack in place with string which currently has its first application of superglue. More later today.

I'd never thought of this before and thought it might be useful to others.
Graham

Re: String & superglue
 

Don't forget you can add a bit of baking soda tot he super glue & it will set immediately.
I have used it to build up an area for strength too.
Very inventive with the string. Thanks for a great idea.

Re: String & superglue
 

Good ideas!

I have not tried with superglue but I have often re-enforced epoxy resin with all manner of materials. I was influenced by the way fibreglass and carbon fibre works.

Re: String & superglue
 

Another useful weapon is the 'five second UV weld'. You squeeze the gel onto the damaged part, get it as you want it then shine the supplied UV light at it. Five seconds later it's solid. We use it for reattaching lenses to LED backlight strips, but it's handy for other things - and doesn't stick your fingers together!

Re: String & superglue
 

A combination of low surface tension (when liquid) and good insulating properties (when set) make superglue a bit of an animal in these applications- if you wait half a day before assembly you can check how far it's spread! It's creep is (not always) marked by the white flaky deposit.

I do wonder whether string and araldite would also work as a composite.
Dave

Re: String & superglue
 

You can set slightly damp cotton (string, thread, denim) on fire with superglue, though usually it just gets hot. Moisture is an accelerator. Breathing on the ends of a broken ferrite rod helps set the superglue which needs to be the merest trace and pressed hard till it sets. Epoxy can then strengthen the rod at the crack if it's not at a coil. If it's very thin layer of superglue and the pieces are aligned well then the inductance isn't much affected.