Use Plasti Dip to Fix Stripped Headphone Wires

by Alan Henry, lifehacker.com
April 24th 2011

— There's no reason to say goodbye to a good pair of headphones just because the wires are starting to separate from the headphone casing. With a dash of Plasti Dip, a small paintbrush, and a little time, you can seal up your headphone cables like new.

Good headphones don't have to go in the trash just because the headphone cables have started to detach from the headphone body. You also don't have to resort to the old "wrap it up with electrical tape" trick, which may shield the cables but it doesn't actually solve the problem.

Over at Instructables, all it takes to save a good pair of headphones is a can of Plasti Dip, and a little time, and you can re-seal stripped headphone wires with a firm seal that won't break again anytime soon.

Just pour the Plasti Dip into a plastic cup or Tupperware container, and either submerge the part of your headphone wires that's stripped, or use a small paintbrush to brush the liquid plastic around the area where the cable has started to pull away from the headphone assembly and reveal the wire beneath. Smooth it out with a toothpick, and let dry. Re-apply as many coats you think you need.

After a few coats, you should have a thick plastic seal that looks and feels the way your headphones did when they were new. If your headphones are cheaper than the can of Plasti Dip, it may not be worth it, but if you have a particularly nice pair or a pair that you really like, this could be the way to save them if you'd rather repair them. Photo by StumpChunkman.