New Padding Solution ... YES!!!!

[chloespeaks]

Hi Paloma,
I waited to write back until I actually tried it out - no problems! The closed cell stuff is great. Mel, I read several times that it didn't matter if you shaved it, you stil ldidn't need the silicone for a proper seal. Although I had to push the foam rather high in the L dome, I was still able to just shave off the extra while still leaving the part with the self adhesive in place. I have enclosed a picture of my dome. It's amazing, not a leak! However, I do get marks from the uneven shaved foam; nothing I can do about that; it's not too bad though.

Chloe

 

[chloespeaks]

btw, here is a picture of the OPEN cell stuff you should not buy. If your foam looks like this and you are having problems keeping suction, get the other kind!

 

[mariela]

Hi. Can it be used with medium cups?

 

[Mumma Bear]

Hey Chloespeaks - a big nail file or regular file evens out the bumps in the shaved foam

 

[itsjust4fun91]

awesome idea mumma bear. I'll have to try that!

Dulce, I have only used it with the XL cups, so I really can't answer your question about that. I do know some people have used it with the large. They do make smaller sizes of the insulation and it might be easier to use on the smaller cups then, but can't say for sure.

Mel

 

[nyx]

Hi. Can it be used with medium cups?

I have medium cups and I used this padding method. I did something different though...but I can't remember at the moment, sorry I either got a smaller size pipe insulation or I got the regular size and cut it in half lengthwise.

 

[laura]

Would 6mm be too small? Because im thinking the smaller the less diameter i would lose if that makes sense? I want to order it asap so if someone can chime in that would be great!
Thankyouuu!

 

[mariela]

Hi, a question. The silicone is used like glue? :-\

 

[itsjust4fun91]

Yes, in a way. I filled the inside diameter of the foam with the silicone. When you do it that way, it not only glues the foam to the domes, but when it turns solid, it creates a filling around the rims to hold them in place better inside of the foam. There is also a silicone adhesive made by hard as nails or tough as nails, I can't remember their name right now, that has a really good grip if you are looking for something to only glue the edge of the foam down against the domes instead of having to fill them in with the regular silicone.

Mel

 

[chloespeaks]

laura - i didn't check the mm of the foam i am currently successsfully using, but i did do an experiement using just half of the diameter of the tube because when i use the full one, it covers up half the sides of the L cup! maybe because i am doing it with the shorter cup than most of the ladies here on the XL, which is a wider cup....well i found that the self adhesive that came with the tubing on both cut edges is very good and it was really helpful and it was hard getting the cut edge without self adhesive to stick with just silicone. it wants to pull away.

 

[girlfriday29]

Hi, is this something you would consider making more of and selling? I would be keen to buy some.

 

[itsjust4fun91]

Hi girlfriday. All of the items needed for this padding can usually be found in your local hardware store such as a lowes or home depot. When we say we are making padding we are actually using an already premade item and just attaching it to our domes. The padding we are using is just pipe insulation foam that we have either stuck with the pre attached tape on the foam or glued them with silicone. The first part of this thread will give you details on how to put it all together and suggest some places you can pick it up to try. It's a pretty low cost solution and I can say I haven't had a single indent or discoloration since I began using it.

Good luck, Mel

 

[Paloma]

Hey ladies - so, i now have two large domes, both with cracked/broken rims, do you think that this padding solution will still work? Maybe even make them usable again?

I'm trying to make them tonight. I'll post back how it goes!

 

[itsjust4fun91]

hey paloma, let us know how it went. I've been wondering the same thing since I have a L dome with the rim cracked off. I would think if at least the section where the rim is gone was loaded with silicone to help keep it from cutting into the padding that it would work, but haven't tried it yet. I figure if the dome is broke, it can't hurt to try and at least see.

Mel

 

[Paloma]

Aggggggghhhhh!!! DISASTER!!! Oh sweet jesus. Well.... clearly I'm an idiot, because I couldn't make heads or tails of this process and my boyfriend found me several hours later in a pitiful tear-stained mess with silicone everywhere EXCEPT neatly inside the insulation - like, in my hair, coating both hands (and then I totally panicked because it doesn't rinse it off!!!) all over the carpet... I've made a frightful mess of the dome...

Mel - how in the world do you get the insulation to meet up correctly? I over trimmed and under trimmed, cut at a slant and cut straight across - but never could I get them to match -- it would seem perfect until I cut, and then somehow it would become apparent that something had shifted and the ends were now miles apart and I couldn't see how I'd ever have thought they'd match..

And then, the plastic covering on the sticky part of the insulation would get in the way - so I removed it and it stuck to the plastic in the wrong place by mistake and tore the stickyness off... and I couldn't control the silicone which came out in uneven gobs and didn't rise smoothly and got on the last of the sticky area, rendering it totally un-sticky...

I really really want this to work, but I'm far too clumsy!!! HOW ON EARTH did you manage this?!? Is it because the Ls are not wide enough?

dearest, darling Mel... do you have any suggestions for me.... or if I sent you the cups and paid you for materials and postage and all that, would you consider putting your awesome padding solution on the cups (you could use them to make a demonstration video!) and sending them to me?

I'm just so frustrated and at my wits end! I'm including a photo of what I did so you can see for yourself the sorry job I did...

UGH! :'(

 

[itsjust4fun91]

LOL Paloma, it sounds like you had a rough time. I really hope you found a solution to get it out of your hair at least!

Before you go to the trouble of shipping them to me, let me try it out on the L set I have here with a cracked rim. I would hate for you to pay to ship them and it turn out that it won't work, since we are trying this on a cracked cup. I'm busy this weekend, but I think I can fit it in next week.

Also there is a trick to the glue gun. I started off making a mess too because it kept coming out even when I didn't want it to. It turns out you have to push the release and relieve the pressure when you are ready to sit it down each time. I had silicone all over my counter and my clothes, so no it isn't the cleanest task.

I've had some padding sitting aside for awhile now to try this out on and just haven' done it, so I will get on that and let you know how it goes.

Mel

 

[Paloma]

awww.... thanks babe!!! I guess I'll give it another go in the meantime, but i feel so much more reassured knowing you'll give it a try and see if ur expert hands can do it... keep me posted! thanks so much Mel u wonderful woman u. ;D

 

[brielle]

wish i could just buy that from you lol
im not a genius when it comes to that
thanks though!

 

[itsjust4fun91]

I've got two pieces of advice for your next try Paloma. The first one is for getting the ends to match up. I found that part tricky too. I finally found that if I put it on the cups and let it overlap, I could then cut the two overlapped pieces down the center at the same time and make the perfect matchup that way. Also even if you have a few gaps you can fill them in later with dabs of silicone.

The second suggestion I would make is one I'm going to try this time. Instead of trying to put the pieces together straight onto the cup. I'm going to get a tube of tough as nails silicone glue and glue the ends together first without putting them on the cup. I'm going to put the glue on the ends and them tape them to hold until it dries. Once dry I think I may be able to just fill the inside of the tube with the silicone and then sit the cups down inside of it and it should be waaaaaay less of a mess.


Brielle, I know it seems complicated but it's all trial and error for all of us, even me when we do it. I think it's really important for all women to try projects as often as possible even when they seem near impossible to figure out. I think it's good for us to be able to tackle any project as easily as a man, even if we do so with a few disasters every so often. LOL


I may not have felt this way when I was younger but after years of being a military wife, I didn't have a choice but to figure out how to do just about everything. Over the years I found myself on a roof more than once patching shingles, under sinks stopping leaks and digging a trench as deep as my waist to stop a pipe from flooding the yard. Everyone of these things were situations that when I first looked at them I thought how the heck am I ever going to do this, but I jumped in and at least tried and each time I ended up being pleasantly surprised with myself. Not to mention how much more secure I felt knowing that I didn't have to have someone to fix things everytime something went wrong. Sure if something goes wrong now that my husband is retired, it's his job, since he's here. LOL, but I know I could do it if he couldn't.
It all starts with babysteps like a project like this, so I say give it a try even if it's not great the first or second time, you're still learning to do something for yourself and that in itself is worth a mint I think.

Mel

 

[brielle]

i agree. thanks