Silicone Sleeves - Make your own

Can I buy one of this for me? How much it cost?

I understand that the Eco-flex series #0030 is mixed together in a proportion of A1:B1.

Both how much total volume of Eco-flex is required per silicone sleeve -2oz? -3oz?

Thanks for the tutorial. I originally bought a sleeve from abs, but after time, it does lose it’s elasticity and stretches out. So I went to go buy another and their site has been down for a few weeks now. I really liked the feel and fit of these, using them mainly to keep me extended after workouts (actually all day) and to avoid turtleing. Hopefully turtleing will be a thing of the past for me eventually. Since I wasn’t getting one from them anytime soon, I decided to order the EcoFlex and make my own. Anyway, I just got my order in of the Eco-Flex yesterday and I’ve already used the entire batch up. The one $30 set ($45 after shipping), ended up making approximately 5 feet of sleeves for me and I wasted about 20% of it because I didn’t really measure anything. I always had waste and not enough forms to put it in each time I mixed. I originally made 2 forms, then eventually made a third for the last mixing. I still had a lot of mixture left over though.

It’s amazing how much better they feel after getting used to the stretched out abs one I had. I should be set for a couple of years now, provided I continue to use them so much. I usually get 18-20 hours/day wearing them. I did take a lot of pics of my set up which I can post them if anyone is interested. I went a slightly different route than the OP, but I was able to make 3 forms for around $5 in parts.

Please post your method.

Will do. I’ll get it together and posted this weekend.

Yes , others will want that info .
Me , for one !!
dooks out !!!

Ok, so here’s my take on making sleeves. This is just for sleeves, I wasn’t attempting to make a hanger because my previous attempts at using a suction based hanger never turned out well (slippage, blisters, etc).

Parts Needed for one mold:

1. ECO Flex Super Soft 30 (http://bit.ly/19MU0xq )
2. 1/2” PVC ($1.34 for 2’) (http://thd.co/18C4Fgh )
3. 1” Thin walled PVC ($3.38 for 10’) (http://thd.co/199j3P6 )
4. 2 x 1/2” to 3/4” ($.46 each) (http://thd.co/16BYLxM )
5. 2 x 1” Caps ($.66 each) ()
6. Some electrical tape or duct tape would probably work just as well
7. Sandpaper (I used 150 grit)

Step 1:
I cut the ends off of the 1/2” to 3/4” converter pieces and inserted them into the end caps. The 3/4” pipe will eventually go into these so they can properly align it. I decided to cap off both ends of the pipe in order to ensure that the interior pipe is properly aligned and doesn’t lean to any side. You can glue these in or just leave them. The fit pretty tight in the end caps.

Step 2:
Cut the outer wall in half. I did this quickly using the hacksaw, so it wasn’t that clean. As a result, my sleeves have a very slight “seam” to them sticking out. It doesn’t take away from their use at all, but I wanted to mention it.

step 3:
Assemble the pipe and tape together. I did a few pieces of tape around it, then covered the seams. I did learn eventually to make sure the bottom of the pipe was sealed very well, otherwise a litle bit of the silicone would leak out. Notice that the interior pipe is slightly longer on both ends. That’s so it can sit into the fitting to properly align it.

Step 4:
Mix silicone and fill. Put the top cap back on wait 4 hours.

Step 5:
Disassemble the pipe and roll the sleeve off. Cut as needed.

Step 6:
Clean sleeves with anti-bacterial soap and store in individual zip lock backs for later use.

Overall, I was sloppy when making these but they still turned out great. I ended up with around 20 3-4” sleeves but I could have easily gotten 30 if I had done proper measurements. I am thinking about ordering more silicone along with their flesh colored coloring. If I do that, I’ll probably make new molds but take my time and make them as perfect as I can. I did have one batch where I tried to seal them even tighter by putting clamps on the tubes. I didn’t pay attention and when I came back, the tubes had overlapped causing one of the walls to be really thin. I ended up just tossing those out.

Thank you.

Is the outer pipe 1” and the inner pipe 1/2”? If so what is the 3/4” pipe for? Or was that just a typo?

Yes, the inner pipe is 1/2" (inside), which means it’s ~3/4" on the outside. The outer pipe is 1" inside. The part you mentioned isn’t a pipe, it’s a converter from 1/2" to 3/4". (See it here: http://thd.co/16BYLxM ) It goes in the 1" end cap in order to properly align the interior pipe.

Ok thanks for clearing that up. I bought everything but bought a 3/4" pipe instead of a 1/2". Just have to go back to home depot tomorrow.

Also, does it matter if it’s plain end 1" pipe? They had pre-cut 1" pipe in 2’ sections.

I did the precut 2’ 1/2” pipe, but for the 1” pipe, it needs to be the thin walled one so it fits in the end cap. Just put everything together when you’re at the store to make sure it fits correctly.

Yeah the pre-cut 1” slips into the end cap snugly so I guess that works. I put it up next to the 10’ section and it looks like the thickness was the same. The pre-cut wasn’t listed as plain end on the price tag so I wasn’t sure. Now I just have to get everything set up to cut the pieces.

I made the original model on the first page and it worked ok but I had a problem getting the pipe to stay centered (flat bottom cap would be ideal to keep the bolt snug and level) so I’m hoping the uniformity on this one is an improvement. Looks like a good design from what I’ve seen, so thumbs up for that.

Now a question for anyone about the silicone mixture. Will all the bubbles that are created when stirring disappear if you let it sit for a short while? One issue I’ve had is that I’ll get one bubble big enough to threaten the integrity of the structure, leading to an eventual rip. It seems like this happens when pouring because I do my best to pop some of the bubbles before I pour.

When I mixed the silicone I just poured both into a plastic cup evenly and slowly. Then I stirred it slowly with a plastic knife (all disposable). I stirred for about a minute, but did it very slow and in both directions, making sure I got everything mixed well. In the end there was maybe a small bubble or two, but that was it. In all of the sleeves I made, I think there’s less than 5 very tiny bubbles total. Once you’ve poured it, you’re essentially letting it sit as it hardens. I poured pretty slowly into the molds as well. I think if you are just careful with the mixing, then they won’t be created to begin with. At least that’s how it was for me.

You can also tap on the outside of a mold to make the bubbles rise.