Custom Silicone Ear Plugs - Make Your Own!

Wine Guy · Jul 21, 2015

I found a product in Canada at "Michael's" craft store that works perfectly for creating your custom silicone ear plugs that work GREAT! It's as simple as mixing equal amounts of the putty with your fingers, inserting it in your ear, wait 15 minutes or so for it to set, pull it out and your are done! It cost me $29.99 Canadian less 40% (online coupon) and I have enough to make 30 pair or more! Thought I would share!

MadMax1996 · Jul 21, 2015

Wow - not too bad. It looks like you could make a couple dozen sets!

Twigg · Jul 21, 2015

Silicone Putty is exactly what you get in the Radians kits. Some love it, I didn't. It was too hard when set and didn't seal well.

Not all putties are the same, however, and some set to a much softer consistency than others. I have no idea which this one is, but it is a very good price.

RossKean · Jul 21, 2015

Very good price and a great idea if the final product is soft enough and seals well.

Is the material specifically stated to be safe for prolonged skin contact? I would be very careful with any sort of substance put into my ears unless I knew it was suitable for the application. I already have significant hearing loss and won't take any chances with further damage. Keep a close eye on the plugs and stop using them if there is any hint of degradation over time.

I am currently using disposable foam plugs and while they are cheap and quite effective at blocking noise, they cause significant irritation to my ear canals after several consecutive days of wearing them. The use of lotion or Neosporin on the foam plugs helps but not enough.

I just paid about twice that amount to have a single pair of custom earplugs made at a Costco hearing center. They did molds of my ears and then sent them off to have the plugs made. Three month warranty - replaced if they don't fit properly or any other problems. I should have them back in a week or so. If these work for me, I have almost a full case of foam plugs that I will never use!

bigjohnsd · Jul 21, 2015

Shouldn't one trim their ear hair before molding the plugs? Could end up like rebar in concrete!

JSNS

Fred W · Jul 21, 2015

I tried the Radianz DIY custom formed silicone putty plugs. They seemed to make a decent impression, and fit reasonably well afterwards, but like Twiggy said, they don't do a great job of sealing the sound out, and they do seem to become dislodged easily.

I am picky about having good earplug attenuation as I already have significant hearing loss, especially in my left ear (the side by the open car window, hint, hint) and even mild stimulation now brings on the tinnitus cicadas in full force, For others the home made customs may be adequate.

I use foam earplugs and bought a 200 pair case lot of them.

RossKean · Jul 21, 2015

Fred W said:
..I am picky about having good earplug attenuation as I already have significant hearing loss, especially in my left ear (the side by the open car window, hint, hint) and even mild stimulation now brings on the tinnitus cicadas in full force, For others the home made customs may be adequate.
I use foam earplugs and bought a 200 pair case lot of them.

I'm in the same boat with respect to hearing loss and tinnitus. I am really hoping that the custom plugs work for me - I'll report back one I have had a chance to try them for awhile. While I can tolerate the Howard Leight foam plugs I am currently using better than other disposable plugs I have tried, after a week or more of 12+ hours per day (long trip), they become a problem.

I will be interested to see how the home-made silicone plugs work for people.

Wine Guy · Jul 21, 2015

Bigjohnsd, I knew there would be a comment like yours after I posted the picture. Ha! Did the "trimming" when I created the ear plugs, this picture is a few days after. Boy those suckers grow quick!

Box states "FDA compliant, food grade, non-toxic". They are very flexible and work way better to block sound than the foam ones which is what I normally use. If they start to become less flexible over time, I can always toss them out and make another pair. 1/2 pound of putty is enough to make a lot more!

Fred W · Jul 21, 2015

I, for one, hope these do work out. I'm tired of using the foam ones, though they do form an excellent seal. They tend to get pretty grody with a few uses and can't be cleaned, so they need to be chucked out and a new pair used. But at least you end up discarding a bunch of cerumen in the tossing.

My ear hair is not nearly as prolific as the OP's :thumbsup: but I do have some. I guess who ever designed our ear canals didn't consider we'd be plugging them up all the time. They probably didn't anticipate all the noise we humans would make either.

Wine Guy · Jul 21, 2015

I'll bring the silicone putty to EOM at the end of September. I think I have more than I could ever use in a lifetime. Custom purple ear plugs for all my friends!

Steve in Phx · Jul 21, 2015

Walgreens sells a package of silicone ear plugs that can be molded to fit your ears. I'm curious if you've ever used those before, as a comparison? I wonder if this is the same kind of silicone?

I used them years ago but didn't care for them because they didn't perform consistently. They wouldn't always seal well. Moving my helmet would sometimes cause them to come loose.

Would love to hear back if you get similar results.

RossKean · Jul 21, 2015

The drugstore silicone plugs I have seen were a sort of formable putty that didn't have a permanent shape. This stuff forms a pliable permanent shape formed to your ear. I have also tried the drugstore silicone plugs without much success.

bigjohnsd · Jul 21, 2015

Ross, I'll bet my forest grows as fast or faster than your forest. Certainly ear hair grows faster than what little remains on my head.

I had some plugs made for me in Daytona in March, the "process" was similar. They did squirt something into my ear to block the two part silicone from going in too far. Their silicone was a thinner goo which came out of a two chambered syringe similar to an epoxy dispenser, the tech squirted it directly into each ear. No mixing that I recall.

Once it had set up, 10 minutes, they removed the plugs and cleaned up the flashing and rough edges using a dremel tool.

Could you please post a picture of the inner side of your plugs when out of your ears.

Fred W · Jul 21, 2015

bigjohnsd said:
Once it had set up, 10 minutes, they removed the plugs and cleaned up the flashing and rough edges using a dremel tool.

Man... that Dremeling must have hurt your ears a little, eh?

RossKean · Jul 21, 2015

bigjohnsd said:
...Could you please post a picture of the inner side of your plugs when out of your ears.

The process done a few days ago at Costco was just to make a silicone impression (mold) of my ear. They send this off to somewhere where they use it to actually make the plugs. I should get them back sometime next week and I can post a picture.

JamesK · Jul 21, 2015

Wine Guy, thanks for posting, I too am looking forward to the reviews of how these DIY plugs work.

It looks like it's sold on Amazon.com for a very reasonable $17 with free Prime Shipping

I use the Howard Leight LL1 Laser Lite Earplugs which I buy in a box of 200 @ $20. These are soft enough to not mess up your ear canals on longer rides and seal well.

Old Guy · Jul 22, 2015

Ross, I use the little foam E.A.R. plugs, and the new ones irritate my ears as well. I started washing them before use. They're softer after washing and don't irritate my ears at all. Like Fred, I bought 250 pairs a few years back. I'm not sure if I'll ever run out.

Spork · Jul 22, 2015

Fred W said:
I, for one, hope these do work out. I'm tired of using the foam ones, though they do form an excellent seal. They tend to get pretty grody with a few uses and can't be cleaned, so they need to be chucked out and a new pair used. But at least you end up discarding a bunch of cerumen in the tossing.

My ear hair is not nearly as prolific as the OP's

but I do have some. I guess who ever designed our ear canals didn't consider we'd be plugging them up all the time. They probably didn't anticipate all the noise we humans would make either.

I cleaned mine all the time.

1) Place plugs in sock and tie off the end

2) Throw in washer (medium heat)

3) Allow to air dry (I forget if I threw them in the dryer later on when i got lazy, i know i was a bit paranoid that they would catch on fire)

They swell a bit but that's only temporary until all the moisture is gone.

Nanahanman · Jul 22, 2015

As a professional audio engineer, I can safely say that the most effective and comfortable plugs are the ones you get custom made from a hearing specialist.

They inject a soft compound into your ear canal and that hardens to become the form for the silicone plugs.

You can get different inserts for db reduction ranges and they fit very well.

Considering the cost of the bike, the gear, the helmet and service to these bikes, spending $250 (appx) on proper hearing protection from a professional hearing specialist isn't "expensive"

Your bones will heal and skin grows back but hearing loss in permanent.

Custom Silicone Ear Plugs - Make Your Own!

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