Clear Nail polish + CIEM, Anyone Tried?

[ceeloChamp]

Hey All,

I have a pair of A12t and the right-side fits like a dream, but the left side is slightly and I do mean slightly off. My left ear canal is just a bit bigger and because of this the seal is fairly easily broken when I eat/talk. I have some of the Comply CIEM wraps, but that makes the fit really really tight as they are pretty thick. I have previously sent them in to 'get thickened' by 64 audio, but since I'm not there to tell them when its correct it's a PITA.

It seems like a huge waste of time and money to have them re-shelled when I just need a tiny more thickness on the left stem. I've been doing a lot of reading about this, and I've decided the 3 solutions are:

1) Re-shelling: costing 1 new pair of ear impressions ($50), re-shelling ($300), and shipping ($?)
2) Comply Wrap: painful, and they move around
3) Applying clear nail polish coats to thicken the stem.

I'm sure a lot of you have had this problem, but has anyone successfully done the nail polish, or have any other recommendations?

Best,
Ben

 

[rantng]

Not sure about nail polish, but I’ve used Bondic to repair nozzles/add layers to CIEMs. It goes on as a liquid gel and uses UV light to cure, much like how CIEMs are made.

 

[ceeloChamp]

great suggestion, thanks!

 

[ceeloChamp]

Not sure about nail polish, but I’ve used Bondic to repair nozzles/add layers to CIEMs. It goes on as a liquid gel and uses UV light to cure, much like how CIEMs are made.

Would you happen to have any clear Bondic recommendations or know of any online how-to-guide type thing to help me if I choose the Bondic route?

 

[rantng]

There are videos available. Here's one -

Although this review isn't positive, it is a good demonstration of how NOT to use it as the reviewer doesn't actually follow proper instructions -

I actually have the newer formula Bondic EVO which I backed on Kickstarter. It isn't currently available for retail, but I reached out to the manufacturer and they are hoping to release it in the future. The only difference is a slightly faster curing time. The regular version is available in many stores like Target or Walmart. It's sold on Amazon as well.

I've used Bondic EVO to create a new nozzle for the JH Roxanne universal. For some idiotic reason JH made the body out of acrylic and the stem out of a separate cheap plastic & the nozzle completely broke off leaving just the sound tubes. I was able to build up layers of Bondic around the sound tubes. I ended up selling the Roxanne, but the new owner stated the new nozzle seemed stronger than the stock nozzle on the other side.

I managed to find photos of the Roxanne fix.

 

[ceeloChamp]

@rantng thank you so much! This is precisely what I needed, I'm a little nervous about doing this, but your work looks great. Worst thing that happens is I re-shell them!

 

[rantng]

It doesn't form a permanent bond so it is removable. I recently used it on my Meze Rai Penta (I find that matte metal shells like the Penta, BGVP DMG, Fidue Sirius, etc. don't offer the greatest isolation/fit for my ears), but found the final fit less than ideal so I removed it. A combination of fingernail tip pressure & scraping and I was able to remove all the Bondic with no damage to the shell. I also have a layer on the inner side & “sharp” corners of my CA Andromeda.

 

[ceeloChamp]

That's good to know, seems pretty low risk, which is good to hear

 

[lithrai]

I've used nail polish to make nozzles on my CIEMs slightly thicker. But I would say it's very time consuming process. Because applied layer is very tiny and it needs to cure properly before you can apply next layer.

 

[davidcotton]

Paging @pithyginger63 to the thread

Tried talking to 64 audio about this direct? Perhaps there was something off about the left impression that wasn't picked up? Maybe a bit of wax or something in that ear that stopped the impression being taken correctly (though you'd like to think that a half decent audiologist would have picked that up).

 

[491326]

nail polish is not the ideal material for iem repairs, but it can be used in a pinch. Firstly, nail polish will not help with improving comfort, it will only slightly improve fit. Using nail polish will honestly make the canals more uncomfortable as nail polish has a somewhat sticky texture even after it's dried. The polish will also not actually conform to the shape of your ear when it dries. Even if you do succeed in getting a half decent seal with good comfort, the polish will eventually crack and fall off, sometimes in your ear. From a visual standpoint, nail polish also will not achieve a visually appealing result. The polish dries more quickly than you can apply and forms ugly droplets and grooves. A proper reshell is the only way to go in my opinion or you can get it reshelled with Fir Audio I believe (and ask them to rewire it with thick gauge cable at the same time).

I'll slowly update this post with more things but I can't remember everything off the top of my head.

Something that nail polish is pretty good at is actually sealing small holes in a ciem shell.

 

[davidcotton]

For use with nail polish I think you actually need something that cures the acrylic like they do on nails. Custom Art used to sell a bottle of the stuff which you could add on yourself. As Pithy said it does leave a somewhat sticky residue on it afterwards unless dried properly.

 

[Tybot]

There are videos available. Here's one -

Although this review isn't positive, it is a good demonstration of how NOT to use it as the reviewer doesn't actually follow proper instructions -

I actually have the newer formula Bondic EVO which I backed on Kickstarter. It isn't currently available for retail, but I reached out to the manufacturer and they are hoping to release it in the future. The only difference is a slightly faster curing time. The regular version is available in many stores like Target or Walmart. It's sold on Amazon as well.

I've used Bondic EVO to create a new nozzle for the JH Roxanne universal. For some idiotic reason JH made the body out of acrylic and the stem out of a separate cheap plastic & the nozzle completely broke off leaving just the sound tubes. I was able to build up layers of Bondic around the sound tubes. I ended up selling the Roxanne, but the new owner stated the new nozzle seemed stronger than the stock nozzle on the other side.

I managed to find photos of the Roxanne fix.

I’m prettt sure that buyer is me!

I don’t use them much any more with all my new flavors of the month, but it was a very good repair.

 

[rantng]

I’m prettt sure that buyer is me!

I don’t use them much any more with all my new flavors of the month, but it was a very good repair.

Glad to hear it's still holding up. I actually miss the soundstage of the Roxanne, but that fit, not so much.

I reached out to the manufacturer and although BondicEVO isn't currently available, it's actually still the same formula as before; it's just the supplied UV light is stronger for a faster curing time (literally seconds of difference) & the tube holder is different. The "old" version is readily available at most stores so it shouldn't be tough to find.

 

[buonassi]

it seems this is similar to bondic, but what is actually used by hearing aid and CIEM pros to 'build up' the walls of an earpiece. I will definitely try this before opting for a full reshell (when the time comes). You do need to cure this with a strong UV light in order for it to permanently bond - so it shouldn't flake off like nail polish. I don't think it is removable however, unless you course-polish/sand, so there is a downside.

https://lightning-enterprises.com/Item/fotoplast_UV_hearing-aid-lacquer