[jaejw1]

I just did this.. but I did it with the purpose of getting a better seal for my Monoprice 8320 earphones..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgLMqTR3rbE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I will provide pics once I figure out how to show images .. but im extremely haapy with them.. they are ugly but work well.. had to modify them a lil

 

[jaejw1]

this was my first time doing this,, they look ugly so dont expect anything fancy.. the right side did not start off too well and the silicone began curing while I was trying to make corrections


http://m185.photobucket.com/albumview/albums/jaejw1/Mobile%20Uploads/2013-02-05_130015_zps21f0c86b.jpg.html?o=6

http://m185.photobucket.com/albumview/albums/jaejw1/Mobile%20Uploads/2013-02-05_130032_zps8b1775a0.jpg.html?o=5

http://m185.photobucket.com/albumview/albums/jaejw1/Mobile%20Uploads/2013-02-05_130217_zps58731ded.jpg.html?o=4

because of the right side mistake, I modified them to fit foam tips on the nozzle by cuttong away the silicone to expose the nozzle.. I get a better isolation this way than with just the foams by the selves... I have another set woth the comply foam tips and these sound and fot better... the current foam that I put on there are some inexpensive foams I saw on amazon that was shown on another thread..

the left http://m185.photobucket.com/albumview/albums/jaejw1/Mobile%20Uploads/2013-02-05_191440_zpsbe46506b.jpg.html?o=1

the right http://m185.photobucket.com/albumview/albums/jaejw1/Mobile%20Uploads/2013-02-05_191458_zps06fb0f67.jpg.html?o=0

 

[MuZo2]

This thread should be closed on health and safety reasons. People please listen to what delladood is saying. Go to a audiologist if you need some ear impressions.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/581834/word-of-caution-custom-iem-ear-impressions#post_8008484
 
http://i41.tinypic.com/124vnrc.jpg%5B/IMG%5D
Actually the picture from the owner of this tread seems the impression has gone too deep. You will need otto block to stop it going to ear drum.
 
Quote:

Guys PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS.  The risk you run damaging your ear is very great.  there is no otto block to keep the substance from running to your ear drum.  I can't even begin to tell you how many cases I have seen and heard where a patient comes to the ENT or Audiologist and they have to explain they did a "DIY Custom Mold" or a "DIY ear impression."   When the silicone substance fails to cure(which it does quite often,) it will seep to your ear drum, and will actually fuse to your ear drum.  Enjoy your trip to your local ENT Surgeon to get your ear operated on.  Don't do this. I beg all of you... Do not do this.  That putty is not meant to be a complete mold.  It is merely guidelines to pour the acrylic/plastic substance in.  I use it to make my IEM, and it infact, the same exact box is sitting next to me right now. Please refrain from doing so.
 
EDIT: If you do decide to do this(which I do not advise) Do not push deeply the substance deeply into the canal.  If begin to feel pain from the curing process, do not instantly rip the silicone out(or you will have a chance of a lifetime to see your eardrum in your hand.)  Lift up on the ear, and lightly move to see if it is attached to the inner ear.  If it is.  Leave it there, and get your arse to the emergency room.

 

[jaejw1]

true,,, I would never go deep into the ear canal.. that is why I just had it deep enough to cover up to the tip of the earphone nozzle and not any deeper...

but yes an ear dam would be best if making a deep impression..

 

[mefxes]

Maybe it's an anatomy thing, but for me is impossible to go deep because the putty is very firm and creates vacuum, so it can't go deep. I could do that many times, no risk at all because is very hard to insert the thing and it doesn't go deep. Very.

 

[jaejw1]

well I have done several more impressions... and none of them are deep.. and im actually preferring these over regular/foam tips... even my first set of molds with the foam tips I have stop listening to... the impressions go as deep as the earphones nozzle will go in the mold.. and im still getting a good seal.. bass response is there and im enjoying the fit much more than the many tips I have tried,,, no discomfort whatsoever ...

this isnt something I would recommend though.. go at it at your own risk,, but be smart about it and safe

 

[MuZo2]

Even if you don't go too deep you have to make sure to get something skin-safe with ISO or CE.Also you never know if that thing will cure or not at given temperature. So its big risk.

 

[jaejw1]

the kind I use is from WESTONE.. and so far all three westone mixtures have cured with no problem including the Radians kit (which was my first mixture)

 

[Coop]

For those who want to be both cheap & safe: Go to a local audiologist, have him make a set of professional molds. If you ask them for the raw molds (as in whatever they pull out of your ear, without further finishing), it's usually very cheap (I think I payed +/- €10). You can now use these to make a replica of your ear canal (I used plaster as that was all I had). You can now make your own DIY molds from your replica ear canal without risking your ears (and you can see what you are doing much much better). At first I thought there might be a problem with the accuracy of my replica ear canal, and I had to do them over a couple of times, but once I got it right, it worked like a charm.

Too bad I threw all that stuff out, I need to drop by the audiologist and experiment with this a little more.... 

 

[329161]

One question- if you insert the item into the soft putty without the rubber seals on them, doesn't the putty get into the sound tubes of the item?

 

[jekostas]

Quote:

One question- if you insert the item into the soft putty without the rubber seals on them, doesn't the putty get into the sound tubes of the item?

 
Yeah, it does.  You need to find something to block the nozzle or expect to toss your filters afterwards.

 

[MoonYeol]

So this thread is still alive? Guys, you should really not do this by yourselves. I would do it if I could shift into someone else's body while retaining the sensibility of my own body and being able to communicate. Because I know how far it is to my eardrum. It's pretty standard. I've also looked inside a few people's ears. Not all look the same and sometimes it's a VERY short distance. Don't be cheap. Do as someone said earlier. Go to an audiologist and ask for the raw impression. If there is a university you could even ask some of the audiologist students who should've done quite a few during their education if they could do it. It's not that it's technically very hard to put in some putty. It's to know about everything that can go wrong and how to optimize the result. You should also be able to, at some point, see all the way up to your eardrum to know how much space you have to work with in order to be able to do it safe. For just an outer ear impression it's fine as long as you test that it hardens first. If you're going to do a canal impression as well.. just don't.. Ask a professional. Audio enthusiasts should be really careful about their hearing. It's only the years when you're not working that $50 for getting the impressions from an audiologist might actually be hard to save up for. Just think about it. In a few years you'll be spending that amount on an interconnect or a couple of tips. A few years after that you'll be spending $500 on custom cables. So think hard and well about it, is it worth putting your hearing on the line just to save those $50? If 1/100 or even 1/1000 fail when trying to do it themselves. I'd bet they would easily pay $5000 or $50000 to keep their hearing intact for the rest of their lives if audio is such a big part of them.
 
TLDR; Don't do it yourself. Ask a professional. 0.1% (hypothetical) risk of setting back your hearing significantly isn't worth "saving" $50 for.

 

[DeadMan]

Just made a pair (well two the first wasn't as good) from some stuff I got on Ebay. Works great! In hindsight I should have taken a small amount from each portion and mixed them together to test them to see if they set or not.
 
If doing this I highly recommend you do a test before shoving lumps into your ears!!! I got lucky. You may not be.

 

[ant1pathy]

Bought a kit of the Radians stuff.  Going to have a friend do it to me.  Just the tip.  Mushed in from the outside, not a rolled spear (like mefxes alluded to).

 

[jaejw1]

you can use an ear dam to get a deeper impression and protect your eardrums