August 2008
Powerful putty?
MENDED MUG When we molded a new handle from Mighty Putty, it held up fine.
The claim. Mighty Putty is a two-part epoxy (resin and fixative) that can be applied to "most any surface," pitchman Billy Mays says
on a video at www.mightyputty.com . It can "support up to 350 pounds" and (cue truck being towed by a puttied chain) "pull this fully loaded, 80,000-pound
tractor-trailer!" You cut it like dough, knead it, apply it, and let it dry.
The check. We used Mighty Putty to join overlapped pieces of plastic, metal, and wood; clamped them; let them cure for 24 hours; then measured the force needed to pull them apart. We also tested Devcon Plastic Steel, which was top-rated in our review of household glues. We didn't tow a truck.
CR's take. Moderately mighty but pretty pricey. Mighty Putty was good on plastic and metal and fair on wood; Devcon was excellent on metal and wood and good on plastic. Both excelled at filling gaps. It took more than 350 pounds of force to break Mighty Putty's hold on metal and wood (for plastic, 270 pounds). But Devcon, Loctite Sumo Glue, and Elmer's Ultimate are stronger and cost less. As of late May, Mighty Putty cost $19.99 for six sticks plus $8.95 shipping and handling. And it took three weeks for our order to arrive.
The check. We used Mighty Putty to join overlapped pieces of plastic, metal, and wood; clamped them; let them cure for 24 hours; then measured the force needed to pull them apart. We also tested Devcon Plastic Steel, which was top-rated in our review of household glues. We didn't tow a truck.
CR's take. Moderately mighty but pretty pricey. Mighty Putty was good on plastic and metal and fair on wood; Devcon was excellent on metal and wood and good on plastic. Both excelled at filling gaps. It took more than 350 pounds of force to break Mighty Putty's hold on metal and wood (for plastic, 270 pounds). But Devcon, Loctite Sumo Glue, and Elmer's Ultimate are stronger and cost less. As of late May, Mighty Putty cost $19.99 for six sticks plus $8.95 shipping and handling. And it took three weeks for our order to arrive.
