Does Mighty Putty Work?
Update: I removed the embedded video since it was autoplaying. Sorry about that!
Harry Sawyers at This Old House's "Hardware Aisle" wants to know about the As-Seen-On-TV product "Mighty Putty," as sold by the screaming monotone of well-groomed Billy Mays, actually works.
Well, does it?
Mighty Putty: Does it work? [Hardware Aisle]
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It's just epoxy putty, which you can get at any hardware store. It's good stuff, almost as good as he says it is, but how much of it do you need?
We use something 'mighty similar' here where I work called 'Dura Bond Epoxy Putty' from a co. called 'Pro Chem'...
from the label:
'Dura Bond will PLUG and SEAL practically anything that leaks, it will PATCH holes and cracks, MEND almost anything that is broken. It is excellent for REBUILDING or FABRICATING PARTS and as an all-purpose adhesive for metals, wood, glass, masonry, ceramics, and many plastics. It can be drilled, tapped, filled, sanded, and painted like metal. Sets steel-hard in 20 minutes.'
It's even set up the same - an inner 'tube' of one material, surrounded by an outer 'tube' - rip off a chunk, mush it all together (but work fast!), and apply it to whatever ya got ...
So, yeah, if this 'Mighty Putty' is similar, it should work - this Dura Putty hardens like ceramic very quickly (and gets quite warm while doing so - epoxy-like chemical reactions going on, dontcha know) ....
When I first saw it, I thought of the epoxy putty that's available at basically any auto parts store - it works the same way (and smells truly foul), and works well if you can use enough (but I've certainly had cases where either the mating surfaces were too small or the stresses were such that it couldn't hold)
On a side note - it's kind of obnoxious to have the video start auto playing - I just spent five minutes looking for the source of Billy Mays's annoying voice.
Yep, available at the hardware store, though if you need 6 tubes of the stuff his price is not a complete rip off - unless shipping is more than a couple of bucks.
Agree with #3 - having the video auto-play is truly annoying.
I don't know if it works, but from seeing that commercial I'm now disturbed by the possibility that we (as a society) are not using epoxy putty to its full potential.
Billy Mays doesn't just glue a coffee cup handle back on--he makes a whole NEW handle out of putty. Maybe we could make the whole CUP out of putty. Maybe we could make the whole KITCHEN out of putty. Maybe we could make SEATTLE out of putty.
Am I crazy? Or are alien explorers going to be digging through our ruins a few hundred years hence, saying "The fools! They had mastered epoxy putty technology. Yet they stubbornly clung to their pre-putty ways, and in the end, destroyed themselves!"
I was wondering about that the whole time I saw the ad, too. It is actually the only one thing that I am interested in. One of my friends' friend used to buy every single thing she saw on TV, so they can try if it works. Usually they break or are left in a corner in a week or two.
Ahh damn. he was inches away from getting run over by that fully loaded tractor-trailer. Someday, an accident will silence that voice forever.
Does anyone else ever wonder what it must be like to live with Billy May? "HEY, DO YOU THINK I COULD GET A LITTLE MORE COFFEE, SWEETHEART?! THANK YOU!!!! HEY, DID YOU SEE THIS ARTICLE IN THE PAPER?! LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE PUTTING IN A NEW SUPERMARKET DOWN BY (blam, sound of shotgun followed by blessed silence).
FNARF - beat me to it.
God I hate Billy May. I thought that ponytailed freak Tony Little was annoying.
Most nights its the megatone/monatone voice of Billy May that alerts me that I have fallen asleep on the sofa in front of the TV again.
I've had varying degrees of success with the auto parts store version (of which I am convinced Mighty Putty is just a rebranding). It has worked for some home applications, but I used it to fix a broken car door lock. Someone tried to break into my truck by busting out the lock. I removed the door panel, and was able to put the lock back in place, but the original bracket suffered some damage. I used some of the putty to repair it, and it worked well until the temp dropped below freezing. I suspect that either the putty shrinks, or some other component, and that it let loose.
Oh well.
Let me start by saying that, not only do I love Billy Mays with every thread of every fiber of my being, but every time his Mighty Putty infomercial flickers onto late-nite TV, I have to stop myself from running to the phone to immediately order. I asked everyone I knew to give me Mighty Putty for Xmas, and no one did. I have a weird, wooden Amish chair that needs some serious fixing.
Our local new people ordered some and tried it..
The only thing they couldn't get it to do was pull a big truck...
http://www.wptz.com/video/15238520/index.html
I bet it could have pulled the truck if they used the same device as in the commercial. If you watch closely, you'll see that his device has lots of holes, that the putty could squeeze into. This device transformed the tension stress into a shearing stress (which, given the surface area, is much more easily handled).
I've seen metal chain snap like a twig trying to help pull a big rig out of the mud (it wasn't sunk in, just didn't have traction). So I'm not surprised that it failed the news people's test.
no, it most certainly doesn't. it wouldn't even hold up a lightweight, full length mirror purchased from Bed Bath & Beyond on the backside of my bedroom door.
I just noticed this ads. on TV. This morning it took me the whole morning to have studied its .com and .ca website. its really tooooo expensive for introduce it to my country. but if its really good enough, I think it will worth to do. who can introduce me any better stuff? thanks!
I feel each and every one's comments, and,while I agree they are all valid points and concerns, may I take the time to make a few points that will make the 6 tubes of mighty putty seem a little more practical AND more of a bargain. I don't know
who is familiar with CVS Pharmacies, but they have an "As Seen On TV" aisle. ALL the products on this aisle are at or below the price on tv. Most are WAY below the advertised price AND no s/h
fees. The mighty putty 6 tube box is $10.00 at CVS!!! Now that's a bargain! And,as far as those who asked "Just how many tubes of the stuff do you need",Take it from me. No matter how well you take care of things, some of those tubes are just not as air tight as others, and if it is a while B4 you need it again, you might have a big surprise when you open it and find one part dried up beyond use. Also, If you are the least bit mechanically inclined, you have a toolbox in every
corner(1in the house, and every auto you own, etc...) so at $10. instead of the $29. on TV, it
is actually a wise investment! Although, for those of you who read this and think I am 1 of those people who offer these opinions because I think I am smarter and better than all of you, and
I offered my opinion only because I felt like all of you needed it because,without it, you couldn't think for yourselves,...WELL, FORGET IT!!! I BOUGHT MINE OFF THE INFOMERCIAL AND PAID THRU THE NOSE!!! So I offer my opinion only as a "lets look
at CVS 1st" tool for those of us who just "HAVE TO HAVE" this newest infomercial gadget!!!
I am hopefull.
When we moved into our house last year there was a beautiful, antique, but broken dining room set. The chairs were all falling apart and a table leg was broken. I fixed it up, re-covered the fabric seats and it held up to the wear and tear of my 5 kids for about 10 months, now the chairs are all falling apart again.
I got some mighty putty this morning (at walgreens for 9.99) and am planning to fix my poor chairs.
Help me mighty putty...your my only hope!
I was really excited when I saw the commercial- I have a shelf that needs to go up- no conventional method works. Called- bought the overpriced stuff, and waited. When it came, I excitedly read all the directions, and followed them to a tee. I really wanted to love this stuff. I don't . Its gross. It smells terrible- and I could deal w/ that- and it just doesn't work. On the commercial- they show Billy making a little ball, sticking it to the back of a shelf- and presto! It adheres to the wall. I held it in place for 10 min. so that the putty could harden. It just fell off. Then the putty tore up my wall when I tried to get it off. I have a coupla tubes left. Maybe they'll work for some other application. However, this maloderous junk does not do what it promised. And I'll never believe another word that Billy says.
No, I could not get Mighty Putty to bond to metal to plastic, plastic to metal, plastic to plastic, or metal to metal. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT. A TOTAL RIP-OFF!!!
yes it works BUT ONLY FOR 2 WEEKS if that i put it on a shelf in my bathroom and the shelf fell after only about 2 weeks breaking all the nice stuff on my shelf and no my wall is a mess and the stuff took the paint off. then on the same day i putt it on my shelf i put it on my tv set and it also fell but this time only for 3 days. SO U TELL ME DO YOU THINK THIS STUFF WORKS.
P.S. DONT WAIST YOUR MONEY ON THIS CRAP