Earbud tip silicone casting mold, medium size

thingiverse

It's always bound to happen: even if you store your earbuds in a box or bag, the tips inevitably fall off and disappear somewhere. Instead of wasting money on cheap Chinese earbuds just to remove the tips or buying a whole pack of earbud tips, you can simply cast them out of silicone caulk. The resulting hole will snugly fit most average earphone nozzles with their 4.5-5mm diameter, while the mushroom-shaped tip itself boasts a diameter of 13mm. Feel free to scale down the inner tube or mushroom to match your unique ear and earphone combination, but make sure to adjust both internal and external mold components equally so that the wall thickness remains consistent. To ensure smooth removal, use liquid soap or soapy water as a release agent when filling the mold, leaving just enough room for the earbud tip. The snap-together design is reusable, making it a convenient addition to your DIY toolkit. Excess material can be trimmed with fingernail scissors for a precise fit. This project comes with two internal molds: a "thin" option that produces soft, comfortable cups with minimal grip, and a "thick" version that yields more rigid, durable cups with better noise isolation and retention – although results may vary depending on the silicone brand used. After mixing, the caulk takes around 2 hours to dry, possibly longer. To achieve an ultra-smooth finish, use the lowest layer height possible when printing, as this will result in a smoother surface. In theory, you could parametrize this design for different ear and stalk sizes, but unfortunately, I'm still learning how to implement that feature in Blender.