I was told too ask you the best way to fix an ear that has been torn 3 inches onthe inside while i was removing the cartlidge?
Thanks Chad
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This is a method McKenzie adopted from our DTA newsletter as well. I shave the hide in a thicker area and get a thin slice of skin to work with. I invert the ear after the cartilage is completely removed and I install the OPPOSITE earliner into the inverted ear. That allows the back side of that earliner to be on the inside part of your ear and gives you a "table" to work on. Run a very fine bead of superglue down ONE SIDE only of the tear and lay you shaved piece on it. Press down and allow the the glue to saturate and dry. Fold your shaving back now and arrange your opposite side tear out like you want it. Run a fine bead of superglue down THAT side edge now. Fold your shaving back across pulling the glued side as close as you can to the torn side and then lay the shaving down firmly. Press it down as well. CAREFULLY trim off excess shaved material so you don't have flaps. Install you earliner with a GOOD five minute epoxy (I prefer Liquid Fast Set from Epo-Grip). Once you ear is cured, mount as usual and let dry.
After the drying has taken place, look at your ear interior. If there is a gap or crack you need covered, take an artist brush and paint a thin coat of CLEAR RTV Silicone over the crack and feather it away from the crack. Open a cottonball and lay it on to the wet RTV. Press it down and leave it to dry. The next day, come in and pull your cottonball off. The RTV will have attached to the cotton and when you pull it away, you'll have created white "hairs" that cover your tear crack. Now, that's what I do. I'm sure there are many other options.
Will paint stick to the RTV silicone? And by the way, the cotton ball trick to simulate hair sounds pretty cool! Thanks.
SEE?...Toe-ja..."Give it ti Mikey...he'll eat anything" (translated..."Give it to George...he nose anything"...LOL).
~ ETCC
The paint WON'T stick to the RTV but if done correctly, there should be no RTV exposed, only those fine cotton fibers. I use RTV instead of epoxy only because epoxy can have a "soaking" effect and creat heavier strings that I like on a repair.
I find myself making these types of repairs way to often.I will be trying this,before I would superglue a piece of bounce fabric softner sheets over the tear worked pretty good but I think I'll try your way next time.
Jeff S.
time to get too work.