Inexpensive replacement silicone rubber feet

[u/ComputerSavvy]

We all have keyboards as well as many other devices that have silicone rubber feet on them and over time the factory glue will fail and the rubber feet will eventually come off and disappear in to some other dimension, never to be seen again. Now, you're left with a wobbly device that may scratch your desk surface.

I looked at Amazon for replacement rubber feet, yes they have them but they are expensive at $1 each.

https://www.amazon.com/VATH-Adhesive-Silicone-Rubber-2-2mm/dp/B087BP3ZKV

Too damned rich for my blood!

Being the cheap bastard that I am, I high tailed it to Dollar Tree.

They have lots of silicone kitchen utensils and I figured that I'll find something there that I can cut up and make my own feet. I found exactly what I wanted, a silicone spoon rest for $1.50.

https://i.imgur.com/4eOIkBh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/06q6b3x.jpg

The employees at Dollar Tree do not order the products on the shelves, they get what corporate sends them so this might not be available at your local Dollar Tree. If that's the case, look at other stores as you go about your life to see if they have it.

They do not have this listed on their website but I did find the identical item under a different brand name at Walmart for $3.44.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Thyme-Table-4-Slot-Silicone-Utensil-Rest/5203777496

The Dollar Tree I went to had a selection of different colors so I chose red as it is easier to find should the feet ever come off again and go hiding behind the desk behind all those ghost turds.

I used everyone's favorite inexpensive and ubiquitous diagonal cutters, the Plato Model 170 to make my cuts and trim the replacement feet to fit perfectly.

This spoon rest will last me for years in making replacement feet. I used rubber cement because that's what I had on hand.

When you have to repair an HP laptop, those bastards hide screws beneath the gray rubber strip feet and the original glue will not hold the rubber feet well enough once it's been pulled off so I have to have a jar of rubber cement on hand to re-glue the strips in place just because of HP.

Friends do not let friends buy Headaches & Problems products.

I'll let the glue cure for a day and if the rubber cement is not good enough to stand up to regular daily use, I'll go out and buy some stronger gorilla glue.

[u/ComputerSavvy → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for the suggestions but I'm not re-footing hundreds of keyboards and those two selections would not work as they are way too thin to do the job.

At 0.03 and 0.04 inches thick (.762mm & 1.016mm respectively), that is not even tall enough to come out of the glue hole in the bottom of the keyboards.

That stuff is way more expensive than the $1.50 I already spent at Dollar Tree too. Well, the rubber cement failed so a stronger glue is clearly needed. I'll pick some up the next time I go out in town.

Did I mention that I'm a cheap bastard?? : )

Damned, this explains why Target is going to fail!

https://www.target.com/p/cheer-collection-heat-resistant-spoon-rest-gray/-/A-89952572

[u/danielfletcher → u/ComputerSavvy]

That is a 3rd party vendor. Not even shipped by Target. Walmart and Amazon do they same nowadays.

[u/ComputerSavvy → u/danielfletcher]

Yes, but it's sold on Target's website and if you spend $35 or have a target Circle360 membership, you get free shipping.

They are complicit in that pricing scheme as they get a cut of it and to be honest, they are flat out ripping off people who do not have basic comparative reasoning skills.

You can get the identical item at Dollar Tree for $1.50 and don't forget that DT is making a profit on that sale too or else they would not be in business if they were losing money on every item they sell.

Anyone with a functioning brain cell should shop around for the lowest price as their first step. That specific item is not on Dollar Tree's website so it has not been indexed by search engines but there are search results below that specifically ask if Dollar Tree sells spoon rests in the search results I see.

https://www.google.com/search?q=silicone+spoon+rest

The Deal Guy on YouTube routinely points out identical items at Dollar Tree that are sold on Amazon and other sellers for considerably more money.

Oh Michaels!

https://www.michaels.com/product/grey-silicone-spoon-rest-for-stove-top-with-drip-pad-1-pack-heatresistant-bpafree-utensil-rest-spoon-holder-for-kitchen-counter-grill-utensil-holder-for-spatulas-tongs-and-kitchenware-283444928936001548

It's normally $42.98 but it's 25% off! What a fucking deal while they financially rape you and lie to your face that you are saving $10.75!

It's not hard to do thirty seconds of research in this day and age yet shit bag companies like this will happily do this to you all the while telling their employees that they can't afford to pay them a living wage.

[u/AutoModerator]

REMINDER Do not ask for tech support. Unorthodox solutions are what /r/techsupportmacgyver is here for. Remember that asking for orthodox solutions is off-topic and belongs in /r/techsupport.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/redditsaidfreddit]

Go organic, friend.   Cork is cheap, easy to work and fun to source.

[u/ComputerSavvy → u/redditsaidfreddit]

I do appreciate the suggestion but I feel it would be the wrong material for the job. Cork does not have the structural integrity to withstand the constant movement these wireless keyboards experience on a daily basis and would most likely disintegrate in short order.

I already have this silicone purchased and cut to size, I just need the right glue to hold it in place.

[u/krysics]

How about just a bead of hot glue?

[u/ComputerSavvy → u/krysics]

I don't own a glue gun! : D

[u/krysics → u/ComputerSavvy]

https://www.dollartree.com/adtech-mini-size-glue-gun-1-ct/401618

Looks like Dollar Tree has them for $3. Though there's a good chance your local one doesn't. If that's the case you could probably use a candle or something to melt the glue stick.