How to repair my Sigg water bottle?

February 12, 2013 7:18 AM

A few months ago I finally found the water bottle I'd coveted for so long. A few weeks ago, I lost it, along with everything else that was in my bag. And the bag itself. And my BLACK BELT. Anyway, after searching online for days, I finally found a shop in Poland that still had one. I ordered it immediately. I have it now. It's leaking. The hole is *tiny*, invisible to the naked eye. I'd say it leaks about one drop of water a minute. I'm sad and angry and disappointed, but as this bottle is apparently the last of its kind that was on sale, I'd really like to fix it. Any ideas how to go about it? Note: I'm in the Netherlands, so I'm kind of hoping for a miracle cure that will be available to me here...
posted by Skyanth to grab bag (19 answers total)

Do you know where the hole is?
posted by valoius at 7:22 AM on February 12

Yes, it's at the bottom of the bottle. I can see the drop forming, I just can't see the hole.
posted by Skyanth at 7:24 AM on February 12

If you know the general area of the leak, I would try putting a dab of clear nail polish on it. That wouldn't patch a real hole, but with one so small you can't even see it, it should work wonders. You might need to redo that every few months as it wears off, though.
posted by pla at 7:26 AM on February 12 [1 favorite]

Finding the hole: empty the bottle, then fill a bucket (or other large container) with water and hold the bottle under the surface. You should be able to see tiny air bubbles rising from the hole.

As for fixing it, maybe something like hot glue, which will sink into the hole and seal it?
posted by fight or flight at 7:27 AM on February 12 [1 favorite]

A tiny dab of food-grade waterproof epoxy ought to do it.
posted by zug at 7:34 AM on February 12 [4 favorites]

Ha, I have been trying to find a particular Sigg Oval water bottle for ages myself -- I even went so far as to just contact Sigg for help to no avail (out of stock).

Even though it says Steel Works, I believe those are also made out of aluminum. A dab of JB Weld at the point of the hole should do it -- and it looks like it is non-toxic in the FAQs.
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 7:39 AM on February 12

I was just looking through their product line, and I wonder if this would be the perfect solution (one suggested use is for "potable water tanks")
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 7:41 AM on February 12

If you aren't too worried about aesthetics, a piece of duct tape should work just fine.
posted by valoius at 7:57 AM on February 12 [1 favorite]

Okay, question (sorry about the threadsit; I'll lay off after this): nail polish seems like the easiest option atm (JB Weld is not readily available here; I could order it but it would cost me some 20 bucks). Do you technical people think nail polish could work?
posted by Skyanth at 8:26 AM on February 12

One way to find out whether nail polish would work would be to put some nail polish on it and see if it works. (I'd probably go with duct tape, myself.)
posted by mskyle at 8:40 AM on February 12 [2 favorites]

Would nail polish work? Probably.

Do you want to drink water that's been exposed to whatever resins are in it? Up to you.
posted by zug at 8:50 AM on February 12 [2 favorites]

Have you tried looking for a small patch kit of "waterweld" instead of just JB Weld? A lot of epoxies and super glues come in tiny sizes since most people botch the installation or recapping and ruin the whole thing anyway.

If you can't find that, you should be able to find a cheap epoxy, but I would want to find one that at least claims to be non-toxic.
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 9:00 AM on February 12

I'd use clear epoxy rather than nail polish. It's stronger and easier to handle because it's thicker. Look for Bison Combi-Snel in your local Gamma.
posted by Too-Ticky at 10:28 AM on February 12

I have one of these "flasks" with a copper colored outside that I don't use anymore (which looks like these). I am not sure how I would repair these in a way that will bend with the bottle if it gets dented, without also leaching something into the water.

MeMail me if your repair fails and you wish to make an arrangement.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:39 AM on February 12

Black Sugru would work really well, and you could probably mold it to the bottle in a superthin layer so it blends in with the surrounding surface.
posted by limeonaire at 11:14 AM on February 12

Sugru's not food-safe.
posted by en forme de poire at 11:17 AM on February 12

Write to SIGG and ask for a replacement?
posted by veids at 2:09 PM on February 12

Sugru's not food-safe.

Oops, I didn't realize!
posted by limeonaire at 8:19 PM on February 12

mskyle: thanks for that thought! Obviously I wanted to know before I *went out and bought some nail polish*. :)
posted by Skyanth at 2:02 AM on February 13