# Headphones broke off in jack and now is glued in



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 20, 2012)

Like the title says my headphones broke off in my ipod and refuesed to get out, I thought putting glue in the part that didnt break off and trying to put them together and pull it out would work, but now it's just glued in there. Anyone have some ideas of how to get it out? It's an Ipod Touch 4th gen.


----------



## drdeathx (Dec 20, 2012)

Long nose pliers. Be MacGiver.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 20, 2012)

It's surrounded in super glue, I don't think pliers can get them out. I've already tried prior the glue.


----------



## drdeathx (Dec 20, 2012)

Your screwed


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Dec 20, 2012)

TacoTown said:


> Like the title says my headphones broke off in my ipod and refuesed to get out, I thought putting glue in the part that didnt break off and trying to put them together and pull it out would work, but now it's just glued in there. Anyone have some ideas of how to get it out? It's an Ipod Touch 4th gen.



Jesus Christ......I don't even...........WTF Taco?!


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 20, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Jesus Christ......I don't even.



I burnt my hand, and failed a test today, and when I'm mad I don't think things through


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Dec 20, 2012)

TacoTown said:


> I burnt my hand, and failed a test today, and when I'm mad I don't think things through



And you used super glue no less.  Nice job man. I don't know what to tell you. I can't think of any tricks to help you. Maybe someone else can.


----------



## theonedub (Dec 20, 2012)

Chip away at the glue first then attempt to drill it- think it will work. On second thought, drill it first, then chip away at the glue. The glue will keep it from spinning as you drill.


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Dec 20, 2012)

theonedub said:


> Chip away at the glue first then attempt to drill it- think it will work. On second thought, drill it first, then chip away at the glue. The glue will keep it from spinning as you drill.



You want to give him a drill?


----------



## IamEzio (Dec 20, 2012)

you should  replace the 3.5MM jack if its possible...


----------



## Athlon2K15 (Dec 20, 2012)

pics or it didnt happen!


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Dec 20, 2012)

AthlonX2 said:


> pics or it didnt happen!



 Indeed. We need pics.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 20, 2012)

Well my ipod is my only camera, I'll ask my sister if I can borrow her phone.


----------



## m1dg3t (Dec 20, 2012)

That sucks! A model store may have some adhesive remover, should do the trick... Places that sell R/C products...

Good luck


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Dec 20, 2012)

m1dg3t said:


> That sucks! A model store may have some adhesive remover, should do the trick... Places that sell R/C products...
> 
> Good luck



That stuff isnt for super glue man. It will also discolor plastic.


----------



## Frick (Dec 20, 2012)

Superglue melts, so in theory you could put a soldering iron to it and use pliers to get it out when it melts, but im not sure i want to do that as it requires a fair bit of heat.. Getting out the glue leftovers i have no idea about. You could crack it open and replace the jack, but that takes some work and a steady hand too.

But yeah, .


----------



## XL-R8R (Dec 20, 2012)

Frick said:


> Superglue melts, so in theory you could put a soldering iron to it and use pliers




Don't do this. :shadedshu



Use acetone to break down the super glue then a small needle/pin bent slightly on the end to form a "hook", heat it up and insert it into the broken plastic tip thats in the iPod.

Wait for it to cool in the plastic and set then pull out.


I had to do this on an amp because I broke the jack while removing it from a car.


----------



## Jhelms (Dec 20, 2012)

My friend had this happen.. ended up doing a full rebuild and replacing the headphone jack lol not something I would ever do again.


----------



## Batou1986 (Dec 20, 2012)

Hobby shops sell superglue debonder idk what effect it will have on the rest of it but it will get rid of the superglue.
Acetone works if you can soak it, I would not recommend soaking any part of your ipod in acetone it will eat at everything else as well.

As for the stuck headphone jack you had the right idea with the glue you just need to use much less glue.
Glue something smaller diameter to the broken jack with just a dot of super glue and you should be able to pull it out if that don't work your going to have to open it up and force out from the inside


----------



## XL-R8R (Dec 20, 2012)

I would sigh at this point but this is a message board so I guess I'll type stuff instead....


Use a "q-tip" (cotton bud) soaked in acetone to work it into the super glued area.... take a blade of some kind, a craft knife for example, and slowly "scratch" the glue to remove it.

Doing this right will have it unstuck in no time at all... doing it wrong will result in nothing worse than whats already happened.


DON'T put any form of aggressive heat onto it, soldering iron being an example, OR try and glue it to something else... it simply won't work and will cause more damage.



@OP: Try the above method. I'm sure your sister has some acetone to give you.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 20, 2012)

XL-R8R said:


> I would sigh at this point but this is a message board so I guess I'll type stuff instead....
> 
> 
> Use a "q-tip" (cotton bud) soaked in acetone to work it into the super glued area.... take a blade of some kind, a craft knife for example, and slowly "scratch" the glue to remove it.
> ...


Yup, she left about a liter of nail polish remover, Ill try this in a bit


Garage1217 said:


> My friend had this happen.. ended up doing a full rebuild and replacing the headphone jack lol not something I would ever do again.



If the removing of the glue doesn't work how hard was doing this? Did it end up okay?


----------



## fullinfusion (Dec 20, 2012)

TacoTown said:


> It's surrounded in super glue, I don't think pliers can get them out. I've already tried prior the glue.


Super glue gel, or the real runny stuff?


----------



## Iceni (Dec 21, 2012)

superglue has some interesting properties that you might be able to use in your favour.

It is very very weak to Sheer forces. That means if you can shock the bit that is stuck it may free it. Get a metal working scribe tool or a long panel pin nail. Then whist holding the ipod between your legs tap the back of the tool with a light block of wood. You'll have to be gentle or you will go through the headphone jack.

Then try the superglue pull again. This time use a pin head of glue. And a blunt ended tool. Slide it in the hole and use blue tack to hold it in place while it dries, do not wiggle the tool or you will spread the glue. 

To remove slide directly outwards, do not twist or wiggle. Superglue is extremely strong in tension forces.

Anyone that doesn't believe me about superglue try this awesome experiment  Glue your finger to your thumb. Try and pull them apart it'll hurt and rip your skin. Now try pushing your finger and thumb together and sliding apart, They will free with very little force at all. I used this shocking method to take a £230 resin model to bits with a length of wood and a hammer! It came apart with no damage. The model in question  link


As for de bonder it does work, But it turns the glue to a gel that is a pain to clean up in tight spaces. It's easier to keep the glue dry and sand off if you have a decent angle of attack. If you can't get a sheer force in place de bonder is the only option, But like i say that gel will probably go into the ipod rather than come out when you try and clean it, and i have no idea how that will affect the pcb's. 

If you do get the end out and find your having difficulty getting sound you may want to raid your sisters vanity kit for a small emery board. Cut it into a slither and run it down the jack a few times.


----------



## Frag_Maniac (Dec 21, 2012)

This reminds me of the post somebody made about a "friend" deciding super glue would fix the broken audio jack on his nice new laptop after this friend yanked on the audio cable and broke it.

Heavy duty tweezers may or may not have been able to yank it out before resorting to the very dangerous and ill advised glue method, but too late for that.

Seems only thing you can do now is carefully take it apart (or have someone experienced at such things do so). Anyone capable of going that far should be able to just replace the audio jack.

Personally I wouldn't risk the aforementioned methods causing more damage and/or leaving you with a spotty jack/plug connection.

You can get 4th gen Touch iPod headphone jacks for less than $3 and there are many easy to follow guides on how to replace them.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004Q5UEII/?tag=tec06d-20


----------



## Guitar (Dec 21, 2012)

What just happened?


----------



## cadaveca (Dec 21, 2012)

LuLz. I'm subb'ed to this one.  Taco, I'm gonna phone you.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 21, 2012)

cadaveca said:


> LuLz. I'm subb'ed to this one.  Taco, I'm gonna phone you.



I'm not gonna pick up the phone.


----------



## MT Alex (Dec 21, 2012)

cadaveca said:


> LuLz. I'm subb'ed to this one.  Taco, I'm gonna phone you.



Phone me instead, I've been drinking beer all night and have a great "ringtone" saved for when I pick up.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 21, 2012)

Frag Maniac said:


> This reminds me of the post somebody made about a "friend" deciding super glue would fix the broken audio jack on his nice new laptop after this friend yanked on the audio cable and broke it.
> 
> Heavy duty tweezers may or may not have been able to yank it out before resorting to the very dangerous and ill advised glue method, but too late for that.
> 
> ...


If anyone knows someone who will be able to add a new headphone jack my iPod for a decent price please pm me. I think that would be the best option I have.


----------



## Frag_Maniac (Dec 21, 2012)

Well at some point you're going to have give out some personal info to do that, so if you're looking for a contact online you may as well narrow it down to people that live in your area whom are  experienced in taking apart similar such items like laptops, and have them PM you for the details.

You have to mention the specific area you live in to do that of course, and there's always going to be risks, even on forums you know well. 

It doesn't look that hard to do it really. There's literally no soldering and the take apart looks simple, esp if you soften the glue around the edge of the device with a hair dryer first. I've seen videos of kids taking them apart with just a flat screwdriver to carefully pry them open.


----------



## sneekypeet (Dec 21, 2012)

since the jack is glued in the hole, I would try using a small screw with aggressive threads. Gently thread the screw into the broken off jack and try to wiggle it out of the port. I'm thinking something like a drywall screw should work.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 21, 2012)

Well, I got bored this morning so I poked all around the broken piece with a needle then took a thin piece of aluminum and bent it so I could pull the thing up. I  got it out, but the jack has taken some damage, I'm going to try to find some headphones to test it out.


----------



## de.das.dude (Dec 21, 2012)

lol. subbed to this humorous unfortunate event


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 21, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> lol. subbed to this humorous unfortunate event



Its all fixed now, it even plays music out of the speakers and i'd be fine with that if headphones wont work


----------



## m1dg3t (Dec 21, 2012)

TheMailMan78 said:


> That stuff isnt for super glue man. It will also discolor plastic.



It's specifically for Superglue (and it's derrivatives) & plastic. Hence why I reccomended it. 

Go be bored somewhere else.

Edit: How'd you fix it?


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 21, 2012)

m1dg3t said:


> It's specifically for Superglue (and it's derrivatives) & plastic. Hence why I reccomended it.
> 
> Go be bored somewhere else.
> 
> Edit: How'd you fix it?



Very thin sowing needle and lots of poking to get it free from glue, then used a thin sheet of aluminum to push down, then just yanked up. The speaker sounds fine, maybe a bit weird. I'm going to be getting glue out of there for a while though.


----------



## TheMailMan78 (Dec 21, 2012)

m1dg3t said:


> It's specifically for Superglue (and it's derrivatives) & plastic. Hence why I reccomended it.
> 
> Go be bored somewhere else.
> 
> Edit: How'd you fix it?



lol I'm not being bored. I'm just ignorent of the product you are talking about. I used to build models all the time and I never heard of this stuff. The stuff they had when I built models would just about destroy plastic. It was for removing CA glue.

What is the name of the stuff you are talking about? Could be handy knowlage to have.


----------



## m1dg3t (Dec 21, 2012)

I don't recall the name it's been so long, it was a generic brand that the LHS carried, they provided all their adhesives/removers... You can Google for similar items if ya feel like it? I'm on a fone.

Never had/heard/seen any issues using it or similar products. 

Acetone could do the trick, as mentioned...


----------



## de.das.dude (Dec 21, 2012)

use nail polish remover  works great. but a bit slowly


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 21, 2012)

de.das.dude said:


> use nail polish remover  works great. but a bit slowly



Got some on a qtip atm


----------



## cadaveca (Dec 21, 2012)

TacoTown said:


> If anyone knows someone who will be able to add a new headphone jack my iPod for a decent price please pm me. I think that would be the best option I have.



There are many repair places around Toronto, should only cost about $45 or so. I can get a screen glass replaced for less than $30 locally, done in like 10 minutes.

Anyway, now you got it out, should be no problem, but just something to keep in mind.


----------



## de.das.dude (Dec 21, 2012)

TacoTown said:


> Got some on a qtip atm



yup, q-tip and nail polish remover go like peanut butter and jelly


----------



## Frag_Maniac (Dec 21, 2012)

I'd almost prefer something like a roughed up (sanded and/or scored with a knife) round wooden toothpick soaked in the nail polish remover to a Q-tip. The size of the Q-tip and it's tendency to leave fibers when snagging sharp corners. like the metal springs in those jacks, can leave a glue residued mess of cotton fibers.


----------



## sneekypeet (Dec 22, 2012)

Let's stay on topic here please!


----------



## Frag_Maniac (Dec 22, 2012)

sneekypeet said:


> Let's stay on topic here please!



What posts are you referring to?


----------



## m1dg3t (Dec 22, 2012)

Frag Maniac said:


> What posts are you referring to?



The ones that were removed 

Is it working Ok Taco?


----------



## americanlifestyle7 (Dec 24, 2012)

*online pharmacy in india*

the best solution would be the following: 
requirements: 
1. super glue 
2. a thin strong metal piece or the original broken part 
3. steady hands 


steps: 
1. put the glue on the top of the metal piece OR the broken part of the headphone 
1.1 do not put too much as it may cause attaching to parts that you don't need 
2. put the piece inside the jack 
3. wait until you are confindent that it is bonded 
4. remove the piece


----------



## Frag_Maniac (Dec 24, 2012)

Uh, yeah, it's a little late for that.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Dec 24, 2012)

m1dg3t said:


> The ones that were removed
> 
> Is it working Ok Taco?



Yup headphones won't fit due to left over glue though


----------



## remixedcat (Dec 24, 2012)

nail polish remover will get rid of glue leftovers or even a good bit if you be very careful... must be acetone nail polish remover.


----------



## iWamboo (Jan 3, 2014)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> Its all fixed now, it even plays music out of the speakers and i'd be fine with that if headphones wont work


I'm having the same problem now. I screwed up with the glue and it looks so hopeless. My iPad mini is just 15 days old.


----------



## Sir B. Fannybottom (Jan 3, 2014)

return it and pretend that nothing is wrong


----------



## larrymoencurly (Jan 6, 2014)

Sir B. Fannybottom said:


> I thought putting glue in the part that didn't break off and trying to put them together and pull it out would work, but now it's just glued in there.


Both times, you were drunk, weren't you?  

Acetone will dissolve super glue, but unfortunately it dissolves or damages about every plastic.  However somebody recommended this for use on plastic models:

    換気扇レンジクリーナー
    made by リンレイ.

Google translation says that's "Ventilation fan oven cleaner", made by "Linley."
Somebody else mentioned using 2% sodium hydroxide (lye) oven cleaner, but that can be really nasty on metals.

Apply acetone with a Q-tip or eye dropper while hold the socket upside down, and try to pull out the stub with a drill bit or tap.  And because you're you, do not then use that Q-tip in your ear or that eye dropper in your eye.

It's probably going to be easier to just open the iPod and unsolder the socket.


----------



## satindemon4u (Jan 6, 2014)

Not sure why this was bumped up but good god did it provide me with a laugh. I remember seeing it last year.


----------



## Steevo (Jan 6, 2014)

All I read here was someone had to jack off and superglue, I thought of am american pie movie, now I am leaving this thread.


----------

