Ok.. so the cat chews through the wire on your headphones. Sucks, but you dont need new ones if you don't mind a repair job.

Cut out the damaged part of the wire. On each end of the exposed wire, remove the outer housing so 1" of each individual wire is showing. Now, twist each wire together with it's other half on the opposite end, and using a lighter, burn them back together. The smoke smells pretty bad but it won't set off smoke alarms.

You do this to remove the varnish on the wires so you can make a contact between them, and probably fuse some copper together as well; I'm almost certain a lighter flame can soften copper a lot.

Either way, I just fixed an expensive pair of earbuds; sound quality in the repaired side is perfect.

Now, the proper way to do this likely involves soldering, but if you don't have one of those a lighter clearly works.

Uh, a lighter wont even come close.

Copper melts at some 2000 deg F. Ive heated copper with a propane torch for 10 minutes for some odd reason and it didnt even make it malleable.

Mind you that was a huge chunk, not some copper sheathing.

Copper transmits heat VERY well.

Anyways, good job on a cheap fix, pics?

I'd have to untape it now to take pics . I might just do so, because I think I can make a neater, more flexible repair and the wire's too long anyway. And although I did not melt the copper, I had it glowing red, not hot enough to make it ductile but hot enough that it fused together.

The point is that the heat melts off the thin layer of insulation on the wire as well as the strands mixed with the wire for strength, allowing it to be soldered.

Some of the old navy wirewrap methods compare favorably with solder for most aplications.

I just scrape off the insulation, it's pretty easy if you are gently enough.

Heat burns the varnish insulation off, but it also causes oxidation, making for a very bad connection. I wouldn't use anything less than solder.

Expensive Earbuds? Please don't tell me they're ipod ones, those suck. Shure are the only quality ones I know of.

Nice fix though, even if it only lasts a month that's worth it.

Anybody know what the string is in there for? Last time I cracked open the wires to the headphone there was what looked like cotton along with the two wires...

I've always wondered this too.. just assumed it was there to keep the wires together before its insulated.. but i may just be stupid.
heh.