Challenge Winner: Silence Your Keys With Heat Shrink Tubing

In last week's MacGyver Challenge, we asked you to hack something using heat shrink tubing. We received some great entries, but the winning hack shows us how to keep those jangling keys silent.

Check out the description of the winning entry below and read about some of our other favorite entries.

Sick of the sound of jangling keys and dog tags, Profound found a clever way to silence them. He fits a piece of heat shrink tubing over the head of the key, heats to shrink, and then trims off the edges. Though you could use the many colors of heat shrink tubing available to color-code keys, we kind of like the transparent look—especially for things like dog tags that you still need to be able to read. Sure beats wrapping them in duct tape!

We got a lot of great entries and we'd be remiss if we didn't share some of our favorites. Here are some of the entries that really impressed us.

Bbaks used heat shrink tubing to create a clever solution to tangled headphone cords. By sectioning off the cables with the stiffer tubing, he created a cable that folds up accordion-style and never gets tangled up. He adds that the solution works best with the thicker cord you find on over-the-ear headphones. When he tried the same trick with the thin cord on a pair of earbuds, the tangling problem actually got worse.

FidesOnus uses a Helping Hand clamp tool to hold parts in position while he works. He found that the bare metal of the clamp often caused damage to delicate components like printed circuit boards. His solution? A bit of heat shrink tubing applied to the tips of the clamps protects those components while retaining full gripping ability.

A big thanks to everyone who took the time to send us entries! Be sure to check back every week for a new challenge.

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Hack Something Using Heat Shrink Tubing

Hello, fellow Lifehackers! Time for another MacGyver Challenge. What's a MacGyver Challenge, you ask? Simple. We give you an object and you show us what cool things you can do with it. Our editors pick the best submissions and our favorite will win a copy of the Lifehacker book!

Ready? Then let's get started.

This week, we're asking you to make something using heat shrink tubing. We've shown you how to use heat shrink tubing to revive old shoelaces, keep your glasses from slipping, create your own tool grips, and even make the ultimate keychain.

Now, it's your turn. Share your best hack using heat shrink tubing. Your hack can use other materials, of course, but the heat shrink tubing should be the defining element. Send us pictures and a description of your hack and feel free to annotate your photos if you need to. And don't be afraid to get creative!

Make sure to follow these instructions when you submit your entry:

Post your entry below or send it to challenge@lifehacker.com with the subject MacGyver Challenge: Heat Shrink. If you post your entry below and need to include more than one image, just reply to your own comment or host your extra pics on a free, quick image-hosting site like imgur and link out to your gallery.We will accept entries up through Sunday night, June 16 at 11:59pm Pacific Standard TimeWe will showcase the best submissions and announce our favorite on Tuesday, June 18.So grab that leather flight jacket, comb your mullet, and start channeling those MacGyver vibes. Here's a little theme music to put you in the mood. And don't forget to check back every week for a new challenge. We'll be alternating between Hacker Challenges and MacGyver Challenges.

Standard Gawker contest rules apply, so be sure to check them out before submitting your entry. Please note that we cannot ship prizes outside the United States, though you're welcome to submit your entry no matter where you live.

Image by Jag_cz (Shutterstock) and yurazaga (Shutterstock).

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