How do I make a temporary repair that holds?

What can reasonably be held together temporarily, what cannot, and the small kit that covers most situations.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 20 min
Read: 2 min
Safety: warning

Short answer

Temporary repairs are for things where failure is inconvenient rather than dangerous. Never improvise on gas, electrics, structural elements or anything safety-critical — those either get fixed properly or taken out of use.

A holding repair is genuinely useful for buying time. The important part is the judgement about what qualifies, because the same improvisation that saves a weekend on a garden gate is unacceptable on a ladder.

Safety

Never improvise repairs to anything gas, electrical, structural, or safety-critical such as brakes, ladders or child equipment. A temporary repair to any of those can be lethal. Some things must be fixed properly or taken out of use.

What you'll need

Strong tape
Cable ties
Wire (optional)
Adhesive (optional)
Self-amalgamating tape (optional)

Step by step

Decide first whether a temporary repair is acceptable at all.Gas, electrics, structure, brakes, ladders, child equipment, anything load-bearing. For those the answer is no — fix properly or stop using it.
Understand it is temporary and set a deadline.Note when you will fix it properly. Temporary repairs that become permanent are how small problems become serious ones.
Keep a small kit for improvised repairs.Strong tape, cable ties, wire, a multi-tool, adhesive, self-amalgamating tape. It covers a remarkable proportion of situations.
Use cable ties for anything that needs to be held together.Stronger and more durable than tape for structural holding, and they resist weather far better.
Use self-amalgamating tape for anything that needs sealing.It fuses to itself and forms a waterproof seal. Far better than ordinary tape for pipes, hoses and cables.
Remove the load rather than reinforcing it.Take the weight off a failing shelf, stop using the drawer, prop the item. Removing the stress is usually better than trying to hold it.
Make the repair visible.So nobody assumes it is sound. A conspicuous temporary fix is safer than a neat one that gets forgotten.
Fix it properly when you said you would.Diarise it. The failure mode of temporary repairs is entirely that they are never revisited.

Tips

A roll of strong tape, a bundle of cable ties and a multi-tool in the car and the house solve an unreasonable number of problems.
Photograph the damage before improvising. It is useful for insurance and for showing a tradesperson what actually failed.
If you find yourself improvising the same repair repeatedly, the item has failed. Replace or properly repair it.

Common mistakes

Improvising on anything safety-critical — Gas, electrics, ladders, brakes and child equipment can kill when a repair fails. These are not candidates for a holding fix.
Letting a temporary repair become permanent — It degrades and eventually fails, usually at a worse moment. Set a date and fix it properly.
Making the temporary repair look finished — Someone will assume it is sound and load it accordingly. Visible is safer than neat.

Questions people ask

When is a temporary repair acceptable?

When failure would be inconvenient rather than dangerous, and when you have a definite plan to fix it properly. Never for gas, electrics, structure or anything safety-critical.

What should be in a basic repair kit?

Strong tape, cable ties, wire, a multi-tool, a general adhesive and self-amalgamating tape. Between them they cover a large share of improvised repairs.