So I bought some silicone...

nope. package says 24h, so the first time i used it i gave it ~48h to cure and it was too soft. i tried again and let it cure for a week. just tried it and got a bearing-full of silicone gunks and chunks. oh well, at least it wasn’t expensive. (~3$)

nope, application went smooth and flush, the string still is ripping it to shreds.

this seems to be the most believable option.

before this, i used regular construction silicone, as used to install shower cabins and such, and even though it was painfully hard to apply, it actually worked better then this stuff…