Different Conformal Coatings

I have need to cover a couple of wire ends soldered to solder pads that would be exposed on the outside of a vehicle. Don't ask me why they're out there, long story. Just accept that there is a good reason.

There are things very near it that should not be hit with overspray, I think spray products are generally "out".

Anyhow, I was at Fry's and saw they have quite a lot of brush-on products. I see acrylic, urethane, and silicone products. None of which I have any good info on that I could base a decision on.

It needs to adhere well, some degree of UV resistance, mechanically strong because it may be brushed against, and a lot of moisture resistance.

Anybody know the relative properties of these products?

Urethane is the only choice among those that you listed. THere's always epoxy too.

Oznog said:

I have need to cover a couple of wire ends soldered to solder pads that would be exposed on the outside of a vehicle. Don't ask me why they're out there, long story. Just accept that there is a good reason.

There are things very near it that should not be hit with overspray, I think spray products are generally "out".

Anyhow, I was at Fry's and saw they have quite a lot of brush-on products. I see acrylic, urethane, and silicone products. None of which I have any good info on that I could base a decision on.

It needs to adhere well, some degree of UV resistance, mechanically strong because it may be brushed against, and a lot of moisture resistance.

Anybody know the relative properties of these products?

Click to expand...

Have you thought about using epoxy putty ..................
I think it meets all your requirements.

Rolf said:

Have you thought about using epoxy putty ..................
I think it meets all your requirements.

Click to expand...

No, I need a thin coating here that I can paint on. A big blob of putty isn't useful at all.

Liquid epoxy should work fine, a UV stable one, or coat it afterwards. Just use a 'slow cure' epoxy not a 5 minute one. Generally speaking the longer the cure time the better more durable a finished product you'll have.

Oznog said:

I have need to cover a couple of wire ends soldered to solder pads that would be exposed on the outside of a vehicle. Don't ask me why they're out there, long story. Just accept that there is a good reason.

There are things very near it that should not be hit with overspray, I think spray products are generally "out".

Anyhow, I was at Fry's and saw they have quite a lot of brush-on products. I see acrylic, urethane, and silicone products. None of which I have any good info on that I could base a decision on.

It needs to adhere well, some degree of UV resistance, mechanically strong because it may be brushed against, and a lot of moisture resistance.

Anybody know the relative properties of these products?

Click to expand...

Try Plas-T-Cote. I just used it for the first time today to seal up after replacing an exit hatch on our trailer,and it was easy to work with and clean up, and seems perfect for the job. It was recommended to me by a local R.V. repair shop. Sadly, at around $17 CDN for a litre this is expensive for your needs, but if you have an R.V. or anything else which needs a good, road-worthy exterior sealant (or know someone who does) it won't go to waste. I also used it to protect a number of weak points in the fibreglass shell. I've already thought of a bunch of uses for this stuff, including artistic ones.

It goes on a bit thick but you can probably dab it on with a toothpick or something to get really localized coverage. I wanna ask what you're doing even though you said not to.

Full disclosure: I first heard about this stuff yesterday, I have not seen the long-term outcome, and as far as I know neither I nor anybody I know works for or owns stock in the company that makes it or anything like that.

Anyway, for a bit more info:

https://www.rvpartscenter.com/ProductDetail.asp?PID=34617&SID=9&DID=12&CID=91

You can probably pick up a can at any R.V. service shop.


Torben