• WARNING: Tube/Valve amplifiers use potentially LETHAL HIGH VOLTAGES.
    Building, troubleshooting and testing of these amplifiers should only be
    performed by someone who is thoroughly familiar with
    the safety precautions around high voltages.

Fingernail polish?

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awedio

awedio

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Joined 2005
I could swear that I've read about Tesla using shellac for insulation back in the day. Anybody want to confirm that? It may be a better choice than nail polish and maybe even polyurethane would be a good choice. I did not have luck with using a clear nail polish as an insulator - while it didn't catch fire, 200V arced right through it across a ~1mm gap. It was just a single layer but I was still surprised that it didn't seem to offer any arc resistance and burned right through.
 
Magz

Magz

Member
Joined 2009
I have had good luck with conformal coatings, such as those made by MG Chemicals. I've used both the acrylic and polyurethane versions; they are specifically designed to prevent arcing on circuit boards. The acrylic is easier to use, flows better and dries faster, but the polyurethane is much more flexible once dried. They both have extremely good insulating properties; the dielectric strength of the urethane is 2000V/mil, while the acrylic is 1500V/mil.

I use clear nail polish on screw threads (as a sort of Loctite), but not on electrically charged wires.

http://www.mgchemicals.com/downloads/appguide/appguide0405.pdf


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Magz

Magz

Member
Joined 2009
MJL21193 said:
Back up a bit, no ones calling you a liar. I just think you were (are) blowing it out of proportion.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, no hard feelings. I just wanted to relate an experience which I had that might be relevant here. Somehow I was able to get nail polish to ignite when used as a coating on a driver voice coil. Will nail polish explode and destroy your home if you use a little on a wire? Probably not, but why take the chance when there are products made specifically for the application that perform better and have zero risk?

One other application that I have used clear nail polish for was for tuner re-stringing (one of my least favorite jobs, ever!). A drop on the knot makes sure it doesn't come undone - works like a charm.
 
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