Does anyone use this product when doing engine rebuilds/repowerings on their wiring work? I have been using shrink tubing, but find that it sometimes results in too-thick wiring, particularly in small spaces. Cedarwoodron
I have used the stuff, but I would not use it for wiring. It is good for helping protect wires from shorting on frames and motors.
Cuda Ken
Hi!
The liquid tape product has its uses, but I would be very selective in doing so. It can be very messy, and you never know how thick of coverage you have - meaning a thin covered place could rub bare and short and mess up a decoder or perhaps motor.
There are all kinds of electrical tape and I’ve found that in most cases the right tape will work just fine. Shrink tubing is terrific - but again only in appropriate situations.
Obviously - “one size doesn’t fit all”…
I use some flexible RC Car paint, Non-metallic, usually white or black, whatever I see first. I use that because I usually have access to it where trains are & I do not have to go anywhere else. In the past on real electrical work & larger wiring, I used that rubber grip tool coating, but mine had a very short shelf life because I never used it much, & I dont think the caps seal was very good.
LION bought a 100’ roll of shrink tubing.
ROAR
I have used the liquid tape several times in different colors. It has the consistancy and odor of PVC pipe glue which is not pleasant and it always dried up in the can before too long. It also takes time to dry and gets on everything around the point where it is being used. Using shrink tubing of the appropriate size for the wire is the best bet.
I think shrink tubing is a much better option, particularly where there are moving parts. I’ve used the liquid stuff on a signal bridge, which I wired with magnet wire to get the thinnest possible diameter, and where shrink tubing wouldn’t have looked good. In that situation, it was fine, but nothing is flexing around, and, unlike an engine where you’ll be flexing the wires a bit to put the shell on, there’s no danger of after-the-fact shifting.
I have several different sizes of shrink tubing. A local electronics place sells yard-long pieces with a convenient label on one end, that I can hang behind my workbench and cut off the little amount I need. When you have the right size shrink tubing, it works very well, even for decoder wiring.
Liquid electrical tape requires several coats to give adequate protection, and it takes a long time to dry. Shrink tubing is much more useful and convenient.
The biggest problem I have encountered with the liquid stuff is that it quickly hardens in the can once the seal is broken. Use it once and a month later it is useless.
I like the liquid electrical tape where I tap feeders into my main buss. It is hard in those situations to get a nice looking splice with regular electric tape or shrink tubing. Suitcase connectors work but get pretty expensive.
I use it all the time, though not on really fine detail work. It can be messy stuff. Using a fine paint brush to apply it would help a lot in that situation. Buy the way I have never had a can dry up on me.
Brent[C):-)]
I agree with the others.
It’s fine for layout wiring, but too messy for locomotives.
I haven’t had trouble with it drying out as long as I tighten the can.
The last stuff I purchased said to use pliers to close it tight enough.
Then the only problem is getting it open again!
Eric
I use small sizes of shrink tubing for decoder installs - and with a temperature controlled soldering station you can shrink it without making a palstic melty mess all over your soldering iron or melting your model with a heat gun. Liquid electrical tape is too ‘macro’ for fine decoder wires. I DO use it to insulate the joints where I attach feeder wires to my power bus. Works great for that. Be sure to ventilate, the liquid vinyl smell can quickly become overpowering, and it’s probbaly not good to breathe
–Randy