Re-tasking Nail Polish as Protective Coating - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: jonovid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2021, 04:29:17 am
content: conformal PCB coating is hard to get in small volumes, expensive & may take weeks of delivery time.cosmetics clear nail polish re-tasked or used as protective coating for low voltage PCBs and audio electric coils.you can buy nail polish just about anywhere.

author: bob91343
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2021, 04:34:25 am
content: Nail polish has been used for decades as adjustment locking paint. Unless it's porous, it shoold work okay as conformal coating. Acetone takes it right off.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2021, 04:42:06 am
content: It would be cheaper to get some sort of lacquer from the local Home Depot. Perhaps someone has even evaluated which particular kind is the best for electronics?

author: Miyuki
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2021, 08:45:32 am
content: Quote from: NiHaoMike on October 04, 2021, 04:42:06 amToday most Home Depot styles lacquers are not suitable, they are totally different stuff, maybe some spray might be usable, but hard to apply rightYou do not want to use waterborne systems (and most today paints for consumers are waterborne to be low VOC)Most nail polishes are some kind of nitrocellulose lacquers, quick drying by solvent evaporation, it is the stuff you want (And I don't think you can buy nitrocellulose lacquers on many places these days)Automotive/industrial stuff is also an alternative (also beware of waterborne systems, they cannot be applied with home equipment)btw some modern automotive paints are UV cured

author: Kleinstein
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2021, 10:49:54 am
content: Moast Nail finish is nitrocellulose based. As such it it not very durable and likely to develope cracks after a few years. It is also highly flammable, not just liquid, but also when dry. I had some rosin based laquer that I used for protecting PCPs, so kind of non activated flux.

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2021, 12:03:45 pm
content: Nail polish is flammable, so maybe not the best idea to use it for wide areas as a PCB coating.Though, I used nail polish in electronics a few times but only as a small drop, e.g. to fix the thin wires of a hand made coil, or to immobilize the cursor of a multi-turn trimpot, or to secure a screw-head, things like that, never used it on wide areas.

author: mawyatt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2021, 12:29:43 pm
content: What about the old model airplane clear "paint" used to coat the silk or paper fabric that covered the wings, called Butyrate dope.Best,

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2021, 12:33:36 pm
content: Quote from: mawyatt on October 04, 2021, 12:29:43 pmFor modelling I've used these clear Tamiya acrylic paints. They look really good and work well.https://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-Acrylic-X27-Gloss-Clear/dp/B00TT856HG

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2021, 01:51:50 pm
content: Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic

author: m98
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2021, 10:01:11 pm
content: There are already some good and cheap conformal coatings intended for electronics. Kontakt Plastik 70, for example, at around 5 €/100 ml. Probably not as easily obtainable in Australia as it is in Germany, though.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2021, 10:50:10 pm
content: Quote from: Kleinstein on October 04, 2021, 10:49:54 amI suspect not nowadays. Looking at the bottle I've got here, with the ingredients listed in descending quantity order as is normal for cosmetics, there is some nitrocellulose but the base polymer is Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer. There are another 3 complex copolymers listed.

author: MT
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2021, 06:29:33 pm
content: The nailpolish i use are made in China cost 1 euro for 15ml made of: ButylAcetate , Ethylacetate , Acrylates , Copolymer , Nitrocellulose , Alcoholdenat , Acetyl , Tributyl ,Citrate , Isopropylalcolhol , Steralkonium , Hectorite. Used for locking, surface patching, coil surface repair etc and have not noticed any cracking after many years of usefor non vibrating surfaces. The mix ratio of these chemicals is not reported on the polish container.Just did a fire test, painted a 10mm x10m area with the nail polish mentioned above on a piece of paper and set it on fire,no extra or excess flaming occurred when the fire crossed the painted area. Larger thick surfaces perhaps react differently.