silicone for waterproofing

[m1009cucv]

bought a crawler of craigslist. the electronics have been waterproofed with some kind of silicone. Not sure its silicone for sure. Very rubbery and it's clear. Had the thing a in foot of water today works fine. any idea what it is? thanks

[m1009cucv]

found out he used shoe goo. never heard of the stuff. anyone else try it?

[crazy nick]

This is what I use. I use this for a number of things r/c related. Waterproofing, body repair, gluing scale items to body and more. This is very similar to shoe goo but I believe it has a stronger hold.

[Nappy]

I love shoegoo for anything. Drywall tape and shoegoo inside my shortcourse bodies and they take a beating for 10x as long at least...Now I will try it for waterproofing with a cheap servo and we will find out...

[m1009cucv]

ok ill try this myself

[m1009cucv]

cheap servo and receiver done. see how it works

[m1009cucv]

been out a few times. so for this works great

[JohnRobHolmes]

Did it smell like vinegar while it dried?

[m1009cucv]

to think of it it did smell funny. i did it outside

[JohnRobHolmes]

Acetic acid will corrode any exposed copper over time, it is offgassed from products that smell vinegary when curing. You should only use "sensor safe" gasket maker or conformal coatings for electronics to ensure they last.

[Full_Throttle]

Originally Posted by JohnRobHolmes

"sensor safe" gasket maker or conformal coatings for electronics to ensure they last.

Liquid tape...??

[m1009cucv]

ok damn.. ill see if i can get it off.

[JohnRobHolmes]

Originally Posted by Full_Throttle

Liquid tape...??

It works if it stays whole and intact. It does not attach to the components, so any leak will allow water to seep all into the electronics. I typically see the leak point at wire entry, where the wire flexes and pulls off the liquid tape.

Originally Posted by m1009cucv

ok damn.. ill see if i can get it off.

If you can't, it isn't an immediate failure. But it will eat copper over time and should be avoided on future waterproof jobs.

[m1009cucv]

yeah got it. going to buy some epoxy. do you sell any?

[JohnRobHolmes]

Not at this time. There are restrictions on the products we use to waterproof, can't resell them. Get some sensor safe silicon gasket maker from any auto parts store if you want a rubberized part. Google "conformal coating" to pick up a thinner silicone aerosol sealant. CorrosionX is one popular brand.

[m1009cucv]

as time goes by im thinking epoxy is the way to go. corrosion x works. she is messy tho