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Conductive Shielding Paint

Gilmourisgod

Gilmourisgod

Jun 23, 2014
22,462
40,768
65
Cape Cod MA
#1
To date, I've always shielded my builds with conductive-adhesive copper foil, which works well for larger spaces like control cavities, pickguards, etc, but is almost impossible to use in tight spaces like wiring channels. My build in progress has no front control cavity access or pickguard, so I routed some wiring channels that will be concealed after assembly. MG Supershield seems to be the default shielding paint, but with an acetone base, it sounds nasty to use, and dries too quickly to be able to use all of it based on reviews:
https://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals...39&sr=8-3&keywords=conductive+shielding+paint

This stuff by Guitar Fetish is water based, also pretty well reviewed:
Invalid Link Removed

There are also a number of alternate brands on Ebay, the usual crapshoot:
Guitar cavity conductive shielding paint *** Large 2 oz. jar *** Highest quality | eBay

I'd like to use the shielding paint to paint pup cavities black, so whatever I use has to be jet black and spread evenly, the MG Supershield is described in some reviews as drying so fast it clumps up.

Advice or reviews of what you are using appreciated!
 
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#2
Gilmourisgod said:
To date, I've always shielded my builds with conductive-adhesive copper foil, which works well for larger spaces like control cavities, pickguards, etc, but is almost impossible to use in tight spaces like wiring channels. My build in progress has no front control cavity access or pickguard, so I routed some wiring channels that will be concealed after assembly. MG Supershield seems to be the default shielding paint, but with an acetone base, it sounds nasty to use, and dries too quickly to be able to use all of it based on reviews:
https://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals...39&sr=8-3&keywords=conductive+shielding+paint

This stuff by Guitar Fetish is water based, also pretty well reviewed:
Invalid Link Removed

There are also a number of alternate brands on Ebay, the usual crapshoot:
Guitar cavity conductive shielding paint *** Large 2 oz. jar *** Highest quality | eBay

I'd like to use the shielding paint to paint pup cavities black, so whatever I use has to be jet black and spread evenly, the MG Supershield is described in some reviews as drying so fast it clumps up.

Advice or reviews of what you are using appreciated!
Click to expand...


I tried using the Guitar Fetish stuff and ended up shielding in Copper tape anyway.

After I painted in the black and let it dry, conductive tests were spotty.

Some day I’ll get it right perhaps :)
 
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#3
StewMac’s should work. Needs 2-3 coats and 24 hours between coats. Water based, flat black and easy to brush on.

Use pipe cleaners to paint the wire cavities.

Also, paint it on after the instrument is painted or at least sealed. It’s waterbased so it will soak into the wood if not finished and sometimes leach out and won’t look good with a transparent finish.
 
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#4
I've got some mg and have not noticed that drying problem, though I dont use it daily either.
I've still got some of that guitar fetish stuff to use up too. It works, but takes a good coat. I was painting on a coat, spot painting after it dries, then doing another full coat, and that worked well.
 
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#5
The only time I'm concerned with shielding is when I'm doing an instrument with single coil pups. I shield those with the Stew Mac stuff, which has worked well for me multiple instruments

Granted, sometimes I get a little noise with humbuckers, and I do stand in front of a neon sign at my weekly gig, nobody has ever come up to me and said "Gee, got a lot of noise coming out of your amp". So consequently, I don't shield my instruments with humbuckers.

My biggest offender is my LP with P90's.
 
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#7
I recommend that you don't waste your time or money on any of the carbon-base (graphite-base, black color) shielding paints. Lots of problems with them; most of us gave up on them years ago. Too high resistance, flaking up after drying, etc.

MG SuperShield Nickel works beautifully. Get it in the spray can. Two light coats gives you a shielding shell that's equal or better than copper tape, with almost zero resistance to any point. And the paint base is strong and permanent.

I don't recommend brushing the shielding paint. It takes a lot of extra time, and any of the shielding paints tend to be thick and clumpy. Use the spray cans.

SuperShield Nickel is a silver-grey color as sprayed, but there's no harm shooting a coat of black whatever over it if you want a black color in the chambers. Just mask off some patch to make an electrical connection to it.

There are a couple of guys over on the Pickups & Electronics section who continuously argue how copper tape provides better shielding than shielding paint. It's not true, if you are comparing normal thickness copper shielding tape with normal thickness nickel shielding paint, and measuring at audio frequency ranges. I've tried to argue reality with them, but they aren't listening. Be forewarned if you are reading the many threads about shielding over there.
 
Last edited:
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#9
Bruce said it all very well.

I'm a huge fan of the MG stuff. It stinks to high hell, but it works and it's SO easy to use.
You can wick the stuff between cavities and get continuity, but if you have issues with that, running small, thin wire between them (or 1/4" copper tape) joins them easily.
I believe they sell it in a brush-on version, which I'm sure also stinks a lot, but it won't require nearly as much masking of areas around the cavity.
And FWIW, the overspray comes off with light buffing or rubbing alcohol.

The copper is great to shield, but a pain in the butt to install and I don't think I ever did the job without my fingertips looking like I was noodling for piranhas when I was done.
And that Stewmac stuff works, but the 4-5 day process of it is tedious AND the final result isn't even half as good as one quick spritz of the MG.

While we're at it, people used to tell me that the aluminum HVAC/shielding tape wouldn't maintain continuity when overlapped and you'd have to magically solder it together: HOGWASH! I ran some of that on a PG underside and tested it with the multimeter, no joining solders, it worked just fine. And that was many pieces of it, too.
 
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#10
Gilmourisgod said:
To date, I've always shielded my builds with conductive-adhesive copper foil, which works well for larger spaces like control cavities, pickguards, etc, but is almost impossible to use in tight spaces like wiring channels. My build in progress has no front control cavity access or pickguard, so I routed some wiring channels that will be concealed after assembly. MG Supershield seems to be the default shielding paint, but with an acetone base, it sounds nasty to use, and dries too quickly to be able to use all of it based on reviews:
https://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals...39&sr=8-3&keywords=conductive+shielding+paint

This stuff by Guitar Fetish is water based, also pretty well reviewed:
Invalid Link Removed

There are also a number of alternate brands on Ebay, the usual crapshoot:
Guitar cavity conductive shielding paint *** Large 2 oz. jar *** Highest quality | eBay

I'd like to use the shielding paint to paint pup cavities black, so whatever I use has to be jet black and spread evenly, the MG Supershield is described in some reviews as drying so fast it clumps up.

Advice or reviews of what you are using appreciated!
Click to expand...

I have used aluminum foil and spray adhesive
 
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#11
Alright, I’m convinced, MG it is. I think I’ll have to use the paint though. Hard to describe, but the wire routs are cut into the edge of a body wing for a neck through, kinda convoluted, so I don’t think spray would reach it. Gonna be some poking paint into angled holes going on. I’m wondering if I can just use a kind of black paint right at the rim of my pup routes, then go with MG or copper foil for the rest that won’t be seen. I just don’t want gray or copper foil showing at the pup route edges.
 
#13
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#14
thisSNsucks said:
StewMac’s should work. Needs 2-3 coats and 24 hours between coats. Water based, flat black and easy to brush on.

Use pipe cleaners to paint the wire cavities.
Click to expand...

The StewMac stuff works with a minimum 3 coats. Be sure to check conductivity along the way with a multimeter and extend small tabs over the lip of the cavity to connect to the control plate or cavity cover. That stuff wants to be used with some ventilation, made me a bit nauseated working over the cavity without a mask.

Also...the holes for cables are too small to matter to Faraday shielding for 60 Hz noise.
 
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#15
thisSNsucks said:
StewMac’s should work. Needs 2-3 coats and 24 hours between coats. Water based, flat black and easy to brush on.

Use pipe cleaners to paint the wire cavities.

Also, paint it on after the instrument is painted or at least sealed. It’s waterbased so it will soak into the wood if not finished and sometimes leach out and won’t look good with a transparent finish.
Click to expand...

Do not buy shielding supplies from Stew Mac. Their tape is over-priced and their paint is over-priced and low quality. Stew Mac's paint is not as effective nor is it as durable.

JW56789 said:
Bruce, THANKS for the tip, but a question: So how do I get it down the little 'tunnels' for the wire leads between the big routs?
Click to expand...

You can dip a pipe cleaner in paint and run it through. Alternatively, there is the copper straw method. If you have exposed pickup magnets, however, you will have far more exposed area from the magnets than one/two wire route holes. I have never found a benefit in doing the wire holes because of that. All of my basses are silent on stage and in studio.

Gilmourisgod said:
Alright, I’m convinced, MG it is. I think I’ll have to use the paint though. Hard to describe, but the wire routs are cut into the edge of a body wing for a neck through, kinda convoluted, so I don’t think spray would reach it. Gonna be some poking paint into angled holes going on. I’m wondering if I can just use a kind of black paint right at the rim of my pup routes, then go with MG or copper foil for the rest that won’t be seen. I just don’t want gray or copper foil showing at the pup route edges.
Click to expand...

Just tape off the body and spray away. I have never had an issue getting the paint where I wanted it but I also do not shy away from spraying some in a cup and brushing, when need be. Make sure you use light coats. It will take a lot more time to dry if you put it on thick (instead of 10~ mins, it will be 20~). You also need each coat to fully dry in order to build resistance.

Also, be very sure to clear out the tip with each spray. The tips can get plugged very easy. It is an expensive can to only get one use from.
 
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#18
Ok so I just bought a can of Stew Macs grey shielding paint. (I'm not a fan of their shipping policies either). So the bass I needed it for already has grey shielding in it. And I need to redo parts of the paint on shielding. So would I be better off to redo it with copper foil or use the shielding paint I bought? Thoughts ?? Thanks
 
#20
Kikegg said:
you can airbrush it properly diluted with water (water based) or acetone (acetone based) easily if you have an airbrush, of course. If you use a rattle can, try to find a long pipe to reach those wire channels.

Hope this helps
Click to expand...

Do you mean spraying the graphite stuff here? I do indeed have an airbrush, assuming I (a) find it and (b) buy some propellant for it. What base the paint I have it... well I'd have to look at the tin.
 

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