conductive paint?

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

Has anyone used a conductive paint for super narrow spaces for lighting? I am wondering if it would be easier to paint a trail of conductive paint through a tight space such as between two wings in order to light something.

Here is a model railroading-related essay on this topic:
http://www.sumidacrossing.org/LayoutEle ... essWiring/

If you've done this, I'm interested in learning more about your experience. Thanks.

[wowyz]

I have used Busch(German MRR) on a fighter plane.

Mixed results. Only tried it once.

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

I'm not entirely sure how to connect a wire to the paint when necessary. Just glue the wire down and paint onto it?

[Richard Baker]

I have tried several and while it is a nice concept it has too many negatives- mostly a fairly high resistance. Using either bell wire or copper foil will work much better IMO...

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

Thanks!

[modelbldr_207582]

I have heard that using Magnet Wire and SMD would be a option where you might want to consider for you lighting process of these tight places. I have seen where using Aluminum Foil to light the areas of which you're speaking of to reflect the light to the desired area - Keep in mind, these options i have not practiced myself but am looking at on a 1/1000 scale of which I'm doing right now.

[mophius]

Back in my teens my dad had an old car with a faulty heated rear screen. Some of the wire on the screen had either corroded away or been scraped off.
He went to Maplin Electronics (UK) and purchased a bottle of conductive metallic paint and had a small stencil which come with it. Painted it on the inside of the rear window and it took the current from that circuit no problem.

I wonder if you can still buy this stuff.

[Richard Baker]

Back in my teens my dad had an old car with a faulty heated rear screen. Some of the wire on the screen had either corroded away or been scraped off.
He went to Maplin Electronics (UK) and purchased a bottle of conductive metallic paint and had a small stencil which come with it. Painted it on the inside of the rear window and it took the current from that circuit no problem.

I wonder if you can still buy this stuff.

I had a defroster grid repair kit but it had adhesive backed foil strips instead

[widget]

How do you connect the leads of the led to the foil? Conductive glue? What kind is best? Or a drop of solder and pray that you don't burn through the foil?

[Richard Baker]

How do you connect the leads of the led to the foil? Conductive glue? What kind is best? Or a drop of solder and pray that you don't burn through the foil?

I just went low tech and wrapped the foil around the LED leads then used some heat shrink tubing to insulate.

[dizzyfugu]

I have successfully used the Busch paint - initailly I bought it to repair a damage in my car's rear window heat grill, and it worked like a charm! I have later also used it for LED connections in one or two mecha models, and the stuff worked well, too.