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Author Topic:  Plasti Dip Rubber Coating
Brian Henry

 

Post  Posted 10 Jul 2011 2:33 am    
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I found this stuff listed on ebay. Could it be used for coating the top end of finger picks?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Plasti-Dip-Multi-Purpose-Rubber-Coating-11201-6-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem56450f874dQQitemZ370525833037
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Jason Hull

 

Post  Posted 10 Jul 2011 3:22 am    
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You can use it to rubberize anything that you can dip in it, so, yes, I think it would work on picks. It's thickish, so fitting the pick might be an issue, depending on the pick.
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Doug Rolfe

 

From:
Indianapolis, IN
Post  Posted 10 Jul 2011 4:32 am    
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I sell picks with a plastic type dip on them. It's kinda tricky to get it right. I had to experiment with viscosity and temperature to get the material to adhere properly. Also it is necessary to put two coats on them with a curing time in between coats. If you don't get it right, the material will come off after some use. My picks only sell for $4.00 each including shipping and that includes both Nationals and Dunlops. Coating can also be quite messy if you don't get things set up for the process. I will coat your picks if it is other than the two brands I carry for $2.00 each plus $2.00 S&H.
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Bryan Daste


From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
Post  Posted 10 Jul 2011 7:46 am    
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There have been several threads about this idea, including this one that I started a while back:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=149375&

Sounds like Doug has perfected his method. I'm happy with the picks I use, but...who knows, maybe I could be happier with Doug's...picks don't get jealous, right?

One thing I would recommend against is using a product called "Liquid Electrical Tape" - for me, it seemed to just add an ugly goop without actually making the picks work any better.
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Alan Brookes


From:
Brummy living in Southern California
Post  Posted 10 Jul 2011 10:13 am    
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I use it to make tone bars easier to grip. Just immerse the entire tone bar in the stuff. Put about three coats on and then remove the area which touches the strings with an Xacto knife.

You don't have to buy it over the internet. Most hardware stores carry it, and it's available in several colors. I've been using it for decades for all sorts of jobs. I've even thought of using it on pedals so that my feet don't slip off. It also makes a good electrical insulator.
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Rick Barnhart


From:
Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 10 Jul 2011 10:23 am    
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Alan Brookes wrote:

I use it to make tone bars easier to grip. Just immerse the entire tone bar in the stuff. Put about three coats on and then remove the area which touches the strings with an Xacto knife.

You don't have to buy it over the internet. Most hardware stores carry it, and it's available in several colors. I've been using it for decades for all sorts of jobs. I've even thought of using it on pedals so that my feet don't slip off. It also makes a good electrical insulator.



That's a GREAT idea, Alan, I wonder how it would work on a standard round bar, would the goop have enough grip to stay on it?
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chris ivey


From:
california (deceased)
Post  Posted 10 Jul 2011 12:23 pm    
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why not just coat your hands and fingers? then there would be no need to coat each individual item you touch.
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Ron Pruter

 

From:
Arizona, USA
Post  Posted 10 Jul 2011 2:19 pm    
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Or wear rubber gloves? And a surgical face mask if you're ugly, like me.
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Alan Brookes


From:
Brummy living in Southern California
Post  Posted 10 Jul 2011 3:33 pm    
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Rick Barnhart wrote:
... I wonder how it would work on a standard round bar, would the goop have enough grip to stay on it?

Yes, I've tried it. The goop creates a rubberized jacket exactly fitting whatever it's coating. The trick with a round bar is to not take off more that 180º. If you take off less than that the bar cannot physically come out, but if you take off more than that the bar will come out after a while. In reality, no-one uses more than about 120º of the bar. I've never had one come out.
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Clete Ritta


From:
San Antonio, Texas
Post  Posted 10 Jul 2011 5:41 pm     Why Joe probably doesnt coat a round bar?
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Alan Brookes wrote:
...In reality, no-one uses more than about 120º of the bar...

I just roll it here and there a little for vibrato, so thats true for me and probably most others, except maybe Joe Wright when he is doing some sort of stunt, like free rolling the bar in a downhill glissando, and then catching it on the next chord on the way back up. I just had to laugh, he makes this look easy. House of the Rising Sun at ~ 2:00

Clete
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John Floyd

 

From:
R.I.P.
Post  Posted 10 Jul 2011 6:10 pm    
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This Process has been around Since 1968 that I remember. It Was Called Insulex or Insul-X
We used it to Insulate Hand Tools That Were Being Used in High Power Electronics Equipment on Board Navy Ships. At that Time I only remember seeing it in Black.
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Charles Davidson

 

From:
Phenix City Alabama, USA
Post  Posted 10 Jul 2011 7:56 pm    
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I have mentioned this a couple of times on other threads. Been using this product a long. Only takes a short time for your picks,Just hold the tip of the pick with pliers and spray the inside finger and thumb picks. The first time I used it was on the pedals on my MSA,A pair of my favorite boots had slick soles and would slip on the pedals,Sprayed Plastic Dip and it worked great. You can find it at Home Depot. One can will last you a loooong time. YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.
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Peter Harris

 

From:
South Australia, Australia
Post  Posted 11 Jul 2011 6:42 am    
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Within the Jewelry (your spelling folks!) trade, there is a product called Tool Magic that could possibly also be an alternative ...available from your local EvilBay for under 10USD a two-ounce pot...

...designed as a non-slip / non-marring dip coating for the jaws of pliers..

HT (might) H..
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John Polstra


From:
Lopez Island, WA, USA
Post  Posted 11 Jul 2011 6:56 am    
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Be forewarned: If you have a picking style that positions your two fingers close together, you'll find that coated picks don't slide by each other very well. The coating adds a lot of friction.

John
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Charles Davidson

 

From:
Phenix City Alabama, USA
Post  Posted 11 Jul 2011 9:21 am    
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That would be if the picks were coated on the outside as well as the inside. NO need for that with the Plastic dip it's EASY to just coat the inside of the pick. YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.
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Alan Brookes


From:
Brummy living in Southern California
Post  Posted 11 Jul 2011 9:31 am    
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There are some interesting points here.

John (Floyd): yes, that's about the time I first remember it. I was living in England at the time and I used it extensively on screwdrivers, etc. As you say, it was only available in black at first, and as a dip. Nowadays you can also get it in aerosol cans, but I still prefer the dip.

Charles: yes, it's useful on fingerpicks.

John (Polstra): yes, the trick is to only coat the top part and remove any rubber that gets onto the lower part of the picks.

Peter: Originally Jewelry was the collective noun for Jewels, and Jewellery was the collective noun for Jewellers. Over the years they've become mixed up, and now in America they use Jewelry as collective noun for Jewellers. My daughter works for the international jewellers, Tiffanys, in Pasadena. As an aside, the original Tiffanys originated in Birmingham, England, my home town, about 920 A.D. (from their website), and are one of the oldest companies in the world, having been in one family for 35 generations. Whoa!
http://www.tiffanysdiamonds.co.uk/shop/
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Peter Harris

 

From:
South Australia, Australia
Post  Posted 12 Jul 2011 5:54 am    
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Hi Alan...

I have gotten (become!) used to adding a few extra letters here and there to keep everyone happy Laughing ...even if I persist in still driving on the correct (not right!) side of the road...

Shocked


Great connection there with Tiffanys....my father was born in Sheffield, so I kind of (as a consequence) know a few things about the little island... Smile

Regards from Down Here
Peter
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Brian Henry

 

Post  Posted 13 Aug 2011 3:28 pm    
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Could this stuff be used on knee levers also?
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AJ Azure

 

From:
Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2011 8:32 pm    
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Good idea! mine poke me in the leg
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Alan Brookes


From:
Brummy living in Southern California
Post  Posted 14 Aug 2011 8:34 am    
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tbhenry wrote:
Could this stuff be used on knee levers also?

Probably. Some pedal steel players put PVC tubing around the knee levers to extend them. This would create the same sort of surface as soft PVC.
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Dick Sexton


From:
Greenville, Ohio
Post  Posted 14 Aug 2011 9:30 am     Ouch...
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AJ Azure wrote: Good idea! Mine poke me in the leg

So did mine... See Derby Knee Lever Mod here:

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=594320d13092d8fb

Will work on most steels w/bar type Knee Levers...

Note: Plasti Dip will work on most any metal(anything for that mater) that can be thoroughly cleaned and prepped. Instructions are on the can...
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Brian Henry

 

Post  Posted 14 Aug 2011 3:04 pm    
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Thank you Alan,

I got some today at Lowes and did 5 sets of picks. - very easy to do and oh so comfortable.
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Brian Henry

 

Post  Posted 17 Aug 2011 12:59 pm    
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Alan I tried to coat some chrome picks later and it just peeled off. The nickle ones are doing very well - after 10 hours playing no sign of coming off. Any tips on how to prep chrome picks for plasti dip - thank you
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Last edited by Brian Henry on 17 Aug 2011 5:10 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Alan Brookes


From:
Brummy living in Southern California
Post  Posted 17 Aug 2011 4:58 pm    
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You might try roughing the surface with Emery paper, to give the rubber something to hold on to.
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David Graves


From:
Indiana, USA
Post  Posted 17 Aug 2011 8:15 pm     A couple of secrets to getting a good coating.
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I am a pilot and I build airplanes. I use the plasti dip on numerous places to keep vibrations and cable rattles to a minimum. I've also used it on my steel guitar and banjo picks. The great Andy Hinton sold me a set and I loved them so I started using it in other places. A couple of little tricks that work great for me is to clean the picks prior to coating them. I like to use aerosol "Brake Cleaner" that you can buy at Wally world or any auto parts store. It doesn't leave a film behind and the plasti dip will stick much much better. Once it has dried ( give it 24 hours ) I spray my picks with clear polyurethane where the coating is. Since doing this I've never had one single pick loose it's coating and they last very well! If you get a little polyurethane on the contact portion of the pick where the string hits it, just clean it with the Brake Cleaner. Your done!! good luck
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