Sirs,
While Q-Dope is clear and good-looking,
and while the cyanoacrylates like super-glue
afford short-term superior bonding I have found
that Red-X Corona Dope , (GC Electronics
part number 10-5002), works much better.
Years ago, we used stuff called Glyptal
that came in tubes for sealing HV corona
points, in the IBM HV deposition lab
in Fishkill. Glyptal was a varnish-like
substance, red, and it smelled to high heaven.
The stuff was manufactured in England and we
used it everywhere, externally, to reduce
corona discharge on our 1MEV evaporators.
OSHA took the stuff away when it was found
that it catches on fire if you light it with a match
while wet (!!).
GC electronics then began selling Red-X
and it's not called Glyptal, so that made it
okay to use. The stuff has the ability to
insulate 15KV per thou, and it can be
cleaned up with MEK (another forbidden
substance, but still legal when IBM abandoned the
1,1, Trichloroethane "IBM Cleaning Fluid" in the
early 'eighties.)
I use the Red-X in all the HV sections of my amps, and
even completely cover HV RFC's with it. The clear
stuff, Q-Dope, is like fingernail polish. It's based on
Polystyrene resin and MEK. The problem is that
Q-Dope peels easily and dries too fast, so unless
you have a basin to dip coils into, the brush marks
appear on your work, unlike the Red-X varnish
that blends, and is easily visible as to its coating
coverage.
Respectfully,
Hal Mandel
W4HBM
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