MG Chemicals - 838AR-340G 838AR Total Ground Carbon Conductive Paint, 12 oz Aerosol Spray Can

I am heavily into DIY electronic projects, most of which involve high gain, high impedance amplifier circuits that will buzz just by having a 1" section of input lead exposed. SO, I really need shielding, like really really. I designed a small array of universal boxes for breadboards and my various projects, and I 3d print them as needed, using mainly ESun ABS+ but also the occasional straight ABS or PETG. This stuff sticks fine to all of my plastics, and the little 150ml can goes a surprisingly long way. One thing - I noticed halfway through the can that the bottom had a deep sludge in it, about 1/2" to 3/4" thick, that was coagulated material. Reading another review here, I saw that he had used acetone as a thinner, and I decided to go for it and add some to try to stretch the can out by getting that sludge back into service. It worked *perfectly*. Pleased with the results but thinking I could benefit from making the paint even more thin, I added more acetone until the paint was very water-like, but still strongly silvery. I *really* like it like this. It flows beautifully and it's much easier to coat a surface before it's sludging up from drying, and it still dries super fast because, of course, acetone. If a spot looks too thin, like I can make out the underlying material, I just dip the tip of my brush in and swipe the area. Before I thinned it like this, my work would come out looking smeary, a bit like stucco. Now it looks much more pro, much more even and smooth. Clipping a meter (BK Precision 2405A) lead to one side of the last project box I did (for small breadboards, box is about 6"L x 3"W x 2"H) and probing around with the other lead, I get an almost perfectly consistent 4.8 ohms, and that's with a single coat all the way around the inside.I can't say enough about this stuff. I used to get the aerosol spray version but had lots of problems with it clogging up on me. Got a can of this thinking I might hate it, but oh **** no. I love it, and I'll never go back. Properly thinned, it's a dream to use, wastes next to nothing but a single brush and maybe one spilled drop, and it isn't flying around in the air. I can do a dozen boxes (and lids for them) easily on one can. Yes, its expensive, but it works GREAT, even for superhigh gain, superhigh impedance circuits like my LMC6081 op-amp projects. Truly wonderful stuff and if they ever stop making it, I'll be really lost.Thanks MG Chemicals! :-)Rick NR417

Got for my Stratocaster. It was more than enough to do at least two guitars. It’s a little messy but it dries fast and got rid of almost all of my buzz. Definitely not acrylic based. But other than the smell, it did wonders for my guitar.

I was looking for something more conductive but this seems like a good product. I painted a strip on some paper and measured a resistance of about 2250 ohms per inch.It dried quickly and was pretty durable.

I’ve got a first year of production MIJ 1997 ESP Viper, which I love dearly. We recently moved and when I got back around to setting up my home studio again, I was getting a horrendous amount of buzz from my guitar. I mean, it was so bad that it was interfering with notes as they sustained out. No amount of repositioning myself in relation to my desk, monitor, ANYTHING, helped.After double checking all of the guitar wiring and grounds, unplugging everything in the room one by one, unplugging my router, etc.; I still wanted to yank my hair out.Now, if you know ESP, then you know that they’re some fine craftsman. Again, this is an ESP handmade in the Japanese facility back in the 90s. It’s not an LTD. Not that there’s anything wrong with LTD. It’s just apples and oranges. But, there was zero shielding anywhere in the guitar, except for some foil tape on the backside of the control cavity cover.I ordered this out of desperation really. My Hail Mary. It’s a small 12ml bottle, but there was enough for me to do 3 thick coats in all 3 cavities = the 2 pickup cavities and the control cavity.When you mix it, use something like a popsicle stick. If there’s any clumps, smash them with the stick until they break up. Stir well.Wipe the areas that you’ll paint with some alcohol. I did scuff the cavities with some sandpaper as best as I could beforehand, then used some compressed air to blow them out. Then the alcohol. Then mixed the paint again.Paint color is like a charcoal silver. I thought that I would prefer black, but I actually like the charcoal color because it’s easier to see if you missed any spots IMHO.Everything cleans up easily with a wet rag.Dry time between coats is around 15 minutes or so, depending on how thick your coats are. I didn’t rush it. Over the course of a couple hours I took my time to paint coats until the bottle ran out. As mentioned, 3 thick coats in all cavities.Instructions state that it takes 24 hours to fully cure. After about 5-6 hours, everything was plenty dry for me to put my pickups and pots and wiring back in. Then restring and adjust everything. And of course I couldn’t wait. So…I was floored. 90% of the noise was gone. Not only that, but I could now actually reposition myself and get the electrical interference noise to go away 100%!But here’s the kicker. After the paint had fully cured after 24 hours or so? The guitar is now dead silent. No repositioning needed. It works!

I bought to copper plate 3D printed parts, and it simply does not work, I have tried multiple times in vastly different approaches all with the same result, only small spots of copper will be plated and the adhesion is only slightly better than using nothing at all. Enormous disappointment. I was able to plate aluminum with it, it worked so well I thought I had finally found the ideal conditions to make it work, tried PLA again, and the results were even worse than before. Don't bother with it if your going to electroplate 3D prints, it's a waste of money and worse, a gigantic waste of time and effort. Even using graphite lubricant for locks mixed with nail polish remover worked substantially better. Going to try actual graphite powder this was sadly a total bust.