My nephew sliced some patches of insulation off a few wires in a wire loom in a car...as if he doesn't know what a piercing probe is. When I have one end of a wire open, I use shrink tubing, but I don't want to cut perfectly good wires and make splices just to get some shrink tubing on it. I also don't trust good old vinyl electricians tape because it gets brittle in a few years.

Nephew in question mentioned a paint-on vinyl insulation, but I don't trust his advice in matters electrical. Please tell me about flexible insulation patching methods, including Brand Names if you can.

Obviously, "flexible" is more important than high voltage capabilities in this case.
ps, a long shelf life is a good thing.

Thank you,

Number Twelve

 

I use self-fusing silicone tape. You can cut it down to any width you want.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Nashua-T...-Fusing-Silicone-Tape-Black-1208952/100206050

I've seen it in multiple colors, but I use black.

 

I've used the liquid electrical tape in the past and I wasn't impressed, it came off pretty easily, as if it didn't fully cure. I've heard great things about the self fusing silicone tape, so much that I have a roll here in front of me to try, but I still haven't used it yet.

I have found good name brand electrical tape to remain flexible for years, but it gets gooey. You would probably be safe (but messy) to wrap each wire with electrical tape, then wrap the bundle with electrical tape so it doesn't move much, to keep the individual pieces intact. It will be gooey and messy in the long run, but should stay put.

 

Try PVA glue.

 

self-fusing silicone tape

Looks good. Ya' know....the world keeps changing and nobody can keep up with everything. I offer my thanks to the denizens of AAC for being a cross section of people in the business. This is a good way to find the currently available, most likely, substance to fit the job.

flexible for years, but it gets gooey

One brand gets gooey, another brand gets brittle, another brand has so little or so ineffective adhesive that it merely unwraps...That's why I'm asking. I've known for a long time that dabbing on silicone caulk and wrapping that with electricians tape was a half baked method. Now I need something reliable for years under rather awful working conditions, and I'm not willing to trust my next car not to burn to the ground because I faked a wire repair!

Try PVA glue.

poly vinyl acetate? Brand name? Where to find it?

 

I have used nail polish. Simple, cheap, seals well and makes a pretty decent insulator. Not sure if it meets your flexible requirement. Might chip off in those adverse environments.

 

poly vinyl acetate? Brand name? Where to find it?

Yes, you can use pretty much any brand you like.

Or look for "PVA wood glue".

 

dl324 nailed it. that stuff works wonders. Be ware it.s expensive. Like $38.00 a roll. true value hardware has it in colors and smaller lengths. Either Plymouth bishop or scotch.

An electrical store USED to carry it. My last batch came from ebay.

 

Like $38.00 a roll.

The Home Depot stuff costs $7 and I think 10 feet of it will patch plenty of wires for a used car refurbishing job.

 

I second or third or whatever the count is up to on the self fusing silicone tape.

Liquid electrical tape is a brush on vinyl coating that always seems to have thin coverage areas. A more viscous but chemically similar product is Plasti Dip. It's intended for tool handles but you can dip a section of wire in it as well.

http://www.plastidip.com

 

Hola No. 12

I recall someone cutting a length of wide Raychem heat shrink, along its length. Once converted in a strip, it was progressively wrapped around the wire and then heated to hold tight. Would it work for you? Not sure myself.

 

I'd probably use adhesive lined tubing in this case.

 

I've used "splicing tape" as mentioned, and it's not bad. I've also had pretty good luck with hot glue. I've gotten to where I can even make it look decent, not like a booger on a wire. I think it's what I would use for this application. I'm usually trying to repair a strain-relief on a charger cable, and I'm still looking for a better solution that can take the flexing.

They actually do make heat-shrink products that can be applied to a wire without an open end, but those products seemed clumsy and were quite expensive. The stuff from Home Depot was a lot easier to justify experimenting with.

 

Scotch 70
http://www.zoro.com/scotch-electric...gclid=CMivx4virskCFccYHwodAjwESQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

All sorts of deals here: http://www.zoro.com/scotch-electric...gclid=CMivx4virskCFccYHwodAjwESQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

The stuff really works great. Electrical tape is used for one thing: Coloring wire ends.

 

Try PVA glue.

Might work - but I think that stuff may set brittle.

Hot melt glue springs to mind, but often not easy to run mains to a car for the glue gun.

 

I have used shrink tubing with a melty internal layer, but I don't have any. Besides, keeping heat shrink tubing safe in Florida is a chore. Whatever you lay on the seat or dashboard will be ruined in 10 minutes.

not easy to run mains to a car for the glue gun.

You should have told me that before I used my Weller 250 soldering gun and a heat gun to shrink some tubing on the first two repairs.

 

I have used shrink tubing with a melty internal layer, but I don't have any. Besides, keeping heat shrink tubing safe in Florida is a chore. Whatever you lay on the seat or dashboard will be ruined in 10 minutes.


You should have told me that before I used my Weller 250 soldering gun and a heat gun to shrink some tubing on the first two repairs.

My garage is some distance from the flat.

I bought a modellers pencil blowtorch, but can't remember what I did with the soldering attachment.

The more expensive set has a variety of attachments like clip on guides to do things like heat shrink.

Most times I've spliced automotive wiring, I had to use pretty aggressive flux. The strands are almost never tin plated, and more often than not have a layer of black oxide.

 

Or the green stuff. That' why I like my Butane iron w heat shrink attachment. https://www.masterappliance.com/heat-tool-products/butane-powered/ultratorches/ultratorch-ut-100si

It's been around for 20-30 years and it's been factory re-built twice. Pricey though.

 

Sugru, available at Lowes. Putty like substance that hardens. I've used it to repair insulation, and support wires coming off a PCB.

 

The 3M/Scotch electrical tape is the best I've found for car wiring. Tapped up connections for trailer wiring about three years ago and shows no sign of failure yet. Sits outside all year in all weather.