liquid electrical tape

[rmueller1]

Those ads on TV for the liquid rubber stuff got me thinking about using something like this on all exposed wires and connections for my audio projects. There are various liquid electrical tape type products out there. Any opinions on how effective these are at reducing noise/hum etc. There has to be some capacitance and magnetic induction produced from current flowing through any exposed terminal. Wouldn't it be better if all of these were insulated?

[Doc B.]

Plastic won't shield something from RFI. But the liquid electrician's tape will make a real mess. Someone brought an antique radio to me for repair many years ago. They had used that stuff on all the bare wires and connections. It was a total PITA to work on.

[rmueller1]

If plastic won't shield anything, what is the cover on normal electrical wire made from and why do they market this stuff as electrical tape? Just asking.

[STURMJ]

There might be some advantage to covering terminals, protecting those connections from corrosion over time (assuming that the product forms a lasting air tight barrier). But then you have the previously mentioned problem, it would be a PITA to do any work on it.

[Adrian]

The protective covering on most electrical wire is vinyl or PTFE and electrical tape is vinyl (plastic).
It is solely an insulator and does not "shield" RFI.
If you want some RFI protection wrap the wires in a copper sheath and cover it with vinyl electrical tape.  Basically, this is what a shielded cable is, a conductor covered with an insulator, covered with a metalic shield, and finished with some protective covering.

edited to add PTFE

[Jim R.]

This won't help with shielding, but another alternative is the "self-fusing" silicone tape. You cut a piece of this of, give the ends a tug to stretch it a bit, wrap it around the connection to be insulated, and over time the silicone will all fuse together in a homogenous, glossy covering.

Warning: not cheap.

HTH,

Jim