Plasti-Dip et al.

Once you open the can,you better use the glop within about a week; contents gets thicker by the day and becomes useless.

There are no other alternative products that are better? Thicker coats? etc.

Electrostatic applied spray paint/epoxy coatings. Spray and bake, let set and age some; repeat to desired thickness.

Hmmm... but that's just paint -- "hard coat". What about "rubbery" things? No other players in the market?

I don't know of anything else that comes as a liquid coating. I guess you could make a mold and cast some silicone around the tool handles, but that's a bit of a job.

For some applications, squishing a round PVC Caplug and sliding it on to the handle might work. These tend not to be as long as you need for tool handles, though. Something like their VC series:

Other things I have seen done:

One or more layers of heat-shrink tubing.

Rubber tubing. Something like automotive vacuum hose (thin) or fuel line (thicker), or possibly silicone surgical tubing. You could also use vinyl tubing from the hardware store.

Multiple wraps of electrical tape. Gets messy when the adhesive starts to ooze out, but is available worldwide and thickness is adjustable.

Standard disclaimers apply; I don't get money or other consideration from any companies mentioned.

Matt Roberds

What about the black "Gorilla" coat sprayed on truck beds? Most companies just spray the (plastic) glop on and let it set; that lasts just long enough to keep most clients happy. Rare ones pre-heat the glop, spray it on, and infra-red cure it; bonding is superior and the polymer is chemically far more stable (but harder, also).

Hmmm... I've never looked at (felt) it, closely. I will look over the various neighbors' trucks and see if I can find a sample...

Yeah, and it would be difficult for any "exotic" (for want of a better word) shapes. E.g., "sculpted".

"Dip" seemed like it would be ideal. Some of the "handles" I want to coat are large diameter (more than an inch) and/or non-cylindrical (or even approximations thereof). Something viscous that would cling to the surface seemed like it would be ideal.

OTOH, "dip" tends to be short-lived in terms of durability. I was hoping for something that would be a bit more robust -- yet "rubbery"

My few experiences have been good. But that is not much to tell about.

?-)

Thick wall heat shrink tubing with a 3:1 ratio.

If a putty would be better instead of liquid (because you want better control over the finished form), consider Sugru. I've not used it, but it's very popular with the Maker Faire folks.

or go to the electrical supply house and get cold shrink. The stuff is super tough. It comes on spiral plastic forms. You pull the form out like a string and the stuff starts to shrink.

Thanks, I will pass this along to my colleague and get some different products on order. It looks like this is going to be one of those "empirical evidence" solutions :-/

Nah, I'll just buy some of the "real thing" (well, a couple of different "real things") and evaluate each... see how long they hold up, what sorts of solvents they *dislike*, how well they handle larger surfaces, etc.

Hopefully, they aren't the sorts of products that are discontinued or replaced frequently (i.e., before I can complete an assessment of their relative merits! :> )

I don't think this is going to cut it. E.g., on some of the larger diameter surfaces I am looking for a thickness of 1/4" or more (for the "rubber").

From discussions with other colleagues/acquaintances/friends, it appears that many have a similar "need". Hopefully I can find a solution that addresses all of our needs -- buy it in bulk and be able to use it up instead of storing leftovers!

No, a reasonably viscous liquid seems like it would be ideal... "dip" and let it dry. Repeat to desired thickness.

But, I will look into this sugru stuff as it may have use in some other capacity!

Thanks!

There's also a self-bonding tape that says it's good for sealing pipes and making tool grips. Wrap it on, done.

Sorry, don't know the name. I've tried a generic version--seems to be silicone--works nicely. Handy stuff.

Cheers, James Arthur

Hmmm. There may be a rubbery version of gel coat from the fiberglass and recreational boating suppliers.

?-)

Yeah, I was looking to see if there was something folks could recommend that was a bit more durable (so you aren't "re-dipping" often)