newbie questions for qtb

[arley]

hey everybody, i'm new to the forum and happy to be a member! i've been reading the forum for a couple of weeks now, and have a few simple questions maybe someone can help me with, reguarding qtb!
1) is it ok to use sheilded wire for all my ground connections? if yes, should i tie the braid to the connductors on one end, both ends, or neither?

2)is it ok to use a no load pot for volume control? my stock wired strat is unbelievably noisy w/ volume control @ 7-10 .

3)whats that clear waxy/ rubbery stuff used for insulatig some connections? and where can i get some?

4) does the jack cavity need shielded? if so , what can i do to shield the jack?

i've never re wired a guitar before and have no experience in electrical troubleshooting so any info would be extremely helpful and appreciated!
thx in advance, arley

[UnklMickey]

to be as brief as possible,

1 - yes but it's a waste of expensive cable. if you must, might as well tie to the braid on both ends -- lower resistance that way.

2 -- no

3 -- sounds like you're talkin' about RTV. you can get it from a home center. real messy stuff.

4 -- that's (IMHO) overkill. use shielded cable to the jack and leave it at that.


U.M

[arley]

thx um, i appreciate the info. i'm about to do the qtb mod,hope all goes well! do you know the full name of the rtv, in case the home center dont know what i'm talking about?
thx, arley

[UnklMickey]

if i remember right it's something like dow-corning se 738? silicone adhesive. it's used for sealing connections to reduce corrosion. d-c has lots of different numbers for it depending on color, curing time, etc.

are you really sure you want to use this stuff? if so be ready to deal with any mess immediately. it sticks like crazy after it cures, and it will be a pain to rework any connections afterward.

my recommendation: try using it on something you just don't care about first. get a feel for how to apply it and how much mess it is to deal with. only then, use it on something you value.

if you just want to do nice clean well finished work, maybe some heat-shrink tubing on your solder joints? just slip a piece over the wire, and push it back away from the heat while you solder. then slide it over the connection and heat it with the soldering iron near, but not touching it. or a heat gun, or a few brief passes with the flame of a butane lighter, well you get the idea. not waterproof (you aren't takin' you axe swimming are ya?) but much easier to rework later and more finished looking than wrapping with electrical tape.

don't know all the details of what you are aiming for here, so there's some info on what's out there so you can decide.

shout back when you're done and let us know how it worked out.

U.M.

[RandomHero]

If you have to seal connections, I wpuld recommend heat-shrink tubing. Easier to apply, cleaner to deal with once it's on there, looks snazzy, and can bea easily enough stripped if you want to redo something later.

[JohnH]

I agree - I cant see any advantage in putting sticky stuff in a guitar. It can also hide a problem and make it harder to fix. I think air is a good insulator, and a nice solder joint is good to look a. I often do short runs with just uninsulated solid core, sometimes with a piece of sleeve over it if something may touch.

John

[arley]

thx guys, point taken. i really didnt want to go looking for this stuff anyway! and i have some heat shrink. i'm going to start on the qtb mod right now! wish me luck.
thx arley