PLID (penetrant, lubricant, inhibitor, dielectric)

[organic snowman]

Hi all,

I spent a number of years working as a communications tech. One day I got a call from one of the logging companies we dealt with. One of their tugboats had sunk at the point where the tide changed. It had been below the surface when the tide was high and was now partially out of the water at low tide. They had the marine VHF and 2-meter radio removed and sitting on the dock. I told him to put both in a bucket of fresh water and bring them to me.

When the foreman walked in with the bucket of water there were a couple of customers in the store who looked inside and laughed. Telling me I was crazy and to throw the radios in the bin. I made a bet with one of them for 20 bucks that I could get one, if not both radios back up and running perfectly.
The 2-meter was a Motorola worth 1200 bucks, so it was certainly worth a try for the logging company.

I took both radios apart, removing every piece I could and laying them out on a workbench. Then I took a can of PLID and completely covered each part.

Then I left them alone for three days. In the afternoon of the third day I wiped all the excess off, making sure any pins and connections were clean as its a dielectric. Then proceeded to reassemble both radios.

Both radios powered up and worked perfectly when connected to my monitor. The Motorola had 49 watts on transmit. Not bad for a radio rated at 50 watts that had been in salt water for 12 hours. The VHF was around 20 watts on transmit, it was rated at 25 watts, but they are always a little high on quoted ratings in my experience.

Both were taken and reinstalled on the tugboat and used for years afterwards.

I collected my 20 bucks and the logging company were very happy customers.

One thing to remember when using this is that it is a dielectric and any connections you put it on will stop being connections. We had a guy who put it on a bunch of electrical connections on his backhoe. It stopped working until he cleaned it off.

I have no connection to the company that makes it, just wanted to share this because it really does work and might save someone a bunch of money or even their lives. Here is the link to their site.

Ship-2-Shore | Dielectric Anti Corrosion, Rust and Electrolysis Preventative Lubricant Fluid Film

[UNCIVILIZED]

Do you think that this method has a higher success rate as compared to first soaking, & rinsing in fresh water, & then denatured alcohol? Since the alcohol flushes out the water, & dries "clean".
Haven't tried it with a lot of electronics, but it works well with electrical items.

[organic snowman]

Wouldn't be able to comment on the denatured alcohol treatment as to success rate. Though its certainly a great solution. We gave up on every other form of treatment when we discovered plid because it was so good. The protection from moisture afterwards was so beneficial in the rainforest of British Columbia that it outweighed having to make sure the contacts were clean. Which we cleaned with alcohol and Q-tips. The protection from salt water made it a miracle in a can for us.

Have another story that will make you think I own the company lol.

The coast guard had a huricane rescue craft in the area. The VHF radio is open to the elements on them and they were going through a number of radios a year. No prob for them of course because us taxpayers are happy to buy them a new one everytime. However, they were annoyed by the fact that the radio would randomly quit during a rescue, so they came to us looking for a better radio.

Instead of selling them a much more expensive radio, I sold them the same one they had. Telling them I would treat it and see what happened. He was an electronics tech himself, and he suggested we try an experiment. I opened it up, voiding the warranty of course :P and treated half the board with plid and left the other bare.

After 4 months he showed up at the shop again, radio in hand. Well, parts of radio in a box is more like it. It had quit, but only because the untreated half of the board was a salty crusty white. The other half was as pristine as when he bought it.

Sold him another radio and four cans of plid. He never ever came back for another radio while I worked there.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Sounds like the stuff's worth trying.

[a64pilot]

I conformal coat boards that will be exposed to high humidity.
It is a pure preventative measure, it won't do anything at all after the fact I'm sure.

This PLID, does it dry to a film, or does it stay liquid?

[organic snowman]

Yep, conformal coating is excellent as well. We found it a bit finicky cause it can spiderweb or crack in places, needs adequate ventilation, drying can be affected by humidity, etc.
Not to say its not great and may well perform better than plid. It would be very interesting to see a side by side experiment.
Plid doesnt dry, it also will "fill in" spaces that have been wiped off. We just found it easy to use. Open the device, spray it on, put the device back together. No worries about any environmental effects.
They have different types, a spray can and a jar like petroleum jelly for when you really need a lot

[denverd0n]

Sources for buying it? Did a google search, but I can't find anyone who sells this stuff outside of Canada.

[dennismckim]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

Sources for buying it? Did a google search, but I can't find anyone who sells this stuff outside of Canada.

https://ship-2-shore.com/products/fl...plid-wet-film/ says "Made in Canada. Product ships from Canada and USA."
A cursory run through their website did not find a physical store but there may be one and I just didn't see it.

[organic snowman]

That would be a switch, usually we can't get stuff from the states.
Did you call the number?

[GordMay]

To order call:
1-800-430-1533
Ships from Canada & USA
➥ Long Lasting Rust and corrosion prevention for Marine, workboats, bargesShip-2-Shore

Ship-2-Shore
PO Box 48205
Victoria, B.C. Canada V8Z 7H6
Telephone: +1-250-477-7325
FAX: +1-236-237-1477
E-mail: sales@ship-2-shore.com

[EH2017]

I own Ship-2-Shore and manufacture the PLID, I hope I can answer a few questions, I have had several questions from this forum so I will try to answer them here.

First of all thanks for your post Organic Snowman! We get many stories sent to us about the PLID and electronics, this is the first one I have heard about saving untreated electronics.

The Coast Gaurd coats all of electronics and electrical with the PLID. They sunk a boat and after 4 months on the bottom of the ocean everything fired up after they retrieved it, no corrosion on anything treated, the pictures are on our website.

PLID stand for.. Penetrant, Lubricant, Inhibitor of rust and Dielectric (40,000volts)

Penetrant..PLID is a great penetrant it is used by mechanics when they need to remove rusty bolts. It is also used to remove rust flaking by spraying the area and letting it sit for a few weeks. The PLID will penetrate the flakes and they will fall off. You will need to re apply to prevent further corrosion.

Lubricant.. There is a thicker version of the PLID called Industrial. Both are lubricants but the Industrial is an incredible bearing grease and lubricant. If you go to our home page there is a testimonial from a customer who replaced her grease in her Lewmar winches with the industrial and had amazing results.

Bike shops are using it as chain oil and hub grease saying it is the best they have used. The formula is magnetically attracted to metal and does not attract dirt so it makes a perfect lubricant. The Navy and Coast Guard spray it on all their hinges and metal to lubricate and prevent corrosion.

Inhibitor of Rust...This is what we are known for, long lasting rust protection. The formula goes on even and it is dripless and self healing. It is a wet film and remains wet, it is not ideal for high traffic areas, you cannot paint over it. The PLID should last for 3 to 5 years and the Industrial has lasted over 20 years, depending on the environment it is being used in. In a ship hold you will get years, on an anchor chain that sees a lot of operation, you may need to apply yearly.
It is non toxic and non hazardous. Please note Ship 2 Shore is not a rust remover, it will stop rust and corrosion instantly by displacing water and oxygen but it will not remove it.

Dielectric...Use it to coat electronics and electrical connections. Many major cities have purchased the PLID spray and coated all of their traffic light box connections and boards to prevent corrosion. Contractors coat their tools to prevent corrosion and water damage. Boaters coat their electronics and electrical connections, battery cables.

The main difference between the PLID and Industrial is that PLID is more of a penetrant and the Industrial is a better Lubricant and last much longer for rust protection. If you are trying to protect an area I would use both, use the PLID first on cracks and welds and the Industrial on the rest.

Other uses are..
Steel rope, soak in a drum with the PLID
Chains, under coatings on cars, trucks and trailers.
Bearing grease, gun grease, gun lubricant, fishing rod reel grease
Any place two different metals types touch
Bridges, monuments, statues

Prices ...a can of PLID spray is $18.95 Canadian (discounts on larger orders)
150ml bottle of Industrial with brush $9.95

Bulk Prices is the same for both PLID and Industrial
1 Gal jug is $129.95
5 Gal pail is $360.00
45 Gal Drum $3250.00

We are currently working on turning the Industrial into a spray as well.

If you need more information please call me 1-800-430-1533

Erik Holmes
Ship 2 Shore

[EH2017]

Decided to do a test with PLID to show what it can do.

Took 2 new drills and put them in the ocean for 2 hours.
I pulled them out and sprayed one with PLID, I tested the drill and it ran just fine with no cleaning of the connections.
The PLID is thin enough that this is rarely an issue.

I then left both drills out on the lawn for the last 2 weeks, here are the results.

Makes no difference if you spray the drill before or after dropping in the ocean.

[Meanderthal]

That's awesome!

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Ship-2-Shore

I own Ship-2-Shore and manufacture the PLID, I hope I can answer a few questions, I have had several questions from this forum so I will try to answer them here.

First of all thanks for your post Organic Snowman! We get many stories sent to us about the PLID and electronics, this is the first one I have heard about saving untreated electronics.

The Coast Gaurd coats all of electronics and electrical with the PLID. They sunk a boat and after 4 months on the bottom of the ocean everything fired up after they retrieved it, no corrosion on anything treated, the pictures are on our website.

PLID stand for.. Penetrant, Lubricant, Inhibitor of rust and Dielectric (40,000volts)

Penetrant..PLID is a great penetrant it is used by mechanics when they need to remove rusty bolts. It is also used to remove rust flaking by spraying the area and letting it sit for a few weeks. The PLID will penetrate the flakes and they will fall off. You will need to re apply to prevent further corrosion.

Lubricant.. There is a thicker version of the PLID called Industrial. Both are lubricants but the Industrial is an incredible bearing grease and lubricant. If you go to our home page there is a testimonial from a customer who replaced her grease in her Lewmar winches with the industrial and had amazing results.

Bike shops are using it as chain oil and hub grease saying it is the best they have used. The formula is magnetically attracted to metal and does not attract dirt so it makes a perfect lubricant. The Navy and Coast Guard spray it on all their hinges and metal to lubricate and prevent corrosion.

Inhibitor of Rust...This is what we are known for, long lasting rust protection. The formula goes on even and it is dripless and self healing. It is a wet film and remains wet, it is not ideal for high traffic areas, you cannot paint over it. The PLID should last for 3 to 5 years and the Industrial has lasted over 20 years, depending on the environment it is being used in. In a ship hold you will get years, on an anchor chain that sees a lot of operation, you may need to apply yearly.
It is non toxic and non hazardous. Please note Ship 2 Shore is not a rust remover, it will stop rust and corrosion instantly by displacing water and oxygen but it will not remove it.

Dielectric...Use it to coat electronics and electrical connections. Many major cities have purchased the PLID spray and coated all of their traffic light box connections and boards to prevent corrosion. Contractors coat their tools to prevent corrosion and water damage. Boaters coat their electronics and electrical connections, battery cables.

The main difference between the PLID and Industrial is that PLID is more of a penetrant and the Industrial is a better Lubricant and last much longer for rust protection. If you are trying to protect an area I would use both, use the PLID first on cracks and welds and the Industrial on the rest.

Other uses are..
Steel rope, soak in a drum with the PLID
Chains, under coatings on cars, trucks and trailers.
Bearing grease, gun grease, gun lubricant, fishing rod reel grease
Any place two different metals types touch
Bridges, monuments, statues

Prices ...a can of PLID spray is $18.95 Canadian (discounts on larger orders)
150ml bottle of Industrial with brush $9.95

Bulk Prices is the same for both PLID and Industrial
1 Gal jug is $129.95
5 Gal pail is $360.00
45 Gal Drum $3250.00

We are currently working on turning the Industrial into a spray as well.

If you need more information please call me 1-800-430-1533

Erik Holmes
Ship 2 Shore

G'day Eric,

Thanks for coming aboard and welcome to CF. It's always good when a manufacturer is willing to explain their products and thus allows us (the users) to ask questions. Especially those questions which aren't answered in the brochures!

Now I haven't used your product but like the OP, I have been involved with communications and electronics for way too long (45+ years) and have used many "technician in the can" products so please allow to ask a few questions.

Regarding the emphasised red section above, are you saying the lubricant has magnetic properties; if so, does this mean it is more suited to carbon steels rather than non-magnetic materials like SS or bronze etc? What is the strength of any magnetic field, e.g. would it upset a flux valve if used nearby (say within 1 or 2 feet)?

As for not attracting dirt, how is this different from other lubricants? AFAIK, most lubricants don't attract dirt either.

I am not knocking your product, especially as I haven't used it but I am interested in knowing more about it.

Finally I note you don't make any claim about it being a contact cleaner type of spray but I am assuming it would be useful to use as protection after a contact cleaner (say Deoxit etc).

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Ship-2-Shore

Attachment 147955

Decided to do a test with PLID to show what it can do.

Took 2 new drills and put them in the ocean for 2 hours.
I pulled them out and sprayed one with PLID, I tested the drill and it ran just fine with no cleaning of the connections.
The PLID is thin enough that this is rarely an issue.

I then left both drills out on the lawn for the last 2 weeks, here are the results.

Makes no difference if you spray the drill before or after dropping in the ocean.

Did the uncoated drill run OK after removing it from the ocean?

Apart from the visual differences after 2 weeks, how do the drills compare when running?

It would be good to see another test comparing your product with a very good fresh water bath and warm air dry?

Again, not being adversely critical of PLID, rather trying to see just how good it is compared to other techniques. After all, we are sailors here and tend to use the cheapest workable solution .