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I know there are conductive sprays available, but these are strongly coloured due to the metals inside them. I am trying to make a (dry) wooden surface capacitive, but would like to have the feel and look of the wood remain intact. Therefore I would like a spray/paint/ink that is transparent and conductive and preferably also water-resistant.

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

P.S. I'm using it to measure capacitance all across the wood (which is 1.5m in length) so the resistance per cm^3 doesn't matter. It could have a nice effect if the capacitance differential is significantly different at various distances from the point I measure.

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I don't know of any transparent conductive paints. Have you considered using a piece of metal foil (possibly copper roofing foil from a Home Depot or Lowes) with a piece of veneer adhered to it. The capacitive touch sense should still work through the veneer.

You can get all kinds of veneers at Woodcraft if you have a store local to you.

Link to Veneers at Woodcraft

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  • \$\begingroup\$ yes, but I want to have a rough surface and veneer is just too smooth. Thanks for the input though. Appreciate it. \$\endgroup\$ – rfs Mar 3 '14 at 15:11
  • \$\begingroup\$ You should be able to get the capacitive sensing working up to about 1/2 inch. You could look at using RF sensing if you need longer distances. This should allow you to cut a 1/4 thickness of wood. \$\endgroup\$ – euler357 Mar 3 '14 at 15:18
  • \$\begingroup\$ @rfs The "veneer" can be as thick as you wish it to be. 1/4 inch should be fine. \$\endgroup\$ – Reinstate Monica Mar 3 '14 at 23:20

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