Alright. How do I make it?

I have a source for the ferro-fluid. I just don't know how to get it to bond into a paint.

And I'm sure someone here knows. I'll just bet Clayton shows up here and says he's got a 55 gallon drum in his basement.

I have a 55 gallon drum of it in my basement.

Clayton

Brush it on... The brush marks scatter IR patterns and make for near invisibility.

You can get similar results with a hot glue gun and a jumbo sized box of paper clips.

A few years ago one of my friends used to work Aircraft Structural Maintenance. He painted his sportbike with some leftovers from work. Bikes already have a low signature to begin with. His was completely invisible to radar. We used to test it out all the time with those huge radar signs the cops put out in Florida.

stir it into some semi-gloss clear and see what happens!

I dont think ferro fluid is going to help you. You need something disapative (not entierly conductive) with a resonance near radar freq. Microwaves are also commonly called centimeter waves, so you'll need something in that ballpark. The paperclips are a better idea, but heavy. Shredded carbon fiber is my best suggestion short of actually getting the real deal.

When I had one of my cars painted flat black, most radar wouldn't pick it up until I was ~150 ft away, I used to think a permanent radar post on my way to work was broken, then I drove the subaru past it, got me all the way up the hill 1/2 mile away

yup my fiberglass hood paineted flat black with glass bumper and air dam screws with those X band sites. but K or KA no chance. Freaking Laser is so last minute. Saw the cop with a car pulled over, he turns around and points the laser. instant BUSTED you ain't got a prayer. Good thing I wasn't speeding.

laser can be avoided, don't have reflective headlamps or a front license plate, basically shy away fron anything that will reflect light and is fairly flat. glossy paint doesn't help

So there are a couple ways to absorb RF. First is to absorb the magnetic field component and the second is to absorb the electric field portion (since microwaves are electro-magnetic waves) While I don't know what ferrofluid would do, the idea of using iron filings suspended in paint could work. At least two companies manufacture H-field (magnetic field) absorbers using this. One of the common applications of this is to reduce the tendency of a metal cavity to resonate. You'll see the stuff applied to the top of the cavity. Its called flexible ferrite...

The other method using carbon is commonly used for absorbing propogating waves. Carbon loaded foams are used to line the walls of anechoic chambers for testing antennas, etc. Black ESD foam is a form of carbon loaded foam. There are different types of carbon loaded foams, with varying carbon-profiles and densities. Tuning the thickness of thees can help absorb narrow ranges of microwave frequencies.

So you can actually buy paints that are microwave absorbing, but to have maximum benefit it will need to be applied thick. If you want to make your own, go buy some carbon black powder and mix it in with paint. I suggest carbon because its less prone to rust

And as other said, make sure to remove or coat any reflective surfaces. If it reflects light, it will probably reflect RF. Also things inside your car can cause reflections as well.

Paperclips or any metallic element would be about the worst thing you could do. Think of what planes do for countermeasures... They eject a cloud of reflective metal pieces. Metal is reflective. Radar works on reflections

-Tony

Damn. I thought I had something there for a while.

Anti Radar, Anti Sonar... I think I have what you need.

I buy surplus paint from the Mare Island Shipyard from an old guy who advertises as "The Paint Guy" in marine publications.

He sells 2 gallon packs of "Epoxy" for $10. It is very black when mixed, smells to very high heaven, and I'm sure ultra toxic. It was used to paint our nuclear subs......

I painted my Chevy's (formerly) chromed rubrail on the top of the pickup's tailgate with a paint brush after I sanded off the rust so does this mean my tailgate is immune to being torpedoed???

Good stuff.. it is so toxic, it keeps the oysters from anchoring on the iron ballast casting on my sailboat...

Can't beat the price either.

Nothing beats the absorbency of a pallet load of maxi pads stuck to your car

smear some of that stuff on my X's

the point of this excersize is lost on me.

k

Ferrofluid is a liquid that has both magnetic tendencies and is electrically conductive. It is the primary component to the paint that the military currently uses for the stealths.

I just don't know how to make it bond properly, or if it would function properly as a mixture with "normal" paint.

Brian. Your's sounds like the older "iron ball" paint. Which would work just fine. What kind of finish does it leave?

Get some pheromones too... then you'll be invisible to cops, AND irresistible to women!

Ferro fluid is very fine iron particles in an oil suspension. You will find it is often used in high power speakers. I work with engraving machines. Ferro fluid is used as a dampening component. I am interested in what you have found. I would like to acquire some myself.

Not to get off topic here, but go and buy one of those motion sensors like they have at the grocery story (you know the kind that set off your radar detector), mount it some where facing forward, next time your tooling along and need that volvo station wagon with a radar detector out of your way, pow, flip the switch, he'll get out of your way!

Just kidding I would not recommend doing this, but the practical application is interesting.

That's good. I like it.

But I doubt the guy with the volvo wagon would even HAVE a radar detector.

But it makes for a great Honda/Corvette killer.