[time-nuts] Conducting Bench Top Material

[Brucekareen at aol.com]

My electronic bench is an old commercial one made with steel stampings and  
a steel top covered with Masonite.  The Masonite is still in fair  
condition.  Although over the years the non-conductive top has been an  asset in 
avoiding short circuits, etc., I am concerned about static  discharges when 
handling modern semiconductors.  Would it make sense  to spray the Masonite 
with a weak copper sulphate or similar solution so as to  make the masonite 
slightly conductive, but not so conductive that 155 VAC  connections could not 
safely rest upon it?  Is there a better-suited  material that could be used 
to replace the Masonite? 
 
Ironically, in the 1960's, Transite (asbestos) was sometimes used as a  
covering for electronic benches as as it was resistant to molten  solder.  The 
downside was that in sliding heavy equipment around,  friable material could 
be released.   
 
Bruce Hunter