Heat source for heat shrink

May 03, 2006 20 Replies

What do people here use for heat shrink tubing?



I'm tired of using matches, and a butane pencil torch seems like overkill.


-- Pierre, mon ami. Jetez encore un Scientologiste dans le baquet d'acide.


- from a posting in alt.religion.scientology titled "France recommends dissolving Scientologists"


I run the tip of my soldering iron over it if it small - otherwise I use a heat gun

I use a heat gun..

- Mike

David Nebenzahl wrote in news:445939dc$0$3686$ snipped-for-privacy@news.adtechcomputers.com:

an electric heat gun. Harbor Freight sells them VERY inexpensively. I imagine some better hair dryers would also work.

Jim Yanik jyanik at kua.net

I find one of those long nozzled butane lighters used to light outdoor BBQ's etc. works well in most situations . Big flame to cover a good size area, but not too hot.

Dan

I have one of those HF guns. Also works fine but of course you have to plug it in somewhere ;-)

Dan

Dan spake thus:

I thought about a heat gun; we're talking about those things that are basically glorified blow dryers, right? Isn't that a little much just to heat a little bitty piece of tubing? Are there any "mini heat guns" available to heat smaller things?

Pierre, mon ami. Jetez encore un Scientologiste dans le baquet d'acide. - from a posting in alt.religion.scientology titled "France recommends dissolving Scientologists"

Not that I'm aware of, the size doesn't matter, that's exactly what they're designed for amoung other things, it works better than anything else I've ever tried.

I use a heat gun that was designed for heat shrik tubing.

Jerry G. ======

On Wed, 03 May 2006 16:19:30 -0700, David Nebenzahl put finger to keyboard and composed:

Hair dryer.

- Franc Zabkar

Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

I use a Black and Decker two heat paint stripper gun for the big stuff, and a butane flameless mini heatgun, for the small stuff, and have used both for years. The butane gun is actually a pencil gas torch, of the type that often has a catalytic soldering tip available for it. The heatgun accessory, is basically the same, in that the gas passes over a platinum wire catalyser, which glows red hot, and then exits as a stream of hot gas, from the nozzle. Intensity of the jet, and temperature, can both be controlled by the setting of the gas valve. It refills from a normal can of butane cigarette lighter gas. There are dedicated heatgun only tools as well. Look at

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for examples

Arfa

Cheapest way is to get a dual heat setting hot air paint stripper gun from a DIY shed. They're often on offer for a very small sum. Only use on low power setting. Don't get a single heat setting one as they're rather too powerful.

The pro types are expensive. They're smaller so might be better if using heat shrink inside an amp etc and they don't produce so much heat.

But for cables etc, a paint stripper type on 1Kw or less output is fine. Some hairdriers can also be used if they have a nozzle to direct the airflow.

*Even a blind pig stumbles across an acorn now and again * Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound.

I have an Ungar. You can probably buy one for $300. I also have a Weller station for about $900. The Ungar has been wonderfull and I bought it over 20 years ago for about $80.

greg

Ahh, Electronix Express has two models probably cheaper than anybody but Harbor Freight, but these are for heat shrink.

greg

A heat gun is the ideal choice and is quite inexpensive. But for quick jobs or when I'm away from the bench I often use a butane cigarette lighter (then give the heatshrunk a quick wipe to remove the soot).

Tim

Did I really still have that sig?

I think they are basically a blow dryer with the element closer to the end of the blower tube...blow dryers have pretty-well maxed out the wattage of a 120 VAC circuit.

Tom

I think the major difference between a hair dryer and a heat gun is airflow.. A heat gun doesn't move nearly the volume of air that a hair dryer does.

- Mike

Not a butane pencil torch (sounds like a blowlamp!) but I use the side "exhaust port" of an Oryx Portasol butane soldering iron. Usually because I can't be bothered to change the (hot) soldering iron tip for the proper hot air blower attachment! In either case, you get a good stream of hot air, with no flame. Does just fine for small sleeving, might take a while for larger stuff though!

--------------------------------------+------------------------------------ Mike Brown: mjb[at]pootle.demon.co.uk | http://www.pootle.demon.co.uk/

The Ungar has a narrow opening and has different tips to control the flow some more. Its about 600 watts. Will melt solder at about 600 to 700 degrees.

greg

snipped-for-privacy@pitt.edu (GregS) wrote in news:e3nhf4$pmt$ snipped-for-privacy@usenet01.srv.cis.pitt.edu:

That was the Princess model;is it still being sold by Ungar?

Jim Yanik jyanik at kua.net

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