shrinking heat shrink

[on-one]

What should I be using to heat heashrink on electrical wires? I've got a small gas torch which is fine if used when I'm doing something off the boat but I can't use it if I'm doing something near other wires. Is it possible to by a little electric heater?

[Noelm]

heat gun, small Cigarette lighter, soldering iron, there is a dozen ways to do it, just choose what will suit where it is situated.

[on-one]

i'm worried that a heat gun or lighter will melt surrounding stuff too but a soldering iron should work - thanks

[Rod Fishing]

A heat gun ou sould hre from kennards or somewhere like that. shouldnt effect the other wires.

[on-one]

when you say heat gun do you mean the hairdryer type things for stripping paint? I've got one it just seems to be very hot and worry it'd melt everything in it's path

[finga]

You can get the refillable little cigarette lighters from the markets for next to nothing. I think the last lot I got were around the $5 mark
Some have a flame and some have a mesh to disperse the flame and give out lots of heat.
They're usually adjustable as well for different temperatures.
The last one I got has a hood on it to keep crap out of the mesh when not used but also very handy to protect other wires when using the heat.
I carry both types in every tool boxes just in case.
Or use an electric heat gun.
I found soldering irons to be a pain to heat the heatshrink as I'm not steady enough not to touch the heatshrink or wires.

[timddo]

I use one of the portable ones that run on gas. Easy to do. I also put a bit of sikaflex on the joining to seal it from moister b4 i shrink it.

[fsh00]

Hair dryer.........

[Ryan.S]

Cant beat soldering iron for tight spots. Just use the part slightly above the tinned tip.

[dnej]

el cheapo Supercheap heat gun Two settings.Doesnt get too hot on low setting.Hair dryer,as someone said, is great.
But if you use heat shrink,buy the stuff with the resin in it.It seals everyhing water tight.Wouldnt use anything else.
David

[oldboot]

I use a lot of heat shrink and have tried all sorts of things but the best is a heat gun.

I have an old brevil that Ive had for 20 years.... has had lost of work.

ryobi do a nice kit....... I've been promising myself a new one for a few years now.

best improvement for a heat gun is a hook nozle...... makes for much better results and protect the surrounds a bit....... or work the shrink inside a piece of angle...... both the above wrap the hot air flow arround the job for smoother and faster job


hair drier..... not hot enough....... may work poorly if you choke the incomming airflow......... usulay....... just not hot enough to do the job


anything with a flame........ yeh it will work but you need to be carefull not to burn the heat shrink or the wire arround it.
Also the heat is too concentrated to ge a nice even controlled shrink. oh and the soot from an ordinary lighter discolours the shrink.


soldering iron........ I will... sometimes and only very small sections of shrink....not enough volume of heat to do the job easily and quickly.


There are some gas powered heat guns or soldering irons with adaptors........I have not used these.... i have friends that recon they are great...... but not for the volume that I do & the finish I expect.
and
I wont use any flame powered devices on site or in or on any sort of vehicle.
from a work point of view it constitutes " hot work" which is very dificult & expensive to insure........ and the risks arround vehicles are many particularly when I have better options at hand.

Mums stove works a treat if you can take the item to the stove.

Unless you are getting things toooooo hot It should not be a problem with surrounding wires or materials
The secret is getting it to just the right temp and a smooth even application of heat.

three of my great loves
heatshrink tube....... its just magic........I love it customers love it.. its a beautifull thing.
crimp lugs
and
modern adhesives

cheers

[vector]

you can get heatshrink now with sealant on the inside, any opinions?

[finga]

you can get heatshrink now with sealant on the inside, any opinions?
Brilliant.
But be careful. There's a few grades

[finga]

Anybody looking for cheap electric heatguns I saw some at the Dewalt shop in Kingsford Smith drive today.
And I have to agree with Oldboot about the khook looking attachment for the heatguns. Great idea they are :)

[freddofrog]

you can get heatshrink now with sealant on the inside, any opinions?

Jaycar sell some resin based ones (try jaycar.com.au - CAT. NO. WH5640) Bit more expensive that the normal stuff but it's A LOT more water tight. As it shrinks you can actually see the resin/glue come out of the walls and fill in the voids between the wires. Great stuff IMO. It also has a 4:1 shrink ratio so one size covers alot more diameters.

When I rewired my trailer, to be absolutely sure against water ingress, I "double heat shrunk" my connections if that makes sense. Just do one, shrink it, slide the next slightly longer one over and shrink again, piece of cake. Using the 4:1 stuff makes doing this a breeze.

btw, I use a el-cheapo heat gun with a "focusing" attachment. I've got the hook attachment but never used it cause didn't know what it was for, now I do! Either that or use a lighter when I'm being slack ;)

cya
ff

[jtpython]

I bought a heat gun from bunnings for $40 and use heat shrink on my rigs and doesn't weaken the mono Great stuff
JT

[FrankFWM]

OR... you could consider using a product like Starbrite Liquid Tape....

It is excellent for waterproofing connections also...

[skeeter]

I tried my wife's hair dryer but it too slow and not quite hot enough, I bought a heat gun with several settings and directional bit for the end to control air flow volume and direction. Much better.

Skeeter