Good Small Tool for Shrink Tube Heating?

Thread Starter

Art Duino

Joined Nov 30, 2017
52
I'm tired of burning my fingers using a lighter to do shrink tubing. What's a good small heat gun type of thing for this purpose? I would like to get something that will last. Doesn't have to be cordless. Thanks.
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,706
Hee, hee! Use the exhaust from your vehicle's tail pipe?

Now why did I not think of this before? I will get me one of those craft heat guns. I am tired of always having to get out the paint stripper heat gun.
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,617
I recall when HS first appeared and a salesmen had a job convincing techs it was heat proof, so he used to show them that running a very hot soldering iron over it did no harm. :cool:
He got to be best seller!
 

eetech00

Joined Jun 8, 2013
3,856
I recall when HS first appeared and a salesmen had a job convincing techs it was heat proof, so he used to show them that running a very hot soldering iron over it did no harm. :cool:
He got to be best seller!
yes…it’s teflon.
If you dampen the outside of it first, it shrinks quicker and doesn’t discolor as much.
 
Last edited:

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,167
I discovered a really fast simple, and cheap scheme for sshrinking the stuff. I have one of those unsoldering tools tghat has a squeeze bulb with a soldering iron..
A gentle squeeze on the bulb delivers a puff of hot air and the heat shrink shrinks immediately. And not enough heat to damage insulation. And it is a tool I already have.
I think that they were about $12 from Radio Shack when I got mine, but that was a while back.
 

bassbindevil

Joined Jan 23, 2014
824
Butane powered Weller Pyropen, aka Master Ultratorch, aka Engineer something, with the "heat ejector" tip. It can apply heat in cramped spaces where the electric "hair dryer" won't fit. There's probably cheaper generic butane irons that can do that as well. I often use the hot exhaust from the regular soldering tip if space allows.
 
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