Heat gun or blow dryer?

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dibbons

dibbons

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What is the correct temperature to use when applying black heat shrink to automotive wiring? Will my spouse's blow dryer do the trick or should I invest in a heat gun? If I go with the heat gun, what temperature setting should I select? Thank you.
 
I've always use a cig lighter carefully.
 
I alternate between a cheap heat gun and a small "pocket" butane torch. And, as rumble, I've used matches and lighters. I don't think your wife's stuff is going to do it
 
IMO, If the hair dryer actually works, why not use it. And if it works you can show the wife then she may never use it again, lol.
A heat gun will likely be a lot quicker though. Best choice I feel. Practice on a couple small sections of tubing over some wire to get the feel.
Open flame from lighter or torch as a last resort. They work but are most likely to burn the tubing and or surrounding items.
Prep for fire control!
 
I've tried several different hair dryers over the years, and most heat shrink tubes just shrug them off. You need to remember that hair-dryer manufacturers probably have the ladies' hair in mind and don't want to melt them, so they may suck 1200 watts out of the wall, but the airspeed is high enough to not burn their hair. On the other hand, the heat guns usually pull more electrons out of the wall, but at a speed that Does make high temps possible. But I wouldn't recommend your GF use one as a hair dryer, unless maybe she's 12 feet tall, and has hair like king-kong!
 
I use a soldering iron.

Easy to control where the heat goes and depending on what you're doing, you may already have one close by and hot.
 
I have a pretty good heat gun. I use it on the middle setting and it does a stellar job with heat shrinks. No messing with fire-works well!!
DR
 
A bic lighter is awfully convenient and works just fine if you have a little common sense.
 
Heat shrink needs heated on all sides to shrink fully. They make special head for heat guns to do this or move it around the tube.
 
AJ/FormS said:
they may suck 1200 watts out of the wall, but the airspeed is high enough to not burn their hair!
Click to expand...

Actually the true thought is air FLOW as in volume (weight)

But good point. You might be able to take an old dryer and restrict the intake air to raise the outlet temp. You also might end up with a blob of useless plastic (dryer) LMAO
 
67Dart273 said:
Actually the true thought is air FLOW as in volume (weight)

But good point. You might be able to take an old dryer and restrict the intake air to raise the outlet temp. You also might end up with a blob of useless plastic (dryer) LMAO
Click to expand...

I tried that Too. It just blows the thermister-fuse inside.And when I jumpered it, I had to remove the screen so I could get real close, and then, The miserable thing set stuff on fire, all the while smelling like a rendering plant.lol
Then one day, I found a really old hairdryer at a garage-sale. It had a metal body and appeared to be from the 60s or 70s. That sucker could blow hot air! And the metal body was perfect for the toolbox. I haven't seen it now for a very long time;Gee, I wonder whatever happened to that beast.
 
Years and YEARS ago (early 80's) when I "got into" HVAC/ R service, I bought one of these from Graingers. I don't remember the price back then, "but it seemed" nearly as bad as it is presently:

http://www.grainger.com/product/4Z7...4077!&ef_id=VTwZpwAAAGZGHR7U:20151116213250:s

4Z716_AS02


Anyhow, "it was a hellofalot" of money. I had a call at a restaurant in Spokane, had an iced up walk - in I don't remember if it was a cooler or freezer. I went in there and the coil was a big huge chunk of ice.

So I decided to get out the expensive Grainger heat gun. I wasn't all that experienced, then, and wasn't nearly "as suspicious" as I am now. Interestingly, the indoor coil was PLUGGED INTO A 120V cord and cap. So I pulled that loose and plugged in the heat gun. Turned that ***** on and it sounded like a jet engine. The element lit up like a floodlight. I have no idea why it didn't burn that thing up, but I turned the switch off so fast it even surprised ME.

"And no," by the way, hooking 230V coil fans to a 120V cord and cap IS NOT CODE!!!
 
Heat gun works best because of the concentration of heat. Like the guys mentioned, a hair dryer has a lot of air movement and not as much heat. I don't like the open flame from a lighter or hand held torch. The flame melts the heat shrink instead of just shrinking it.
 
toolmanmike said:
Heat gun works best because of the concentration of heat. Like the guys mentioned, a hair dryer has a lot of air movement and not as much heat. I don't like the open flame from a lighter or hand held torch. The flame melts the heat shrink instead of just shrinking it.
Click to expand...

That's where the common sense comes in.
If the lighter is held in place too long and melts your heatshrink, then don't hold the lighter there to long. :D

Sometimes I think some of you guys just want drag out as many tools, cords, lights and equipment as you can instead of getting the job done.

Go ahead and take 10 min to drag all your stuff out to shrink a tube if you want, and I'll be done with it in 30 seconds and be on to the next thing. :D

No wonder it takes some of you guys years to get a car on the road.
 
67Dart273 said:
Years and YEARS ago (early 80's) when I "got into" HVAC/ R service, I bought one of these from Graingers. I don't remember the price back then, "but it seemed" nearly as bad as it is presently:


4Z716_AS02


Anyhow, "it was a hellofalot" of money. I had a call at a restaurant in Spokane, had an iced up walk - in I don't remember if it was a cooler or freezer. I went in there and the coil was a big huge chunk of ice.

So I decided to get out the expensive Grainger heat gun. I wasn't all that experienced, then, and wasn't nearly "as suspicious" as I am now. Interestingly, the indoor coil was PLUGGED INTO A 120V cord and cap. So I pulled that loose and plugged in the heat gun. Turned that ***** on and it sounded like a jet engine. The element lit up like a floodlight. I have no idea why it didn't burn that thing up, but I turned the switch off so fast it even surprised ME.
Click to expand...

I have one of those that I bought back in the early 80s when I owned a Custom Auto Upholstery business. I used to use it to take the wrinkles out of hundreds of vinyl tops and seat covers during install. They actually work great, you just need to adjust the side vent properly to get the right heat flow and keep the appropriate distance from the surface you are heating.

It's a great tool, I mastered how to use it and I still have it. I used it to do this '56 Caddy custom interior. This car pulled $60k at the Atlantic City Car Auction in 1994...
 

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