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small hot air tool for heatshrink

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mrd

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I need a small hot air tool for doing some heatshrink on the legs of small 12mm plastic pots. All the heat guns I've seen are all much too big and powerful I'd say.

Can anyone recommend a small (hopefully low priced) hot air tool, or is a rework station the only alternative available?

Thanks

EDIT: Possibly this... **broken link removed**
Has anyone used something like this?
 
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I need a small hot air tool for doing some heatshrink on the legs of small 12mm plastic pots. All the heat guns I've seen are all much too big and powerful I'd say.

Can anyone recommend a small (hopefully low priced) hot air tool, or is a rework station the only alternative available?

Thanks

EDIT: Possibly this... **broken link removed**
Has anyone used something like this?
I haven't used it but it looks like it should do what you want. Appears to be a sort of a glorified butane cigarette lighter.

Edit: This vendor sells a small 350W electric unit which should also work for you.
 
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Even a big and powerful heatgun should have a wattage control on it for smaller jobs like that, they work just fine even on little jobs like that. I have no problems with my 1500 watt heatgun on even the smallest of jobs. My heat gun has two temperature settings and a constantly variable dial as well though. I wouldn't buy a heatgun that didn't have a constantly variable dial.
 
Hmm, perhaps I'm a cheap amateur, but I use a 'windproof lighter', set to minimum :) Fits in my pocket, and does everything from 1mm to 20mm heatshrink without burning it. Its just a question of getting the distance right. I've used a full on 2000W hot air gun for even fine work (0.8mm heatshrink on gauge #32 insulated wire on a Lemo connector) holding the connector/assembly with a pair of long nose pliers, and the hot air gun about 5/6 inches away.

One investment I can recommend is a butane soldering iron. The hot air attachment on that has a 2mm nozzle, and set to minimum is perfect for fine heatshrink. Not to mention reworking small BGA/DFN.
 
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Thanks guys.

That $25 one looks ideal. If I can find someone in the UK that sells it, I'd definately get it I reckon. Any ideas on the manufacturer or part number to narrow my search?

Or for hot air hair curlers, do you think if I removed the brush attatchment, this would do the job? **broken link removed**

Windproof lighter sounds good too! Do they not have flames then?

Thanks all for your help.

Leaning towards the hair curlers I reckon at the moment, if its as simple as just removing the brush, and then hot air comes out the end(?)
 
**broken link removed**

I might get that myself...

edit: yes, windproof lighters do have a flame, a bloody hot blue one too, but at a fair distance it doesn't burn, the jet just heats up air and throws it at something
 
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Probably more than you want to spend, but these are awesome;

Ultratorch® Model UT-100Si

A very capable soldering iron and pinpoint heat gun.

I went through a few of the $20 irons and heat guns. I finally got frustrated and shelled out the 100 clams for one of these. Problem solved permanently. I ended issuing one to each of my service techs.

One issue, the iron tips have a slot on the side which exhausts the (very) hot gas from the catalytic heater, watch where that's pointing :eek:

Be careful of the type that take a special refill cartridge (generally a modified butane lighter without the flint). The refills are expensive and hard to find.

You want something that refills from generic canned butane. One can seems to last forever.
 
I don't want to use a real flame around golf cart batteries , where i do a lot of heat shrinking of spliced wires for lights horns,turn signals etc. Just a thought,be careful where you use heat above 400 degrees.

Dan
 

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How weird... I just logged in to ask about that very same embossing heat tool/
Seems ideal! good value, 350c seems about right
Have you used it yet? It works good?
 
Nothing wrong with using heat over 400 degrees as long as it's used carefully.
 
How weird... I just logged in to ask about that very same embossing heat tool/
Seems ideal! good value, 350c seems about right
Have you used it yet? It works good?

Well , it looks so far that the same design, are marketed over and over , under several brands,
so I conclude that it is an successful one.

My own tool its still on mail .
I had asked the seller to test it prior shipping, and he notify me , that it works ok.

Basically those small tools they got designed to be used with some special colored pounders ,
for hand crafts over leather.

So they are designed to operate for many minutes continuously ..

So the heat-shrink tasks , it must be just an game, for an such type of tool.
 
Well I bought this one for a tenner. **broken link removed**
Works a treat. Perfect for heat shrink. Not hot enough to melt solder.
 
It looks very pink for my taste ... :)

At list post some technical specs , so any one, to be able to do an comparison.
 
It looks very pink for my taste ... :)

At list post some technical specs , so any one, to be able to do an comparison.

Bit pink for me too, but thought why not! Brighten up my workbench a bit!
I'd post specs, if only I had some. Not much details at all on the unit. No temp specs or anything.
All I know is, it has 2 'speed settings' which seem to blow air out more visciously.
The unit doesn't get hot (bodywise) or anything. Has a little fold out bracket to allow it to stand.
Shrinks heat shrink nice and quickly
 
The unit doesn't get hot (bodywise) or anything.

The blue that I got its single speed , and I noticed too that it does not get hot at all (bodywise) , Plus very very silent .

Well if you are happy with yours , this is all that it matters.

In my case , I have to change the Mains plug, as it came with the 3 pin UK type,
and its not compatible with the Greek Mains plugs.
But thats no biggy .. :)
 
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