paulears Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Does anyone use hot air guns any more. On TV and youtube videos it's now almost universal it seems to use the shaft of the soldering iron to shrink the tubing. Ed Chignon Wheeler dealers and How it's made often show the soldering iron technique, but I don't think I've seen anyone use a heat gun? I must admit to using the soldering iron too on small joints, but I still use a hot air gun on bigger cables. Has it become normal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Does anyone use hot air guns any more. On TV and youtube videos it's now almost universal it seems to use the shaft of the soldering iron to shrink the tubing. Ed Chignon Wheeler dealers and How it's made often show the soldering iron technique, but I don't think I've seen anyone use a heat gun? I must admit to using the soldering iron too on small joints, but I still use a hot air gun on bigger cables. Has it become normal? I use hot air, a soldering iron never seems to shrink the tubing evenly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrV Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 I use a proper hot air gun with a small (1 inch) nozzle for most things but for very confined work I use a surface mount rework pencil. It's never been any use for surface mount but it's brilliant as a precision hot air gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkBarl Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 +1 for the hot air gun. It make me shiver when I see Ed going at the heat shrink with a soldering iron. Looks awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPAman Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Another hot air gun user here. Never managed a neat job when I've tried the soldering iron. Caught my finger on the tip too, which is not something I ever do these days when soldering. Weller's hot air nozzle in their gas iron kit is good for small stuff as long as you can get a piece of something heatproof as a shield behind the heat shrink that you're aiming at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Another +1 for hot air gun.CheersGerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Me 6. Hot air (but only if at work) Reminds me; must find MY iron. Somewhere in the house, rather than my toolbox! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted October 6, 2016 Author Share Posted October 6, 2016 Not just me then! Wheeler Dealers is one of my favourite leave on while working programmes - but his electrics always seem very bodge it, compared to the engineering stuff. When faced with that type of joinI rarely do the 'side by side' and then tin type joints, I tend to just cut, slide on the heat shrink, then remove just a short section of the insulation, loosen the strands a little, and force them together, intermingling them. Then I apply the iron and tin the 'whole'. Always looks neater, and the line of the incoming and exiting cable with the shrink on looks much nicer and less a bodge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinE Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 hot air gun for large sleeving or a bunch of small ones. Hot air attachment for my gas iron for small sleeving or where I dont want to heat adjacent bits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Hot air gun - a Black and Decker that my Granddad bought in the 1970s for stripping paint and hardly used! I have upgraded the flex from PVC to H05RNF though. The other essential part of the setup is the lid from an old quality street tin to stop the gun burning the bench etc when I put it down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete McCrea Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Hot air gun unless a very small diameter of fiddly location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Gordon Posted October 7, 2016 Share Posted October 7, 2016 For even shrinking I have made a curved deflector from aluminium sheet that clips on to the nozzle and directs the airflow round the far side of the sleeving at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjadingle Posted October 7, 2016 Share Posted October 7, 2016 For even shrinking I have made a curved deflector from aluminium sheet that clips on to the nozzle and directs the airflow round the far side of the sleeving at the same time. I used to use something similar in the military. Also acts as a good shield for whatever's behind! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted October 7, 2016 Share Posted October 7, 2016 Hot air gun every time. Given that Ed China almost certainly only ever does the 'on camera' bits and leaves the bulk of the work to lackeys and underlings, I wouldn't imagine his poor technique with the heat-shrink is much of a problem ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleah Posted October 7, 2016 Share Posted October 7, 2016 I tend to use the soldering iron method. Mainly because I can be a bit cak-handed and worry about melting the connector, cable and anything else within range (including fingers....) :** laughs out loud **: One of those gas soldering irons with the little hot air attachment strikes me as being rather suited to heat shrinking B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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