Hello,
Ive been using an normal Iron (Press) on heat shrinks... but now i am really fed up of it. I dont want to spend too much on just a heat gun. So does anyone has any alternative... or can tell me how to get a cheap heat gun..
I also need a crimping tool... ust to make my own servo wires, got servo plugs and wire... but not the right tool to do so, nose pliers dont do much in crimping....

I use a rs. 300 worth small hair drier.....enough for my work....

Sandeep

Yes... i tried that... so do you use a nozzle or something to concentrarte the heat... because mine didnt work quite well...

No ...No nozzle ...i use without it.....if you can you can try with a cigarette  lighter as weel....

Sandeep

yup... but it burns the heat shrink... leaves a black resedue which gets imbeded in the heat shrink and laves a bad finish... i tried the hair drier... used a bit of a nozzle to concentrate the heat... uneven heaing... but works well..

Thank You

I too use a hair dyer (at home my wife's ) a good (hot) dyer will work on lowest setting, but if it isnt much u can go to next higher setting.
Nozzle will be good to concentrate the heat. just keep heating uniformly from all sides and not one part at a time.
and also in case of dyer, just outside the 'cone'/blast of hot air is a 'breeze' of cold air, which will cool things fast, try not to get it on the joint.
my few cents!!

How about trying it with a soldering iron? I use the low wattage one to shrink any heat shrink tubings etc

A soldering iron does work for small diameter tubing, but one has to be very careful. The results are also somewhat uneven and unusable for battery packs, etc. The hair dryer method is very slow - at least with a Panasonic dryer that my daughter uses.

Used both these methods until I got myself a heat gun with temperature control. Cannot look back! It is great for tightening covering also.

So how much does a heat gun costs... just a very simple heat gun...

Quote from: flyingboxcar on July 09, 2010, 12:11:13 PM
How about trying it with a soldering iron? I use the low wattage one to shrink any heat shrink tubings etc

I have been using the thick/butt end of a soldering iron for such purposes.  The tip is too hot, just use an area closer to the handle of the soldering iron.

Quote from: sushil_anand on July 09, 2010, 12:36:52 PM
Used both these methods until I got myself a heat gun with temperature control. Cannot look back! It is great for tightening covering also.

just out of curiosity.. what is the ideal temperature for it??

Min temp and maximum temp. is always mentioned on the heat shrink tube, also, maximum shrinkage % is also mentioned.

Sandeep

Check this FAQ's on Heat Shrink Tubing

http://www.rselectronics.com/resources/heat_shrink_tubing_FAQ.aspx

I use a  Phillips hair dryer of Circa 1980's discarded by my Mom. The Heat guns used by mobile phone repair guys cost around Rs 800-1600. I personally dont like lighter/Soldering as they don't shrink uniformly.

Always warp the electronics ( ESC) etc with a small towel when you use dryer so that they dont face extreme temperatures unnecessarily