How do I shrink heat shrink tubing?

I want to use some heat shrink tubing inside a light I'm modding. Is it possible to shrink without a heat gun? If so how?

You can shrink the tubing carefully with a soldering iron tip or VERY carefully with a lighter. Might take a bit of practice to get it right. I have used both in a pinch.

If you carefully hold it just above the top of a lighter flame, it should be hot enough to shrink, without being so hot that it melts or burns.

Hair dryers are usually (just barely) not hot enough to shrink tubing. A toaster oven works OK.

When I use a lighter (or even match!) I use the SIDE of the flame so I don't get the thing all black, or too hot. Heat guns are pretty cheap, and with a shrink-tube reflector (a round end that reflects the heat all the way around the tubing) there's just nothing better.

What Darell said /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif and if you plan to do it often invest in a heat gun it saves a lot of time and burnt tubing.

Later
Sway

I was going to say 'heat it of course' but that'd just be wrong. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I've always used a lighter... results have varied a lot... like some have suggested... avoid the flame directly, or move it fast through the flame... I like the matt black GB tubing better than the shiny stuff ®S sells.

-awr

Harbor Freight makes a nice cheap paint stripper gun that works well for this.

I use the 3-4" part of the soldering iron above the tip. Works well.

Real men use matches of course. Timing is part of it, not this sissy BS with lighters.....

I too have used the shank rather than tip of the soldering iron with success over the years and can recommend it as a field expedient.

Use of a toaster oven, however, needs to be carefully taken. Temperatures involved might easily kill any number of electronics bits, including the LED. Some die just under the boiling point of water, the rest just over it. You need to be able to selectively heat, the heat gun can kill electronics (experience here....).

Doug Owen

Depending on your application, I have used cigarette lighters/ matches/ and the stove on really low flame and constantly rolling/moving the heatshrink around.

I have not tried it but,.......how about holding it just above
the coil of an electric stove ?

Agree with many of the techniques suggested above. Just keep in mind there are at least two grades of HS tubing (one obviously thicker and requiring more heat; the other, thinner-walled one that can be crinkled up/folded rather easily may not hold up well to any open flame). With flames the key is constant movement over the entire surface for even contraction rate all around.

I love the idea of the shank of the soldering iron i will try that the next time i shrink-heat some tubing. If that fails might have to go back to rubbing sticks.

[ QUOTE ]
andrewwynn said:
I love the idea of the shank of the soldering iron i will try that the next time i shrink-heat some tubing. If that fails might have to go back to rubbing sticks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not to worry, I've been using it for years when nobody's looking. Neat part is no solder gets stuck to it (which happens when you use the tip). I also screwed up a tip by melting some HS on it, ended up throwing it out before it's time as I recall.

Real men still use matches, of course.

Doug Owen

Thanks for the help guys...my propane torch seems to be working rather well. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I opt for a lighter (or match). In the interest of free information... you CAN use a hair dryer, you just need to obstruct the air intake vents so the outgoing air is hotter than normal. Be sure to let it cool down between uses, or the thermal limited will kick in.

Use a rotissererie /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

If you use a heat gun, be careful. I've melted plastic bits with mine on the wrong setting.

Daniel

Use one of ginseng's hot rod mods. He posted a pic where a beam melted a hole in a plastic jug. so remember to keep the heat even across the shrink tubing. and remember safety first so get welding mask and some sunblock. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/poke2.gif