How to shrink heat shrink tubing?
in [Repair]
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From: Peter Hill on 11 May 2010 02:43 On Mon, 10 May 2010 17:41:54 +0100, "N_Cook" <diverse(a)tcp.co.uk> wrote: >Geoffrey S. Mendelson <gsm(a)cable.mendelson.com> wrote in message >news:slrnhugcn1.e0e.gsm(a)cable.mendelson.com... >> I've recently started doing electronic repairs (mostly wiring) and need to >> shrink heat shrink tubing. A long time ago I bought a heat gun used for >> removing paint and used that. It was 120 volt, so I left it when I moved >> here. >> >> I've never had much luck (or is it patience?) shrinking it by holding it >over >> a soldering iron tip. Using a flame, like a cigarette or stove lighter >> ends up with burnt plastic. :-) >> >> Is there such a thing as a small heat shrink tube shrinker that does not >> toast the things around it? The largest thing I need to shrink over is >> about 1/2 an inch most of them are small (20awg or less) wires. >> >> >> Thanks in advance, >> >> Geoff. >> -- >> Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm(a)mendelson.com N3OWJ/4X1GM >> New word I coined 12/13/09, "Sub-Wikipedia" adj, describing knowledge or >> understanding, as in he has a sub-wikipedia understanding of the >situation. >> i.e possessing less facts or information than can be found in the >Wikipedia. > > >Wrap the tip of (old) soldering iron with some plumber's PTFE tape and then >apply the iron directly to the tubing or use a replacment tip , so adapted. I just use the clean part of the tip where it has a broad tapper to the main body. An iron has to be in contact not wafted around in the vicinity, just rub it up and down the sleeve while rotating the wire 1/2 turn each way. An 11w 1mm tip iron will do nicely on heat shrink for joints in single core auto wire. 1/2" is going to need something a bit more powerful, 80w 1/4"? -- Peter Hill Spamtrap reply domain as per NNTP-Posting-Host in header Can of worms - what every fisherman wants. Can of worms - what every PC owner gets!
From: GregS on 11 May 2010 09:27 In article <slrnhugcn1.e0e.gsm(a)cable.mendelson.com>, gsm(a)mendelson.com wrote: >I've recently started doing electronic repairs (mostly wiring) and need to >shrink heat shrink tubing. A long time ago I bought a heat gun used for >removing paint and used that. It was 120 volt, so I left it when I moved >here. > >I've never had much luck (or is it patience?) shrinking it by holding it over >a soldering iron tip. Using a flame, like a cigarette or stove lighter >ends up with burnt plastic. :-) > >Is there such a thing as a small heat shrink tube shrinker that does not >toast the things around it? The largest thing I need to shrink over is >about 1/2 an inch most of them are small (20awg or less) wires. > > The old BIC will work fine if you got the touch. There is also a BIC gun, actually one of those slim lighters. There is a cheap tool out there. Its like a big soldering iron. Blows maybe 300 watts with a small footprint. The Ungar I have been using for 25 years has steadily gon up in price, over $100. Rediculous. Something like shown on this page, as well as all the rest. http://www.buyheatshrink.com/HeatGuns/heatguns.htm I paid $20 for mine at a local hardware store. I still had money for a beer. greg
From: Allodoxaphobia on 11 May 2010 09:31 On Mon, 10 May 2010 19:59:30 -0500, AZ Nomad wrote: > On Mon, 10 May 2010 16:51:06 -0700, William Sommerwerck wrote: >>>> The problem is that fairly high temperatures are needed, >>>> well above what a lighter or hair dryer put out. Lighters, >>>> in particular, will burn the tubing before shrinking it. > >>> If you need more heat than what a blow dryer will do, >>> the HS is defective. > >>Not likely. A hair dryer hot enough to fully shrink tubing would >>probably burn your scalp. > > Maybe HS has has changed recently or perhaps blow dryers are wimpier > now being designed for people too stupid to hold it at a reasonable > distance. > I only use the stuff occasionally and haven't in about 7 years. > Previously, I never had any trouble using a blow dryer. I use a pistol-style hair dryer _plus_ a 'cup' formed from several layers of aluminum foil. Create the cup using the barrel of the blow dryer as the form -- making it with 2 slots running down opposite sides. Lay the splice/whatever on the bottom of the cups with the wire(s) entering through the slot(s). Use by placing the blow dryer just part way into the cup -- allowing the "blow" to flow out of the cup. (Use a blow dryer with a bimetal overheat reset -- not an overheat fuse.) WFM Jonesy -- Marvin L Jones | jonz | W3DHJ | linux 38.24N 104.55W | @ config.com | Jonesy | OS/2 * Killfiling google & XXXXbanter.com: jonz.net/ng.htm
From: Wild_Bill on 11 May 2010 09:36 Over here in the northeast, we have cold weather, and cheap vinyl cords get almost as stiff as metal tubing. Cords used outdoors, or left in a car can be annoying. We keep cords in a freezer (along with batteries) to preserve the juice that's still left in them for the next use. Low voltage accessory cords with excessive/oversize plastic insulation are one aggravation, but thin stiff cords (even test leads) are what I was referring to. Hard plastics don't belong on these types of cables, although the formula may be cheaper to produce. A new set of test leads that came with an older model of Tektronix TekMeter LCD scopemeter consisting of 4 leads, 3 were soft, but the red one was semi-rigid. Vintage cables are often stiffer after 20-30 years, and I suppose that's to be expected, but new cables should be relatively soft. -- Cheers, WB .............. "Jeff Liebermann" <jeffl(a)cruzio.com> wrote in message news:ugvgu5505eai4ejoju9pmh6e51pineh3mp(a)4ax.com... > > The rubber (RHW or RHH) cords seem to work best. Unfortunately, most > cheap plastic cords have an intergrated strain relief molded into the > plastic, making replacement with a different type of cord rather > tedious. > > Good idea. I have a roll of 3 conductor 14AWG RHW for replacing power > tool cords and extension cords. I never thought of using it for > kitchen appliances. > > Ummm... why would I put something electrical in the freezer? Never > mind, I don't want to know. > > Yep. Same problem. There's a customer perception that a thicker cord > somehow signifies a high power or high current device. It's common > for laser printers and copiers to arrive with huge diameter cords, > that are mostly plastic, not copper. Compared to the common power > cord of half the diameter, the wire guages inside are identical. Of > course, the added plastic makes them rigid, inflexible, difficult to > manage, and impossible to coil. > > With video and USB, the problem is not the plastic but the shielding. > There's no easy way to provide superior shielding and still have a > flexible cord. Braid is more flexible than foil, but foil has better > coverage. The exception is non-wicking braid, where the plastic > jacket is molded into the braid, which can be used to hammer nails. > > > -- > Jeff Liebermann jeffl(a)cruzio.com > 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com > Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com > Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
From: William Sommerwerck on 11 May 2010 10:18
> A new set of test leads that came with an older model > of Tektronix TekMeter LCD scopemeter consisting of > 4 leads, 3 were soft, but the red one was semi-rigid. > Vintage cables are often stiffer after 20-30 years, and > I suppose that's to be expected, but new cables should > be relatively soft. Perhaps the plasticizer would have unacceptably altered the color. |