[Prescotian]

I have received some heat shrinking wrap tubing from a friend. I have never used it before bit I think I want to use it on LED flashing lamps in tight situations. I do not want to cause any accidental shorting etc.

Obvoiusly, i have to slide the cut tube over the led wires, but what heat do I need to apply for the shriking to go ahead. Is a simple hairdryer enough as i can use my wife's easily or is their a more demonic method required?

Grateful for all help as I could not find a site to teach me but they culd all sell to me!

 

[kiwionrails]

Hi Prescotian,
Once you've slid it in place; you can carefully run the 'shaft' of your soldering iron over the tubing which should cause it to shrink into place. If you're doing a lot of soldering you could invest in a heat gun (hair dryers are generally not hot enough to cause the tube to shrink), but that is a luxury rather than being strictly required.
Best Regards,
Cameron.

 

[34C]

I just bring the soldering iron into close proximity - not contact.

I have come to prefer not shrinking the entire length of longer pieces as this can make for a relatively stiff length of wire(s)+heat-shrink tube. Instead I start from the end of the heat-shrink so that just a couple of millimetres shrink on, then the other end likewise, so that a flexible centre section is retained. This is easier by soldering iron as the heat applied is better localised.

 

[alanoes]

Yeah, I always use the soldering iron.
Just be aware that the heat shrink tubing needs to be the right size for the job, as there is a limit to how much it will shrink
I would say for LED wires you would not want tubing much more than 1mm diameter
Regards
Alan

 

[dwb]

Hair dryer works for me. It's certainly a bit scorchio if you don't fan it about for personal use.

I have used the soldering iron method in the past - make sure not to come into contact with the heat shrink.

I usually contrive to fit the heat shrink over one of the wire before making the joint. I find that splitting it makes the job harder, or maybe that's just because it blows off with the hair dryer

.

David

 

[Cyril Rossignol]

Hi

The best tool for heat shrink tubing is an Handheld Hot Air Gun.
They are like hear dryer, but with a smaller, hotter and more accurate air flow.
They are less than £15 to buy.

They are very good to loose hot glue blobs or bend plastic

Cheers
Cyril

 

[Paul-H]

I just use my hot air station, but as seen on YouTube anything hot can be used, it surprising how many people just use the flame of a lighter. Just remember uncontrolled heat can do more harm than good.

 

[Sir Topham Hatt]

Second the vote for the hot air gun. I have a Black and Decker one - I'm going off on a tangent here, but I bought a set of B&D attachments for it on eBay for it that allowed you to narrow the air flow, etc. in 2015. It was definitely brand new and stated "Made in West Germany" - which stopped being a thing in 1990 - which mean that someone had this in their warehouse/shop for 25 years! Is this a record?
Cheers
Alun

 

[34C]

QUOTE (Cyril Rossignol @ 5 Nov 2020, 18:39) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The best tool for heat shrink tubing is an Handheld Hot Air Gun.
They are like hear dryer, but with a smaller, hotter and more accurate air flow.
They are less than £15 to buy.

They are very good to loose hot glue blobs or bend plastic.
Running into further hints and tips there! Likewise make extensive use of mine to form plasticard into curves.

QUOTE (Alun Kimber @ 6 Nov 2020, 10:18) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>... going off on a tangent here, but I bought a set of B&D attachments for it on eBay for it that allowed you to narrow the air flow, etc. in 2015. It was definitely brand new and stated "Made in West Germany" - which stopped being a thing in 1990 - which mean that someone had this in their warehouse/shop for 25 years! Is this a record?...
Nowhere remotely close by the standard of Lydon's Electrical spares of St Albans, now sadly closed a few years past. I should have kept the packaging of an Electrolux vacuum cleaner spare I bought there about ten years ago, as the bumph inside the box was dated 1958. That man and his shop was a repairer's dream, if he didn't have the part in stock he knew either where to get it, where he might be able to salvage one, or what would substitute if prepared for a little work.

(I have never purchased a vacuum cleaner, my wife inherited one from her grandparents, a just post war Electrolux cylinder, which can still lift its significant weight off the ground by the vacuum it can generate. It would be totally undamaged after use as a hammer smashing a hundred Dysons to fragments too...)

 

[boxbrownie]

I have two professional hot air guns I used while working but TBH even the small one is too big for using on Loco wiring, the outlet is maybe 15mm diameter, but I do have a portable gas soldering iron which has a hot air nozzle and being just about 4 mm in diameter I find it very easy to use on Loco wiring and of course being cable free it is great if needed somewhere in the layout, very easy to use and the temperature is perfect (as it is designed to be) for heat shrink.