Heat shrink tubing

[coaldrag]

OK so everything for my project to put proper lighting in some Athearn ACes has come in. According to the tube of UV6800 it works like contact cement. Put some on each surface (acrylic tube (1.5mm)/led (0603 with magnet wire already attached)), let it sit, and then put them together. It didn't work very well. Those are some really small surfaces. So I dabbed some on the end of the light tube and it stuck right to the led. I let it sit for an hour and put some medium body Microscale CA (I really like their CA) around it for reinforcement. I let that sit for another hour and it had a very good bond. I cut some 2mm heat shrink tubing and it slipped right on and over the led without hanging up.

The next move was to heat the tubing. One time I tried to do that with a soldering iron, that went over like some lead bricks, so no use trying that. Even if I had a heat gun, I don’t think that would work on something so small. My only thought was holding it over the gas burner on the stove. It worked real good, right up to the moment that it melted the light tube into a 90^ angle. It produced a tight package though. I need to come up with a power source to test out the light transference before making any more.

So what’s your favorite heat source?

Kevin

[alco539]

Hi Kevin. When my heat gun gave up right in the middle of a job. I used an old hair drier from my kids, they got a new one when it didn't have enough power. I mostly use it for drying paint. On the high setting it did just as good a job as the heat gun, takes a little longer, but worked for me. Give it a try! Regards Charley.

[Paul Cutler III]

First off, which kind of heat shrink were you using? There are two kinds that I've seen: one has a matte finish and is kind of soft, like rubber; the other is rather shiny and seems more like hard plastic. The shiny hard stuff has to have an indirect heating source like a heat gun, because if you touch it with soldering iron, the stuff just melts all over the iron instantly. The soft rubber-like heat shrink is fine with direct heat, and can sit for several seconds on a hot iron tip without melting.

Using the soft rubber-like heat shrink is great, but I would stay away from the hard plastic heat shrink. It's a pain.

BTW, I use a soldering iron for all my heat shrink. I have used a mini-heat gun made for this as that will also work great. However, I think the kind of heat gun used to strip paint is too much.

Tip: Try the iron but don't use the end of the soldering tip to heat the shrink tubing. Use the part of the iron where the "tip" screws into the heating element. What's great about that is that you don't get the tip dirty, nor do you get the heat shrink covered with solder. Also, one can use the 90 corner formed by the tip and the heating element to affect the tubing from two sides at once, making things go quicker.

[nashoba]

I use 2 methods:

I use my soldering iron when its a tight area, but mostly use a bic lighter or a mini-butane torch that has a screen at the end. I picked it up at the hardware store, its refillable, and its the size of a pen light.

Word to the obvious, if using open flame - move flammables away!

And, yes, the cat is flammable..

Mark

[kentuckysouthernrwy]

Soldering iron for me. I use 3M brand shrink from the electronics store, none of that guess who made it from Harbor Frt. It is dull finished, most black and a bit red here also.

[coaldrag]

I tried my hairdryer on high and it worked. I didn't think it would have enoufg heat. Thanks.
Kevin

[DHTR]

I use a lighter the one you can get at any Convenience store for a $1.00 or so. There has been no time that I could not get into a spot to shrink the tubing. All shops should have a FIRE EXTINGUISHER IN REACH. I have two, one one each end of my bench. HOT HOT HOT

[nhguy]

Dull finish tubing and soldering iron for me too.

[siouxlake]

I just posted to MR forums today on a modelers question about Liquid Tape.

Where you have very close clearances, such as being described he, I would use a very artists brush (instead of the bulky one attached to the inside of the jar lid) and insulate the connections with Liquid Tape, available at any home store or hardware store. The Liquid Tape is as effective as heat shrink tube, can be less burdensome than trying to shrink a very small bit of the tubing where you have no room to apply the heat directly without damaging other parts or materials.

Ron