Heat Guns: How To Use them
Heat guns or hot air guns are little more than super powerful hairdryers – hand-held tubes with an electricity-powered heating element at one end, and a fan that blows the hot air out of the other.
However, whereas your standard domestic hairdryer might produce air at no more than 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 Centigrade), hot air guns start in the same region and go up to 1400 Fahrenheit (760 Centigrade) – not, as the warning labels invariably tell you, something you want directed anywhere near your head. They are, however, cheap, easy to use, and handy for a variety of DIY tasks.
The cheapest generally only have one heat setting, which limits their use, whereas more expensive models might have two or three settings or even a variable dial, as well as an airflow control. Most should come with a variety of nozzles for directing the airflow accurately.
Uses for hot air guns
Check the heat output before you buy a new heat gun to make sure it is suitable for the job in hand. This is one of those times where less is sometimes more; if you’re planning to use it to strip paint you just want to soften it to make it easy to lift off with a knife or other tool.
Too hot and you’ll set fire to paint and wood before you know it. Again, cooler settings are better for drying paint and varnish, which will blister or burst into flames if you overdo it. (Make sure that the surrounding area is clean, or you can blow dust and particles onto the wet paint.)
Heat guns can be used for welding plastic, heat-shrinking film or laminating, bending plastic pipes and soldering (or unsoldering) copper ones. Cooler temperatures can be used to thaw plumbing after a winter freeze and to dry damp wood.
Pic credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannah_and_simon/
