Battery Powered Heat Shrink Gun? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: kwass
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2017, 07:55:59 am
content: I've been looking for a handheld, cordless heat shrink (hot air) gun that's battery powered as opposed to butane (or some other flammable gas). I've only found one that costs around $1000US (https://heatshrinkgun.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/worlds-first-and-only-battery-powered-hot-air-gun-steinel-bhg-360-cordless-heat-gun/).I've used a Weller 6966C for many years and it works great, but it's mains powered. It's 250 watts, which implies that an equivalent battery powered tool could use 4 18650 cells and provide enough power for 15 minutes or so of heat shrink use -- plenty for most jobs -- I typically have my 6966C on for only 15 seconds at a time. Why has no one made such a device at a reasonable price point? Butane is a great compact power source, but dealing with an open flame has it's drawbacks.

author: rx8pilot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2017, 08:36:59 am
content: It takes an enormous amount of power to create heat. You would need a rather big battery to be practical I think.Sent from my horrible mobile....

author: Brutte
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2017, 11:19:06 am
content: What is "Heat Shink Gun"?

author: kwass
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2017, 09:25:43 pm
content: Quote from: Brutte on January 01, 2017, 11:19:06 amProof that I can't type and don't have a spell checking program running

author: kwass
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2017, 09:29:54 pm
content: Quote from: rx8pilot on January 01, 2017, 08:36:59 amTrue, but you only need the heat for a few seconds at time to shrink tubing. The link to the one such heat gun I found shows that it's practical, just not yet very affordable.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2017, 09:41:36 pm
content: Quote from: kwass on January 01, 2017, 09:29:54 pmNah I think it's priced that way cause there's no competition......yet.I gave you ~1/2 hr yesterday looking for one and I must say your Weller looks a cool bit of gear.But I'd keep an eye on what Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita and Hitachi are offering in their cordless ranges along with a detailed email to their head offices explaining your exact requirements.Even 2 years ago we didn't have the vast range of cordless gear like we do now and you can be sure there'll be others that have a use case like yours, something mightn't be far from release.

author: Paul Moir
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2017, 10:04:09 pm
content: One of those catalytic type butane heat guns can't fit your use case? You can even get combo units where batteries run a fan and butane provides the heat, such as:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GDIX9A?ie=UTF8&tag=cordlessheatgun-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001GDIX9AThe idea of pumping any kind of battery into an electric heater just makes me cringe. I'm not saying it's a rational reaction though!

author: f4eru
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2017, 09:02:10 am
content: I have a weller "catalytic butane" thingie, and it's not really practical for heat shrinking because it takes a long time to power up or power down.It seems some Ayoue hot air guns have 24V heater elements :http://www.sra-solder.com/aoyue-2703a-all-in-one-digital-hot-air-rework-stationyou could easily adapt those for battery use.

author: mcinque
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 02, 2017, 04:29:17 pm
content: With Dremel VersaTip you can unscrew the point and put on the Hot Blower Head, and use it without any open flame: it has a metallic mesh inside that keeps the flame inside the ceramic unit.It's cheap and works well.Problem solved?https://shop.dremeleurope.com/gb/en/productdetails/dremel-versatip--471EDIT: link added

author: kwass
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2017, 04:49:27 pm
content: Quote from: mcinque on January 02, 2017, 04:29:17 pmI've look at this and I have had something very similar for years, but it doesn't work well in adverse weather conditions (it's hard to light in wind and rain). Heat up and cool down time are no fun nor is storing butane.

author: kwass
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2017, 04:59:47 pm
content: Quote from: tautech on January 01, 2017, 09:41:36 pmI like your optimism!The Weller 6966c has been around nearly forever and they still make it. It's perfectly designed for heat shrink work.