A heat gun is a vital part of any tool shop. Heat guns are ideal for projects like stripping old paint, drying a coat of paint, drying wood, welding plastic, applying heat shrink tubing or even thawing frozen pipes. Different temperature settings on the gun make it possible to complete different tasks.
How a Heat Gun Works
Unlike its predecessors, a heat gun is a powerful tool that is plugged into an electrical outlet. They have a cord that can be plugged in in a workshop or other safe project area. Extension cords can be used to wind the cord around doorways and keep the cord fully on the floor, to prevent tripping.
Once the heat gun is plugged in, it is pointed at the object to be heated. To prevent burns and possible flames, it is important to make sure the gun doesn’t get too close to the object being heated.
A fan inside the heat gun sucks air into the tool. The air passes through an electric heater and then comes out at a higher temperature on the other end of the gun.
Basic heat guns have only one heat setting, while others have several settings. The user can set the gun to either high, medium or low and can even adjust the fan speed. This makes it easier to use the heat gun for different projects and with different types of materials.
Some heat guns have a wide variety of specifications and manual settings such as a hook for hanging, different nozzles to direct airflow and a flex length to change the length of the gun.
This post on 10lista has more information about how heat guns work and how to determine which specific tools are best for several different types of projects.
How to Use a Heat Gun
When using a heat gun, you point it at the object to be heated, keeping the nozzle about two inches away from it. Slowly move the gun over the area until it is heated. If you are stripping paint, use a putty knife to begin peeling the paint off the surface.
While you are doing this, hold the heat gun in one hand and move it along with your knife, heating each area before you peel the paint off.
After most of the pain has been removed, you can point the heat gun at specific hard-to-get spots and use a scraping tool to remove the left-over paint.
You can use the heat gun in a similar way for other projects. Each used the heat gun will have different steps, but the operation of the heat gun will remain the same. The above method can be adapted to whatever you are using the heat gun for.
Heat Gun Safety Precautions
While heat guns don’t get as hot as an open flame, it can still cause burns or start fires. One built-in safety feature is that heat guns can be switched off, making them almost completely cool, during a project.
When using a heat gun, never:
Cover the air grills with the heat gun, which can cause overheating
Push the nozzle of the gun directly against a surface, which can start a fire
Use it near flammable objects
Put it down while it is in operation, use the off switch to cool it down
Touch the novel with clothing or skin
Use it for stripping lead paint
Put anything inside the nozzle
Heat guns can get extremely hot, and therefore can be dangerous. It is important to follow some basic safety precautions to avoid injury and fire.