Swapped to a heat gun for shrink wrap after years of using a lighter

For the last 4 years I was using a cheap lighter to shrink wrap my battery terminals and electrical connections on my boat. It worked okay but I always had this uneven look and sometimes I would melt the insulation if I held the flame too long. A buddy at the marina near Clearwater saw me doing it last month and just handed me his heat gun. Said I was asking for a fire. I tried it on a set of terminals and the difference was night and day. The wrap shrinks evenly and I can control the heat way better. It cost me about $25 for a basic one at Harbor Freight. Has anyone else made this switch or is there a better tool for this kind of work?

2 comments

2 Comments

wyatta3019d ago

You ever have one of those moments where you kick yourself for not switching sooner? I used to be a die-hard lighter guy mainly because it was what I had on hand and I figured if it wasn't broke dont fix it. Then I melted a shrink tube connector on a trailer light setup and the whole thing shorted out on me. Picked up a cheap heat gun after that and now I wont even touch a lighter for this stuff. The even heating alone makes it worth the twenty bucks, no more scorched spots or half-shrunk ends. Do you find yourself using it on anything else around the boat now?

barbararamirez19d ago

You said "the even heating alone makes it worth the twenty bucks" and man that hits home. I actually ended up using my heat gun for way more than just wiring after I got one. My kid had this old vinyl decal on his car that was peeling and I used the heat gun to soften it up and peel it off clean without damaging the paint underneath. Then I got carried away and started using it to soften the glue on old registration stickers on my boat trailer too. Now I keep it in my toolbox for everything from loosening rusted bolts to drying out wet spark plug boots after I wash down the engine. It is basically my new favorite toy but I did melt a plastic cup holder on my buddy's pontoon boat by accident so maybe dont get too carried away.