Heat Gun

hawkeye · Post by **hawkeye** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 1:10 pm

I noticed Tim was saying something about stripping the finish on his lyman with a heat gun. Any thoughts on what kind or model of gun to get?

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 5:43 pm

For the first one, the ones that look like a souped up hair dryer are probably a good choice. They are the most versatile in my opinion. You can strip paint and varnish. You can shrink heatshrink tubing. You can dry your hair really really fast... Mine is made by "Master" tool company, and I think it is about an 800 watt model which is sufficient for what I do with it. I know for a little more money a 1200 watt model is available. I got it through a specialized trade catalog and I paid about $100 for it. The good ones are expensive but I think they are worth it as they last a lot longer.

For stripping whole hulls, those square shaped electric irons are faster but they are only good for stripping.

Just my 2 cents.

-Britton

Post by **Tim** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 7:09 am

I have a Milwaukee variable temperature heat gun; it was $70 or $80 or something (I forget). The variable temperature is kind of nice to have so that you can tone down the heat in some situations, making the tool more versatile. I don't recall offhand what range of wattages the variable control allows, but I can check.

I have yet to use the tool for stripping paint (which, as hawkeye mentioned, is why I bought the tool in the first place), but it's very useful for heat shrink and the like.

hawkeye · Post by **hawkeye** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 11:40 pm

Thanks guys. The Milwaukee was my first choice, but I always like a second opinion.

Ric in Richmond · Post by **Ric in Richmond** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 9:14 pm

GET ONE!!!

I used mine today to remove and install stiff sanitary tubing on the head and associated plumbing. Made it WAY easier to install.

Ric