Is It Possible to Use a Hair Dryer for Heat Shrink Tubing?

The Household Pick: Regular Hair Dryer

A household hair dryer is super easy to get, almost every family has one on hand.

• No extra budget
• No complicated operation.

It is the most convenient alternative for casual home use. Its heat is milder and the overall using process is much safer, greatly reducing the risk of scalding or accidental damage to small home appliances.
But hair dryers have obvious limits.

• The temperature is not high enough, and cannot be adjusted.
• The hot air is scattered
• The tube cannot fully shrink, resulting in loose fitting or wrinkled surfaces.

Moreover, it is not applicable to all types of heat shrink tubes.

The Professional Choice: Heat Gun & Oven

Heat guns, even an oven are the standard tool for heat shrink work. They warm up quickly, with steady hot airflow, the tubing shrinks evenly and fits wires tightly in a short time. The finished seal is firm, waterproof and long lasting, which is ideal for thick tubing, large size sleeves and daily electrical maintenance.
However, heat guns and ovens are not commonly found in homes.Unnecessary if you only do occasional small repairs.

Quick Comparison: Heat Gun vs. Hair Dryer

How to use Hair Dryer shinking heat shrink tube

It is so simple!
First, you need to prepare the he hair dryer and heat shrink tube, and the wire you want to repair
Second, thread the wire through the heat shrink tubing.
Third, Set the hair dryer to “its hot” mode.
Finally, Keep the air outlet 1-1.5 inches away from the heat shrink tubing, rotate the heat shrink tubing at a constant speed to ensure uniform heating.
That is all, so easy.
Simple Tricks for Better Shrink Effect.
When you use the hair dryer, blow back and forth slowly, and rotate the heat shrink tube while heating. In this way, every side can get heated evenly. Stop blowing once the tube fits closely, and let it cool down naturally to get a better wrapping effect.