The soldering gun has been busy. My First DCC conversion is underway…so far so good.
I shrunk some tubing on a separate piece with a hair dryer…now I need to shrink some right on the loco…what should I use?..I think the hair dryer will blow my work right off the table judging by the amount of time it took to shrink the first little bit in the bathroom?
A little learning is a dangerous thing. I need know more.
I have pretty good luck using the soldering gun, good control and go slow and careful.
Hold your hot soldering iron close to, but not touching, the shrink tubing. It will tighten right up.
Like any new skill, it’s a good idea to practice on something non-critical (like a couple of bits of trash can wire) before tackling something expensive.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
They do make “heat guns” which are industrial-strength, small-bore “hair dryers” designed pretty much for this purpose. They even have an attachment with a reflective shield so you can hook the thing all the way around your tubing and do both sides at the same time.
Other than that? I use my soldering iron, too. I had to pull some tubing off last week to replace a bulb, and I couldn’t do it without snipping it. Guess I did it right the first time.
Also there is a liquid rubber that you can put on with a brush in the lid of the can. Works very well, especially for odd places like 3 wires where heat shrink is a hassle. Micromark sells it as well as others.
The can I picked up at Home Despot (mis-spelling deliberate) holds enough to insulate all the critical solder joints on a double garage filler layout! Not bad for a couple of bucks and no shipping charges.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)