Heat gun doing more harm than good. Need help/suggestions.
09-08-2009, 11:22 AM
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Heat gun doing more harm than good. Need help/suggestions.
I've been covering my latest build.. (Senior Telemaster)
And I ran into an problem trying to shrink the MonoKote down...
One of the areas I'm trying to shrink is long and narrow, and I need the shrinking to happen along the shorter axis...
It seems like the heat gun is doing more harm than good. I can get the monokote heated up, but the wind from the gun stretches it out so much, that it actually stretches the coating out... By the time it cools down/shrinks down, it doesn't shrink enough.
Plus... An adjacent area needs shrinking, and I can get that one shrunk down.. but then return to the problem area.. the overblow screws up the first.. Argh!!!
So.. Is there a heat gun out there that delivers the heat, but not all the wind volume????
I tried pulling the gun further away from the surface, putting it at an angle..
As I type this.. I'm thinking of using a second iron, set on higher (shrinking temp) temperature, move it over the area...
Thoughts???? Ideas?????
TIA
And I ran into an problem trying to shrink the MonoKote down...
One of the areas I'm trying to shrink is long and narrow, and I need the shrinking to happen along the shorter axis...
It seems like the heat gun is doing more harm than good. I can get the monokote heated up, but the wind from the gun stretches it out so much, that it actually stretches the coating out... By the time it cools down/shrinks down, it doesn't shrink enough.
Plus... An adjacent area needs shrinking, and I can get that one shrunk down.. but then return to the problem area.. the overblow screws up the first.. Argh!!!
So.. Is there a heat gun out there that delivers the heat, but not all the wind volume????
I tried pulling the gun further away from the surface, putting it at an angle..
As I type this.. I'm thinking of using a second iron, set on higher (shrinking temp) temperature, move it over the area...
Thoughts???? Ideas?????
TIA
09-08-2009, 11:34 AM
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RE: Heat gun doing more harm than good. Need help/suggestions.
I know what you going though. i have used hair dyers that you can lower the speed of the fan.. But on that I found that works great for me is my wife EMBOSSING heat gun for scrapbooking. it is used to melt this metal fakes on to paper. but it does not put out alot of wind but does have give off good heat.. bad side of it, is there no control of either wind or heat.
09-08-2009, 12:14 PM
#5
RE: Heat gun doing more harm than good. Need help/suggestions.
I recently covered a four star 120 with monokote. Is this structure open or sheeted? If it's open and sturdy like a wing, follow the directions on the product and tack the covering to one end and pull it as tight as possible as you tack it to the structure in various places. Then shrink it taught with the heat gun. If you are doing a structure like a turtle deck, same thing but count on spending a TON of time and heat to get it perfect. Keep heating it till you are sure it'll burst into flames. Right before it does, it'll be perfect.....
If you are covering a sheeted structure follow your gun with a clean oven mitt for the most beautifull glossy surface.
After rereading your post, Ill say this, MORE HEAT. It is frustrating when one open bay gets tight and the one next to it is disturbed. See if you can work it in one direction to the end of the structure. Oh and MORE HEAT........It will eventually pull tight........
If you are covering a sheeted structure follow your gun with a clean oven mitt for the most beautifull glossy surface.
After rereading your post, Ill say this, MORE HEAT. It is frustrating when one open bay gets tight and the one next to it is disturbed. See if you can work it in one direction to the end of the structure. Oh and MORE HEAT........It will eventually pull tight........
09-08-2009, 12:24 PM
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RE: Heat gun doing more harm than good. Need help/suggestions.
ORIGINAL: vmsguy
I've been covering my latest build.. (Senior Telemaster)
And I ran into an problem trying to shrink the MonoKote down...
One of the areas I'm trying to shrink is long and narrow, and I need the shrinking to happen along the shorter axis...
It seems like the heat gun is doing more harm than good. I can get the monokote heated up, but the wind from the gun stretches it out so much, that it actually stretches the coating out... By the time it cools down/shrinks down, it doesn't shrink enough.
Plus... An adjacent area needs shrinking, and I can get that one shrunk down.. but then return to the problem area.. the overblow screws up the first.. Argh!!!
So.. Is there a heat gun out there that delivers the heat, but not all the wind volume????
I tried pulling the gun further away from the surface, putting it at an angle..
As I type this.. I'm thinking of using a second iron, set on higher (shrinking temp) temperature, move it over the area...
Thoughts???? Ideas?????
TIA
I've been covering my latest build.. (Senior Telemaster)
And I ran into an problem trying to shrink the MonoKote down...
One of the areas I'm trying to shrink is long and narrow, and I need the shrinking to happen along the shorter axis...
It seems like the heat gun is doing more harm than good. I can get the monokote heated up, but the wind from the gun stretches it out so much, that it actually stretches the coating out... By the time it cools down/shrinks down, it doesn't shrink enough.
Plus... An adjacent area needs shrinking, and I can get that one shrunk down.. but then return to the problem area.. the overblow screws up the first.. Argh!!!
So.. Is there a heat gun out there that delivers the heat, but not all the wind volume????
I tried pulling the gun further away from the surface, putting it at an angle..
As I type this.. I'm thinking of using a second iron, set on higher (shrinking temp) temperature, move it over the area...
Thoughts???? Ideas?????
TIA
Regards
09-08-2009, 12:51 PM
#7
RE: Heat gun doing more harm than good. Need help/suggestions.
Don, If you have the patience and skill to do large open wing bays and turtle decks using nothing but Monokote and an iron, you are truly talented. For me, the "heat it till it almost bursts into flames with your heat gun" technique is all I can manage.
My gun is a super cheap Hobbico model and is slightly adjustable using a rotary vent on the back and comes with a flat pattern nozzle for the front. For monokote I do have the vent as closed as possible for more heat and I do use the flat nozzle as well, again to concentrate the heat. Again, more heat, solved any shrinking problem I had. Ultracote will catch on fire at the temps I used for shrinking monokote.
My gun is a super cheap Hobbico model and is slightly adjustable using a rotary vent on the back and comes with a flat pattern nozzle for the front. For monokote I do have the vent as closed as possible for more heat and I do use the flat nozzle as well, again to concentrate the heat. Again, more heat, solved any shrinking problem I had. Ultracote will catch on fire at the temps I used for shrinking monokote.
09-08-2009, 05:33 PM
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RE: Heat gun doing more harm than good. Need help/suggestions.
Get rid of the hobbby heat gun and get a Black & Decker paint stripper heat gun (or equivalent). I use the lower
setting for models and it gets really hot. You have to be careful but you'll never worry about not having enough heat.
setting for models and it gets really hot. You have to be careful but you'll never worry about not having enough heat.
09-10-2009, 04:27 PM
#11
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RE: Heat gun doing more harm than good. Need help/suggestions.
Is it heating the seam and causing it to pull away? If that's the case, the heat gun is the wrong tool. Use the iron to get the seam down, and pull the covering away from it with the hot iron if it's a sheeted surface. On an open surface, point the heat away from the seam.
The covering only has a limited amount of shrink available. If you've tried two or three times to shrink it and you've used alot of heat, then you probably aren't going to get any more. An important part of learning to cover is to not use any more heat that you have to to get it smooth, since it will usually loosen a bit later and you need to still have some shrinkage left.
The covering only has a limited amount of shrink available. If you've tried two or three times to shrink it and you've used alot of heat, then you probably aren't going to get any more. An important part of learning to cover is to not use any more heat that you have to to get it smooth, since it will usually loosen a bit later and you need to still have some shrinkage left.
09-16-2009, 09:45 AM
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RE: Heat gun doing more harm than good. Need help/suggestions.
Just a follow up to answer some of the topics/questions brought up.
1. Yes, the seams were pulling apart. I think what was happening was the force of the wind blast was pushing down on the covering, and as a result the seam split apart.
2. The iron (with a sock) on high heat did the trick. I covered the entire side with the base color (transparent red) and when I applied the HOT iron, is shrunk like a charm. I merely moved the iron from tail to nose slowly, and it it's wake the loose coating tightened right up. Tightening took less then 1 minute per side.
Now, onto the top, and then decals. But that's another topic.
1. Yes, the seams were pulling apart. I think what was happening was the force of the wind blast was pushing down on the covering, and as a result the seam split apart.
2. The iron (with a sock) on high heat did the trick. I covered the entire side with the base color (transparent red) and when I applied the HOT iron, is shrunk like a charm. I merely moved the iron from tail to nose slowly, and it it's wake the loose coating tightened right up. Tightening took less then 1 minute per side.
Now, onto the top, and then decals. But that's another topic.
09-18-2009, 04:23 PM
#13
RE: Heat gun doing more harm than good. Need help/suggestions.
ORIGINAL: vmsguy
And I ran into an problem trying to shrink the MonoKote down...
...............
.........
Thoughts???? Ideas?????
TIA
And I ran into an problem trying to shrink the MonoKote down...
...............
.........
Thoughts???? Ideas?????
TIA
It has a paper backing which is great for making templates, etc for designs.
