Hi Everyone,

Quick question - is a heat gun a part of your "tool box" as a rod builder?

We have a grip material that requires about 20-30 mins of direct high heat to solidify. In an industrial setting, we can put it in an oven, however, to work at home/in the garage would require a high heat source (about 300 degrees for it to set up...)

This is meant to be somewhat of an informal poll.

Thanks for your help!

Aleks

Yes, I have one, but I rarely use it anymore. Once I started using carbon sleeves the need to use shrink tube decreased dramatically and I rarely have to warm epoxy, etc.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2022 05:22PM by Spencer Phipps.

Aleks,
I use a heat gun every time that I wrap a rod and then coat it with epoxy.
I use the heat gun during the process to thin the epoxy as needed after the epoxy has been applied to the rod to let it better level if necessary.

I also use the heat gun any time that I am removing a label from anything. A nice hot label is easy to remove compared to a cold label.

I use a heat gun if things are stuck together to have the one part expand due to the heat from the gun to aid in disassembly.

Best wishes

Have a heat gun but not used for rod building.

I have a heat gun that I bought to use with finish epoxy. But using it caused me way more problems than it solved. As I have gained experience mixing and applying epoxy I find that I don't need any kind of heat at all.

Now its' primary use is for warming molds that I use for making soft plastic baits. Other than that it pretty much sits in a drawer in my filing cabinet.

I only use a heat gun to soften the glue on the back of decals before I apply them to the fishing rod.

I have one, never use it in rodbuilding. But if there was a need, I would.

Yes. a heat gun is useful and should be part of anyone's' arsenal of tools.

I use mine mostly for shrink tube (electrical work), but at times I have used it in some interesting and scary ways.

If I need a tool, whether I buy it or make it, and use only one time it was worth it..

I have some fixtures and tools I made over 50 years ago and to this day I cant remember what I used them for and I am afraid to throw them out because if I do I will need them the next week.

Have fun

I use one for finish as per Roger.

I frequently build spinning rods with foam-core heat-shrink tubing Tennesee handles. Use a heat gun in building every one of 'em.

I have one but never use it for rod building. 300 degrees is a lot of heat!

Why couldnt we also put it in an oven?

I have one and use it for various tasks including heat shrink tubing to salvaging parts from broken rods. I exclusively use it in the low heat setting. After folding over a tip section trying to remove epoxy, I’ve become much more cautious when using it. I now use a hair dryer to soften cured epoxy finish for removal.
Norm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2022 10:57PM by Norman Miller.

You absolutely can - but I assume that if you don’t have an oven dedicated to “tinkering” the burn off from resins used would not be too kind to the kitchen area...

Chris Catignani Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why couldnt we also put it in an oven?

To everyone that replied - Thank You!

We use a carbon fiber braid (for our grips) that is impregnated with a special resin. It has a shelf life of about 24 months in ambient temperature (about 75%) does not need to be refrigerated and it is single stage. (You don’t need to mix part and and part b)

The key is that it needs to cure at about 300 degrees for 15-20 mins to kick over.

We cure ours in an oven - but I have been successful in curing it with a heat gun.

I am considering offering the carbon braid (by the foot, yard, etc) that is already impregnated with this resin (again, very stable, no special handling needed)

So, if you have a heat gun - and are interested in participating is some R&D - send me an email ([email protected]) and I will send you a little kit of the pre-impregnated braid, and an arbor, in exchange for your feedback of how long it took until it cured in your setting (humidity, etc)

If the consensus is about 20 mins like internal tests - we will put together some instructions and offer it as a SKU.

I’ve tried with a hair dryer / but it just doesn’t get hot enough. A small convection oven works though.

Best Regards,
Aleks



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2022 11:38PM by Aleks Maslov.

Aleks,
Great idea / concept!!! Prepreg for the masses! Granted the 300*F will be a limiting factor, but when the wife is out of town…. Lol. I can easily obtain 200*F in my styrofoam “oven” with no more than 1 or 2 lower wattage light bulbs. 300*F would probably melt the styrofoam. But an easily constructed box of .5in thick plywood with a couple incandescent light bulbs inside could easily suit the purpose.
You mentioned “...in exchange for your feedback of how long it took until it cured in your setting (humidity, etc)”. Is your “special resin” a urethane or epoxy? The huminity thing is throwing me off if it is an epoxy.
I do have an adjustable heat gun and use it all the time, for more things than just rod building. If all you are interested in is curing your prepreg with a heat gun, that will save me from fabricating a plywood oven = count me in!!!

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

have a heat gun on the bench for heat-shrink grip, softening epoxy to remove broken guides and shrink wrap when prepping for delivery.

I'd be up to give it a testing/go....

No heat gun, blows up dust that I didn't even know I had. Alcohol burner.

Michael,

Send me a note, ill get one out. (with address details etc.)

alex@northforkcomposites.com

Thanks!

Michael Ward Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> have a heat gun on the bench for heat-shrink grip,
> softening epoxy to remove broken guides and shrink
> wrap when prepping for delivery.
>
> I'd be up to give it a testing/go....

Lance,
In between rods, open the window and take an electric leaf blower and blow all of the dust off the walls, ceiling, shelves, objects and floors.

Then, there will be minimal dust to create issues.

Also, when using a heat gun, leave it on for a few minutes to insure that the gun itself has blown itself clean before using it.

This is a mandatory policy in the shop and everything stays dust free.

Be safe

Note:
I do no sanding, or lathe work in the rod building shop. I do that work in the dirty shop in another building. Then, before taking the dirty work into the rod shop, I use compressed air to remove all dust etc. from the surfaces of the items to avoid bringing dust into the rod shop.

No, I don't believe it is possible to keep a really dust free shop if one does sanding and shaping in the same shop where rod wrapping and finish work is applied. Bad idea.