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Re: [TowerTalk] Recommendation for heat gun for shrink wrap

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Recommendation for heat gun for shrink wrap
From: Ian White GM3SEK <gm3sek@ifwtech.co.uk>
Reply-to: Ian White GM3SEK <gm3sek@ifwtech.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 08:01:45 +0100
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Roger (K8RI) wrote:
>Just a note about heat shrink tubing:
>
>It varies widely in dimensions and quality. The cheap thin stuff is 
>usually pretty fragile.  It also comes with and without flooding 
>compound (Hot melt glue) which for most cases is easily removed to the 
>point of reusing connectors. No, it's unlikely they will come out 
>looking like new as some of the glue will probably stay behind. With 
>practice they can come out pretty clean and the surface will look like 
>new (most of the time).

The connector will probably be re-used in exactly the same way, so any 
residue of hot-melt glue will be a help in the next life.

However, heat shrink tubing generally doesn't contain enough glue to 
guarantee a watertight shrink wrap. Tubing that is large enough to slide 
over a UHF or N connector body may not shrink tightly down onto thin 
coax, leaving a capillary gap for water to get in.

One answer is to flood the connector and cable with your own hot-melt 
glue, applied directly from the glue gun. Use the nozzle of the gun to 
spread the glue evenly over the connector body and the cable, and run a 
complete ring of glue around the step-down in diameter at the rear of 
the connector.

While the glue is still warm and soft, slide on the heat shrink tubing 
and finish with the hot air gun in the usual way. Some excess glue may 
be squeezed out the ends, and can be trimmed off after everything has 
cooled and set.

This method works equally well with both kinds of heat shrink tubing, 
either plain or pre-glued. The greater thickness of glue makes a 
positive water seal and a better strain relief.

Next time around, the tubing will be harder to remove but your own glue 
will peel away more cleanly.


-- 

73 from Ian GM3SEK         'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek
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