Shrinkwrap gun alternative

[crazy charlie]

Came across a roll of shrinkwrap cheap.Couldnt pass it up.I am not looking to invest in a shrinkwrap gun as they are pretty expensive for the very few thinks i would use it for.Harbor freight has a pretty inexpensive propane torch which I assume would work.I will try to attach a pic.Anyone have experience with alternatives??? https://www.harborfreight.com/propane-torch-with-push-button-igniter-91037.html Charlie

 

[alldodge]

Never used a shrink wrap gun so unable to say. My guess is they are designed to put out a lot of heat but not much flame. The HF torch is mostly flame and a lot of heat.

 

[gm280]

For the same price you should be able to buy a heat gun. They are not very costly since they only have a heating element and small fan inside... I just did a casual search and Black and Becker has one for less then the HF torch...and there are others as well.

 

[Grub54891]

This is what we use, it fans the flame out to cover more area, still have to be careful not to hold it in one place it'll burn through. The harbor freight one does work, we use it to secure the banding along the bottom. It'll do the job for the rest if you keep moving. Once the banding is secure at the bottom, start at the top and work your way down.

 

[crazy charlie]

For the same price you should be able to buy a heat gun. They are not very costly since they only have a heating element and small fan inside... I just did a casual search and Black and Becker has one for less then the HF torch...and there are others as well.

Electric Heat gun wont work on a large area.I have one and tried it on a very small area and it didnt work there either

 

[ahicks]

I've used the one from Harbor Freight on the 2 boats I've done to date (decided to try it after watching (paying!) to see how it's done).

Works fine. My only caution would be not to use it on a windy day. The wind blowing the heat wherever it wants to makes it too hard to control. You'll be burning/melting holes frequently. Calm wind required....

After trying 2 different ones, agree heat guns are worthless when looking at a project this size.

Noteworthy maybe, using the white stuff, one of the covers I did is on it's 3rd winter (SE Michigan) after being carefully marked with which corner is which and careful folding. Still flexible and looking good... -Al

 

[crazy charlie]

I've used the one from Harbor Freight on the 2 boats I've done to date (decided to try it after watching (paying!) to see how it's done).

Works fine. My only caution would be not to use it on a windy day. The wind blowing the heat wherever it wants to makes it too hard to control. You'll be burning/melting holes frequently. Calm wind required....

After trying 2 different ones, agree heat guns are worthless when looking at a project this size.

Noteworthy maybe, using the white stuff, one of the covers I did is on it's 3rd winter (SE Michigan) after being carefully marked with which corner is which and careful folding. Still flexible and looking good... -Al

Thanks,thats exactly what I was hoping to hear!! I tried to buy the one with elect igniter today as Harbor freight had them on sale .They were out of them and was told that they only had 2 going into the sale.Gimme a break!! I also reused my shrinkwrap this year.I had my boat wrapped all the way down to the waterline last year.I spray painted exactly where the supports are on the inside and took measurements of exactly how far apart the supports are placed.I was able to get the shrinkwrap back on exactly as it originally was last season.It does not look perfectly tight but its gonna be just fine.Maybe i can get a 3rd season out of it??? I wish I would have done this with the blue wrap I had done a few years back.The blue wrap was awesome.No matter how cold it was outside,as long as it was sunny out it was warm under the shrinkwrap. Charlie

 

[crazy charlie]

This is what we use, it fans the flame out to cover more area, still have to be careful not to hold it in one place it'll burn through. The harbor freight one does work, we use it to secure the banding along the bottom. It'll do the job for the rest if you keep moving. Once the banding is secure at the bottom, start at the top and work your way down.
View attachment 330587View attachment 330586

Your gun is the "BIG BUCKS" version .I realize you get what you pay for so I am not expecting too much from the HF gun but as long as it gets the job completed I will be good.I have 3 boats to cover.Gonna practice on my patio set.Thanks for the pointers. Charlie