Recommended heat gun/hair dryer for decals?
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Topic author - Constructors Champion
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Recommended heat gun/hair dryer for decals?
I need a new decal warmer to help with laying down decals. Is there a model car specific one people can recommend? I am in the US, and am hoping to avoid the main issue I had with my last one, which is that the air was not concentrated enough so it would either blow away decals that I didn't intend to touch, or it would not be hot enough to do anything on the car model.
Re: Recommended heat gun/hair dryer for decals?
I don't use a blow dryer at all. It may blow the decals away as you describe and it tends to evaporate the softener before it can work on the decal.
Instead I use a halogen desk lamp for heat after applying the softener.
Instead I use a halogen desk lamp for heat after applying the softener.
Last edited by jaykay on Tue Feb 27, 2024 4:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Recommended heat gun/hair dryer for decals?
What about a low power normal one with a custom small diffuser? Just an idea
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Re: Recommended heat gun/hair dryer for decals?
I have a Wagner paint striping gun. Their model Furno 700 heat gun https://www.wagnerspraytech.com/product ... -heat-gun/ is great for the job even though it may seem like overkill. I use it because I can set exactly the heat I want from 125 to 1300 degrees. It also have a variable speed fan and is designed so you can stand it on end so you can use it hands free. It gives you perfect control. At about $50 it is a great tool.
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Re: Recommended heat gun/hair dryer for decals?
That thing looks great! If I ever need one, that's what I'll be getting for sure!!PeteJ wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2024 5:48 pm I have a Wagner paint striping gun. Their model Furno 700 heat gun https://www.wagnerspraytech.com/product ... -heat-gun/ is great for the job even though it may seem like overkill. I use it because I can set exactly the heat I want from 125 to 1300 degrees. It also have a variable speed fan and is designed so you can stand it on end so you can use it hands free. It gives you perfect control. At about $50 it is a great tool.
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Re: Recommended heat gun/hair dryer for decals?
I just use a regular everyday hairdryer,it has 3 heat settings with a button to allow cool air while still on heat mode. The diffuser goes into a mail slot for the air to come out.
It was my wife’s but with me using it she bought another. It’s better than mine but I’m not brave enough to borrow it
It was my wife’s but with me using it she bought another. It’s better than mine but I’m not brave enough to borrow it
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Re: Recommended heat gun/hair dryer for decals?
Almost the same story here; using my girlfriend’s hairdryer just like Shunter describes. She now calls it ‘the carbon fibre föhn (hairdryer)Shunter wrote: ↑Wed Feb 28, 2024 3:23 am I just use a regular everyday hairdryer,it has 3 heat settings with a button to allow cool air while still on heat mode. The diffuser goes into a mail slot for the air to come out.
It was my wife’s but with me using it she bought another. It’s better than mine but I’m not brave enough to borrow it
It has three speeds and three temperatures. For me the lowest speed and hottest temperature works best for CF decals.
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Re: Recommended heat gun/hair dryer for decals?
A few years ago I used my table halogen lamp, which worked very well and doesn't make any noise so you can use it at night without disturbing anyone. Unfortunately it burned out and then I used my small blow dryer. It has two temperature levels and two speeds and a cool down button. A narrow nozzle that can be clipped on is also included. I made this a little smaller in order to be able to use the airflow more precisely. For me it works optimally and I achieve very good results. My range of tools also includes a Parkside hot air dryer that covers a wide temperature range. It has several different nozzle attachments with which you can achieve a temperature of up to approx. 3200°C. This device is too extreme for me to use with decals, but this is a good and inexpensive tool for shaping resin parts. That's my 2 cents on this topic as it works well for me.
Seema